He Survived Cancer — Then Discovered What Was Really Making Him Sick
Val Murray spent decades pushing through — career changes, police service, cancer diagnosis, chemotherapy. He did everything right on paper. And then his body broke down anyway. In this episode, recorded on the farm at Evermoor, Paul and Val explore the real cost of resilience — and how chronic stress, suppressed emotions, and identity patterns can manifest as physical illness. Val's diagnosis with Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia — a rare blood cancer — forced him to completely rethink how he was living. What followed was a journey into functional medicine, somatic therapy, horticultural therapy, and a far deeper understanding of the mind-body connection.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- Why resilience can become a form of self-harm
- How chronic stress disrupts the body at a cellular level
- The link between suppressed emotions and physical illness
- What somatic therapy is and why it was life-changing for Val
- Horticultural therapy — the science of nature, healing, and the gut-brain-connection
- Functional medicine vs. allopathic medicine — and why Val recommends both
- Active vs. passive recovery — and why high performers get this wrong - Val's three non-negotiables for staying well: food, nature, and friendship
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- Dr Rangan Chatterjee / Do Health — comprehensive private blood testing: https://dohealth.co.uk
- Gabor Maté — When the Body Says No (book): https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Body-Says-No-Hidden/dp/0091817765
- Bessel van der Kolk — The Body Keeps the Score (book): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0141978619
- Organic Acids Test — functional health assessment: https://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/organic-acids-test
- Horticultural therapy — further reading: https://www.thrive.org.uk
ABOUT VAL MURRAY: Val Murray is a former police officer, rugby coach, and horticultural therapy practitioner. Following his diagnosis with Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia, Val has become a committed advocate for integrative health — combining functional medicine, somatic therapy, and lifestyle change.
ABOUT PAUL HOWARTH: Paul Howarth is the author of The Growth Equation. He works with founders and high-performing professionals to recode the identity patterns that are limiting their performance, relationships, and wellbeing. Recorded at Evermoor Farm.
CONNECT WITH PAUL:
Website: https://www.thegrowthequation.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulhowarthoffical/ Book: https://www.thegrowthequation.co.uk/The-Growth-Equation
Self-sabotage quiz: https://www.thegrowthequation.co.uk/self-sabotage-pattern-assessment
