In this powerful conversation, Julie Ann and guest co-creator Megan announce their new collaborative book project: The A to Z of Healing—a collection of real-life stories from people who chose a different path with their health.

Megan brings 20 years of experience as a nurse inside the Western medical system, and shares how her own arthritis diagnosis during the pandemic became a turning point. Faced with the offer of methotrexate (a chemo-adjacent drug that wipes out the immune system), she drew a hard line and said, “No—that’s not an option.” That decision led her to naturopathic support, supplements, brain retraining, and a completely different relationship with her body.

Julie Ann shares how she was told she would never walk without radical spinal surgery—removing vertebrae and inserting rods—and how one Feldenkrais session opened a completely new healing trajectory. From there, she reframed what’s possible when we lean into stories, not just statistics.

Together, they explore healing modalities like Feldenkrais, Reiki, plant medicine, hypnosis, timeline therapy, nutrition, movement, and the power of imagination—and why informed choice must mean more than a single pill or protocol.

This episode is also a call for contributors: if you have healed (or are actively healing) through a “non-standard” approach, they want to hear your story for The A to Z of Healing collaborative book.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About

• How the A–Z of Healing collaborative book was born and why it may become multiple volumes
• Megan’s journey from ICU nurse to integrative healing advocate after saying no to methotrexate
• Julie Ann’s scoliosis/spine story and how Feldenkrais helped her avoid major surgery
• Real-life examples of people healing with modalities like Reiki, hypnosis, plant medicine, and timeline therapy
• Why nutrition, movement, and brain health are foundational “fuels” for the body
• The story of their friend with MS who challenged her prognosis through intense strength training
• How imagination and a “perfect day” visualization helped a patient go from lying flat to sitting up after weeks
• A heartfelt invitation for listeners to share their own healing stories and join the book project

6 Key Takeaways

• Stories expand what we think is possible: Hearing real people’s healing journeys—like Julie Ann avoiding spinal surgery or Megan navigating arthritis without chemo-adjacent drugs—opens portals in our minds: if they did it, maybe I can too.
• “That’s not an option” is a powerful turning point: Both Julie Ann and Megan reached a moment where the proposed medical solution felt impossible for their lives. Saying “no” became the doorway to exploring other modalities and reclaiming agency over their bodies.
• Healing is bigger than one system or one pill: This is not an anti–Western medicine conversation; it’s a pro-full-picture conversation. Surgery, pharmaceuticals, and hospitals can save lives, and they are not the only tools available for healing.
• Your body is a high-performance vehicle—fuel and use it accordingly: Anti-inflammatory foods, supplements like turmeric and ginger, regular movement, and brain engagement (not just zoning out in front of a screen) all signal to the body that it’s worth maintaining at a high level.
• The brain is a healing partner, not just a bystander: From a patient who could suddenly sit up after visualizing her perfect day, to people refusing to be defined by their diagnosis, this episode underscores how belief, imagination, and intention influence the body’s healing trajectory.
• The A–Z of Healing is a collaborative map, not a prescription: The upcoming book will feature only modalities that Megan and Julie Ann (or their...