Episode 99: When Life Stops Overnight. Maddie Harland’s Journey From Stage to Stillness.

What happens when the show must go on collides with a diagnosis that stops everything? We sit down with Maddy Haaland—once a West End performer, now an acupuncturist and coach in Whitstable—to trace a life that moved from bright lights to deep healing without losing its song. Her story begins with ballet dreams, shifts into musical theatre, and confronts the pressure most audiences never see: relentless auditions, constant feedback, and the quiet toll of perfectionism. Then comes stage four lymphoma on press night—exhaustion, insomnia, a burning itch no lotion could soothe—and a startling feeling of relief when the fear finally had a name.

From treatment and clinical trials to a reimagined identity, Maddy shares the moment her ambition changed shape and why gentleness became non‑negotiable. We explore how acupuncture helped her regulate a jangled nervous system, sleep again, and build a practice that invites calm: heated blankets, soft music, and a conversation that treats the whole person. She explains meridians and qi in clear, practical terms—pain as stagnation, needles as a way to restore flow—and why clients who arrive for tennis elbow or menopause insomnia often leave with something larger: permission to feel safe, connected, and at home in their own bodies.

We also dive into survivorship anxiety, the persistent undertow of waiting for results, and the unspoken shame many carry about being unwell. Maddy’s new coaching group creates room for messy truth and mutual understanding, while her ChiChiFit classes bring back the joy of movement—show tunes, sweat, no mirrors, all welcome. It’s a portrait of life after crisis that honours both grief and delight, trading hustle for presence and finding tribe along the way.

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You can find Maddy on Instagram HERE

FaceBook HERE

Acupuncture information

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