A cancer diagnosis at 27 can steal your breath. On today's episode we share Lauren’s path from stage III melanoma to a career blending ICU nursing with Reiki and sound therapy. 

We dig into the practical side of Reiki & how it can downshift the nervous system. Then move into the benefits of sound therapy: crystal bowls that lift, metal gongs that move energy deep, & drums that mirror the heartbeat. 

You’ll learn more about how it all works as well as how vibration travels through our water-rich tissues to nudge cellular balance, reduce inflammation, & enhance coherence.

Here's some of what we're covering:

• Reiki as intentional relaxation and safety
• acupuncture, yoga, & mindfulness for nervous system support
• sound baths and brainwave entrainment
• bridging hospital care with integrative modalities
• building a personal healing toolbox and protecting rest

If you’re navigating cancer, caregiving, or burnout, this conversation is a roadmap to capacity. And if this resonates, don't forget to subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show.

More about today's guest & how to connect with her:

Lauren Nielson (Aloisio) is a New England–based Registered Nurse, Shamanic Reiki Master/Teacher, and Sound Practitioner/Teacher. A melanoma cancer survivor, Lauren brings a uniquely integrative perspective to healing, bridging evidence-based medicine with supportive energy practices.

After being diagnosed with Stage III melanoma in 2015, Lauren turned to tools like Reiki, sound meditation, breathwork, and mindfulness to support her nervous system, emotional health, and overall resilience throughout treatment and recovery. These practices became foundational in both her personal healing and her professional work.

Lauren went on to bring the first offerings of Sound Therapy to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she supports healthcare staff in managing burnout, anxiety, and caregiver fatigue. Her mission is to increase education, awareness, and access to integrative wellness practices as complementary support within mainstream medical settings.

👉 Website: https://laurenaloisio.com/

👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.energy.nurse/

👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@energynurse

👉 Insight Timer App: https://insighttimer.com/energynurse 

PLUS resources shared on today's episode:

👉 Book: The Healing Power of Sound: Recovery from Life-Threatening Illness Using Sound, Voice, and Music By Dr. Mitchell L. Gaynor

👉 Book: The Tao of Sound: Acoustic Sound Healing for the 21st Century By Fabien Maman and Terres Unsoeld

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What if healing starts by teaching your body to feel safe again? 

In today's episode we dig into the practical side of stress recovery and show how quick daily signals of safety—sunlight, slow breathing, grounding, gentle movement—can flip you from fight or flight into rest and repair. 

When your nervous system settles, your immune system, sleep, digestion, and inflammation all shift in the right direction, making every other therapy more effective.

We break down the feel-good chemistry behind resilience. You’ll hear how to naturally boost dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin with simple habits like nature time, touch, massage, music, laughter, exercise, intimacy, and light exposure. These aren’t fluffy add-ons; they are actionable levers that lower cortisol, reduce pain, improve mood, and support cancer prevention by creating a biology that heals instead of defends.

Here's some of what we're covering:

• why regulation starts with the nervous system
• nature, breathwork, meditation, gentle movement as fast resets
• feel-good hormones and how to raise them daily
• overlap between exercise, touch, sunlight, and mood chemistry
• somatic release for stuck emotions
• gratitude, mindset shifts, and community for resilience
• simple, repeatable practices that compound over time

Step 1 in our 3-Part Recovery System is to calm the stress response. To help you do this, we are offering a FREE personalized flower remedy for anybody who joins our coaching program this month. Schedule a FREE strategy session to learn more!

As always, please help us spread the word by sharing, subscribing, & leaving a review. 🙏

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What if the turning point in cancer care isn’t another protocol, but a deeper conversation with your own nervous system and story? 

In today's episode we sit down with Integrative Psychiatrist Tracy Peng, MD to explore how stress, trauma, and suppressed emotions shape the cancer journey and why mental health support is a core part of care. 

We unpack the data on confidants and outcomes, the Adverse Childhood Experiences link to cancer risk, and the common pattern of people pleasing and emotional suppression. Tracy also shares tools for accurate narrative, grief work, boundaries, and nervous system regulation to restore coherence and inner wisdom.

Here's some of what we're covering:

• emotional stress as a driver of disease and what to do about it
• how integrative psychiatry supports cancer care
• confidants, anxiety, and outcome differences
• unhealed trauma mirroring nonhealing wounds
• childhood coping patterns and adult triggers
• ACEs research and cancer risk
• reconnecting to inner wisdom over quick med checks
• acupuncture, tapping, bodywork, and food as stabilizers
• grief as a core skill for resilience
• composting anger into clarity and action

Listen to learn how to create a care plan that includes your emotions, your body, and your soul. And if this resonates, subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show.

More about today's guest & how to connect with her:

Tracy Peng MD is an integrative and holistic depth psychiatrist in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. She practiced at UCSF’s Osher Center for Integrative Health for over 20 years, which is where she met and became a fan of the luminous Dionne! She has worked extensively with patients with chronic or terminal illnesses and has a special interest in spiritual and mindfulness-based approaches to the mental health care of women with cancer. She is a graduate of the End-of-LIfe Care Practitioner Program offered by Zen Hospice Project (and later offered through the Metta Institute).

👉 Tracy's Website: www.tracypengmd.com

PLUS Resources shared on today's episode:

👉 Screening tool for Adverse Childhood Experiences 

👉 https://www.rachelremen.com/  

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Stress isn’t just a feeling you push past. It’s a biological signal that can suppress immune surveillance, push inflammation higher, and quietly set the stage for cancer risk and recurrence. 

In today's episode we're digging into the science of how cortisol, adrenaline, and pro-inflammatory cytokines change the terrain of the body, from natural killer cell activity to blood sugar, sleep, & metabolism. Plus why calming the nervous system often needs to come before diet, fasting, supplements, or anything else.

Here's some of what we're covering:

• links between chronic stress and immune suppression
• differences between acute hormetic stress and chronic overload
• early life stress shaping sensitivity and reactivity
• suppressed emotions as epigenetic drivers of risk
• research connecting anger repression and grief to cancer
• common “cancer personality” traits and why they matter
• & more

Pulling these threads together, we outline a practical three-part plan to reduce load, regulate the nervous system, and build resilience while addressing suppressed emotions and key personality patterns.

If this resonates, hit play, subscribe for weekly episodes, and share it with someone who needs the nudge to put stress work first. Your feedback matters—leave a review and tell us which stressor you’re ready to drop next.

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In today's episode we sit down with therapist and endurance athlete Dean Hall for a raw, energizing, & inspiring story of resilience amidst a rare leukemia profile, profound grief, a lymphoma surge, & the unlikely decision to train for a 187-mile swim in 42-degree water. 

Dean walks us through the exact choices that shifted his trajectory, healed both of his cancers, and transformed his life. We explore practical tools you can use today, including his “Nervous System First Aid” playbook, the Wild Me Manual, and simple weekly practices to recharge. 

If you’re navigating cancer, burnout, or anxiety, this conversation offers both science and soul—showing how joy, play, and purpose...along with a healthy dose of nature...can be part of a serious healing plan.

Enjoy the show & share it with someone who could use a new perspective and renewed hope in their healing journey.

More about today's guest & how to connect with him:

Dean Hall is a licensed therapist with over 35 years of clinical experience and more than 60,000 hours working face-to-face with clients recovering from trauma and anxiety.

After losing his wife to cancer and later being diagnosed himself, Dean became the first person in history to swim the entire 187-mile length of Oregon’s Willamette River. Immersed daily in cold, moving water for weeks, the experience profoundly changed how he understands healing, resilience, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. His doctors believe this sustained immersion was responsible for the spontaneous remission of his leukemia.

That lived transformation, combined with decades of clinical practice, gave rise to BioWild Psychology, a nervous system first, nature-based approach to restoring safety, clarity, and emotional regulation by working with the body’s biological signals rather than willpower or Mindset.

Dean now teaches this work through books, keynote speeches, retreats, and his LifeText platform, helping people remember how to regulate, heal, and belong anywhere on Earth.

👉 Dean's Website: https://www.thewildcureway.com/ 

👉 Grab Dean's Books: https://www.thewildcureway.com/books 

👉 Follow Dean on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deanhallofficial/  

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What if the most powerful resilience practice costs nothing, fits any schedule, and turns your own cells into a repair squad? 

In today's episode we dive into fasting as a practical, evidence-informed way to boost resilience, support treatment, and create a body environment where cancer struggles to thrive. 

I share step-by-step strategies to help you start safely, build metabolic flexibility, and time longer fasts for deeper benefits.

Here's some of what we're covering:

• why fasting acts as a hormetic stress for longevity and resilience
• metabolic shifts that lower insulin, glucose, inflammation, and IGF-1
• autophagy and cellular cleanup that supports detox and repair
• immune regeneration and stronger white blood cell production
• differential stress resistance to protect healthy cells during treatment
• practical fasting tiers from 13 hours to 72 hours and beyond

There are really good reasons why fasting is my #1 tool to support cancer prevention and why I encourage everyone to give it a try.

If you want more guidance around fasting, join us inside The Healing Accelerator, our coaching program, where we will teach you all the ins and outs of fasting and help you personalize a plan so that you can start playing with it in a safe and effective way. Schedule a FREE strategy session to learn more!

As always, please help us spread the word by sharing, subscribing, & leaving a review. 

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In today's episode we are continuing the conversation around building resilience by looking at how building muscle supports healthy aging, metabolic health, and cancer prevention. 

I am joined by Kylie Fagnano who shares clear steps for safe strength training, protein targets, and short, effective HIIT sessions you can repeat for life.

Here is some of what we cover:

• muscle as a longevity organ and metabolic ally
• starting from any level with safe, progressive strength
• when bodyweight is enough and when to add load
• practical protein goals to trigger muscle synthesis
• HIIT basics for mitochondrial health and time‑crunched days
• mindset shift from restriction to construction
• action plans to choose your on‑ramp and build consistency

As always, if this conversation resonates with you, please follow the show, share it with someone who would benefit, and leave a review to help more listeners find us. Your support helps bring evidence-based, integrative tools to people navigating cancer and beyond.

More about today's guest & how to connect with her:

Kylie Fagnano is an integrative and functional dietitian.  She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and together, they own DC Strength & Nutrition.  She focuses on gut health and muscle health to support her patients with longevity and understanding how to feed themselves.

👉 Kylie's Website: https://dcstrengthandnutrition.com/ (you can sign-up to access their Free Exercise Library & Nutrition Info)

👉 Grab their 12-Week Strength Training Program HERE

👉 Follow Kylie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylie.dcnutrition/ 

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In today's episode we kick off the new year by reframing your 2026 health goals around using hormesis to build resilience and explain how controlled, short stressors can strengthen immunity, mood, cellular repair, & more! We share practical ways to use cold, heat, fasting, and exercise to build a body and mind that bend without breaking.

• defining resilience as stable function under stress
• links between stress resilience, cancer risk, and longevity
• overview of hormesis and adaptive benefits
• list of benefits including immune, mood, sleep, inflammation
• cold exposure methods and safety basics
• heat exposure, sauna timing, and repair pathways
• fasting windows, autophagy, and seasonal fasts
• exercise choices that drive adaptation
• practical micro-challenges to push comfort zones

Join us inside The Healing Accelerator to build your resilience in 2026 with coaching, seasonal fasts, and structured protocols. Schedule a FREE strategy session to learn more!

Please help us spread the word by sharing, subscribing, & leaving a review. 

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As we welcome in this last day of 2025, let's talk about setting intentions that will actually stick.

New Year's Resolutions rarely fail because you lack willpower—they fail because they’re built on an overloaded life and a dysregulated nervous system. 

We flip the script with a five-step intention-setting framework designed to support healing, prevent burnout, and make healthy changes last. As a holistic cancer dietitian, I walk through how to honor winter’s energy, learn from last year without shame, and build goals from self-love rather than self-critique.

1. We start with reflection as real-world data: what worked, what didn’t, and what you’re ready to release. 
2. From there, we choose one primary goal—putting yourself first—and let every other action flow from that stance. 
3. Then we lean into guided dreaming. Before you chase tactics, get vivid about the life you’re creating: radiant health, calmer days, more connection, and purposeful work. (You’ll hear how vision clarified an unexpected move for me & my family across the world, reinforcing that direction precedes logistics.)
4. Joy becomes a core health strategy, not an afterthought. We explore why fun, laughter, and creative play regulate the nervous system, lower stress, improve sleep, and make nutrition and movement easier to sustain. 
5. Finally, we practice “less is more.” By stripping nonessentials, you create space for rest and the simple habits that compound—sleep, nourishing meals, walks, grounding, and supportive routines.

If you’re navigating a cancer journey or committed to staying cancer free, this approach helps you build a life your biology can thrive in. 

Ready to start 2026 with intentions that actually work? Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help more people find practical, hopeful strategies for long-term health.

Wishing you a very happy & healthy New Year!! 🎉

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In today's episode, on Christmas Eve, we pause for a year-end ritual that helps us reflect honestly, release what no longer serves, and welcome a healthy, aligned start to 2026.

Here's some of what we're covering in today's episode:

• why reflection precedes effective goal-setting
• ten guided questions for your year-end review

1. What did I learn? (skills, knowledge, awareness, etc)
2. What did I accomplish?
3. What would I have done differently? Why?
4. What were the most significant events of the past year? (list the top 3)
5. What do I feel especially good about? What was my greatest contribution? What am I most proud of?
6. What were the fun things I did this year? (going back through your photos can be helpful for this one)
7. What was the most surprising thing that happened this year?
8. What were my biggest challenges, roadblocks, or difficulties?
9. How am I different this year than last?
10. What am I particularly grateful for?

• separating reflection from judgment
• the science of gratitude and brain rewiring
• the nightly three gratitudes routine I recommend to all of my clients
• shifting from release to aligned intentions for 2026

Taking time to reflect in the waning days of the year, will make 2026 feel lighter, clearer, and more aligned with who you want to become.

✨ If after moving through today's episode, you know you're ready to step into a new, healthier, more vibrant version of you in 2026, there is no better place to do that than inside of our coaching program, The Healing Accelerator. Learn more here. You'll get a full year with us to help you realize your goals AND you can take advantage of our current pricing before the investment goes up in January. ✨

And if today's show resonates with you, please share the episode with someone who needs a reset, subscribe for next week’s intention-setting guide, and leave a review to help others find the show. 🥰

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