For over three exhilarating decades, the illustrious Erin Sommerville has not just been an educator, but a luminary, crisscrossing our planet to impart wisdom on the tantalizing triad of Mind, Body, and Spirit.

Having journeyed hand-in-hand with the renowned Simonton Cancer Center, she has been a beacon, illuminating countless souls on harnessing the potent alchemy of their minds and emotions to metamorphose their cancer recovery journey.

Dive into this episode as Erin unravels transformative steps, potent enough to infuse your existence with boundless joy and instigate healing right down to the very essence of your cells.

Prepare to be enchanted and enlightened; this is one enthralling conversation you'll reminisce for ages!

Click on the Resources for Episode 3:

Contact Erin Sommerville

Beat the Odds, Cancer Survivorship Program

Read the full transcript: 

00:04

This is Laura Lummer, healthy lifestyle coach, personal trainer, and clinical Ayurveda specialist. You're listening to let your lifestyle be your medicine, your resource for creating and living a healthy life. In this podcast we talk about nutrition, healthy thinking, exercise, and lots of other ways to connect with your body and live a healthy, vibrant life.

00:34

Hello, and welcome to our third episode of Let your lifestyle be your medicine. I'm Laura Lummer. And I'm really excited about this week's podcast because it's my very first guest interview on the podcast. But our guest is a very special woman. Her name is Aaron Somerville. Aaron has been a mind body oncology coach for over 25 years. It's a true path of the heart for her. She began her career training with Dr. O Carl Simonton, who was an oncologist that was a pioneer in utilizing the mind and emotions to support the treatment of cancer. Erin later became the director to international training for the Simonton Cancer Center. And she assisted Dr. Simonton in the development of a professional training program in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Poland, and Japan. She's incredible. For the past seven years, she has been on the staff at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, where she is the oncology life coach, and she works with the breast cancer patients or cancer patients. They're a Long Beach Memorial Hospital. Erin is a breast cancer survivor herself. And without any further ado, let's get right into this because I'm so excited for this conversation. Erin, I just want to say thank you for coming. And how are you doing today?

01:52

Laura, I'm so happy to be on this podcast with you. I honored and excited

01:57

thank you, I am so happy to have you. And I'm honored to have you. And thank you so much for taking the time to do this. So one of the I was so excited to have you on the podcast because I love the work that you do. And I'm just gonna give a little short story of when I met the vivacious and beautiful Aaron. And I was at a training, learning how to be a breast cancer mentor for women guiding women at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. And you came in to give a talk to us. And I just remember sitting there and you were talking about your beat the odds program which we're gonna definitely hear about today. And I just remember thinking, I need to work with this lady, I how can I work with her. And I think it came up to you right at the end of class. And I was like, when is this class start and that whole thing of becoming a mentor and of getting to work with you to beat the odds. And then after beat the odds working one on one, it just all fell so much together, that it was totally meant to be and I love hearing and seeing the work you've done. I've sent other people too, who have come back and just said, you know, thank God that you sent me to her. And I needed that so much. And she was just such a huge help to me and just helped me get my head where it needed to be. So I want to hear from you. How did you come about being a part of Long Beach Memorial Hospital, the beat the odds program and all of the work that you do with the cancer patients there,

03:27

you make that really short? Trying to make it really short.

03:34

You don't have to you can take along for many,

03:36

many years for about 20, almost 25 years with Dr. O Carl Simonton and oncologist who wrote a book called Getting well again. And he was in our time, I mean, in modern time, the first oncologist to say, Hey, listen, the mind and the emotions are really having an effect on your body and are influencing your body's ability to move in the direction of health. Because fear, as you know, anxiety, sadness, depression interferes with our immune system. We know that people don't feel good when they're in those states. So following that, logically, how important is for people getting well from any disease or like cancer to be aware of their emotions? You know, because your emotions are just wedded to your immune system again, right? Absolutely. One more in states of happiness and joy and love. We've done actually tests of our blood that our immune system is stronger, our cortisol levels go down or natural killer cells go up. You know, being in nature being around people that we love laughing all of those things have an effect on our ability to move in the direction of health, to our ability to recover our health.

04:51

And do you find that when people come to you to start working with you, is that something that's a really tough shift for them to make to go from absorbing that, wow, I have cancer, and I'm going through everything that I was terrified to ever have to go through in my life to Oh, okay, how do I find happiness

05:09

in this? Oh, definitely, absolutely. They might think I'm just a real Pollyanna. Except that as you know, I'm also a cancer survivor. I do. Yeah, I'm a breast cancer survivor. And I, it was important for me to walk my talk. And I was very fortunate in that I had a lot of tools, but now I had to use them on myself and I, I know, like you, having gone through this experience, we have a deep in our own selves, you know how our path was. And so I know that when you get that diagnosis, oh, I need to be happy, I need to be all this well, that you have to kind of get yourself calm down and kind of get to the place where you go, Okay, I have this illness. And my plan is to get well, I'm going to find the right doctors, the right people, the right, the things that make sense to me. You know, if I want to change my lifestyle, as you're talking, let your lifestyle be your medicine, people to embrace. So yes, it is difficult, of course, for people who are in fear to kind of really begin to believe and know that joy, love and happiness in general is really needs to take his place, front and center. And then that is a courageous thing to do.

06:36

Right? Yeah, definitely. Because you have to face a lot. And you know, in this podcast, obviously, in the work that I do, I'm deal with exercise, I deal with nutrition. And some people might just think like, why do we keep talking about fear and anxiety and what you're thinking, but just as you just said, what you think is front and center and what you put in your mouth? Or how long have you run on the treadmill is virtually useless if you don't have your head in the right place when you agree. Absolutely. Yeah. And so coming back, you know, I know that you help people as they're in treatment and going through cancer, and what's been your experience with breast cancer patients who come to you after the fact. So they've finished their treatment? And like I had, and I found that, you know, people would finish their treatment, and then it just kind of like, Oh, what do I do now? What happens with me now? And what's the most common thing that you deal with there? And how can people help themselves past that stage of getting back into their life?

07:35

Well, the reason why they're feeling some anxiety is usually that you get a diagnosis, then all these people show up to help you. And even though your favorite thing isn't to go to the cancer center, and get your treatment or see these nurses and all that. It's become kind of what you do. And you're all these wonderful nurses and these doctors, and you're on a treatment plan, and you show up and you're doing it. And then all of a sudden, one day they say, Oh, by now you're on your own. And so it's like, oh my god. So I need a strategy. You need a strategy. And that's where I think the work that you do is so wonderful to learn. Thank you. You're saying, you know, because your strategy really needs to be, how am I going to live my life now? What have I learned? And you know, my work is always that it's an old Vedic expression that goes back 1000s of years, but illness is a blessing. That's a big one. Yeah, illness is a blessing. Why? Because it moves us in the direction of our true nature. And when you kind of translate, it's saying that some way that we've been living or thinking about our life, is somewhat out of balance. So when we get ill, it's sort of our body, our life is saying you're out of balance. And to get back in balance, in order to heal means you start looking at your life and your lifestyle. And how does that really fit with me? Am I living my life in a way that is really a fit for me? And not just what I think I should be doing? What I feel I must do what I've got to do what I have to do? And where's my joy? Where's, where's what I love to fit in? And so, most people get that, because they'll say yes, you know, for many people who get ill, especially women, I was doo doo doo doo doing, there was the kids and there was my husband and there was the school and there was on and on and on. Right. And so it's I don't really know what my joy is. I have to explore that I have to figure that out. That is a part of, to me, getting well as one thing, and I see many people achieve that There's wonderful ways to help us get well. Staying well is something else. And that requires your lifestyle that requires you really engaging and saying what have I learned? What, how do I want to make some healthy changes, loving changes is really what I consider them. So that I really come home to myself.

10:24

And when you say loving changes, I love that. Let's go into that a little bit. Because some people might hear what you saying, oh, so if something makes me unhappy, get rid of it, right? Kick out the husband, kids get out of house or I'm done. I'm headed off to Tahiti, I'm not dealing with this anymore. That's not really

10:42

what you mean, friend who's a really good travel agent. Yeah. But that's not where you're coming from. Life is difficult, and life is complicated. And even the best of relationships or children or whatever, it's life is just complex. What I'm saying is, it really is important, though, and illness is one of the strongest ways we ever do it, is that it gives us a chance to stop and reflect on ourselves. Right? And we usually people show up and help us like all your you know, you're, you're ill to take it easy, we'll bring you some you know, that help comes your way. So we say, you know, having an illness like this does give you some power to make change. And I always say, do your best to embrace it, because it's a moment in time to investigate. How do I want to make change, and a patient that I worked with? And she had dire diagnosis and always say, but she was really, really in question. And so she came and did the program with Karla and I. And she had two boys, two young teenage boys and she came into the program and hurt you know, getting yourself your life and balance taking good care of yourself. And she had a wonderful husband. I mean, just their their relationship was seen by the outside has been pretty perfect. That's never a perfect gaze. Right? Right. Right. And so when she did the program, she came home. And she was teaching the young boys that were I think at that time, 12 and 14, to pick up their room out of the washing machine. Uh huh. And COURAGING them and having that instructing them to set the table, maybe even help prep vegetables. Um, those kids were not real thrilled.

12:43

Right? Changes, like when you gotta get better mom, I don't want to do all the chores.

12:47

However we know is women too. Those are the kinds of men we want to marry. Once they know how to work a washing machine know how to set it Absolutely. Right. And life skills, right. So there is a benefit, even if it's like, oh, because she's not trying to do all that she worked full time. Her husband, really, you know, loved her. But there was a time when they were both in the workshop. And he turned and said, I just want my sweet wife back. Oh, and she literally said that. We're back, I'm out of here. Mission is challenging, right women to say, you know, I've got kids, it is challenging, right? You know, go to love. I know you love me, I know you want me to get better. I know you love your mom. Right? We have to come together as a team. And it actually brings usually it will bring people closer together. If you have a pretty decent foundation of family, times it will be the break up of things have been really difficult. That can happen. I would say the majority of the time, you can get closer, more intimate, more sharing, find out more about each other. And it is a path that can have many gifts, and many benefits on it.

14:16

I think this is really interesting because I know you and I have talked before about the warrior mentality. So breast cancer is such a publicly funded and not just funded but so many people are working for cures and there's so much support and so much attention. And as breast cancer patients and survivors were referred to a lot with that warrior badge, which is great because it's just showing how people are you know, acknowledging how difficult that fight with cancer is. That at the same time, I know that I come across women through the women guiding women mentorship program, and and I learned this from you where you told me Be gentle with yourself. Oh, and that's so hard. And but it's it's so important at first, I remember when you told me that I thought that just pisses me off, like, what does that even mean? Right? But I had to learn what that meant. And I come across women who want to be that warrior who wants to be that, it doesn't matter that I've had that cancer, I'm going to so cook the meals and clean and do the dishes and, and ultimately, rarely are they able to do it. But then again, once they're done with treatment, I come across this a lot, where you finish treatment. And so now you feel like you have to go take 100% charge of everything all over again and jump right back into life the way that it was before. And oftentimes, your body's changed tremendously. I think most times your emotions, your spirituality, your mentality has changed through that process. And that becomes a real struggle of trying to fit back into a life that really is no longer your life, and not sitting down and considering it and being easy on yourself and embracing a different way of moving forward. Do you see that as well?

16:12

Definitely. Yeah, definitely. We are in a culture where productivity seems to be the number one thing, especially women, we get kudos, if we can juggle the full time job and the children and does that and wonder we can crash or get out of touch with what we the simple things in life that we love that are important to us. That's called self care, yeah, of care. And we can teach that to the people around us we can be any model of that, and mentor people how to have balance in life is you know, as you know, I do not consider cancer, I think of cancer as a cellular imbalance. It's an imbalance in your body. So in order to heal, you need to bring balance back in your life, and it's different for all of us. So slowing down, like I said to you, being gentle, and, you know, be a warrior of the heart. You know, which is compassion and gentleness to yourself first, because really slowing down and taking a good look at life. What's happening, what you want to do less of and more of, though, that's very courageous, because there's the tendency, oh, I don't want to I don't want to, you know, shake people's cages. I don't. I they already, you know, I don't want to go into those conversations, I'll just go back into the way it was right. That is, even though that's not the easy way in the end. But it is easy. You're for most than saying I really, it's really important for me to go deep. And come from here and present to the world, my friends, my family, my husband, everyone else from my heart. This is my life. Now, this is what I've learned. And I would love your support. Right? Hey,

18:12

yeah, I think they're most more often than not not even realizing that you want that or need that. So they're happy to give it

18:20

except Laura, that's absolutely right on the mark. Because when you say that to this is what I discovered, and I want your support, you're including them, saying I want to share this and I would love your support, because that's so important to me. And then yes, we, we want to engage this we want to to be a part of your getting well, we love you. And so it's educating people,

18:44

right? Yeah. And I think it's important to to know, well, at first I want to bring up a story because it reminds me when I was in the beat the odds program with you, there was another woman going through it. And she was an older woman. She'd been married for a long time. And she was very frustrated that her husband didn't step up and help take care of things. And I remember you suggesting the same things to her and saying, you know, have you tried this? Have you approached him in a loving way and talk to me? Oh, he's never gonna listen, he's ever gonna listen. And you ever a couple, of course are like, well, let me encourage you to approach him in a loving way and let him know like this. And finally, she had come back one day and said she'd taken your advice. And she says in the last two weeks, my life has changed so much. I can't believe I didn't ask sooner. You know, and I remember just laughing she was so happy. And she was like, Oh my God, my husband's doing this. And he's doing that. And he just thought she had it all and she didn't need any help with anything, you know, so he didn't bother to help. So that's it. I just think an excellent point. And I think it's important for the people listening to this to grasp this not just when you're in cancer treatment, and it's not just for the six months or the one year when you're after, but again, that's why I work with you. No, that's why so many people work with you is that constant checking in, and whether you do it with a friend or a husband, or an oncology life coach or whoever you choose, because we slip off the path and we start going right back to the old way that we thought and the old way that we did things. And maybe internally, we're thinking, I really don't like this. But externally, we're like, I don't want to rock the boat and deal with it. It's easier if I do it myself.

20:23

Exactly. And that's why it takes courage, and a huge amount of self love. See, when I say, Okay, I've gone through this. I've been through a lot, and I am committed to me, loving me, and having a life that is going to help me stay well. And that really is a life that I want to get up in the morning and that I feel joy, and that honors my spirit. That is an a huge act of love. In it's important, it will change your life. And if you come from love, really, I know it's been just really coming from that place of communicating from here. Most of the time, like that woman you're going to be heard is going to be heard differently. It's so important to on that to not prepaid future. Like that saved me always never done it before he never did. And I go, You know what, you're just kind of paving the future with the past. And you're not allowing anyone or if it's a him the opportunity to really meet you want a different way, right? It's so important for us to not keep, you know, seeing people through the same glasses all the time. You're changing, that will change things right there. Because you're not showing up in the same way. Right. But it is a lot. It is deep, deep commitment to self love and to honoring who you are.

21:58

I love that. Yeah, that's awesome. Now I know you do work not only and with Long Beach Memorial, but you've traveled all over the world, doing retreats, working with cancer patients, you have amazing stories. But talk to me about your program, happiness hills, and other work and ways that people can get a hold of you look you up work with you.

22:20

Do Yes, I love that. If you Google her in Summerville, you will find my website happiness heels. I'm as many people I'm going through a lot of transition, but it is a good way to connect with me. So that's fine. My I've been morphing over the years, I've been doing this now for 30 years. And the way that I do work with people is pretty much what we've been talking about here, which down guide them to that place inside that that deep inner wisdom, that heart wisdom that I believe is connected up to everything. Just Everyday I go stop doing this. This is a little googling This is a little tiny information, showing me the cell phone up here, right? This is where you want to go, right? How do I do that? How do I access that? Because I believe that healing is a really is a creative process. And when you start to view it that way, as this has come into my life, I don't need to understand why or whatever. But I'm going to see it as a gift to transform my life in mysterious, wonderful, amazing ways. Then doors fly open, then you enter a land of unlimited possibility, truly unlimited possibility. And that's where I like to guide people to and explore that with them. Because you do you need support? Yes, even living a certain way. And and now you know, what are your dreams? What would you love? So it really becomes how this path of healing has opened up so many other parts of your life and awaken do and in amazing ways, right? And what to do with that, how to live that way and how to learn ways of connecting with this that you have for the rest of your life.

24:30

Yeah. And I think it's important. I'm gonna go back to what you just said. There's like when people come to this new place, and they want to know what they love, and they want to look at this experience have having had cancer as a blessing, but also recognize that if you're in a place where you're not even able to, to look at it as a blessing, if you're in a place where you're still feeling a victim of cancer, that's a really bad place. We want to get out of that place. So I was I shouldn't use the word bad. That's a dark place and It's an unhealthy place. And if you like, sometimes I remember, you know, when I first started working with it, I heard some of these words, I'm like, Ah, you know, just the words themselves would make me angry. And I think that doesn't make sense to me. But that's just that resistance. And that anger is something that has to be dropped. And it has to be let go of so that you can otherwise you're just giving cancer power over you for as long as you hold on to that.

25:26

Right. You're so you're so right on the mark. You really are. Yeah. Because there comes this time, where am I going to let cancer be what I did that I identify with that for the rest of my life, is that now couldn't be me, the cancer person, this is what it did. This is why it really is it you can go down that path. And I think a lot of people do and their life gets pretty narrow, because it's so much seen through the experience of cancer and the fear of it coming back. Yeah. So it overlays everything. So the respected and honor it. Um, yes, I'm, I went through this experience with this illness. And my goal is to come out empowered, to be have more wisdom about myself, and what I love and what turns me on, and what gives me a great life. That's where I'm going. When I was sick, I love the idea that a rainbow, then at the bottom of the rainbow is a pot of gold when we were kids, you know. So the rainbow comes out and I'd be going, I want that pot of gold. I'm getting that pot of gold. I don't know what it's gonna look like. But I know that out of this, this was my belief, something incredible is going to help them happen in my life, which I have no idea of, right? Because at this moment, I, I don't I'm not seeing that. But my trust and faith is that this is like molding the clay into somebody something extraordinary and trusting my soul and my heart to mold it with me. Yeah, that's all of that. And then of course, life becomes, to me, it takes on a very almost mystical, magical quality. Because things started to change, you just go. I didn't think I even thought of that. Or I didn't even imagine that that could happen.

27:32

Right? That's the universe just deliver so much more than you can think of.

27:38

Absolutely. So that excitement that people begin, they begin to see a little shifts in their life. And I go, Okay, that's a beginning. And then you know, right to build on it. It's very, it can be can be extraordinary. I over the years, I have had many, many people say, Aaron, you told me at the beginning of this path. You know that one day, I might sit here across from you and say, I didn't want to have cancer. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. However, it has changed my life in so many ways that I never would have dreamt up. And therefore I don't want to change it. If it was to go back to the way it was I want the way it is now. That's awesome. The richness, you know the difference in their relationships, but mostly it's going to be in the relationship you have with your life yourself your dream,

28:39

right? Yeah, yeah. I love that your vision. Yeah. And now, I just want to thank you, again, so much really, for making the time to be on this podcast with me, it really means a lot to me. And I want to make sure people understand that they can get in touch with you to work one on one to speak at retreats. I know like I said before, that when someone offers Aaron to travel to Africa to conduct a retreat, she shows up for it. And that's awesome. So they can contact you at happiness. heels.com, press the button that says Contact Aaron. And I'll also put a link to your website and the spelling of your name on the show notes for this podcast. But thanks again. It just means the world to me to have you here. Really appreciate it. Then I'm gonna have you

29:24

back. Pleasure. I would love that to come back good. And always fun to show up and be around you, Laura.

29:32

Thank you really, really

29:33

enjoy it. Thanks anybody else out there to remember your lifestyle is your medicine. Why this program is great. Thank you for allowing me to be part of it. So awesome.

29:44

Thank you. And I want to thank all of you for listening today tuning into the show. If you're interested in working with Erin, I'll be posting her contact information on my website at Laura lummer.com forward slash podcasts. You can also do Download my free ebook The six habits of healthy happy breast cancer survivors from my website at Laura lummer.com forward slash books. If you like what you heard here today on the show, please go to the iTunes Store and subscribe to the show. And even better if you could leave a positive review on the iTunes store that would be so helpful for the show for me, and for other people who could benefit from listening to let your lifestyle BMS and find the show. If you want to hear from me daily, find me on Facebook at Laura Lummer on Instagram and Twitter at one fit grandma that's the number one or you can subscribe to my YouTube channel, Laura Lummer where I post videos of different workouts, things that can help us physically with strength and flexibility as we continue on our journey of breast cancer recovery. So I really appreciate you being here today and I'll talk with you again in two weeks on let your lifestyle be your medicine.

30:57

Your mind is clearer than before your heart is full and wanting more your futures Give it all you know has you been waiting

31:19

this is your