Turning Hardships into Health
Advocacy Opportunities:

An Interview with
Olivia Newton-John
& John Easterling

 By Angela Eward-Mangione

We are all survivors. Whether we have lost family members, friends, better days, or all of the above, we have all experienced and survived various challenges and hardships. Yet we get out of bed in the morning and move throughout our day.

There are some people, though, who do more than just survive. Some people thrive.

After they rise in the morning, they shine. They light up the day. They smile. They sing. They have the same moments of joy and sadness that pervade everyone’s experience, but they consciously choose to engage in projects outside of themselves. They advocate. They advocate for the betterment of others’ health and happiness.  

Olivia Newton-John is a beautiful, famous, and talented woman. She has brightened our lives through her roles as an actress, singer, and humanitarian. When she is interviewed, she is often referred to as a “Breast Cancer Survivor.” Make no mistake: She is a breast cancer survivor. But Olivia Newton-John is more than just a survivor. She is a thriver. She has taken the breast cancer cause into her own hands and become an advocate for early prevention.

Here, in the Tampa Bay Area, Olivia serves on the Moffitt Cancer Center’s National Board of Advisors. The advisors are chaired by veteran ABC newsman Sam Donaldson and offer their expertise, advice, and counsel on issues that relate to the cancer center. In her hometown of Melbourne, Australia, she has partnered with the Austin & Repatriation Medical Centre to create the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre (ONJCWC). The Centre will provide a comprehensive range of services and facilities for cancer treatment, education, training and research. It will also feature a wellness center, which will be the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Olivia, a director of the Gaia Group, was also involved with the development of the Gaia Retreat & Spa. “It’s an amazing place to be,” Olivia says. “It is a nice, relaxing place.” 

Olivia is internationally known for her role as a performer. At the age of 15, she took the stage. Since then, she has won four Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, numerous Country Music Awards, American Music Awards, People’s Choice Awards, and numerous film credits. Many people remember her role as Sandy in Grease.

Now, Olivia and her husband John Easterling remain busy; but their “busyness” is funneled into their various business and humanitarian projects. In 2008, Olivia partnered with several musical friends for an album entitled, “Olivia Newton-John & Friends:  A Celebration in Song.” The collaborative benefit album features 12 songs that pair Olivia with musical friends that include Sir Cliff Richard, Keith Urban, Barry Gibb, John Farrar, Melinda Schneider, Delta Goodrem, Sun, Jann Arden, Amy Sky, RyanDan, and Richard Marx. Royalties from the album are donated to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre.

That same year Olivia also extended her commitment to breast cancer with her participation in “The Great Walk of Beijing 2008: A Million Steps to Fight Against Cancer.” She and her team of stars from sports and entertainment, alongside everyday survivors of cancer, faced tough physical and mental challenges along the 228 kilometer fundraising trek. “I walk for the friends I have lost and for the many others who are engaged in their wellness journeys,” said Olivia when she originally embarked on the journey. When I asked Olivia about the walk, she described its arduous nature. The most exciting aspect of it? “Finishing it,” she answered.

Olivia and John are presently in the UK and Germany to introduce and promote ZAMU. Zamu is a product sold by Amazon Herb Company—a company founded by John Easterling, who has traveled to the Amazon rainforest more than 175 times over the past few decades. Olivia and John also serve as members of the Board of Directors of the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER.org), an organization dedicated to bringing teachers and environmental educational materials to the children in Rainforest villages. During the “Zamu On Tour” appearances, the couple will discuss their vision of the true treasures of the Amazon Rainforest. They will also talk about the benefits the Rain Forest provides for better health and Rainforest Sustainability.

It took time for John to discover the true “treasure” of the rainforest. John, a successful eco-entrepreneur and visionary leader who holds a degree in Environmental Studies and has spent many years searching the Amazon Rainforest for treasures and ancient artifacts, was introduced to the traditional use of medicinal plants during his years of exploration in the Rainforest. After a health crisis and life-changing experience using these botanicals, a simple truth became clear to him: The Real treasure of the Rainforest is the life-enhancing properties of the Rainforest plants. Now, his vision is to use eco-commerce as the solution for better health. When I researched John’s company, I found very positive reviews.

One, entitled “The Amazon Herb Company: An Independent Review” by Mike Adams (NaturalNews Editor), states “I’ve been watching and reporting on the Amazon Herb Company for three years, paying attention to the quality of their products, people and leadership… The Amazon Herb Company is clearly on the leading edge of harvesting, blending and distributing rainforest botanicals, and they have strong business ethics and demonstrate great care for the environment. Perhaps in some parallel universe all businesses act with integrity and compassion for the Earth, but here in modern society today, the Amazon Herb Company is a rare find. I encourage everyone to take a close look at what this company (and its products) can do for you.”

Olivia, like John, has also turned hardships into health advocacy opportunities. In 1992, after finding a lump in her right breast, her doctor recommended a mammogram. However, the mammogram did not reveal anything unusual. Olivia’s instincts told her that something still wasn’t right. Her intuition prompted her to request a needle biopsy. The result was benign. Yet Olivia remained convinced that something was wrong. A surgical biopsy found cancer. “I tell this story because I don’t want to scare women—but in a way I do,” Olivia explained, in a Fall 2008 interview with Woman and Cancer Magazine. In September 2008, Olivia announced a partnership with Curves, the world’s largest fitness franchise for women, to launch an international campaign to distribute 1 million units of the Liv Aid @. Liv Aid @ is a breast self-exam aid that helps women perform proper breast self-exams. The role that Olivia’s self-exam played in her eventual diagnosis cannot be underscored enough. “That I am fine today and stronger than before, I credit to early detection,” Olivia says. “Clearly, a significant number of breast cancers are found by the patient herself, even in the setting of a normal mammogram,” confirms renowned breast cancer surgeon, Ernie Bodai, M.D., F.A.C.S.

“Did you try the Liv Breast Self-Exam?” Olivia asked, almost as soon as we started the interview. Clearly, it was important to her that we not just talk about breast cancer prevention, but also practice it. I had indeed tried the Liv Aid @ and found it easy to use. On that note: You can check with your local Curves franchise for the Liv @ Breast Self-Exam. I called several local franchises to verify its availability. “Being a breast cancer ‘thriver,’ [we told you that she’s more than a survivor] I know that early detection is key to good breast health,” emphasizes Olivia. So let’s take her advice. Women: October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Don’t let another day pass by before you take action and stake a claim in your health.

Olivia and John plan to continue their health advocacy efforts through their public leadership and business roles. “We just have fun being together and with the healing music that she’s doing now,” John adds. Speaking of music, Olivia and John both believe in and promote the role of music in healing. “That’s what brought us together,” John explains. “I saw her in a concert. I recognized a healing resonance moving through the audience, to the core level. I wanted to invite her to go to Peru to meet the Correndoras and the healers that I know down there, and I did. She accepted, and six months after the concert, we went down. And the next day after being down there, we fell in love. I really recognize her as a healer. That’s where music—especially the new music like Grace and Gratitude—has a healing resonance. It’s something that we discovered together. She’s been singing songs about the rainforest and nature for twenty years, and I’ve been talking about that and exploring and bringing things out for twenty years. You wouldn’t expect that me, being upriver in a dugout canoe, and her, being an international icon and entertainer, would have anything in common. As it turns out, we are vibrating with the same resonance.”

Olivia agrees. “We take our dogs for walks and we play tennis,” Olivia says. We just like to hang out together. It’s a wonderful relationship in that we have so much in common. We love the rainforest, and we love nature. We just like being together and doing anything.”



Tampa Bay Wellness Magazine thanks Olivia and John for their time and health advocacy efforts. To learn more about Olivia Newton-John and the Liv Aid Breast Self-Exam, visit www.olivianewton-john.com. You can learn more about Zamu and Amazon Herb Company at www.amazonherb.net.
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