The Art of Being Well
The Art of Being Well

Your Secrets Make You Sick: Sobriety, Somatic Screaming & The Power Of Your Words | Elle Macpherson

June 29, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Elle Macpherson came back on The Art of Being Well for what Dr. Will Cole says is her record-setting number of appearances, and the conversation quickly moved past wellness trends into something more personal. Macpherson described how getting sober in her 40s, after a Hoffman Process retreat, didn't just change her social life—it changed her body. "I promise you life is better without alcohol," she said flatly. "We have this fear that if we give up that crutch, that fun, that lubricant, or that numb, that we're gonna feel worse, but we don't. We feel better." The episode is less about supplements and more about what happens when you stop numbing and start speaking.

The Body Keeps the Score: Secrets, Screaming, and Cellular Release

Macpherson introduced a phrase that became the spine of the conversation: "Your secrets make you sick." She described how, after getting sober, she began to notice a physical lightness that came not just from removing alcohol but from finally speaking what she truly felt. "There's a great freedom in finally being able to say what you truly feel," she said. "And we know that your secrets make you sick. Once you can unlock that and start to speak more freely about what's on your mind, there's a sort of lightness, and the whole body responds."

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:00) **Podcast Introduction & Host PSA** - Dr. Will Cole introduces the episode and gives a PSA on histamine intolerance and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), common root causes, and free resources.
  • 2 (04:14) **Guest Introduction: Elle Macpherson Returns** - Dr. Cole welcomes back Elle Macpherson, his most frequent guest, to catch up on her life and wellness journey.
  • 3 (11:25) **Childhood Imprints & The Hoffman Process** - Elle and Dr. Cole discuss how childhood stress creates a lasting fight-or-flight imprint and the value of clearing that cellular memory.
  • 4 (13:37) **Sobriety as a Path to Clarity** - Elle shares how the Hoffman Process led her to sobriety and the 12 steps, and how her social life shifted as a result.
  • 5 (16:56) **Physical & Emotional Shifts After Sobriety** - Elle describes the physical lightness, improved taste, and calmer nervous system she experienced, plus the freedom of speaking her truth.
  • 6 (19:34) **The Healing Power of Tears & Somatic Release** - Dr. Cole and Elle explore the importance of crying and somatic practices for releasing cellular memory and inflammation.
  • 7 (27:32) **Healing as a Journey of Rebalancing** - Elle reframes healing as a non-linear process of rebalancing, not fixing something broken.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Will Cole

Show Notes

Elle Macpherson returns to The Art of Being Well for her most personal conversation yet — recorded the morning after a dinner where she and Dr. Will Cole shared things they'd never discussed on camera before. They cover the Hoffman Process and how it quietly laid the groundwork for sobriety, what getting sober actually changed physically and relationally, the healing power of tears and screaming in the car, and why Elle thinks healing is better understood as rebalancing. They also get into the power of language around illness, the perimenopause reframe she wishes every woman had access to, the WellCo Three Steps Well protocol, and a morning routine built around simplicity and consistency. For all links mentioned in this episode, visit www.drwillcole.com/podcast.


Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

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