(Image Credit: www.shannonnering.com)

By Jett Schwaier

Shannon Nering

Local born author set to bring life-changing journey through new memoir to Medicine Hat

Mar 26, 2026 | 10:41 PM

A Medicine Hat-born author, Shannon Nering, is returning to her hometown from April 22 to 24, as part of a cross-country book tour to share a deeply personal memoir exploring motherhood, midlife and healing.

Nering’s book, The Mother Vine: How I Healed My Heart with Ayahuasca, traces her journey from a fast-paced career in Los Angeles television to a dramatic life change on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

The memoir blends themes of family life, personal transformation and plant medicine, as Nering reflects on a period of upheaval and growth that reshaped her identity as a mother, partner and individual.

“It’s really about the messiness of motherhood and marriage and the ‘chrysalis’ of midlife, not just for me, but just for my husband too,” Nering said.

“And so the book is really about flipping your life and learning how to adapt and be born again as a mature spiritual human.”

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The book follows Nering and her family as they leave behind careers in the television industry in search of a slower, more intentional life, only to face unexpected challenges that force a deeper reckoning within themselves and their relationships.

Originally from Medicine Hat, Nering said writing the memoir brought her back to her childhood on the prairies, a place she describes as both formative and deeply emotional.

“Medicine Hat holds all the best of me and all the saddest of me,” Nering said.

“It represents innocence, and I’m talking about the years before age 10 when my father died, because once my father died, everything changed,” she added.

“I became extremely independent [and] was extremely sad.”

Nering said those early experiences in Medicine Hat continue to influence her outlook, including her appreciation for nature and her sense of connection.

As part of the book tour, Nering plans to return to Medicine Hat in late April for a reading and to reconnect with the community where she was born.

“I hope that my story can inspire other people,” she said.

“Your life is sacred. Start living like it. Start acting like it.”

As the book reaches its publication date on April 21, Nering said she is especially hopeful the book will spark conversations around midlife, particularly for women, and encourage readers to embrace growth, reflection and new beginnings.

“Your life is sacred. Start living like it. Start acting like it,” Nering said.

“And that comes through stillness and looking at who you are and possibly, quite possibly making a few changes or shifts.”