Cancer Cured Me

Alexandra Simms

Cancer may be in the title, but this podcast is about so much more than cancer. It is about what happens when life wakes you up and you decide not to go back to sleep. I’m Alex (La) Simms, and after an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis in 2017, I began questioning how I was living, what I was carrying and why I had spent so long putting myself last. Cancer became a catalyst, but the real story is everything that came next. On Cancer Cured Me, I have honest, uplifting conversations about healing, nervous system regulation, natural health, manifestation, spirituality, emotional wellbeing, purpose and midlife reinvention. You’ll hear from leading experts, remarkable people who have transformed their lives after illness or adversity, and from me as I share what I am learning along the way. This podcast is for anyone who feels overwhelmed, disconnected, stuck in survival mode or simply knows there must be more to life. Expect practical tools, powerful stories, warmth, humour and new ways to feel safer in your body, trust yourself again and create a life with more energy, joy, freedom and meaning. You shouldn’t have to wait for a diagnosis or a crisis to start living fully. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Jul 21

    Summer of Beautiful Breath : What type of breather are you?

    Let us know you’re joining here! Welcome to the very first episode of my Summer of Beautiful Breath series. If you’ve ever thought, “Breathwork sounds lovely… but I never actually remember to do it when life gets stressful,” then this episode is for you. As a nervous system coach, I’ve seen time and again how just a few intentional breaths can completely change how we feel, think and respond. The challenge isn’t whether breathwork works. It’s remembering to use it in everyday life. In this episode, I share a simple exercise to help you discover whether you’re naturally breathing into your chest or your belly, why this matters for your nervous system, and how you can begin retraining your breathing with just a few minutes of practice each day. Throughout the summer I’ll be releasing a collection of short, practical breathing exercises and somatic tools designed to help you feel calmer, think more clearly, reduce stress and build a greater sense of safety within your body. Whether you’re living with anxiety, burnout, overwhelm, or simply want to feel more grounded, these episodes are designed to become a peaceful few minutes in your day. You’ll learn: • The difference between chest breathing and diaphragmatic breathing • How breath influences your nervous system • Why the vagus nerve plays such an important role in stress regulation • A breathing practice you can start today • How tiny daily habits can create lasting change If you’d like to work with me one-to-one, join one of my retreats, or find out more about my Personal Reset or VIP Morning, visit: 🌿 https://lalaloves.com If you enjoy this episode, I’d be so grateful if you’d follow the podcast, leave a review and share it with someone who might need a little more calm this summer. WORK WITH ME! Let’s go deeper 1:1: from private VIP Wellbeing mornings to ongoing or one off coaching Full details & booking here: www.lalaloves.com Insta:@cancercuredme Retreats: @lalalovesretreats CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY COTSWOLDS RETREAT CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE HAPPY MONDAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS & NEWS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Jul 14

    The Man Who Made Me Feel Safe: Our Love Story After 25 Years of Marriage

    This is an unexpectedly emotional, funny and somewhat oversharing episode where I end up crying! Today marks 25 years of marriage to my husband, Jason, so naturally I dragged him into the studio to tell the story of how we actually ended up together, warts and all, and I promise it's a goody! We had known each other for years. We were best friends. The timing was never right. And when something finally did happen, Jason promptly suggested we should probably forget the whole thing and stay friends. Thankfully, I had other ideas. This is a very unfiltered conversation about university days, terrible 90s fashion, an extremely awkward first date, a proposal that did not go remotely to plan and what 25 years of marriage really looks like. There is plenty of laughing, bickering and Jason taking the mickey out of my love of manifestation, Reiki, sound healing and anything involving energy or frequency. But somewhere along the way, the conversation becomes far more emotional than either of us expected. We talk about love through depression, miscarriage, cancer and some of the hardest years of our lives, as well as the extraordinary healing power of feeling genuinely safe with another person. It is funny, honest, slightly chaotic and very us. And yes, I cried. WORK WITH ME! Let’s go deeper 1:1: from private VIP Wellbeing mornings to ongoing or one off coaching Full details & booking here: www.lalaloves.com Insta:@cancercuredme Retreats: @lalalovesretreats CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY COTSWOLDS RETREAT CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE HAPPY MONDAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS & NEWS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Jul 7

    The Harry Styles Effect

    In this episode of Cancer Cured Me, I’m talking about love, but not in the smoochy, romantic sense. This is about the kind of love you feel in your whole body, the collective, all-consuming, joy-filled energy that reminds you what it feels like to be fully alive. After attending Harry Styles’ record-breaking 12-night run at Wembley Stadium, I wanted to share what I experienced inside that stadium, because it was so much more than a concert. It was live music, nervous system regulation, sound healing, freedom, identity, inclusion, joy, connection and pure magic, all wrapped into one unforgettable experience. I talk about the power of live music and why it can move us so deeply, from the vibration of sound in the body to the way singing, humming and music can support the nervous system. Whether it’s Harry Styles, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, a local band in the park or your favourite song in the car, music has the power to shift our state, lift us out of darkness and bring us back to ourselves. I also share the story behind my Harry Styles ticket giveaway, the beautiful messages I received from strangers, the winner’s magical birthday experience with her mum and the reminder that joy is contagious, love is healing and kindness can ripple much further than we realise. This episode is about permission. Permission to have fun, to be childlike, to dance with strangers, to sing at the top of your voice, to follow what lights you up and to create more moments of love in your everyday life. In this episode, I talk about: Harry Styles at Wembley and the magic of live music The healing power of collective joy and shared experiences Why music, singing and humming can support nervous system regulation Sound, frequency, vibration and why music can feel so powerful in the body The emotional power of concerts, connection and community The Harry Styles ticket giveaway and the beautiful stories it brought into my life Why fun, freedom and childlike joy matter so much for our wellbeing How to create more feelings of love, joy and aliveness in everyday life I also give a little preview of next week’s very special episode with my husband Jason Simms, as we celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and share the story of how we got together. GET IN TOUCH! If this episode moves something in you, or if you want to connect with me about healing, retreats, nervous system work, manifestation, cancer recovery, live events or creating more joy in your life, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at alex@balancedbodyandretreats.com WORK WITH ME! Let’s go deeper 1:1: from private VIP Wellbeing mornings to ongoing or one off coaching Full details & booking here: www.lalaloves.com Insta:@cancercuredme Retreats: @lalalovesretreats CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY COTSWOLDS RETREAT CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE HAPPY MONDAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS & NEWS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. Jun 23

    HX26: What Andrew Huberman, Roxie Nafousi, Dave Asprey, Peter Crone & David Ghiyam Taught Me About Healing, Manifestation and the Nervous System

    For the free PDF summary of my Healf HX26 highlights and practical applications you can use for yourself in the simplest of ways, CLICK HERE or dm me on Instagram @cancercuredme In this episode, I’m sharing my personal takeaways from HX26 by Healf - a huge wellness, health, biohacking and longevity event in London, where I was lucky enough to hear from some incredible speakers including Dr Andrew Huberman, Roxie Nafousi, Dave Asprey, Peter Crone and David Ghiyam. This isn’t a full conference roundup, because honestly, there was so much going on and only so many hours in the day, but this is my own personal summary of the speakers I saw, the messages that really landed for me, and how I think we can bring some of these ideas into real life without making wellness feel like yet another thing on the to-do list. I talk about Andrew Huberman’s reminder that science, prayer, intuition and miracles do not have to sit in separate boxes. I share what landed for me from Roxie Nafousi’s work on manifestation, self-worth, gratitude and becoming the version of yourself who can actually receive what you say you want. I also talk about Dave Asprey’s message around fear, forgiveness and where we are leaking our energy, Peter Crone’s incredible work around the thoughts and beliefs that quietly shape our lives, and David Ghiyam’s teachings around soul purpose, receiving and the patterns we are here to move through. The thread running through all of it, for me, was this: The body matters. The breath matters. The nervous system matters. Belief matters. Light matters. Forgiveness matters. Gratitude matters. Receiving matters. Intuition matters. And the state you are living from shapes the life you are able to create. As always, I bring it back to the nervous system, because before we try to manifest, optimise, biohack, forgive, receive or change our lives, we have to ask: Does my body feel safe enough for this? I’ve also put together a simple guide with my key HX26 takeaways and a reset practice you can use in your own life. If you’d like a copy, click the link in the show notes or message me on Instagram and I’ll send it over. In this episode, I talk about: My personal takeaways from Healf HX26 in LondonAndrew Huberman on neuroscience, prayer, intuition and miraclesRoxie Nafousi on manifestation, gratitude and becoming available to receiveDave Asprey on fear, forgiveness, energy and longevityPeter Crone on the beliefs and stories that keep us stuckDavid Ghiyam on Kabbalah, soul purpose, receiving and repeated patternsWhy nervous system safety is the foundation for real changeHow breathwork, gratitude, forgiveness and receiving can shift your stateWhy you cannot outsource your own inner knowingSimple practices to bring these big wellness ideas into everyday lifeIf this episode speaks to you and you’d like to go a little deeper, I’m now offering my Personal Reset Method alongside lymphatic drainage locally in Berkhamsted and Hertfordshire, as well as deeper VIP reset sessions and retreats. WORK WITH ME! Let’s go deeper 1:1: from private VIP Wellbeing mornings to ongoing or one off coaching Full details & booking here: www.lalaloves.com Insta:@cancercuredme Retreats: @lalalovesretreats CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY COTSWOLDS RETREAT CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE HAPPY MONDAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS & NEWS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. Jun 9

    9 Years After My Cancer Diagnosis, This Happened

    This is a very short solo episode to celebrate episode 80 of Cancer Cured Me - and I had to share this story because honestly, you could not make it up. I recorded this on 9th June 2026. That date is my husband’s birthday. It is also exactly nine years to the day since I was diagnosed with cancer. And just over a week before this anniversary, I received a message from the school where I used to work when I got that diagnosis. They invited me back to speak to their women’s empowerment group about wellness, breathwork and nervous system regulation. A paid speech. On the exact same date. In the exact same place. Nine years later. I mean… come on. In this episode, I share the full-circle story of going back to the place where my life changed completely, but this time as a cancer survivor, a wellness speaker and a very different version of myself. It’s a little story about synchronicity, healing, purpose and those moments in life that make you stop and think, “Okay, something bigger is definitely going on here.” Thank you for being here for 80 episodes. I’m so grateful. In this episode I talk about: Why this 80th episode felt like the perfect moment to share this storyThe significance of 9th June in my lifeThe joke my husband always makes about my cancer diagnosis being the worst birthday presentBeing invited back to the school where I was working when I was diagnosedWhy the timing of the talk felt so powerfulSpeaking about wellness, breathwork and nervous system regulation to a room full of womenWhat it means to come full circle after a life-changing diagnosisWhy I feel more ready than ever to do this work WORK WITH ME! Let’s go deeper 1:1: from private VIP Wellbeing mornings to ongoing or one off coaching Full details & booking here: www.lalaloves.com Insta:@cancercuredme Retreats: @lalalovesretreats CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY COTSWOLDS RETREAT CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE HAPPY MONDAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS & NEWS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Cancer may be in the title, but this podcast is about so much more than cancer. It is about what happens when life wakes you up and you decide not to go back to sleep. I’m Alex (La) Simms, and after an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis in 2017, I began questioning how I was living, what I was carrying and why I had spent so long putting myself last. Cancer became a catalyst, but the real story is everything that came next. On Cancer Cured Me, I have honest, uplifting conversations about healing, nervous system regulation, natural health, manifestation, spirituality, emotional wellbeing, purpose and midlife reinvention. You’ll hear from leading experts, remarkable people who have transformed their lives after illness or adversity, and from me as I share what I am learning along the way. This podcast is for anyone who feels overwhelmed, disconnected, stuck in survival mode or simply knows there must be more to life. Expect practical tools, powerful stories, warmth, humour and new ways to feel safer in your body, trust yourself again and create a life with more energy, joy, freedom and meaning. You shouldn’t have to wait for a diagnosis or a crisis to start living fully. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.