When I Heard the Pop: A Journey Through Cancer & Healing
Mar 15, 2025
How Cancer Transformed My Healing Philosophy and the Work I Offer Today
Healing doesn’t follow a straight path. It moves in waves—through the body, emotions, and nervous system. The Embodied Healing Continuum emerged from this understanding, bridging medical treatment, rehabilitation, and embodied healing. But this wasn’t just a framework—it was born from my own experience, shaped by a moment that changed everything.
Early in my career, I was drawn to the power of somatic healing, the arts, and the body’s natural ability to restore itself—concepts that were far from mainstream at the time. I was fascinated by how movement, awareness, and artistic expression could shape our well-being. This passion led me to study physical therapy, driven by a vision of preventing disease, supporting longevity, and enhancing quality of life.
I began teaching posture awareness and movement education in community colleges in Germany. I helped people reconnect with their bodies through simple yet profound shifts in how they moved and carried themselves. When I moved to the United States, my philosophy that the body is capable of healing itself only deepened.
Then, everything shifted.
A Diagnosis That Changed My Life
Being diagnosed with cancer was not just a medical event—it was a moment that shattered and reshaped my world. I refused to call it a disease because, to me, it was an imbalance—cells behaving differently, acting out of order, losing their way.
But I knew one thing: my life was in jeopardy, and I was dedicated to living.
I wanted to see my children grow up—to be there for their middle school graduations, their high school milestones, and the moment they stepped into adulthood. They became my light. Their laughter, their smiles, even their silent, worrisome glances anchored me to life itself.
I knew that if I let cancer take control, I wouldn’t have a chance. So, I sought help from all sides—oncologists, radiologists, holistic doctors, and alternative practitioners. At first, I wanted to keep it all to myself, to fight this battle alone. But I soon realized that silence was not strength—it was isolation.
Gathering Strength: How My Community Became My Medicine
I made a decision: I would gather my friends, my people, my community. I needed to express what was happening, to be surrounded by support rather than held captive by fear.
A beautiful San Francisco loft was offered as a space for us to come together. We gathered, we shared stories, we sang, we danced. A circle formed around me, hands near my body, hearts fully present.
Together, we created a ritual—a healing ritual.
Then it happened.
A pop—an undeniable, visceral sensation. A sound that I still hear in my ears today. It was as if something had been released, as if the energetic hold of cancer had loosened and disappeared.
In that moment, I felt relief, emptying, and opening. It was the first step toward healing—not just surviving but truly reclaiming my body, my life, and my sense of self.
Walking the Path Alone, Yet Supported
Even with the love of my family and friends, there were still moments of deep loneliness. Cancer is isolating, no matter how many people surround you. There were decisions to make—hard ones, about treatment, about what felt right, about how to balance medical care with what I knew my body needed.
Eventually, I found a medical team I trusted, and together, we developed a plan that felt aligned with my needs. I continued to care for my children, with support from my family and community, and step by step, I moved from being a cancer patient to a survivor.
Through it all, my children remained my guiding light. Their presence, their growth, their everyday joys, and their struggles kept me going. I remember moments of watching them do homework, cooking dinner together, laughing over silly things—and even in the hardest times, those moments of normalcy became my strength.
I had seen firsthand how essential it was to have support—not just from family and friends but from practitioners and professionals of all kinds, to support my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.
But What I Realized Later…
As I did the work after cancer treatment, I understood that true healing wasn’t just about the care I received from others. What truly heals is the connection to myself—my own inner knowing, my ability to listen, to trust, to move through this journey from within.
That realization shaped everything I do today.
The Birth of The Embodied Healing Continuum
Through my experience and my work with patients, I saw the deep need for an approach that supports survivors beyond just medical treatment. Healing doesn’t happen in phases—it happens as a continuum, a process that evolves before, during, and after cancer treatment.
That is why I created The Embodied Healing Continuum—a coaching program and rehabilitation service designed to help cancer survivors:
- Regain strength and flexibility through wholistic physical therapy.
- Reduce the risk of post-treatment side effects through movement and rehabilitation.
- Navigate the healthcare system with self-knowing and empowerment.
- Rebuild emotional and mental well-being through somatic movement and artistic expression.
- Find their own truth and self-trust, using creativity and movement as tools for deep healing.
I believe healing is not just about recovery—it’s about reconnection, transformation, and fully stepping back into life.
To read more about The Embodied Healing Continuum, how it works, and how it can support you, click here:
Join the Continuum: Book a Discovery Session
Every person’s healing journey is unique. A 30-minute discovery session offers an opportunity to explore:
- Where you are in your healing process.
- How The Embodied Healing Continuum can support you.
- How to integrate movement, rehabilitation, and embodied healing into your survivorship plan.
📆 Schedule Your Discovery Session Today →
Final Thoughts: Honoring the Journey, Honoring My Children
Cancer changed my life, but it also deepened my vision—it reaffirmed my belief that the body holds profound wisdom, that healing is not linear, and that we heal best when we are truly seen, supported, and connected.
Above all, it strengthened my love and gratitude for my children. They were my daily light, my reason for choosing life every day. Their laughter, their struggles, their milestones—they fueled my commitment to healing. I honor their resilience, their unwavering love, and the strength they showed even when they didn’t fully understand what was happening.
I now walk forward with gratitude, purpose, and the desire to share what I have learned—to help others find their own way through healing, movement, and deep self-trust.
Would you like to learn more about how The Embodied Healing Continuum can support your healing journey? Let’s connect.
Why This Model Matters
When I underwent treatment, I realized that medicine alone is not enough. But neither is relying solely on alternative therapies. Healing requires all parts to be honored.
✔ Medical treatment forms the foundation.
✔ Rehabilitation restores the body’s strength and function.
✔ Embodied healing reconnects survivors with themselves.
This approach ensures that survivors don’t just survive—they reclaim their vitality, their self-trust, and their full, embodied presence in life.
Short Description of The Embodied Healing Continuum
The Embodied Healing Continuum is a whole-person approach to cancer recovery that integrates evidence-based medicine, holistic rehabilitation and embodied healing into a seamless, parallel process. Rather than treating healing as a linear journey, this model ensures that medical treatment, physical recovery, and emotional integration happen together—before, during, and after treatment.
Through somatic movement, creative expression, and therapeutic support, survivors regain strength, rebuild self-trust, and reconnect with their bodies—ensuring that healing is not just about survival but about thriving.
📩 Book a discovery session today to explore how this approach can support your journey.
