Sacred Illness™

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]

Episode 47: Anticipatory Grief, Skin as a Signal, and the Search for True Reciprocity with Dr. Kristin Wing

In this raw and reflective episode, Dr. Kristin Wing, a naturopathic doctor and mother of two, shares her deeply personal journey through chronic skin issues, anticipatory grief, and the ongoing tension between self-sacrifice and reciprocity. We explore what it means to live in a body that keeps score—through psoriasis, alopecia, oral allergy syndrome, and more—and how those signals mirror unprocessed trauma, inherited stress patterns, and unmet relational needs. From the shock of her father’s glioblastoma diagnosis to the daily depletion of motherhood and caregiving, Dr. Wing speaks candidly about the years she spent “pouring her body and resources out”—and what it has taken to finally begin reclaiming herself. We touch on boundaries, attachment, nervous system hypervigilance, and how chronic skin conditions can be a metaphor for distorted energetic boundaries and a lack of reflection in our relationships. This episode is a conversation about the grief of not being met, the longing for true emotional intimacy, and the courage it takes to reorient your life around your needs and desires—not just your responsibilities. Topics we explore: The mind-body roots of chronic skin conditions Living in anticipation: When your nervous system never relaxes The impact of parental illness, loss, and grief on the body The exhaustion of one-sided relationships Attachment, boundaries, and how our skin reflects them The importance of being mirrored and seen Shifting from over-giving to relational reciprocity Healing through witnessing (and being witnessed) The power of naming your desires out loud Who is your illness inviting you to become? For Dr. Wing, the answer is clear: a woman with the capacity to savor beauty, live from desire, and stop guessing what others need in order to feel safe. 🎧 Tune in and reflect: What is your body trying to tell you? 🔗 Links: 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] → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:https://sacredillness.substack.com [https://sacredillness.substack.com] 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkwww.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [http://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. 46: Fast Clocks, Slow Clocks: What Dissociative Identity Disorder Reveals About Illness and Identity

In this fascinating solo episode, I dive into the research on Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)—formerly called multiple personality disorder—and explore what it reveals about the mind-body connection. From shifts in allergies and eyesight to changes in pain thresholds and immune responses, DID shows us what happens when identity, story, and nervous system regulation rewire the body in real time. This episode is a stunning look at the nervous system’s role in chronic illness—through the lens of case studies that defy the rules of modern medicine. What You’ll Discover: ✨ How one person can have different allergic reactions, vision, or pain depending on the persona they are embodying✨ Why cells don’t change—but signals do✨ The difference between the body’s fast clock and slow clock✨ How trauma imprints short-term patterns that become long-term physiology✨ What DID reveals about nervous system tone, stress, and identity✨ Why stories are the interface between brain, belief, and biology✨ How repeated states (like hypervigilance or safety) train the body over time✨ The hopeful truth: your body is wired—which means it can be rewired Timestamps: 00:00 Intro — the mind-body connection & DID02:00 Historical case studies of blindness, paralysis, and altered senses05:00 Modern studies on allergies, medications, and eyesight07:00 The fast clock vs. slow clock in illness10:00 Nervous system tone and symptom development12:00 States becoming traits — how repeated patterns change the body13:00 Cellular turnover and long-term healing potential14:00 Final reflections: DID as a mirror for all of us 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] → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:https://sacredillness.substack.com [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/sacred-illness] _______________________________________________________ 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkwww.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [http://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]

Episode 45: The Inputs That Shape Illness: Nervous System Programming and the Root of Chronic Disease

What if illness isn’t random—or genetic—but a result of the messages your body has received over a lifetime? In this solo episode, I invite you into a radically simple framework that cuts through the noise of health advice, diagnoses, and symptom management.We explore the idea that the body is an input-output machine, with the nervous system as the primary control center. And if the inputs aren’t safe, aligned, or supportive… the outputs will eventually show up as symptoms, dysfunction, and disease. This episode is a call to simplify, not overcomplicate. It’s about tracing illness back to the earliest stories that shaped our physiology—and rewriting those stories to restore health from the inside out. 🌿 What You’ll Discover: ✨ Why the nervous system is the hub of all health✨ How “trauma” is anything that takes you away from your true self✨ Why childhood experiences become physiological programs✨ How stories like “I’m stupid” or “I don’t matter” become immune, endocrine, and gut responses✨ Why symptom flares aren’t random—they’re output✨ Why food, genetics, and lifestyle are secondary inputs✨ What it means to heal by making your life safe for your true self✨ The real reason your illness is here—and how to respond ⏳ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro – Health is not that complicated01:00 The body as input-output machine03:00 Why the nervous system is the central hub04:00 Inputs from childhood that shape our physiology06:00 Trauma as a story of unsafety08:00 How trauma makes our world smaller10:00 Downstream impacts on every body system14:00 Chronic illness as adaptation to unsafe inputs16:00 What safety really means for the body18:00 It's not about food—it’s about what your nervous system believes20:00 Rewriting the program22:00 Who is your illness inviting you to become?23:00 Final thoughts + upcoming group journey 💫 Want to go deeper? → Join the Sacred Illness™ Membershiphttps://www.aurorasomatic.com/community [http://www.aurorasomatic.com/community]Use code PODCAST to save 20% on your first month. → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/sacred-illness?utm_source=chatgpt.com] → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:https://sacredillness.substack.com [https://sacredillness.substack.com] 🎶 Music by: Instructions for Living a Life by Savfkwww.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [http://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]