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When Renee Spillane had a massage that left her feeling “alive” and “untouchable,” she didn’t know it would change the course of her life. She quit her stable job, trained as a massage therapist, and discovered that the real work wasn’t about fixing muscles—it was about listening to what the body was storing. This is a story about how grief, fear, and unprocessed emotions live in our tissues, and how a skilled practitioner can help bring them to the surface. It’s about learning to trust the wisdom in your body, honoring your own unique healing path, and discovering that sometimes the greatest gift you can receive is simply being seen. Episode Overview In this conversation, I sit down with Renee Spillane, an energy healing massage therapist from Adelaide, South Australia, who specializes in working with women through all stages of womanhood—from pregnancy and motherhood to grief and beyond. Renee walks us through her unexpected journey into massage therapy, the profound personal experience of her son’s medical journey that taught her about grief, and how she learned to trust the intuitive information she receives while working with clients. We explore how physical symptoms often point to emotional roots, how different areas of the body hold different emotions, and why the most powerful healing happens when we bring awareness to what our bodies are storing. Renee shares stories from her practice—of women carrying fear in their hips, grief in their shoulders, and the resistance that comes when we’re not ready to hear the truth. What You’ll Discover * How a single memorable massage led Renee to completely change careers. * The difference between a “fix it” massage and an energetic, healing massage. * How grief can show up in the body—even when it’s not your own direct loss. * Why certain emotions live in specific areas of the body (fear in the hips, responsibility in the shoulders). * The importance of learning how to shift your own energy—and why it’s different for everyone. * How pregnancy, motherhood, and major life transitions show up physically. * Why some people resist emotional insights—and how to meet them with compassion. * The power of asking: “How’s life been lately?” instead of “What hurts?” * How trusting your body’s wisdom leads you onto your true path. * The freedom that comes from realizing you don’t have to have it all figured out. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast 02:00 - Welcoming Renee from Adelaide, South Australia 04:00 - The Massage That Changed Everything 06:00 - Quitting Her Stable Job to Train as a Massage Therapist 08:00 - The Personal Experience That Taught Her About Grief 10:00 - Trusting Intuitive Information on the Table 12:00 - The Panic Attack That Told Her to Leave a Job 15:00 - How Physical Symptoms Point to Emotional Roots 18:00 - Fear in the Hips, Responsibility in the Shoulders 21:00 - The Postnatal Client Who Needed Social Connection 24:00 - The Client Who Didn't Want Her Feet Touched 27:00 - The Frozen Shoulder and Unexpressed Trauma 30:00 - Why Some People Resist Emotional Insights 33:00 - The Go-Kart Analogy: Hitting the Curb When You're Off Track 36:00 - Grief as a Universal Experience 39:00 - The Importance of Wording and Empowerment 42:00 - Oracle Cards as a Gentle Confirmation 45:00 - Respecting Everyone's Journey 48:00 - Her Work, Website, and Social Media 50:00 - Final Reflections and Closing Guest Information & Links Connect with Renee Spillane: * Website: balancingwomanhood.com.au * Instagram: @balancingwomanhood.renee 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community Use coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your first month. → Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner: click the link to learn more: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training → Apply to get on the waitlist for the podcast: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

Stacey spent her career inside healthcare. She knew the language, the protocols, the system… But when her body began to collapse, she was still dismissed, gaslit, and told to see a psychiatrist when imaging clearly showed she had a stroke. This is an episode on what it takes to keep going when no one believes you, about the exhaustion of advocating for yourself over and over, and about the courage it takes to keep going—even when you don’t have all the answers. Episode Overview In this conversation, I sit down with Stacey Piedrahita, a former nurse and medical professional from North Carolina who has navigated a decade of health crises—from multiple autoimmune diagnoses to a severe electrical shock that left her with POTS, dysautonomia, mast cell disease, and a confirmed stroke. Stacey walks us through the painful reality of being a patient in a system she once worked within, the invalidation she faced from specialist after specialist, and the exhausting fight to be believed. We explore how the childhood programming that taught her to mask her pain and be “the strong one” showed up in her initial relationship with illness, and how getting sick has slowly forced her to unlearn that story. This is a raw account of someone still in the midst of the journey—learning to unmask, to ask for help, and to become the most authentic version of herself. What You’ll Discover * The reality of being dismissed by doctors—even when you have medical training yourself. * How the medical system follows a script and doesn’t have time to listen—and why that must change. * The back pain at 50 that put her on a different path forever. * The experience of being told “nothing is wrong” while her body was collapsing. * How an electrical shock from a fence led to POTS, dysautonomia, mast cell disease, and a stroke. * The moment a neurologist finally listened—and why it took three to get there. * The deep childhood programming of being “the strong one” and masking pain to survive. * Why illness is forcing her to stop hiding and start asking for help—even when it’s terrifying. * How radical acceptance, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and faith have become her foundation. * Who she is becoming: the most authentic version of herself—still in progress, still healing. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast 02:00 - Welcoming Stacey from North Carolina 04:00 - The First Crisis: Debilitating Back Pain at Age 50 06:00 - Dismissed by Doctors: “Go See a Shrink” 08:00 - The Cognitive Decline: Not Recognizing Her Own Daughter 10:00 - A Career Inside Healthcare—And Still Not Being Believed 12:00 - The Electrical Shock from a Fence—and What Followed 14:00 - POTS, Dysautonomia, Mast Cell, and the Stroke 16:00 - The Third Neurologist Who Finally Believed Her 18:00 - Childhood Programming: “I’m the Strong One” 20:00 - Learning to Ask for Help and Unmask 22:00 - Radical Acceptance and Dialectical Behavior Therapy 24:00 - Becoming the Most Authentic Version of Herself—Still in Progress 26:00 - Her Books, Breathwork Classes, and Substack Guest Information & Links Connect with Stacey Piedrahita: * Website: tmsforacure.org → find her breathwork class, “Breath and Beyond with Stacey”, held every second and fourth Friday. * Substack: https://substack.com/@revstaceyrocks. Daily recovery essays, stories, and poetry. * Books: Available on Amazon * “Intuitive: Speaking Her Truth” * “Becoming the Manifesting Diva” * “Soulful Poems” (Two Volumes) * Soul Spells (Coming August 2026) * Book links: * https://a.co/d/0dIK32tF * https://a.co/d/0bLl24q1 * Join Stacey’s Yoga Laughter class and online community: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1az1W9Eiv1/ Ready to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community Use coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your first month. → Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner: https://www.sacredillness.com → Apply to get on the waitlist to be a podcast guest: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

When Teresa Hobbs was left bed-bound after a minor fender bender, she couldn’t be near a computer, read a book, or even receive a phone call without blacking out. Her world had shrunk to staring at the texture on her ceiling, searching for shapes to comfort her. This is a story about what happens when you stop fighting your symptoms and start listening to the mechanism behind them—when you realize that the brain can get stuck on a loop, perpetuating danger signals long after the threat is gone. It’s about learning to dance with panic, to accept the unacceptable, and to discover that healing isn’t about eliminating intensity—it’s about expanding your capacity to be with it. Episode Overview In this conversation, I sit down with Teresa Hobbs, a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach, Pain Reprocessing Therapy Practitioner, and Safe and Sound Protocol Provider from Utah. Teresa walks us through her decades-long journey with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), from early warning signs in her twenties to a catastrophic nervous system crash in 2014 that left her bed-bound for years. We explore the shame of being told her illness was “in her head,” the relentless pursuit of fixing herself, and the pivotal moment when she learned to stop trying so hard. Teresa shares the neuroplastic understanding that chronic symptoms are often the brain’s stuck danger signals, and introduces practical tools like somatic tracking for rewiring. We discuss codependency, attachment, the window of tolerance, and why the most radical act of healing is often simply accepting yourself where you are—without judgment. What You’ll Discover * The fender bender that fractured her nervous system and left her bedbound for years. * Why her brain would black out from reading, phone calls, or even positive daydreams. * The painful experience of family members labeling her illness as “getting a payoff” or “all in her head.” * How trying too hard to heal—five hours of meditation a day, rigid protocols—actually impeded her recovery. * The liberating invitation: “You don’t have to work so hard to heal.” * Understanding neuroplastic symptoms: how the brain perpetuates danger signals long after the initial trigger. * Somatic tracking: meeting sensations with curiosity and non-judgment. * Why pain reprocessing therapy works best when symptoms are between a 1 and 5—and when to just take the medication. * The connection between codependency, attachment disruption, and chronic illness. * How learning to tolerate panic transformed her life—and gave her the courage to live fully. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast 02:00 - Welcoming Teresa Hobbs from Utah 04:00 - The Early Warning Signs: Fatigue in 2003 06:00 - The Fender Bender That Fractured Her Nervous System 08:00 - Bedbound and Blacking Out: The Most Terrifying Period 10:00 - Family Members Who Said It Was “All in Her Head” 12:00 - The Fixing Mindset: Five Hours of Meditation a Day 14:00 - “You Don’t Have to Work So Hard to Heal” — A Pivot Point 16:00 - Moving Out of Her Parents’ House and Into Healing 18:00 - Physical Stressors: Cavitation Surgery and Upper Cervical Chiropractic 20:00 - The Last Piece: Panic and Learning to Stop Avoiding 22:00 - Dancing with Panic: “I Dared It to Get as Big as It Needed to Get” 25:00 - Codependency and Chronic Illness: “I’m Not Okay Unless You’re Okay” 28:00 - Neuroplastic Symptoms: How the Brain Gets Stuck on Danger Signals 30:00 - Pain Reprocessing Therapy and Somatic Tracking 33:00 - The Safe and Sound Protocol: Training the Ear to Hear Safety 35:00 - Expanding the Window of Tolerance: Healing as Capacity Building 38:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Teresa to Become? 40:00 - Teresa’s Coaching, Groups, and Resources Guest Information & Links Connect with Teresa Hobbs: * Website: www.monarchintegrativecoaching.com * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@monarchintegrativestudio * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monarchintegrativecoaching * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monarchintegrativestudio * Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@almostawakenedpodcast 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/communityUse coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your first month. → Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner: click the link to get on the waitlist. Our first cohort begins September 2026, spots are limited.https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

When Kassondra Walters was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, she was told the standard protocol: eight rounds of IV chemo, radiation, and five years of hormone therapy. But something in her body said no. This is a story about what happens when you stop letting fear drive your decisions and start listening to the quiet, unwavering voice of intuition. It’s about the courage to walk a path no one else is walking, to trust that your body is your ally, not your enemy, and to discover that healing is not about following an algorithm—it’s about coming home to yourself. Episode Overview In this conversation, I sit down with Kassondra Walters, an indigenous entrepreneur, yoga teacher, Reiki master, and survivor from Ontario, Canada. Kassondra walks us through her journey from a lifetime of autopilot and hypervigilance to the moment her body screamed for her attention with a lump in her breast. We explore her decision to decline conventional treatment after surgery, the fear and pushback she faced from the medical system, and the deep inner work that led her to trust her own knowing. Kassondra shares the pivotal moments—the cardinals that appeared after surgery, the acupuncturist who asked “What are you doing for Kassondra?”—that reset her compass. We discuss the emotional releases stored in the body, the power of returning to indigenous ways of knowing, and what it means to live with rather than just manage illness. 🌿 What You’ll Discover * The moment her body screamed for attention—right before she was to step into her mission. * Why she went vegan, stopped drinking alcohol, and returned to hot yoga before she even had a diagnosis. * The surgery that felt like a rebirth—and the grief of family who didn’t show up. * The cardinal moment: how ancestors sent a sign that she would be okay. * Sitting with the oncologist: “What’s the percentage you’re reducing risk by?” and choosing to focus on the 70%. * The shift in treatment when she declined chemo—and the doctor whose tone changed. * The acupuncturist’s pivotal question: “You’ve done a lot for your cancer. What are you doing for Kassondra?” * Emotional releases stored in the body: craniosacral therapy, meridians, and the pain that came up at the breast cancer point. * Why she left the cancer care program—not because she’s cancer-free, but because she doesn’t want what they’re offering. * The ongoing teaching: falling off the wagon, meeting yourself with compassion, and returning to presence. ⏳ Timestamps 00:00 - Kassondra’s Opening: “I’m Grateful for My Illness” 01:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast 03:00 - Welcoming Kassondra Walters from Ontario, Canada 05:00 - The Summer of 2022: When Her Body First Started Speaking 08:00 - Two Terminations and a Mental Health Crisis 10:00 - The Night Before: Finding the Lump 12:00 - Fighting to Get Into the Medical System 14:00 - The Diagnosis Call in the Bathroom 16:00 - The Death Journey and “I’m Not Done” 18:00 - Surgery as Rebirth and the Family Who Didn’t Call 22:00 - The Cardinals: Ancestral Signs That She Would Be Okay 25:00 - The Pathology: Microscopic Cells in One Lymph Node 28:00 - Sitting with the Oncologist: “I Want to Focus on the 70%” 32:00 - The Doctor Whose Tone Shifted 35:00 - Discovering Radical Remission and Finding Hope 38:00 - The Five Months Off: Creating a New Lifestyle 42:00 - The Center for Health Innovation and Listening to Practitioners 45:00 - The Acupuncturist’s Question: “What Are You Doing for Kassondra?” 48:00 - Emotional Releases in Craniosacral Therapy 52:00 - The Biopsy She Wished She Hadn’t Done 55:00 - The Final Appointment: Rage, Powerlessness, and Walking Away 58:00 - Living Chronic Faith: Choosing Joy and Connection 01:02:00 - Falling Off the Wagon: Compassion and Returning to Presence 01:05:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Kassondra to Become? 💫 Guest Information & Links Connect with Kassondra Walters: * Instagram: @alchemistelevating * Website: https://kdmanagementconsulting.ca * Upcoming Book (2026): This Business is My Ceremony (co-authored, for indigenous entrepreneurs) * Organizational Development Consulting: Supporting nonprofits, for-profits, and government organizations 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community Use coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your first month. → Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner: click the link to get on the waitlist. https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training → Apply to be a podcast guest: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

When Allison Hampton was diagnosed with lupus, Sjogren’s, fibromyalgia, and arthritis, she realized she had been speaking negatively about her body—saying it wasn’t on her team, that it was fighting her. But then came the revelation: her body had been compensating for her, running on a backup generator for years until she could figure out what was wrong. Even when she didn’t know what she needed, her body kept showing up. This is a story about reframing our relationship with illness, reclaiming our identity from our activity, and discovering that a chronically ill body is not a downgrade—it’s just different. Episode Overview In this conversation, I sit down with Allison Hampton, a Christian speaker, playwright, author, and life coach from Indianapolis, Indiana. Allison walks us through her journey of receiving four chronic autoimmune diagnoses—lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome, fibromyalgia, and arthritis—after two years of being dismissed by doctors. We explore the painful process of learning to trust herself again, the importance of firing doctors who won’t listen, and the sacred practice of managing wellness. Allison shares her revelation that “your body is your friend,” the power of grief and gratitude coexisting, and how she learned to stop associating her identity with her activity. We also discuss the creation of her nonprofit, Living Chronic Faith, which builds community for those navigating chronic illness and their support systems. 🌿 What You’ll Discover * The two-year journey to diagnosis and the self-doubt that comes from being dismissed by doctors. * Why you are the expert on your body—and how to reclaim that authority. * The revelation that changed everything: “Your body is your friend, not your enemy.” * Why grief and gratitude can coexist—you don’t have to choose one or the other. * The danger of associating your identity with your activity, and what remains when activity falls away * How a tetanus shot triggered temporary paralysis and became a turning point in her healing. * The snowman vs. racetrack eight: adapting without losing the essence of the thing. * Why chronic illness requires a faith as chronic as the diagnosis (Living Chronic Faith). * How a late-night conversation with a grieving nurse revealed that even from a hospital bed, she could still help. * The power of community, virtual gatherings, and having things to look forward to. ⏳ Timestamps 00:00 - Allison’s Opening: “Your Body is Your Friend” 01:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast 03:00 - Welcoming Allison Hampton from Indianapolis 05:00 - The Two-Year Journey: Being Dismissed by Doctors 08:00 - Firing the Doctor and Reclaiming Self-Trust 12:00 - The Lupus Support Group and the Physician Who Walked Both Sides 15:00 - “My Baseline Pain is a Five” — Communicating Chronic Pain to Loved Ones 18:00 - Boundaries, Spoons, and Power Save Mode 22:00 - The Revelation: Your Body Has Been Faithful to You 25:00 - Grief and Gratitude Can Coexist 28:00 - The Tetanus Shot That Triggered Temporary Paralysis 32:00 - The Snowman vs. The Racetrack: Learning to Adapt 35:00 - Chronic Illness as Identity Theft — And How to Reclaim Yourself 40:00 - The Hospital Room Conversation with a Grieving Nurse 45:00 - Living Chronic Faith: The Nonprofit and Its Mission 50:00 - Virtual Gatherings, Bingo, and Having Things to Look Forward To 55:00 - The Sepsis and Respiratory Failure: Revisiting Square One 58:00 - “Do the Thing” — Fill the Gap Only You Can Fill 01:02:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Allison to Become? 💫 Guest Information & Links Connect with Allison Hampton: * Website: www.livingchronicfaith.com → for information on the community, workshops, and other resources * YouTube: Living Chronic Faith channel * Instagram: www.instagram.com/livingchronicfaith * Book: Chronic Faith (available now) 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/communityUse coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your first month. → Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner: click the link to get on the waitlist.https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

What happens when the very people meant to care for you tell you that you’re not experiencing what you know you’re experiencing? When Shayla’s body began to collapse—down 68 pounds, unable to speak, losing mobility—she was told by her doctor, “I have no reason you can’t work other than you saying you feel horrible.” Living with invisible illness means existing in two realities: the one your body knows to be true, and the one the world refuses to see. This is a story about what happens when you stop waiting to be believed and start believing yourself. When you cancel all your appointments, thank the doctors for their time, and choose to become the one who decodes your own body. Episode OverviewIn this conversation, I sit down with Shayla, a chronic illness advocate from California, who has navigated a complex web of diagnoses including endometriosis, MCAS, histamine intolerance, autoimmune disease, and connective tissue symptoms. Shayla walks us through her rapid and profound healing journey—from being dismissed by the medical system to canceling all her appointments and diving deep into self-directed healing. We explore her discovery of fasting, embodiment practices, mirror affirmations, chakra work, and the rituals that became her medicine. Together, we examine the thread of not being seen or heard that followed her throughout her life, and how her body’s collapse became the ultimate wake-up call to devote herself to herself. Shayla introduces the concept of “self-data literacy”—reading your body like a map and becoming the master decoder of your own healing. 🌿 What You’ll Discover * The painful reality of invisible illness: living in two realities while being told you’re not experiencing what you’re feeling. * How a childhood memory of putting her arm in ice water revealed early nervous system dissociation. * The moment Shayla canceled all her medical appointments and chose to pursue another avenue of care. * How a five-day fast reset her system and allowed inflammation to subside. * The power of mirror affirmations to rewire a neural pathway shaped by childhood silencing. * Why the root, sacral, and throat chakras were blocked—and how opening them shifted everything. * The Latin root of “cure” (cura) means “to care for, to give attention to”—not to eliminate. * How regulatory T cells and the FoxP3 gene connect to chronic illness, and why rituals naturally sedate the nervous system. * The intelligence of water and bringing intention to daily rituals like drinking tea. * Why healing doesn’t mean returning to who you were—it means becoming who you are now. ⏳ Timestamps 00:00 - Shayla’s Opening: The Hardest Pill to Swallow with Invisible Illness 01:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcas 03:00 - Welcoming Shayla from California 05:00 - The Childhood Clue: Dissociation from Temperature at Age Fiv 08:00 - The Assault, The Car Accident, and The Body’s Collapse 12:00 - “You Are a Complex Case” — Being Dismissed by the Medical System 15:00 - The Endometriosis Diagnosis and the Two-Month Wait for a Surgeon 18:00 - The Turning Point: Canceling All Appointments and Going Inward 20:00 - The Five-Day Fast That Reset Her System 22:00 - Self-Data Literacy: Reading Your Body Like a Map 25:00 - Mirror Affirmations and Rewiring Childhood Patterns 28:00 - Chakras as Energetic Distribution Hubs: Root, Sacral, and Throat 32:00 - The FoxP3 Gene and Regulatory T Cells: The Immunology Behind the Healing 35:00 - Rituals as Medicine: Tea, Intention, and the Intelligence of Water 38:00 - Living Without Autopilot: Why Illness Demands Active Participation 42:00 - Where Shayla Is Now: Eating Freely, Living Simply, Staying Attuned 45:00 - Light Weaver: Shayla’s Mission and How to Find Her 💫 Guest Information & Links Connect with Shayla (Light Weaver): * Instagram: @iamlightweaver * Coaching: Available through her Instagram and Facebook coaching page 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/communityUse coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your first month. → Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner: click the link to get on the waitlist. https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training → Apply to be a podcast guest: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: https://drerinhayford.substack.com 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

When Lyn Cole looked up at a small whiteboard in a chiropractor’s office and read the words “Pain is an emotion,” everything shifted. After more than two decades of severe chronic pain that left her 90% immobile and using a walker, she realized that her body wasn’t failing her—it was holding onto emotions she had never been able to express. This is a story about what happens when we stop suppressing and start listening, when we trade fear for curiosity, and when we discover that the path to healing is not a protocol to follow but a self to become. Episode Overview In this conversation, I sit down with Lyn Cole, a longtime artist and teacher from Central Victoria, Australia, who has navigated health challenges her entire life—from severe childhood asthma to a 23-year journey with debilitating chronic lower back pain. Lyn walks us through her unique perspective, having been deeply immersed in both the conventional medical model and the world of natural healing since her late teens. We explore her discovery that “pain is a stuck emotion,” the tiny “sesame seed moments” that slowly built her hope, and how a gentle chiropractor using applied kinesiology became the catalyst for her healing. Together, we examine why the medical model’s early approach to “mindset” felt insulting, and how true healing requires us to process what we’ve pushed down—often through self-expression. Lyn shares how her lifelong love of art became not just a career but a container for others to heal, and why creativity—whether painting, baking, or gardening—can be the antidote to swallowed pain. 🌿 What You’ll Discover * The profound realization that “pain is an emotion”—a stuck, unprocessed feeling we hold in the body. * Why fear-based choices keep us stuck in illness, and how to learn to trust intuition instead. * The difference between the medical model (which suppresses symptoms) and true healing (which addresses mind, body, and spirit). * How a tiny whiteboard quote became a light bulb moment after decades of suffering. * The power of “sesame seed moments”—tiny shifts that build hope and lead to transformation over time. * Why being forced into the medical model through insurance became an unexpected teacher. * How creativity and self-expression—through art, baking, gardening, or any hands-on activity—allow trapped emotions to surface and release. * The importance of safe spaces and being witnessed without judgment for healing to occur. * Why patience and baby steps are essential: Lyn was wheeled into a hydrotherapy pool for six months before she could walk again. * The simplest answer to “who has your illness invited you to become?” — Me. ⏳ Timestamps 00:00 - Lyn’s Opening Reflection: “Pain is an Emotion” 01:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast 03:00 - Welcoming Lyn Cole from Central Victoria, Australia 05:00 - The Early Years: Asthma, Allergies, and Questioning “Why Me?” 10:00 - Leaving Home at 17 and Discovering Natural Healing 15:00 - The Shift: Developing Severe Lumbar Pain as a Single Mom of Four 20:00 - Being Forced into the Medical Model and Insurance System 25:00 - The Insulting Early Days of “Mindset” Pain Management 30:00 - The Chiropractor Who Listened: Applied Kinesiology as a Catalyst 35:00 - The Whiteboard Moment: “Pain is an Emotion” 40:00 - Pain as Stuck Emotion: The Sesame Seed Analogy 45:00 - Art as Healing: Creating a Safe Container for Others 50:00 - From Art Teacher to Trauma-Informed Guide 55:00 - The Power of Baby Steps: Six Months Floating in a Pool 01:00:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Her to Become? 01:02:00 - Lyn’s Daily Doodles and What’s Coming Next 💫 Guest Information & Links Connect with Lyn Cole: * Instagram: @the_studio_handmade * Daily Doodles and Thoughts: Posted daily on Instagram—a sketch or painting with a matching thought * In-person studio classes in Central Victoria, Australia (re-launching March 2026—follow on Instagram for announcements) 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community Use coupon code PODCAST at checkout for 20% off your first month → Want to learn how to do this work? Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner. Join the waitlist here: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

What if the thing you’re trying to heal is actually here to heal you? When Shenal Arimilli was diagnosed with breast cancer, she did everything “right”—she changed her diet, eliminated toxins, and pursued every physical protocol imaginable. Yet the cancer kept returning. It wasn’t until she stopped seeing her illness as an enemy to be conquered and began hearing it as a sacred calling that her healing truly began. This is a story about moving from fighting the body to listening to the soul, and discovering that the most profound medicine lies not in what we take, but in who we become. Episode Overview In this episode, I sit down with Shenal Arimilli—a transformational expert with a background in quantum physics, neuroscience, and physiology, and a three-time cancer survivor. Shenal shares her 11-year journey through breast cancer, from exhaustive physical interventions to the deep spiritual unraveling that finally led to complete healing. We explore the paradigm-shifting realization that “I didn’t heal the cancer, the cancer healed me,” and what that means for anyone facing illness today. Together, we examine how symptoms—whether physical, emotional, relational, or financial—are all messengers calling us back to our greatness. Shenal introduces her “ice cube” metaphor for trapped trauma and emotion, her T-E-A framework (Thoughts, Emotions, Actions) for shifting energy, and the profound lesson that healing requires surrendering control and receiving—even when receiving looks like the very thing you once feared. 🌿 What You’ll Discover ✨ The pivotal quote that changed everything: “I didn’t heal the cancer, the cancer healed me.” ✨ Why doing everything “right” physically isn’t always enough—and what’s missing when it isn’t. ✨ The “ice cube” metaphor: how unprocessed trauma, emotions, and ancestral patterns become stuck energy in the body. ✨ How to understand symptoms as messengers, not problems—whether they appear in the body, relationships, or finances. ✨ The T-E-A framework: shifting Thoughts, Emotions, and Actions to create new neural pathways and energetic alignment. ✨ Why asking “What if I’m healing?” is more powerful than forcing affirmations that don’t feel true. ✨ The truth about genetics: being “energetically predisposed” versus “genetically predisposed.” ✨ How Shenal made peace with chemotherapy—the very thing she once feared—and received it as light. ✨ The question every listener must ask: “What needs are being met by this illness?” ✨ Why the best guides are the ones who empower you to never give away your power. ⏳ Timestamps 03:00 - Welcoming Shenal Arimilli 06:00 - The Diagnosis: Stage One Breast Cancer & The Physical Journey Begins 10:00 - Doing Everything “Right”: Cleansing, Detoxing, and the Box of Supplements 15:00 - The First Recurrence: When Physical Protocols Aren’t Enough 20:00 - The Dark Decade: 11 Years of Deep Healing 25:00 - The Ice Cube Metaphor: How Unprocessed Trauma Becomes Stuck in the Body 30:00 - The Wishbone of Healing: Ancestral, Soul Level, and This Lifetime Energy 35:00 - The 11-Year-Old Girl: How Fast Healing Can Happen When We’re Ready 40:00 - The T-E-A Framework: Thoughts, Emotions, Actions 45:00 - “What If I’m Healing?” vs. “I Am Healed” 50:00 - The Voice on the Couch: “You Do the Simple, I Do the Complex” 55:00 - Making Peace with Chemotherapy: Receiving the Very Thing You Once Feared 01:00:00 - The Question: What Needs Are Being Met by This Illness? 01:05:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Shenal to Become? 01:10:00 - Never Give Away Your Power: The Healer Who Said She Would Die 01:12:00 - Shenal’s Free Offerings & How to Connect 💫 Guest Information & Links Connect with Shenal Arimilli: * Website: www.shenalarimilli.com * Free Ebook: “Seven Keys to Reclaiming Your Power” available on her website * Infinite Power Circles - sign up for free community healing circles twice monthly - https://shenalarimilli.com/infinite-power-circle/ * Social Media: Instagram @shenalarimilli, LinkedIn, YouTube * Upcoming Book (2026): Shift Your Energy: An Inner Journey to Transform Your Life from Cell to Soul (working title) 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: Join the Community https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community Use coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your first month → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner: Join the waitlist: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: https://drerinhayford.substack.com 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

What happens when the “wellness girl” gets a cancer diagnosis at 36? Natalie Emmer shares how a rare salivary gland tumor dissolved her identity—and led her to a deeper spiritual calling, mediumship, and radical alignment. Episode Overview In this profound and intimate episode, Dr. Erin Hayford welcomes Natalie Emmer—a former holistic health coach, mother, and spiritual seeker—who was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma at age 36. Natalie’s story begins with a small nodule, ignored for years, that eventually demanded her attention during pregnancy. What followed was not just a medical journey, but a complete dismantling of her “wellness girl” identity. She explores the tension between holistic living and conventional treatment, her dive into energy healing and mediumship, and how cancer became a sacred portal to her soul’s purpose. This conversation is a powerful testament to illness as initiation—a call to listen, to trust, and to radically align with the truth of who you are. 🌿 What You’ll Discover ✨ How a “wellness girl” faced the ultimate identity crisis when diagnosed with cancer—and what she found on the other side. ✨ The intuitive downloads Natalie received during pregnancy that urged her to take her health seriously. ✨ Why she never spoke the word “cancer” out loud—and how our thoughts and words shape our reality. ✨ The moment her holistic worldview expanded to include energy healing, Reiki, and unexpected mediumship. ✨ How connecting with her spirit team and ancestors brought profound healing and clarity. ✨ What “radical alignment” really means—beyond diet and career, into soul-level purpose. ✨ The both/and approach: how Natalie navigated proton radiation while deepening her spiritual practice. ✨ Why illness asks us one essential question: Did you take the next step toward knowing yourself? ⏳ Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction: The Illusion of Wellness & A Cancer Diagnosis 02:00 – Welcome Natalie: From Health Coach to Cancer Patient 05:00 – The Nodule: Ignored Signals & Pregnancy Intuition 10:00 – The Diagnosis: Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma & Identity Collapse 15:00 – Searching for Answers: Holistic Research & Spiritual Opening 20:00 – Reiki, Mediumship & Connecting with Spirit 25:00 – Radical Alignment: What It Means to Live in Truth 30:00 – The Decision to Do Radiation: Bridging Worlds 35:00 – Grief, Surrender & Stepping into Power 40:00 – Who Did Her Illness Invite Her to Become? 43:00 – Where to Find Natalie & Final Thoughts 💫 Guest Information & Links Connect with Natalie Emmer: Website: natalieemmer.com Instagram: Natalie Emmer 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Join The Sacred Illness® Community:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community Use code PODCAST for 20% off your first month. → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

In this profound episode, Shelby Hanson—a speech-language pathologist, kidney transplant recipient, and nervous system coach—shares her harrowing and transformative journey through sudden kidney failure, a high-risk pregnancy while on the transplant list, and a transplanted kidney that took 49 mysterious days to “wake up.” After being asked by her nephrologist, “What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you getting better?” Shelby realized the healing she sought wasn’t going to come from the outside—it was in her own nervous system. We explore how a lifetime of people-pleasing, perfectionism, and hyper-independence kept her body in chronic fight-or-flight, and how learning to regulate her stress response, visualize healing, and truly receive care allowed her body to finally accept the gift of a new kidney. This is a story that bridges critical Western medicine with the essential, unseen work of somatic healing. It’s about how illness can become the ultimate teacher in boundary-setting, self-trust, and reclaiming your energy—and how sometimes, the body needs safety more than it needs another treatment. 🌿 What You’ll Discover ✨ How Shelby went from 100% to less than 20% kidney function in 18 months—with no clear explanation. ✨ The shocking moment she discovered she was pregnant while on the kidney transplant list, and how her baby’s kidneys began filtering toxins from her blood. ✨ Why her new kidney failed to function for 7 weeks post-transplant, and the pivotal moment that shifted everything. ✨ How chronic people-pleasing and a “caretaker” identity wired her nervous system for stress, leaving no energy for healing. ✨ The “accidental” discovery of nervous system regulation through an anti-inflammatory diet, and how it prepared her body to conceive. ✨ Why visualizing her healed self and connecting to her future self were critical in activating her transplanted kidney. ✨ How a decades-old hip pain vanished when she realized it was her nervous system’s way of protecting her from emotional pain. ✨ The profound practice of learning to receive—from a kidney to everyday help—and why giving from a place of abundance requires it. ✨ Why Shelby feels healthier in her 40s, post-transplant, than she did in her 30s, and how she now lives in a place of deep reciprocation and trust with her body. ⏳ Timestamps 00:00 - Shelby’s Opening: “What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you getting better?” 01:25 - Dr. Erin’s Introduction & The Sacred Illness® Question 02:17 - Welcoming Shelby Hanson: Speech Pathologist & Student of the Nervous System 03:20 - The Story Begins: Military Life, Moving Across the World, and Early Symptoms 05:00 - The Life Insurance Denial That Revealed Kidney Failure 06:00 - Diagnosis, Transplant Listing, and the “Impossible” Pregnancy 07:30 - How Her Baby’s Kidneys Filtered Her Blood 08:00 - The Transplant Call & A “99% Sensitized” Body 09:00 - Post-Transplant Crisis: A Kidney That Wouldn’t Work 10:15 - The Doctor’s Question That Changed Everything 11:00 - The Realization: “My Body Had Never Failed Me” 12:00 - People-Pleasing, Anesthesia, and the Caretaker Identity 13:00 - Discovering Nervous System Regulation & Joe Dispenza 14:25 - Visualization, Prayer, and the 49-Day Turnaround 18:00 - Shifting From Disease-Promoting to Healing States 20:00 - Unlearning Emotional States & Connecting to Your Future Self 24:00 - The Chronic Pain That Was a Nervous System Memory 27:00 - Epigenetics, “Soft Diagnoses,” and Reversing Conditions 30:00 - Learning to Receive: The Kidney as the Ultimate Gift 32:00 - Life 7 Years Post-Transplant: Purpose, Movement, and Listening 35:00 - “Your Body is Never Wrong”—Reallocating Energy, Not Losing It 38:00 - Functional Freeze and Why Exhaustion Isn’t a Lack of Energy 40:00 - Shelby’s Work: Helping Women Reclaim Their Energy 43:00 - Free Gift & How to Connect With Shelby 45:00 - The Aligned Self: Who Did Her Illness Invite Her to Become? 47:00 - Closing: “Our Bodies Can Heal.” 💫 Guest Information & Links Connect with Shelby Hanson: * Instagram: @shelbylivingvibrantly * Facebook: Shelby Creates a Beautiful Life * Website & Coaching: Get Your Energy Back Coaching * Podcast Episode: Thriving with Kidney Disease – Apple Podcasts Link 🎁 Free Gift for Listeners:“Get Your Energy Back Guide” – Shelby’s Top 3 Tips 💫 Ready to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community Save 20% off your first month with code PODCAST → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: https://drerinhayford.substack.com 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This episode is a testament that healing is never just physical. It’s a nervous system conversation, a spiritual reckoning, and a homecoming to the self. Thank you for listening and for your ongoing support of this work! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

When Vivian Quintana was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, she faced the terrifying whirlwind of biopsies, mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation—but it was in the enforced stillness of “chemo brain” that her real healing began. In this raw and radiant conversation, Vivian shares how her illness became a sacred pause, forcing her to confront a lifetime of stored trauma, hypervigilance, and C-PTSD. Through inner child work, meditation, and a profound shift in perspective, she didn’t just survive—she transformed. Vivian’s story is a powerful testament to the idea that healing isn’t about curing the body alone, but about coming home to the self. Episode Overview In this episode, I sit down with Vivian Quintana, a breast cancer thriver who journeyed from a stage 2B–3 diagnosis through a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation into a life of deep presence and peace. Vivian reveals how the medical system had no explanation for her cancer—no genetic markers, no clear cause—which led her to uncover the emotional and energetic roots of her disease: childhood trauma, immigration stress, single motherhood, and relational patterns that kept her body in a state of hypervigilance. We explore how the pandemic, arriving just as she finished treatment, gave her the pause she needed to alchemize her pain into purpose. Vivian’s journey illustrates that true healing begins when we stop asking “Why me?” and start asking “What is this here to teach me?” 🌿 What You’ll Discover ✨ How a simple bump on the breast led to a life-altering diagnosis—and why Vivian chose a double mastectomy from the start.✨ The moment her doctors said, “We don’t know what caused this”—and how that became her invitation to look deeper.✨ The link between C-PTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder) and chronic illness—and how trauma lives in the body.✨ How “chemo brain” became an unexpected spiritual gateway, forcing Vivian into silence, presence, and energy awareness.✨ Why the pandemic felt like a synchronistic gift—a global pause that mirrored her personal reckoning.✨ The mindset shift from “victim” to “sovereign being”—and how Vivian visualized chemotherapy as a cleanse of stored emotional toxicity.✨ Practical tools for healing beyond medicine: meditation, inner child work, acupuncture, and somatic awareness.✨ How Vivian now lives without hypervigilance or fear—and what it means to see illness as a “blessing in the mess.”✨ Her heartfelt message to those with cancer: “You are the medicine. Advocate for yourself. Your mindset is your most powerful tool.” ⏳ Timestamps 00:51 – Welcoming Vivian Quintana02:00 – The Diagnosis: From a Bump to a Cancer Journey04:00 – Choosing a Double Mastectomy & Navigating Lymph Node Results05:00 – Chemotherapy, Radiation, and the “Red Devil”06:00 – The Spiritual Awakening: Inner Child Work & Meditation08:00 – The Role of C-PTSD & Trauma in Illness10:00 – How Chemo Brain Forced a “Stop” and Opened Spiritual Awareness12:00 – The Pandemic Pause: Synchronicity and Deeper Healing15:00 – Releasing Hypervigilance & Living Without Fear18:00 – Visualization as Medicine: Working WITH Treatment22:00 – The Hospital as a Penthouse: Shifting Perspective25:00 – Message to Those with Cancer: Advocacy & Mindset28:00 – Who Has Your Illness Invited You to Become?30:00 – Closing Gratitude & Invitation 💫 Guest Information & Links Connect with Vivian Quintana:Vivian is a breast cancer thriver, speaker, and testament to the power of trauma-informed healing. She shares her story to inspire others to find meaning and medicine within their own journeys. 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: Join the community https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community Use coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your fist month! → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

What if the fiercest, most healing thing you could do is to stop fighting? When Teresa Smith was told her rheumatoid arthritis was incurable, degenerative, and would require aggressive medication, a deep inner voice said no. This refusal launched her not into a harder battle, but into a profound surrender—from a life of high-achieving “yang” striving into the soft, receptive, and heart-led practice she calls Qi Flow. In this episode, we explore how releasing anger, fear, and the need for perfect control didn’t just manage her symptoms but led to a full remission, revealing that true healing begins not with a protocol, but with a homecoming to the self. Episode Overview In this conversation, I sit down with Teresa Smith, a former yoga instructor from the UK who experienced a spontaneous remission from rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis after consciously rejecting a conventional pharmaceutical path. Teresa recounts her journey from being “yoga girl”—living a fast, achievement-oriented life—to being forced into stillness by debilitating pain. We trace her shift from fear-based searching and restrictive dieting into the creation of her own somatic practice. Together, we examine how healing required moving from a mindset of doing to a state of being, and how connecting to the “smile in the heart” can change the body’s chemical environment from one of stress to one of safety, enabling profound cellular repair. 🌿 What You’ll Discover ✨ The pivotal diagnosis moment and the inner voice that guided Teresa to reject a frightening prognosis. ✨ Why fear-based protocols and strict diets ultimately failed to address the root of her illness. ✨ The essential transition from masculine “yang” energy (striving, perfection) to feminine “yin” energy (softness, flow, receiving). ✨ How Teresa developed “Qi Flow,” a practice blending gentle movement with heart awareness for somatic release. ✨ The science behind emotions and healing: how chronic stress (cortisol) damages cells, while safety and love promote repair. ✨ Forgiveness as a somatic release, not just an intellectual concept. ✨ The core healing realization: shifting identity from “I am sick” to “I am love.” ✨ How illness serves as an ultimate invitation to unlearn, soften, and come home to yourself. ⏳ Timestamps 01:30 - Welcoming Teresa Smith 05:00 - The Diagnosis: Facing a “Degenerative” Prognosis 10:00 - The Inner ‘No’: Rejecting the Conventional Path 15:00 - The Pitfall of Fear-Based Protocols & Dieting 20:00 - The Shift from ‘Yang’ Striving to ‘Yin’ Receiving 25:00 - Creating ‘Qi Flow’: Movement from the Heart 30:00 - The Science of Safety: Cortisol vs. Coherence 35:00 - Forgiveness as Somatic Release 40:00 - The Identity Shift: “I Am Love” 45:00 - Illness as an Invitation to Come Home 50:00 - Teresa’s Offerings and Final Reflections 💫 Guest Information & Links Connect with Teresa Smith: - Website: http://www.soulwavestudio.com - Instagram: @qi.flow.girl - Offerings: Online Qi Flow training and resources for people to slow down and reconnect. 💫 Ready to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community Use coupon code PODCAST at checkout for 20% off your first month! → Apply to be a podcast guest: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfk https://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

In a world that often pits holistic healing against conventional medicine, the bravest choice is often the one that honors the sacred message of your illness, even when it leads to surgery. This is a story of how a hysterectomy became the ultimate somatic release of a lifetime of swallowed emotions, inherited burdens, and the profound responsibility of being the “strong one.” Far from a failure, it is a testament that true healing is not about the protocol you follow, but the unwavering step you take toward your own truth, and surrendering to what unfolds from there. Episode Overview In this powerful and deeply personal episode, I welcome back Oriana Broderick—writer, artist, and former co-host of the Sacred Illness® Podcast—to share the culmination of her multi-year healing journey. Oriana unfolds her path from a childhood of emotional caretaking and trauma to a life of van-life freedom, which paradoxically unleashed a torrent of debilitating physical symptoms. We trace her search through countless supplements and holistic practices to the pivotal moment of confronting numerous uterine fibroids. This conversation bravely navigates the tension between holistic ideals and medical necessity, exploring how Oriana’s decision to have a hysterectomy became a sacred, somatic ritual to release not only her own stored grief and anger but the painful stories of the women in her lineage. We examine the radical self-trust required to make such a choice and how illness ultimately asks one question: did you take the next step toward knowing yourself? 🌿 What You’ll Discover ✨ How leaving a high-stress life for van life created the space for suppressed physical symptoms to finally surface. ✨ The turning point from seeking external solutions in a “huge box of supplements” to seeking internal truth and somatic understanding. ✨ Why the pressure to heal “naturally” can be as fear-based as the conventional medical system, and how to find your own sovereign path. ✨ The profound realization that her fibroids were “bubbles of emotion” holding the anger, grief, and sadness of a lifetime—and a lineage—of silence. ✨ How the universe tested her resolve by canceling her surgery, and why rescheduling it became the ultimate act of self-trust. ✨ Why a hysterectomy can be a holistic, healing choice when approached as a conscious release and a reclaiming of personal space. ✨ The essential reframe: “You can’t fail yourself… The whole point of this journey isn’t what you did or didn’t do… It’s about did I make that next step towards myself?” ✨ Oriana’s message to her younger self—and to anyone in the depths of hopelessness: “It might get harder before it gets easier, but it gets easier, and it is so worth the journey.” ⏳ Timestamps 02:00 - Welcoming Back Oriana Broderick 03:00 - The Foundation: Childhood Trauma and the Role of the “Pillar” 06:00 - Van Life & The Unraveling: When Freedom Triggered a Physical Collapse 10:00 - The Search for Answers: Doctors, Dismissal, and a Box of 50 Supplements 15:00 - Finding Somatic Work and Learning to Trust Support 20:00 - The Fibroid Diagnosis: Navigating Medical Options and External Opinions 25:00 - The Pivotal Realization: Carrying a Lineage of Women’s Pain 30:00 - The Surgery Cancelation as the Final Test of Self-Trust 35:00 - The Hysterectomy as a Somatic Release & Experiencing Divine Support 40:00 - Post-Op: The Journey Continues—Rebuilding Iron, Learning to Rest 45:00 - The Core Philosophy: Your Body is Never Wrong, No Choice is a Failure 50:00 - Would You Have Healed Had You Not Gotten Sick? Oriana’s Honest Answer 55:00 - Ecstatic Dancing, Writing, and Becoming “A Woman Who Speaks Her Truth” 01:00:00 - The True Purpose of Life & Illness: To Know Yourself Deeply 01:05:00 - Oriana’s Message to Anyone Feeling Hopeless 01:10:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Her to Become? 💫 Guest Information & Links Connect with Oriana Broderick: - Instagram (Personal & Writing): @whispersandrevelations - Instagram (Art & Jewelry): @rootandwing2025 - Book: When The Soul Howls (Coming Soon!) 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community Use coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your first month! → Apply to be a podcast guest: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfk https://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

What if a diagnosis was not a sentence to be carried out, but an invitation to come home to the most fractured parts of yourself? When Claire Hickson was advised to have a hysterectomy for a large uterine fibroid, she heard a different call—one that led her not into an operating room, but into the deepest chambers of her own story. In this deeply moving episode, we explore how a physical symptom in the womb can be the body’s sacred attempt to house a lost inner child, and how the journey to heal is ultimately a journey to reclaim, love, and rebirth the self. Claire Hickson is a yoga teacher, poet, and guide from the UK, who shares her multi-layered journey with a 10cm uterine fibroid. We traverse her path from medical diagnosis and the conventional push for a hysterectomy to the intuitive breadcrumbs that led her to holistic treatments, a profound creative awakening through poetry, and the pivotal body psychotherapy session that revealed the fibroid as a manifestation of a newborn trauma. Together, we examine the deep connection between the throat and the womb, how illness can awaken a medicinal voice, and what it means to become a “safe sanctuary” for yourself and others. 🌿 What You’ll Discover ✨ Why Claire chose to explore the message of her fibroid instead of opting for an immediate hysterectomy. ✨ The pivotal role of community and guided meditation in creating a safe container for deep inner work and creative expression. ✨ How a poetic awakening became the key to unlocking a suppressed voice and healing the throat-womb connection. ✨ The moment in a body psychotherapy training that connected her physical symptoms to a pre-verbal trauma of abandonment. ✨ Why Claire now sees her fibroid as symbolizing being “pregnant with myself” and the profound shift to re-mothering her inner child. ✨ How the journey of healing is non-linear and requires trusting intuitive breadcrumbs, even when they don’t make logical sense. ✨ The transformative power of using your voice—through speech, poetry, and now singing—as a core part of somatic healing. ⏳ Timestamps 01:00 - Welcoming Claire Hickson 02:40 - Claire’s Story: The Uterine Fibroid Diagnosis 06:30 - The Conventional Path: Pressure for a Hysterectomy 10:00 - The Pandemic Pause: Space for Meditation and Inner Seeking 13:00 - The Creative Awakening: An Outpouring of Soulful Poetry 16:00 - Following Intuition into Yoga Teacher Training 19:00 - Choosing HIFU Treatment and Reclaiming Personal Authority 25:00 - The Pivotal Realization: Connecting Fibroids to Newborn Trauma 30:00 - The Practice of Re-mothering and Holding a Young Self 35:00 - The Throat-Womb Connection: Voice as Medicine 45:00 - Claire’s Oracle Poem: “Hey You” 50:00 - The Next Layer: Singing as Somatic Healing 55:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Her to Become? 💫 Guest Information & Links Connect with Claire Hickson: - Instagram: @claire_inlight - Website: https://instabook.io/landing/yogawithclaire - Book: In Light - Available on Amazon - YouTube: www.youtube.com/@claire_hickson 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community Use coupon code PODCAST for 20% off → Apply to be a podcast guest: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: https://sacredillness.substack.com 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfk https://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe

In this milestone episode, I sit down with Matt Rowe, a master neuroplastician and author of Belief to Heal, who overcame paralysis and a primary progressive multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Together, we traverse his incredible journey from elite athlete to a man facing a prognosis of a wheelchair, and into his current life as a guide who blends science and spirituality. This conversation is a deep exploration of how our thoughts, vibrating at specific frequencies, directly influence our biology. We examine the quantum concept that we are primarily energy, the practical steps to shift from a state of fear to a state of love, and how to cultivate a "knowing" that healing is not only possible but is your natural state of being. 🌿 What You’ll Discover ✨ The pivotal moments in Matt’s journey through paralysis and multiple sclerosis that shifted his path from ego to soul.✨ The scientific and energetic basis for how states like love and shame directly repair or dysregulate the body.✨ Why becoming a conscious observer of your thoughts is the first and most critical step to changing your health.✨ A practical framework for moving from a subconscious "habit" of negative thinking into the empowered 5% of your mind that can choose love.✨ How the principle of "Be, Do, Have" reverses the conventional approach to healing and life success.✨ Why seeing every challenge, thought, and symptom as a "teacher" reframes your entire healing journey from a struggle to an initiation.✨ The powerful journaling exercise to connect with your "Future Self" and let her story guide your present-moment choices. ⏳ Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction & A Reflection on 50 Episodes of Sacred Illness®06:00 - Introducing Matt Rowe and His Story07:30 - Matt’s First Invitation: Paralysis During Ironman Training10:00 - The Second Invitation: Frequent Strokes and an MS Diagnosis12:00 - MS as the Greatest Gift: The Shift from Ego to Unconditional Self-Love20:00 - The Science of Energy: How Your Thoughts Become Your Biology30:00 - How to Start Catching Your 95% Subconscious Thoughts35:00 - The Three Levels of Being: Soul, Mind, and Body44:00 - Navigating Fear and Setbacks on the Healing Path50:00 - The Mirror of the Universe and Releasing "Need"57:00 - The Power of Presence: Healing Only Happens Now01:04:00 - From Belief to Knowing: The Garden Analogy for Healing01:07:00 - Who is Illness Inviting Matt to Become? 💫 Guest Information & Links About Matt: Matt Rowe is a Master Neuro-Plastician, author of Belief to Heal, and dedicated guide in the field of mind-body transformation. After overcoming paralysis to complete an Ironman, Matt now teaches others how to harness the brain’s power to heal and thrive. Blending science and spirituality, he empowers individuals to rewire limiting beliefs and step into their highest potential. As a meditation and Reiki practitioner, Matt helps people reconnect with inner peace and natural healing energy. His mission is to inspire hope, resilience, and the belief that healing is not only possible—it’s a daily practice and choice. Connect with Matt Rowe: Instagram: @optimalbody_optimalmind Website: www.optimalbody-optimalmind.com Matt’s Coaching offer: https://www.mattrowecoaching.com/ Book: Belief to Heal Email: [email protected] 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey:https://www.aurorasomatic.com → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:https://sacredillness.substack.com 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe