Sacred Illness™

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 OverviewIn 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.Timestamps00:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast02:00 - Welcoming Renee from Adelaide, South Australia04:00 - The Massage That Changed Everything06:00 - Quitting Her Stable Job to Train as a Massage Therapist08:00 - The Personal Experience That Taught Her About Grief10:00 - Trusting Intuitive Information on the Table12:00 - The Panic Attack That Told Her to Leave a Job15:00 - How Physical Symptoms Point to Emotional Roots18:00 - Fear in the Hips, Responsibility in the Shoulders21:00 - The Postnatal Client Who Needed Social Connection24:00 - The Client Who Didn't Want Her Feet Touched27:00 - The Frozen Shoulder and Unexpressed Trauma30:00 - Why Some People Resist Emotional Insights33:00 - The Go-Kart Analogy: Hitting the Curb When You're Off Track36:00 - Grief as a Universal Experience39:00 - The Importance of Wording and Empowerment42:00 - Oracle Cards as a Gentle Confirmation45:00 - Respecting Everyone's Journey48:00 - Her Work, Website, and Social Media50:00 - Final Reflections and ClosingGuest Information & LinksConnect 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 OverviewIn 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.Timestamps00:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast02:00 - Welcoming Stacey from North Carolina04:00 - The First Crisis: Debilitating Back Pain at Age 5006:00 - Dismissed by Doctors: “Go See a Shrink”08:00 - The Cognitive Decline: Not Recognizing Her Own Daughter10:00 - A Career Inside Healthcare—And Still Not Being Believed12:00 - The Electrical Shock from a Fence—and What Followed14:00 - POTS, Dysautonomia, Mast Cell, and the Stroke16:00 - The Third Neurologist Who Finally Believed Her18:00 - Childhood Programming: “I’m the Strong One”20:00 - Learning to Ask for Help and Unmask22:00 - Radical Acceptance and Dialectical Behavior Therapy24:00 - Becoming the Most Authentic Version of Herself—Still in Progress26:00 - Her Books, Breathwork Classes, and SubstackGuest Information & LinksConnect 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 OverviewIn 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.Timestamps00:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast02:00 - Welcoming Teresa Hobbs from Utah04:00 - The Early Warning Signs: Fatigue in 200306:00 - The Fender Bender That Fractured Her Nervous System08:00 - Bedbound and Blacking Out: The Most Terrifying Period10:00 - Family Members Who Said It Was “All in Her Head”12:00 - The Fixing Mindset: Five Hours of Meditation a Day14:00 - “You Don’t Have to Work So Hard to Heal” — A Pivot Point16:00 - Moving Out of Her Parents’ House and Into Healing18:00 - Physical Stressors: Cavitation Surgery and Upper Cervical Chiropractic20:00 - The Last Piece: Panic and Learning to Stop Avoiding22:00 - 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 Signals30:00 - Pain Reprocessing Therapy and Somatic Tracking33:00 - The Safe and Sound Protocol: Training the Ear to Hear Safety35:00 - Expanding the Window of Tolerance: Healing as Capacity Building38:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Teresa to Become?40:00 - Teresa’s Coaching, Groups, and ResourcesGuest Information & LinksConnect 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 OverviewIn 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.⏳ Timestamps00:00 - Kassondra’s Opening: “I’m Grateful for My Illness”01:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast03:00 - Welcoming Kassondra Walters from Ontario, Canada05:00 - The Summer of 2022: When Her Body First Started Speaking08:00 - Two Terminations and a Mental Health Crisis10:00 - The Night Before: Finding the Lump12:00 - Fighting to Get Into the Medical System14:00 - The Diagnosis Call in the Bathroom16:00 - The Death Journey and “I’m Not Done”18:00 - Surgery as Rebirth and the Family Who Didn’t Call22:00 - The Cardinals: Ancestral Signs That She Would Be Okay25:00 - The Pathology: Microscopic Cells in One Lymph Node28:00 - Sitting with the Oncologist: “I Want to Focus on the 70%”32:00 - The Doctor Whose Tone Shifted35:00 - Discovering Radical Remission and Finding Hope38:00 - The Five Months Off: Creating a New Lifestyle42:00 - The Center for Health Innovation and Listening to Practitioners45:00 - The Acupuncturist’s Question: “What Are You Doing for Kassondra?”48:00 - Emotional Releases in Craniosacral Therapy52:00 - The Biopsy She Wished She Hadn’t Done55:00 - The Final Appointment: Rage, Powerlessness, and Walking Away58:00 - Living Chronic Faith: Choosing Joy and Connection01:02:00 - Falling Off the Wagon: Compassion and Returning to Presence01:05:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Kassondra to Become?💫 Guest Information & LinksConnect 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/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

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 OverviewIn 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.⏳ Timestamps00:00 - Allison’s Opening: “Your Body is Your Friend”01:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast03:00 - Welcoming Allison Hampton from Indianapolis05:00 - The Two-Year Journey: Being Dismissed by Doctors08:00 - Firing the Doctor and Reclaiming Self-Trust12:00 - The Lupus Support Group and the Physician Who Walked Both Sides15:00 - “My Baseline Pain is a Five” — Communicating Chronic Pain to Loved Ones18:00 - Boundaries, Spoons, and Power Save Mode22:00 - The Revelation: Your Body Has Been Faithful to You25:00 - Grief and Gratitude Can Coexist28:00 - The Tetanus Shot That Triggered Temporary Paralysis32:00 - The Snowman vs. The Racetrack: Learning to Adapt35:00 - Chronic Illness as Identity Theft — And How to Reclaim Yourself40:00 - The Hospital Room Conversation with a Grieving Nurse45:00 - Living Chronic Faith: The Nonprofit and Its Mission50:00 - Virtual Gatherings, Bingo, and Having Things to Look Forward To55:00 - The Sepsis and Respiratory Failure: Revisiting Square One58:00 - “Do the Thing” — Fill the Gap Only You Can Fill01:02:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Allison to Become?💫 Guest Information & LinksConnect 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.⏳ Timestamps00:00 - Shayla’s Opening: The Hardest Pill to Swallow with Invisible Illness01:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcas03:00 - Welcoming Shayla from California05:00 - The Childhood Clue: Dissociation from Temperature at Age Fiv08:00 - The Assault, The Car Accident, and The Body’s Collapse12:00 - “You Are a Complex Case” — Being Dismissed by the Medical System15:00 - The Endometriosis Diagnosis and the Two-Month Wait for a Surgeon18:00 - The Turning Point: Canceling All Appointments and Going Inward20:00 - The Five-Day Fast That Reset Her System22:00 - Self-Data Literacy: Reading Your Body Like a Map25:00 - Mirror Affirmations and Rewiring Childhood Patterns28:00 - Chakras as Energetic Distribution Hubs: Root, Sacral, and Throat32:00 - The FoxP3 Gene and Regulatory T Cells: The Immunology Behind the Healing35:00 - Rituals as Medicine: Tea, Intention, and the Intelligence of Water38:00 - Living Without Autopilot: Why Illness Demands Active Participation42:00 - Where Shayla Is Now: Eating Freely, Living Simply, Staying Attuned45:00 - Light Weaver: Shayla’s Mission and How to Find Her💫 Guest Information & LinksConnect 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 OverviewIn 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.⏳ Timestamps00:00 - Lyn’s Opening Reflection: “Pain is an Emotion”01:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast03:00 - Welcoming Lyn Cole from Central Victoria, Australia05:00 - The Early Years: Asthma, Allergies, and Questioning “Why Me?”10:00 - Leaving Home at 17 and Discovering Natural Healing15:00 - The Shift: Developing Severe Lumbar Pain as a Single Mom of Four20:00 - Being Forced into the Medical Model and Insurance System25:00 - The Insulting Early Days of “Mindset” Pain Management30:00 - The Chiropractor Who Listened: Applied Kinesiology as a Catalyst35:00 - The Whiteboard Moment: “Pain is an Emotion”40:00 - Pain as Stuck Emotion: The Sesame Seed Analogy45:00 - Art as Healing: Creating a Safe Container for Others50:00 - From Art Teacher to Trauma-Informed Guide55:00 - The Power of Baby Steps: Six Months Floating in a Pool01:00:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Her to Become?01:02:00 - Lyn’s Daily Doodles and What’s Coming Next💫 Guest Information & LinksConnect 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/communityUse 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 OverviewIn 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.⏳ Timestamps03:00 - Welcoming Shenal Arimilli06:00 - The Diagnosis: Stage One Breast Cancer & The Physical Journey Begins10:00 - Doing Everything “Right”: Cleansing, Detoxing, and the Box of Supplements15:00 - The First Recurrence: When Physical Protocols Aren’t Enough20:00 - The Dark Decade: 11 Years of Deep Healing25:00 - The Ice Cube Metaphor: How Unprocessed Trauma Becomes Stuck in the Body30:00 - The Wishbone of Healing: Ancestral, Soul Level, and This Lifetime Energy35:00 - The 11-Year-Old Girl: How Fast Healing Can Happen When We’re Ready40:00 - The T-E-A Framework: Thoughts, Emotions, Actions45:00 - “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 Feared01:00:00 - 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 Die01:12:00 - Shenal’s Free Offerings & How to Connect💫 Guest Information & LinksConnect 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 Communityhttps://www.aurorasomatic.com/communityUse 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 OverviewIn 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?⏳ Timestamps00:00 – Introduction: The Illusion of Wellness & A Cancer Diagnosis02:00 – Welcome Natalie: From Health Coach to Cancer Patient05:00 – The Nodule: Ignored Signals & Pregnancy Intuition10:00 – The Diagnosis: Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma & Identity Collapse15:00 – Searching for Answers: Holistic Research & Spiritual Opening20:00 – Reiki, Mediumship & Connecting with Spirit25:00 – Radical Alignment: What It Means to Live in Truth30:00 – The Decision to Do Radiation: Bridging Worlds35:00 – Grief, Surrender & Stepping into Power40:00 – Who Did Her Illness Invite Her to Become?43:00 – Where to Find Natalie & Final Thoughts💫 Guest Information & LinksConnect with Natalie Emmer:Website: natalieemmer.comInstagram: Natalie Emmer💫 Want to Go Deeper?→ Join The Sacred Illness® Community:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/communityUse 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.⏳ Timestamps00:00 - Shelby’s Opening: “What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you getting better?”01:25 - Dr. Erin’s Introduction & The Sacred Illness® Question02:17 - Welcoming Shelby Hanson: Speech Pathologist & Student of the Nervous System03:20 - The Story Begins: Military Life, Moving Across the World, and Early Symptoms05:00 - The Life Insurance Denial That Revealed Kidney Failure06:00 - Diagnosis, Transplant Listing, and the “Impossible” Pregnancy07:30 - How Her Baby’s Kidneys Filtered Her Blood08:00 - The Transplant Call & A “99% Sensitized” Body09:00 - Post-Transplant Crisis: A Kidney That Wouldn’t Work10:15 - The Doctor’s Question That Changed Everything11:00 - The Realization: “My Body Had Never Failed Me”12:00 - People-Pleasing, Anesthesia, and the Caretaker Identity13:00 - Discovering Nervous System Regulation & Joe Dispenza14:25 - Visualization, Prayer, and the 49-Day Turnaround18:00 - Shifting From Disease-Promoting to Healing States20:00 - Unlearning Emotional States & Connecting to Your Future Self24:00 - The Chronic Pain That Was a Nervous System Memory27:00 - Epigenetics, “Soft Diagnoses,” and Reversing Conditions30:00 - Learning to Receive: The Kidney as the Ultimate Gift32:00 - Life 7 Years Post-Transplant: Purpose, Movement, and Listening35:00 - “Your Body is Never Wrong”—Reallocating Energy, Not Losing It38:00 - Functional Freeze and Why Exhaustion Isn’t a Lack of Energy40:00 - Shelby’s Work: Helping Women Reclaim Their Energy43:00 - Free Gift & How to Connect With Shelby45:00 - The Aligned Self: Who Did Her Illness Invite Her to Become?47:00 - Closing: “Our Bodies Can Heal.”💫 Guest Information & LinksConnect 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/communitySave 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/@SavfkMusicThis 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