Sacred Illness™

Ep. 52: Releasing the Womb: Hysterectomy as the Holistic Path to Healing with Oriana Broderick

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 [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 [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest] → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate] → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfk https://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [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 [https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Ep. 51: The Womb as a Wound and a Sanctuary — Healing Uterine Fibroids by Re-mothering the Self with Claire Hickson

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 [https://www.instagram.com/claire_inlight/] - Website: https://instabook.io/landing/yogawithclaire [https://instabook.io/landing/yogawithclaire] - Book: In Light [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1914447913?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apan_dp_T0CYE3D19BDKA7N3Z5A7&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apan_dp_T0CYE3D19BDKA7N3Z5A7&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apan_dp_T0CYE3D19BDKA7N3Z5A7&bestFormat=true] - Available on Amazon [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1914447913?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apan_dp_T0CYE3D19BDKA7N3Z5A7&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apan_dp_T0CYE3D19BDKA7N3Z5A7&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apan_dp_T0CYE3D19BDKA7N3Z5A7&bestFormat=true] - YouTube: www.youtube.com/@claire_hickson [http://www.youtube.com/@claire_hickson] 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community] Use coupon code PODCAST for 20% off → Apply to be a podcast guest: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest] → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate] → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack: https://sacredillness.substack.com [https://sacredillness.substack.com] 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfk https://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [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 [https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Ep. 50: Healing Multiple Sclerosis: On Rewiring Your Brain and Embracing Illness as a Teacher with Matt Rowe

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: @ [https://www.instagram.com/optimalbody_optimalmind/]optimalbody_optimalmind [https://www.instagram.com/optimalbody_optimalmind/] Website: www.optimalbody-optimalmind.com [http://www.optimalbody-optimalmind.com] Matt’s Coaching offer: https://www.mattrowecoaching.com/ [https://www.mattrowecoaching.com/] Book: Belief to Heal [https://www.mattrowecoaching.com/resources/books] Email: Matt@identityofhealth.com [Matt@identityofhealth.com] 💫 Want to Go Deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey:https://www.aurorasomatic.com [https://www.aurorasomatic.com] → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest] → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate] → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:https://sacredillness.substack.com [https://sacredillness.substack.com] 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [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 [https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Ep. 49: Labor and Deliverance: Healing, Empowerment, and the Medicine of Self-Advocacy with Dr. Tracy Shevell

What if healing isn’t about finding the right doctor, but learning to become an active participant in your own care? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Tracy Shevell, a board-certified OBGYN and high-risk maternal-fetal medicine specialist who spent nearly two decades inside academic medicine before her own complex illness—and the pandemic—led her to reimagine what healing could look like. Tracy shares her story of moving from exhaustion and mystery illness to self-advocacy, trauma work, and spiritual integration. We discuss the systemic issues within medicine, how patriarchal models of care silence both patients and practitioners, and what it means for women to reclaim authority over their bodies and health. This conversation is both a critique of modern healthcare and an invitation to return to what’s deeply human in medicine: presence, curiosity, and compassion. What You’ll Learn ✨ How Dr. Shevell’s own illness taught her to bridge western and holistic models of healing✨ The emotional and spiritual dimensions of women’s health that medicine often overlooks✨ Why trauma screening (ACEs) belongs in every medical intake✨ How to advocate for yourself without apology✨ Why “it’s just anxiety” is never an acceptable answer✨ The importance of boundaries, partnership, and choosing doctors who believe in your capacity to heal✨ How menopause and midlife can become opportunities for reinvention and sovereignty ⏳ Timestamps00:00 Intro + welcome03:00 From high-risk OBGYN to patient and advocate07:00 The problem with patriarchal medicine10:00 Why trauma belongs in every health assessment14:00 Complex illness, misdiagnosis, and the “it’s just anxiety” trap17:00 Functional medicine, trauma work, and EMDR20:00 Spirituality, faith, and learning to listen to your body27:00 Re-entering medicine as a teacher of empowerment37:00 How to advocate for yourself with doctors42:00 Menopause and the reinvention of the self44:00 Dr. Shevell’s upcoming book Labor and Deliverance 📚 Connect with Dr. Tracy Shevell Website: www.tracyshevellmd.com [http://www.tracyshevellmd.com] Email: hello@tracyshevellmd.com Instagram @tracyshevell [https://www.instagram.com/drtracyshevell]md TikTok: @tracyshevellmd Substack tracyshevell.substack.com [https://substack.com/@tracyshevellmd] Book (forthcoming, 2026): Labor and Deliverance – a blend of patient stories, personal narrative, and lessons on healing beyond medicine 💫 Ready to go deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey:https://www.aurorasomatic.com [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/] → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/] → Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/] → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:https://sacredillness.substack.com [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/] 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/] 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 [https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Ep. 48: Anchored to Hope: Rewriting the Story on Illness with Author James Wright

In this powerful episode, I sit down with James Wright—author, father, speaker, and 11-year survivor of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)—who was originally given just 3 to 5 years to live. He refused to accept that prognosis and instead chose to see his illness as an invitation to reimagine what was possible for his life. Together we explore: → How James’ mindset shaped his journey from day one → The moment he chose not to accept his diagnosis as a life sentence → The role of faith, mindset, and daily intention in his healing journey → His commitment to modeling emotional resilience for his children → The daily practices and lifestyle shifts that supported his energy and outlook → How expectations can influence physiology → The importance of purpose, connection, and inner belief → What it means to live with illness, not in fear of it → Why he believes illness came into his life for a reason This is one of the most inspiring conversations I’ve had on the podcast to date. Whether you’re navigating chronic illness, feeling stuck in your mindset, or just looking for a deeper reason to keep going—this episode will move you. Learn more about and connect with James: Website: authorjameslwright.com [http://www.authorjameslwright.com] Book: Anchored to Hope: Reframing Life After a Terminal Diagnosis 📚 Buy on Amazon [https://a.co/d/1qW26zB] Email: james@getinspiredtodayllc.com [https://a.co/d/1qW26zB] Social media: Instagram: @James2_gitllc TikTok: @james..wright15 YouTube: @jameswright_GITLLC Facebook: facebook.com/authorjameswright [http://facebook.com/authorjameswright] Want to go deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey:https://www.aurorasomatic.com [https://www.aurorasomatic.com] (Join the Community and enjoy 20% off using the coupon code PODCAST) → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest] → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:https://sacredillness.substack.com [https://sacredillness.substack.com] 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [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 [https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]