From Rock Bottom to Soul Work: Donnie Summers on Choosing Life and Healing Deeply

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What if healing doesn’t mean fixing yourself—but finally learning how to hold yourself when everything falls apart?

In this soul-stirring episode of Hard Beautiful Journey, I sit down with Donnie Summers, an intuitive guide and emotional healing practitioner whose story is as real and raw as it gets. From the depths of depression and suicidal ideation to a sacred spiritual mentorship with the Yavapai tribe, Donnie’s journey is a powerful reminder that healing isn’t a straight line—it’s a coming home. And it always starts in the body.

This post isn’t just a recap—it’s a love letter to anyone who’s still holding their breath, wondering if they’re too broken to heal. You’re not. Let’s walk through this story together.

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The Breaking Point That Changed Everything

Donnie didn’t set out to become a healer. In fact, for a long time, he didn’t want to live.

After surviving a suicide attempt, the devastating loss of a friend, and the silent torment of mental illness, he found himself questioning everything. There was no roadmap. There was just pain—and then, the tiniest flicker of something else… a question. What if there’s another way?

That curiosity led him to an intense healing experience through cambo—a sacred frog medicine ceremony. It wasn’t a magical fix, but it cracked something open. It was the start of a spiritual path that would eventually reshape his entire life.

A Sacred Mentorship and the Truth About Healing

One of the most pivotal chapters in Donnie’s journey was a two-year mentorship with an elder from the Yavapai tribe. This wasn’t about mastering techniques. It was about unlearning who he thought he had to be. It was about slowing down enough to listen—to the earth, to ceremony, to the Spirit within.

“Healing,” Donnie says, “isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about shedding the layers that aren’t really you.”

That mentorship cracked the shell of performance and opened the door to presence. It set the foundation for Donnie to study—and embody—dozens of healing modalities, from EFT to Parts Work to subconscious repatterning.

But all of it came back to one thing: listening.

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The Body Remembers—And Knows the Way

There’s a moment in our conversation that stopped me in my tracks. Donnie said, “The body is the unconscious mind.”

Whew.

How often do we say “I’m fine” while our bodies are screaming something else? Headaches. Tight shoulders. Insomnia. Exhaustion. That’s not random. That’s unspoken emotion. And your body—beautiful, wise, intuitive—remembers every ounce of it.

Through somatic healing, Donnie helps people stop bypassing the signals their bodies are sending. Instead of trying to talk our way through trauma, he invites people to feel their way through it. With presence. With patience. With compassion.

Because healing doesn’t happen when we’re constantly pushing it away. It happens when we finally pause and listen.

The Inner Committee: Understanding Our Parts

Donnie describes the inner workings of our minds as “the committee that’s always meeting.” You know the one—inner critic, people-pleaser, the part that distracts you, the one that lashes out, the one that shuts down.

These aren’t flaws. These are parts of you that developed to protect you.

Through Parts Work, Donnie teaches his clients to recognize those parts, get curious about their roles, and bring the adult self—your grounded, centered self—back into leadership.

You don’t have to silence the critic. You just need to ask: What are you trying to protect me from?

That’s where integration begins. That’s where healing actually becomes sustainable.

You’re Not Too Far Gone

There’s a moment I can’t stop thinking about. Donnie said:

“If past-me could’ve seen me now, I would’ve cut off an arm and a leg to be who I am today.”

That hit me right in the gut.

How often do we forget just how far we’ve come? We get caught in the spiral of needing to fix, improve, evolve—when sometimes, the healing is in the being.

Being honest.
Being present.
Being kind to yourself.

If you’re in a season that feels confusing or heavy, I want you to hear me: you are not too far gone. You’re not behind. You don’t need to do more right now. You just need to stay with yourself.

That’s enough. That’s powerful. That’s healing.

A Final Reflection

You don’t have to cry beautifully. You don’t have to have the right words. You don’t need a 10-step plan.

All you need is the courage to pause, breathe, and ask:
What part of me needs love right now?

Donnie’s story reminded me that healing doesn’t always look the way we expect it to. Sometimes it’s messy. Sometimes it’s loud. Sometimes it’s quiet and internal and confusing.

But it’s always worth it.

So take a deep breath. Come back to your body. Let something soften.

And if you’re feeling that nudge to go deeper, I want to invite you to the Healing Heart Retreat in Canmore, Alberta, this October. It’s for the women who are ready to stop performing, stop fixing, and start healing—for real.

Because you deserve to be held in your healing, too.

Connect With Us

🔗 Connect with Donnie:
Website: www.beyondlimitscoaching.life

🔗 Stay connected with me:
Instagram: @iamtiffcarson
Podcast: Hard Beautiful Journey
Website: www.tiffcarson.com