Exploring illness as a sacred invitation to deep healing and self-discovery. <br/><br/><a href="https://sacredillness.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">sacredillness.substack.com</a>
Sacred Illness
Claim This Podcastby Dr. Erin Hayford
5.0(10 reviews)
64 episodes
Updated Weekly
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Podcast Overview
Exploring illness as a sacred invitation to deep healing and self-discovery. <br/><br/><a href="https://sacredillness.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">sacredillness.substack.com</a>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
10/10/2023
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Recent Episodes
June 17, 2026
Ep. 63: Finding Your Path when the System Fails You with Stacey Piedrahita
<p>Stacey spent her career inside healthcare. </p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p></p><p><strong>Episode Overview</strong></p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p></p><p><strong>What You’ll Discover</strong></p><p>* The reality of being dismissed by doctors—even when you have medical training yourself.</p><p>* How the medical system follows a script and doesn’t have time to listen—and why that must change.</p><p>* The back pain at 50 that put her on a different path forever.</p><p>* The experience of being told “nothing is wrong” while her body was collapsing.</p><p>* How an electrical shock from a fence led to POTS, dysautonomia, mast cell disease, and a stroke.</p><p>* The moment a neurologist finally listened—and why it took three to get there.</p><p>* The deep childhood programming of being “the strong one” and masking pain to survive.</p><p>* Why illness is forcing her to stop hiding and start asking for help—even when it’s terrifying.</p><p>* How radical acceptance, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and faith have become her foundation.</p><p>* Who she is becoming: the most authentic version of herself—still in progress, still healing.</p><p></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p>00:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast</p><p>02:00 - Welcoming Stacey from North Carolina</p><p>04:00 - The First Crisis: Debilitating Back Pain at Age 50</p><p>06:00 - Dismissed by Doctors: “Go See a Shrink”</p><p>08:00 - The Cognitive Decline: Not Recognizing Her Own Daughter</p><p>10:00 - A Career Inside Healthcare—And Still Not Being Believed</p><p>12:00 - The Electrical Shock from a Fence—and What Followed</p><p>14:00 - POTS, Dysautonomia, Mast Cell, and the Stroke</p><p>16:00 - The Third Neurologist Who Finally Believed Her</p><p>18:00 - Childhood Programming: “I’m the Strong One”</p><p>20:00 - Learning to Ask for Help and Unmask</p><p>22:00 - Radical Acceptance and Dialectical Behavior Therapy</p><p>24:00 - Becoming the Most Authentic Version of Herself—Still in Progress</p><p>26:00 - Her Books, Breathwork Classes, and Substack</p><p></p><p><strong>Guest Information & Links</strong></p><p>Connect with Stacey Piedrahita:</p><p>* Website: <a target="_blank" href="https://tmsforacure.org/">tmsforacure.org</a> → find her breathwork class, “Breath and Beyond with Stacey”, held every second and fourth Friday.</p><p>* Substack: <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/@revstaceyrocks">https://substack.com/@revstaceyrocks</a>. Daily recovery essays, stories, and poetry.</p><p>* Books: Available on Amazon</p><p>* “Intuitive: Speaking Her Truth”</p><p>* “Becoming the Manifesting Diva”</p><p>* “Soulful Poems” (Two Volumes)</p><p>* Soul Spells (Coming August 2026)</p><p>* Book links:</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://a.co/d/0dIK32tF">https://a.co/d/0dIK32tF</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://a.co/d/0bLl24q1">https://a.co/d/0bLl24q1</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Ready to Go Deeper?</strong></p><p>→ Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community">https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community</a> Use coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your first month.</p><p>→ Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sacredillness.com">https://www.sacredillness.com</a></p><p>→ Apply to get on the waitlist to be a podcast guest: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest">https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest</a></p><p>→ Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate">https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate</a></p><p>→ Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:</p><p>🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfk<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic">https://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic</a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe</a>
May 26, 2026
Episode 62: "You Don't Have to Work So Hard to Heal”: A Story of ME/CFS, Panic, and Neuroplastic Rewiring with Teresa Hobbs
<p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Episode Overview</strong></p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p><strong>What You’ll Discover</strong></p><p>* The fender bender that fractured her nervous system and left her bedbound for years.</p><p>* Why her brain would black out from reading, phone calls, or even positive daydreams.</p><p>* The painful experience of family members labeling her illness as “getting a payoff” or “all in her head.”</p><p>* How trying too hard to heal—five hours of meditation a day, rigid protocols—actually impeded her recovery.</p><p>* The liberating invitation: “You don’t have to work so hard to heal.”</p><p>* Understanding neuroplastic symptoms: how the brain perpetuates danger signals long after the initial trigger.</p><p>* Somatic tracking: meeting sensations with curiosity and non-judgment.</p><p>* Why pain reprocessing therapy works best when symptoms are between a 1 and 5—and when to just take the medication.</p><p>* The connection between codependency, attachment disruption, and chronic illness.</p><p>* How learning to tolerate panic transformed her life—and gave her the courage to live fully.</p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p>00:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast</p><p>02:00 - Welcoming Teresa Hobbs from Utah</p><p>04:00 - The Early Warning Signs: Fatigue in 2003</p><p>06:00 - The Fender Bender That Fractured Her Nervous System</p><p>08:00 - Bedbound and Blacking Out: The Most Terrifying Period</p><p>10:00 - Family Members Who Said It Was “All in Her Head”</p><p>12:00 - The Fixing Mindset: Five Hours of Meditation a Day</p><p>14:00 - “You Don’t Have to Work So Hard to Heal” — A Pivot Point</p><p>16:00 - Moving Out of Her Parents’ House and Into Healing</p><p>18:00 - Physical Stressors: Cavitation Surgery and Upper Cervical Chiropractic</p><p>20:00 - The Last Piece: Panic and Learning to Stop Avoiding</p><p>22:00 - Dancing with Panic: “I Dared It to Get as Big as It Needed to Get”</p><p>25:00 - Codependency and Chronic Illness: “I’m Not Okay Unless You’re Okay”</p><p>28:00 - Neuroplastic Symptoms: How the Brain Gets Stuck on Danger Signals</p><p>30:00 - Pain Reprocessing Therapy and Somatic Tracking</p><p>33:00 - The Safe and Sound Protocol: Training the Ear to Hear Safety</p><p>35:00 - Expanding the Window of Tolerance: Healing as Capacity Building</p><p>38:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Teresa to Become?</p><p>40:00 - Teresa’s Coaching, Groups, and Resources</p><p></p><p><strong>Guest Information & Links</strong></p><p>Connect with Teresa Hobbs:</p><p>* Website: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.monarchintegrativecoaching.com">www.monarchintegrativecoaching.com</a></p><p>* YouTube: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@monarchintegrativestudio">https://www.youtube.com/@monarchintegrativestudio</a></p><p>* Facebook: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/monarchintegrativecoaching">https://www.facebook.com/monarchintegrativecoaching</a></p><p>* Instagram: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/monarchintegrativestudio">https://www.instagram.com/monarchintegrativestudio</a></p><p>* Podcast: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@almostawakenedpodcast">https://www.youtube.com/@almostawakenedpodcast</a></p><p></p><p><strong>💫 Want to Go Deeper?</strong></p><p>→ Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey:<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community">https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community</a>Use coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your first month.</p><p>→ Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner: click the link to get on the waitlist. Our first cohort begins September 2026, spots are limited.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training">https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training</a></p><p>→ Apply to be a podcast guest:<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest">https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest</a></p><p>→ Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate">https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate</a></p><p>→ Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:</p><p>🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfk<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic">https://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic</a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe</a>
May 7, 2026
Ep. 61: “What are You Doing for You?”: Cancer as a Return to the Self with Kassondra Walters
<p>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. </p><p>But something in her body said no. </p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Episode Overview</strong></p><p>In this conversation, I sit down with Kassondra Walters, an indigenous entrepreneur, yoga teacher, Reiki master, and survivor from Ontario, Canada. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p><strong>🌿 What You’ll Discover</strong></p><p>* The moment her body screamed for attention—right before she was to step into her mission.</p><p>* Why she went vegan, stopped drinking alcohol, and returned to hot yoga before she even had a diagnosis.</p><p>* The surgery that felt like a rebirth—and the grief of family who didn’t show up.</p><p>* The cardinal moment: how ancestors sent a sign that she would be okay.</p><p>* Sitting with the oncologist: “What’s the percentage you’re reducing risk by?” and choosing to focus on the 70%.</p><p>* The shift in treatment when she declined chemo—and the doctor whose tone changed.</p><p>* The acupuncturist’s pivotal question: “You’ve done a lot for your cancer. What are you doing for Kassondra?”</p><p>* Emotional releases stored in the body: craniosacral therapy, meridians, and the pain that came up at the breast cancer point.</p><p>* Why she left the cancer care program—not because she’s cancer-free, but because she doesn’t want what they’re offering.</p><p>* The ongoing teaching: falling off the wagon, meeting yourself with compassion, and returning to presence.</p><p><strong>⏳ Timestamps</strong></p><p>00:00 - Kassondra’s Opening: “I’m Grateful for My Illness”</p><p>01:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast</p><p>03:00 - Welcoming Kassondra Walters from Ontario, Canada</p><p>05:00 - The Summer of 2022: When Her Body First Started Speaking</p><p>08:00 - Two Terminations and a Mental Health Crisis</p><p>10:00 - The Night Before: Finding the Lump</p><p>12:00 - Fighting to Get Into the Medical System</p><p>14:00 - The Diagnosis Call in the Bathroom</p><p>16:00 - The Death Journey and “I’m Not Done”</p><p>18:00 - Surgery as Rebirth and the Family Who Didn’t Call</p><p>22:00 - The Cardinals: Ancestral Signs That She Would Be Okay</p><p>25:00 - The Pathology: Microscopic Cells in One Lymph Node</p><p>28:00 - Sitting with the Oncologist: “I Want to Focus on the 70%”</p><p>32:00 - The Doctor Whose Tone Shifted</p><p>35:00 - Discovering Radical Remission and Finding Hope</p><p>38:00 - The Five Months Off: Creating a New Lifestyle</p><p>42:00 - The Center for Health Innovation and Listening to Practitioners</p><p>45:00 - The Acupuncturist’s Question: “What Are You Doing for Kassondra?”</p><p>48:00 - Emotional Releases in Craniosacral Therapy</p><p>52:00 - The Biopsy She Wished She Hadn’t Done</p><p>55:00 - The Final Appointment: Rage, Powerlessness, and Walking Away</p><p>58:00 - Living Chronic Faith: Choosing Joy and Connection</p><p>01:02:00 - Falling Off the Wagon: Compassion and Returning to Presence</p><p>01:05:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Kassondra to Become?</p><p><strong>💫 Guest Information & Links</strong></p><p>Connect with Kassondra Walters:</p><p>* Instagram: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/alchemistelevating">@alchemistelevating</a></p><p>* Website: <a target="_blank" href="https://kdmanagementconsulting.ca">https://kdmanagementconsulting.ca</a></p><p>* Upcoming Book (2026): This Business is My Ceremony (co-authored, for indigenous entrepreneurs)</p><p>* Organizational Development Consulting: Supporting nonprofits, for-profits, and government organizations</p><p><strong>💫 Want to Go Deeper?</strong></p><p>→ Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community">https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community</a></p><p>Use coupon code PODCAST for 20% off your first month.</p><p>→ Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner: click the link to get on the waitlist. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training">https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training</a></p><p>→ Apply to be a podcast guest: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest">https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest</a></p><p>→ Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate">https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate</a></p><p>→ Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:</p><p>🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfk<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic">https://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic</a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe</a>
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This podcast updates weekly.
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