The Four Pillars of Healing

Trauma Healing, the Nervous System, and Why Awareness Isn’t Enough with Terrye MJ | Episode 8 | Part 1

Why do so many people still feel stuck in healing, even after therapy, energy work, or deep self-awareness? In this conversation, Nichola sits down with Terrye MJ to explore trauma healing, the nervous system, emotional patterns stored in the body, and why awareness alone doesn’t always create change. This episode explores why healing is not something that is done to you, how trauma can be held in the body and nervous system, why people stay stuck even when they understand their patterns, and the difference between being supported and being “fixed”. Nichola and Terrye also speak about generational trauma, inherited survival responses, and what real healing work actually asks of us. This is not a conversation about bypassing. It is about responsibility, embodiment, and what it takes to create real internal change. Books mentioned in this episode: The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk The Biology of Belief — Bruce Lipton You Are the Placebo — Joe Dispenza It Didn’t Start With You — Mark Wolynn Anatomy of the Spirit — Caroline Myss

A Father’s Grief, A Son’s Light, Part 2: Turning Grief into Purpose with Scott McMinn

In Part 2 of this heartfelt conversation, Scott McMinn shares how he transformed the grief of losing his son Henry into action, connection, and purpose. From physical challenges and motorbike rides to wood chopping and building a life on the land, Scott shows how movement and purpose can help carry us through even the heaviest grief. He also speaks openly about men’s mental health in rural Australia, breaking stigmas, and the importance of speaking up. This episode is about courage, vulnerability, and the ripple effect of helping others while healing yourself. Scott also shares the small signs from his son - rainbows, butterflies, and other reminders - that bring comfort and keep the connection alive. ✨ Key Takeaways: * How grief can be transformed into meaningful action * The role of movement and physicality in mental and emotional healing * Men’s mental health challenges and breaking silence in rural communities * Finding connection through the environment and everyday life * Small, comforting signs from loved ones who have passed Whether you’re navigating grief, supporting someone through loss, or seeking inspiration on how to turn pain into purpose, this episode is a must-listen.

A Father’s Grief, A Son’s Light | Losing a Child, Living with Grief & Mental Health | Episode 6 | Part 1 - Scott McMinn

In this powerful episode, Scott McMinn shares the reality of losing his son Henry and what it means to live with grief after the loss of a child. This is a raw conversation about child loss, fatherhood, trauma, mental health and healing after devastating loss. Scott shares the story of his son Henry, a beautiful, wise and compassionate little boy whose legacy continues to live on through Scott’s openness about grief, mental health, suicide awareness and healing. Together Nichola & Scott speak candidly about: • the bond between father and son • Henry’s leukemia journey • navigating grief after the loss of a child • how trauma reshapes identity and family life • the pressure to stay strong while grieving • turning pain into purpose and helping others feel less alone This episode is raw, heartfelt and deeply human. It is about the love that remains after loss, and the courage it takes to keep going when life changes forever. ⚠️ Content note: This episode includes discussion of grief, the loss of a child, trauma, mental health and suicide awareness. Please listen with care. Disclosure The views, experiences and opinions shared in this episode are personal lived experiences and personal perspectives. This conversation reflects Scott McMinn’s & Nichola Hand’s recollection and interpretation of events and is shared in good faith. References to medical care, treatment experiences, institutions are discussed from personal perspective only and should not be interpreted as medical advice or legal claims.  This podcast is intended for conversation and awareness only and does not substitute professional medical, legal or mental health advice. If this episode brings up difficult emotions, please take care of yourself and consider seeking support from a trusted mental health professional or support service.

Episode 5 | Coming Home to Wholeness | Part 2 with Kerriann Mackenzie - Grief, Healing Cycles & Self-Responsibility

In Part 2 of this powerful conversation, Kerriann and I explore wholeness, grief, repeating cycles, and the courage it takes to take responsibility for your own healing. Healing isn’t linear - it’s a spiral back to love. Hey beautiful humans… quick note before we dive in.First - I’m sorry this Part 2 is landing late.I was actually bitten by a spider and it knocked me around for a couple of weeks. Then I went into a deep writing cave (because… that’s what I do when life asks me to), and I had a few tech gremlins to sort out behind the scenes - but we’re back, we’re steady, and I’ve navigated it all now.And I’m really grateful you’re here.Tonight’s episode is Kerriann Mackenzie - Part 2, and honestly… it’s one of those conversations that doesn’t just inform you - it meets you.We go deep into wholeness… not as some “perfect healed version” we’re trying to become, but as the brave return to the truth that all parts of us belong - even the messy parts, the unhealed parts, the ego parts, the parts we tried to reject to be “spiritual enough” or “strong enough”.Kerriann shares so powerfully that alignment isn’t something new to create - it’s what we reclaim by unlearning, tending to our wounds, and gathering the parts of us that went missing.We talk about grief - the kind that cracks your life open - and how healing often comes in cycles.How life loops us back, not to punish us… but to invite us deeper.There’s a moment where we speak about grief as a black hole in the heart - and how healing doesn’t mean jumping in and being consumed… it can look like sitting on the edge, dipping your toes in, letting yourself feel, and then choosing to step back out again when you need to.We also speak about the questions that change everything:What am I avoiding?Where am I abandoning myself?What am I pretending not to know?Because those questions don’t shame you - they bring you home.In this episode, we move through:what wholeness actually feels like (and why all of you is welcome)grief as a teacher - and why it returns in wavescycles repeating until we choose a new responsethe difference between observing emotions and bypassing themwhat it looks like to stop being “perfect” and let yourself feeland the signs you’re healing… even when it feels like you’re going backwardsIf you’re listening and you’ve felt like you’ve lost a part of yourself - I want you to hear this clearly:you are not broken.Nothing is lost.There are parts of you that are simply waiting to be met with love.Alright… let’s drop in.Kerriann Mackenzie - Part 2.Let me know what lands for you in the comments, and if you’re on a healing path right now, I’m holding you so gently.

Episode 4 | Part 1 | Coming Home to Wholeness Through Healing | With Kerriann Mackenzie

Episode 4 - Part 1 Coming Home to Wholeness Through Healing Part 1 The Four Pillars of Healing Podcast In this episode of The Four Pillars of Healing, I’m honoured to share Part 1 of a deeply expansive and soul-led conversation with Kerriann Mackenzie, a conversation that felt less like an interview and more like a shared remembering. This episode explores healing beyond fixing, striving, or trying to become someone new. Instead, we speak about healing as a return, a coming home to wholeness, safety, and embodied truth. Together, we gently explore how trauma, life experiences, and long-held adaptations can fragment our sense of self, and how healing is not about “repairing” what is broken, but about remembering and reclaiming the parts of ourselves that were always there beneath survival. This conversation honours healing as a lived, embodied process, one that listens to the nervous system, the body, and our inner knowing, rather than rushing, bypassing, or forcing change. In Part 1, we explore: • what wholeness truly means within the healing journey • how trauma and life experiences shape identity, behaviour, and self-connection • why healing does not follow a linear path • the role of safety, honesty, and embodiment in real transformation • how returning to the body becomes a doorway to healing • why nothing about you was ever truly broken This conversation was rich, layered, and deeply human, and naturally unfolded into two parts. ✨ Part 1 is available now ✨ Part 2 will be released Tuesday night Whether you are just beginning your healing journey or have been walking this path for many seasons, this episode offers reflection, reassurance, and a reminder that wholeness is not something to earn, it is something to remember. I invite you to listen slowly, with kindness toward yourself, and to allow whatever arises to be met with compassion. If this conversation resonates, follow the podcast to receive future episodes exploring healing, trauma, embodiment, grief, identity, and coming home to self.