Episode Overview

Theme:
Why the Worst Thing That Happened To You Was Actually The Best with Axel Schura
Host: Sahara Rose
Guest: Axel Schura
Date: February 4, 2026
Podcast: Highest Self Podcast® (Episode 640)

This deeply personal and transformative episode explores how life’s most devastating challenges can catalyze our greatest growth. Sahara Rose is joined by Axel Schura, author and survivor of stage-four Burkitt leukemia, to unpack the profound truth that our soul’s darkest nights often precede our brightest growth. Through candid storytelling, practical wisdom, and moving moments, Axel shares how being given a “one-week life sentence” became the turning point for a renewed, more vivacious existence—not in spite of his suffering, but because of it.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meeting Axel: Conversations on Vulnerability

[04:09–06:35]

• Sahara recalls meeting Axel at a transformational retreat in Bali where participants shared their deepest pains, highlighting how hearing men share vulnerably was particularly healing.
• Axel reflects on his upbringing: “Especially men in my family were conditioned to believe you don’t show emotion, you don’t cry. Otherwise, it’s considered a weakness.”
  (05:05, Axel)

2. Axel’s Diagnosis and Near-Death Experience

[06:04–13:20]

• Axel details the shock of transitioning from athletic health to rapidly declining with back pain, progressing to being unable to walk, and eventually being diagnosed with stage-four Burkitt leukemia.
• Doctors told his partner he had "maybe a week left."
• His partner, Ariana, concealed this from him, protecting his spirit and aiding his odds.
• “For a long time, I didn’t even realize I had cancer. All I was focused on was just getting through the day.”
  (08:58, Axel)
• Gratitude for Western medicine and a remarkable support network is strongly emphasized.

3. The Power of Belief and Community

[11:44–15:44]

• Sahara and Axel discuss the extraordinary impact of mindset:
  • If he had known his prognosis, he believes he might have unconsciously given up.
  • “If you believe it’s the end, it’s most likely going to be the end.”
    (11:52, Axel)
• Family and close friendships bolstered Axel’s perseverance: “My loved ones believed in me so much that I didn’t doubt.” (14:08, Axel)

4. Processing 'Why Me?'—From Victim to Alchemist

[15:44–22:03]

• Initially tormented by “Why did this happen to me?,” Axel eventually pivoted, guided by therapy and loved ones, to more empowering questions.
• “Ask a stupid question, get stupid answers. So we need to ask high quality questions.”
  (20:27, Axel)
• He began practicing gratitude (“I have so much free time,” “My brother paused his job to help me”) and constructed a vision board for life after cancer.

5. The Spiritual Shift: Everything Is Happening "For Me"

[24:24–29:18]

• Sahara: “It’s going to be because of this. Not despite of this, but because of.” (24:24, Sahara)
• Axel describes how this experience already saved and inspired others:
  • “It’s already saved multiple lives that I know of…It gives the suffering so much meaning.” (26:38, Axel)

6. Steps for Turning Pain Into Growth

[29:18–38:55]

• Axel outlines practical steps:
  • Fully accept and feel all emotions (grief, anger, sadness) instead of rushing to silver-lining thinking.
    • “There is a phase of acceptance and feeling whatever you need to feel. Give yourself a bit of time to digest." (29:18, Axel)
  • Asking for help was pivotal—breaking his ingrained pattern of self-sufficiency.
  • “You need to make sure you make your cup full again before you can even think about sharing something.” (37:45, Axel)

7. The Magic of "Act As If" Psychology

[39:44–42:02]

• Therapy introduced the concept of acting “as if everything works out for us and even better than we could imagine.”
• To ease fear of relapse, cancer was reframed as "the teacher," not "the C word":
  • “We have to act as if everything works out… it's a conscious decision."
    (41:02, Axel)
• Both hosts share how “delusional” optimism was crucial during darkest moments.

8. The Limitations of the Victim Mindset & Finding Empowerment

[50:00–54:53]

• Axel cautions against the suffering attached to “this should not have happened.”
  • “If we keep thinking it should have not happened, we’re going to suffer our entire lives... That doesn’t mean that you deserve any of those things.” (50:11, Axel)
• Importance of letting go of fighting with our past, our “villains,” or painful realities, in order to move into growth.

9. A Chinese Farmer’s Story – The Paradox of Good and Bad Luck

[54:56–58:49]

• Axel shares the classic Chinese farmer parable: events that seem “bad” may lead to blessings, and vice versa.
• “Maybe bad luck, maybe good luck. You never know.” (55:38, Axel)

10. Romanticizing and Reframing the Dark Night

[65:18–66:51]

• Celebrate resilience, dance through the darkness:
  • “Dark night of the soul, but make it sexy. How can I make this crazy-ass moment in my life a little bit more fun and sparkly?” (65:18, Sahara)
• Rejecting fear-based, limiting cultural scripts about trauma:
  • "Now you have this… you’re never gonna be able to love again… I am not taking on that person’s story. Not for me." (66:41, Sahara)

11. Surround Yourself with Empowering Stories

[68:40–73:17]

• Axel’s book ends with testimonials of thrivers (including Sahara): "You need to hear people who have gone through incredible hardship and shaped the story for them." (68:40, Axel)
• “Create your own bubble…watch empowering movies, listen to uplifting podcasts, focus on positivity.”

12. Final Life Lessons & Takeaways

[60:02–65:42; 73:40–74:31]

• Life is best lived as a growth-filled adventure; suffering and challenge are not detours but rites of passage.
  • “One of our biggest problems is that we believe we shouldn’t have any problems.” (60:46, Axel)
• The “movie” of life is made meaningful by its challenges—not by endless ease.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you believe it’s the end, it’s most likely going to be the end.”
  —Axel, [11:52]

• “Ask a stupid question, you get stupid answers. So we need to ask high quality questions.”
  —Axel, [20:27]

• “It’s going to be because of this. Not despite of this, but because of.”
  —Sahara, [24:24]

• “It’s already saved multiple lives that I know of…It gives the suffering so much meaning.”
  —Axel, [26:38]

• "There is a phase of acceptance and feeling whatever you need to feel. Give yourself a bit of time to digest."
  —Axel, [29:18]

• "You need to make sure you make your cup full again before you can even think about sharing something.”
  —Axel, [37:45]

• "We have to act as if everything works out for us and even better than we could imagine."
  —Axel, [41:02]

• "If we keep thinking it should have not happened, we’re going to suffer our entire lives."
  —Axel, [50:11]

• "One of our biggest problems is that we believe we shouldn’t have any problems."
  —Axel, [60:46]

• "Dark night of the soul, but make it sexy."
  —Sahara, [65:18]

Important Timestamps for Reference

• Honest male vulnerability and conditioning: [05:05]
• Cancer diagnosis, week-to-live prognosis: [06:04–11:13]
• Power of belief and community: [11:44–15:44]
• From “why me?” to new questions & vision boards: [15:44–22:03]
• Seeing hardship as happening for you, not to you: [24:24–26:09]
• Processing grief fully, ancestral healing: [30:25–34:47]
• Letting go of victimhood and fighting the past: [50:00–54:53]
• Chinese Farmer parable: [54:53–58:49]
• Rewriting trauma narratives, celebrating resilience: [65:18–66:51]
• The importance of uplifting stories: [68:40–73:17]

Tone & Language

• The conversation is authentic, emotionally open, and practical.
• Both Sahara and Axel blend spirituality with grounded, relatable wisdom.
• Humor is used to lighten heavy moments (“Dark night of the soul, but make it sexy.”)
• Empowerment is centered over victimhood.

Final Takeaway

This episode powerfully affirms: the worst things that happen to us may well be the catalysts for our most vital growth. When we accept, feel, and then consciously choose meaning, support, and faith, we become living testaments that "everything is working out for us"—and can inspire the same in others.

Find Axel’s book:

• Anywhere books are sold
• axoschura.com (with bonus meditations and coaching materials) [73:54]

Listen, reflect, and share this episode to help your community rise together.

“Let’s all really shift our mindsets and see what happens. If people actually apply all these things, where their lives will be six months from now, a year from now—it’s freaking crazy.”
—Sahara, [74:41]