Purpose at the Edge of Life: Swanti Sethi

In the span of only a few years, Swanti Sethi went from living life at full throttle—working relentlessly, creating endlessly, and playing just as hard—to confronting a near-death illness that would force her to stop altogether.

What followed was not only a fight for survival but a reckoning with self, identity, and purpose. It was a journey that would force her to unlearn, rebuild, and ultimately redefine what healing truly meant.

Some stories disarm you before you even realise it. You find yourself scrambling for something to anchor you mentally, bracing yourself before surrendering to the gravity of what’s unfolding. I found myself in that very position, sitting across from Swanti—eyes locked, brows furrowed, hypnotised by the cadence of her voice as she began to unravel the defining chapters of her life.

This wasn’t merely a tale of resilience or reinvention. It was a deeply human story about collapse, awareness, and becoming.

Dressed in all white, seated cross-legged with a relaxed but attentive posture, Swanti radiated an energy that was grounding yet unmistakably powerful. A therapeutic sound healer, mindful doodle art facilitator, and co-creator of a nature-based health retreat, she is someone who speaks with clarity earned through lived experience.

Born and raised in a traditional Punjabi family in Bangkok, Swanti quickly learned that she did not fit neatly into the expectations set before her.

“There were a lot of challenges growing up that led to unhealthy behaviour as a child,” she explains. “I stood out in my family, and because of that, I was ostracised by the wider community. Once I was given that label, I leaned into it even more.”

Being marked as “different” shaped her early relationship with identity and her path to evolving. By the time she reached adulthood, Swanti was determined to leave Bangkok behind. At 18, she moved to Los Angeles, following what appeared to be a natural progression.

Her father had been a fashion designer for over four decades, and fashion school offered both an escape and a sense of legitimacy—a reason to leave that could not be questioned. But Los Angeles, she learned quickly, was not forgiving.

“It’s dangerous ground,” she says. “LA will swallow you whole and spit you back out. I didn’t know who I was. There was no sense of self.”

Immersed in glamour, excess, and newfound freedom, she found herself caught between exhilaration and disorientation. Fashion itself failed to fully capture her attention, but the world surrounding it did.

She became transfixed by the backstage ecosystem, particularly the makeup artists, watching transformation unfold in real time. The artistry, the immediacy, the ability to shape identity visually sparked something she had never felt before.

“That was where I felt most like me—being busy, being in control, creating. Work was my escape, my safe space, my everything.”

Returning to Bangkok in her early 20s, Swanti briefly worked within her father’s factory, attempting to apply what she had learned abroad. The experience was challenging. Navigating hierarchy, gender politics, and ageism proved overwhelming.

“I was put in a position where I was giving instructions to older men,” she says, laughing. “That didn’t go down too well.”

Yet those years would quietly lay the groundwork for resilience and leadership. Around the same time, a former high school psychology teacher and yearbook advisor, now experimenting with conceptual photography, rekindled her creative spark.

His work was bold, avant-garde, and narrative-driven.
“I was so blown away,” she recalls. “Something woke up inside me. I thought, wait a second, this is actually what I want to do.”

With clarity and humility, she thanked her father for the opportunities he had given her and committed fully to carving her own path. She trained as a makeup artist and moved to India to deepen her experience in the bridal world, working closely with industry leaders and immersing herself in technique, discipline, and cultural nuance.

Around this time, fate intervened. The teacher who had once inspired her reached out, impressed by her growth and eager to collaborate. What followed was a creative partnership that would push her beyond her perceived limits.

“We used to butt heads back in school,” she admits. “He never thought I’d amount to much, and honestly, back then, I didn’t apply myself.”
“But working together later in life, he challenged me in ways I had never experienced. He took me to levels I didn’t know existed.”

Their collaboration led to international projects and travel, reinforcing her confidence and solidifying her place within the creative industry. Her hunger for learning eventually took her to London, where she enrolled at the Academy of Freelance Makeup.

There, she was introduced to high-level productions, special effects, and the deeper realms of avant-garde artistry. To sustain herself as a freelancer, Swanti diversified—working as a wedding planner, teaching aspiring artists, and mentoring young creatives.

What began as a financial necessity soon became another layer of understanding, allowing her to see both sides of the business, creative and commercial.

Her career flourished. She built her own makeup team, contributed to international fashion shows, advertising campaigns, and editorial shoots, opened a photography and videography studio, and worked toward launching Creative Labs Academy—a space where creatives could learn, collaborate, and grow.

At this stage of her life, Swanti was unstoppable. She worked up to 19 hours a day, fuelled by ambition, adrenaline, and a relentless desire to prove herself.

“Those were the days when I lived on coffee… and lots of beer,” she laughs.

Sleep, she admits, became a stranger. What looked like momentum from the outside was, in hindsight, a form of self-erasure. At the time, exhaustion felt like a badge of honour; only later did she recognise it as her body asking to be heard.

Seven years ago, Swanti was diagnosed with lupus—an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue. For someone whose identity was rooted in productivity, control, and momentum, the diagnosis was devastating.

“That was where I felt most like me, being busy, being in control, creating,” she explains. “Work was my escape, my safe space, my everything.”

When illness forced her to stop, everything collapsed at once. A failing marriage, an inability to work, and a body in constant pain pushed her into unfamiliar territory. Blood clots left her bedridden for months. Coping mechanisms were stripped away.

“When I got sick, everything just stopped,” she says quietly. “It killed my soul.”

All of a sudden, she was getting divorced, unable to work, and bedridden after developing six blood clots in her right leg. She thought she was just overworked, even though there were symptoms throughout that year—never imagining the ramifications would be so severe.

What followed was an intense period of introspection. Years of unprocessed trauma, anger, and self-protection surfaced.

“I realised I was always ready to fight,” she reflects. “I had built armour around myself.”

Transitioning out of an unhealthy marriage, unable to walk for six months, no longer able to work, no more drinking, no more smoking—all of her coping mechanisms disappeared, leaving her to deal with herself, her emotions, her mind, and her broken body.

This is where her spiritual awakening began.