Living Boldly Beyond a Diagnosis with Stacy Scarcella Manon on The Healers Caf

Stacy Scarcella, a former corporate executive, transitioned to a creative entrepreneur after 13 years in fashion, advertising, and technology. Diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome at 25, she faced significant challenges, including legal blindness and potential infertility. Despite a grim prognosis, Stacy pursued self-care, research, and adaptive activities like Zumba and yoga. She emphasized the importance of self-advocacy and resilience. Stacy also works in mental health advocacy, particularly for adolescents, highlighting the need for early intervention and support. Her journey underscores the value of creativity, freedom, and positivity in overcoming health challenges.

For the transcript and full story go to: https://www.drmanonbolliger.com/stacy-scarcella 

 

Highlights from today's episode include: 

Be your own health advocate and move one step at a time: When she was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome at 25 with a very grim prognosis, Stacy chose not to stay stuck in fear. She did her own research, sought multiple opinions, adjusted her lifestyle, and focused on “What can I do right now and one minute forward?” rather than catastrophizing the future.

Create freedom and possibility by redefining your path: Leaving a “boxed-in” corporate career, Stacy built Plaid Pony Productions around freedom: choosing diverse projects, not being tied to one creative partner, and continually pivoting (Zumba, yoga, events, mental health advocacy). Her core mindset 

Bedside manner and medical ‘fashion’ can shape a patient’s fate:  Manon highlights how the way a diagnosis is delivered can deeply harm or help a patient. She compares it to her own experience of being told she “needed” a C‑section because of narrow hips, only to safely have a home vaginal birth after seeking many opinions. She stresses that practitioners must be conscious of their language and the current “fashion” in medicine, because patients often meet a diagnosis first as doom and gloom, with very little visible information about alternatives, self-care, and hopeful possibilities.

 

ABOUT STACY SCARSELLA:

For more than two decades, Stacy Scarsella has built a career defined by vision, resilience, and reinvention. A former corporate executive turned creative entrepreneur, Stacy spent over 15 years climbing the ranks in fashion, advertising, and technology working with industry giants such as Armani, Macy’s, Talbots, TJX Companies, and Bose. Her career trajectory pointed toward becoming a CMO, but the demands of corporate life, constant travel, long hours, and lack of fulfillment sparked a personal reckoning. In 2015, following a season marked by profound loss and transformation, Stacy traded boardrooms for the beaches of Los Angeles, where a moment of clarity reshaped her entire future.

That clarity became Plaid Pony Productions, a full-service production company known for its storytelling integrity, cinematic creativity, and world-class brand activations. From major commercial campaigns to experiential events, Stacy leads her team in producing standout work for global names including Disney, AT&T, and other Fortune 500 companies. Known for her strategic foresight and innate ability to forecast industry shifts, she’s built a business that blends artistry with operational precision delivering results that can’t be replicated by automation or artificial intelligence.

But Stacy’s story runs deeper than her professional accomplishments. Diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome at 25 and told she might never have children or live past 40, she defied every prediction. Today, at 43, she’s a mother of two, a mentor, and a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention causes close to her heart following the loss of her best friend. Her philosophy, “Why not?”, defines her approach to both business and life: embracing creativity, curiosity, and courage in the face of uncertainty.

Beyond the studio, Stacy is a creative force in every sense an artist, yoga enthusiast, avid gardener, and dual citizen of Italy who finds joy in simple rituals like family dinners and dancing in the kitchen. Through speaking, consulting, and community initiatives, she now helps others humanize their brands in the age of AI, teaching entrepreneurs how to connect authentically and lead with purpose. Her work, both on and off the set, is a testament to her greatest belief: that success is not about control it’s about creating a life that feels deeply alive.

Core purpose/passion: My philosophy is: “Why not?”, and it defines my approach to both business and life: embracing creativity, curiosity, and courage in the face of uncertainty.

–  Facebook  |  Website | LinkedIn | Instagram - Stacy | Instagram - PladPony

ABOUT MANON BOLLIGER, RBHT, FCAH:

As a retired Naturopath 1992-2021, I saw an average of 150 patients per week and have helped people ranging from rural farmers in Nova Scotia to stressed out CEOs in Toronto to tri-athletes here in Vancouver.

My resolve to educate, empower and engage people to take charge of their own health is evident in my best-selling books:  ‘What Patients Don’t Say if Doctors Don’t Ask: The Mindful Patient-Doctor Relationship’ and ‘A Healer in Every Household: Simple Solutions for Stress’. and What if Your Body is Smarter than You Think?  I am the Founder & CEO of The Bowen College Inc. which teaches BowenFirst™ Therapy and holds transformational workshops to achieve these goals.

So, when I share with you that LISTENing to Your body is a game changer in the healing process, I am speaking from expertise and direct experience”.

Mission: A Healer in Every Household!

For more great information to go to her weekly blog:  http://bowencollege.com/blog. 

For tips on health & healing go to: https://www.drmanonbolliger.com/tips

Follow: Manon Bolliger website  | Linktr.ee | Rumble | Gettr  | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | LinkedIn |

Follow: Bowen College Inc. | Facebook | Instagram  | LinkedIn | YouTube | Twitter | Rumble | Locals

ABOUT THE HEALERS CAFE:

Manon’s show is the #1 show for medical practitioners and holistic healers to have heart to heart conversations about their day to day lives.

Subscribe and review on your favourite platform:

iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Libsyn | iHeartRadio | Gaana | The Healers Cafe | Radio.com | Medioq | Audacy |

 

Follow The Healers Café on FB: https://www.facebook.com/thehealerscafe  

Remember to subscribe if you like our videos. Click the bell if you want to be one of the first people notified of a new release.

* De-Registered, revoked & retired naturopathic physician after 30 years of practice in healthcare. Now resourceful & resolved to share with you all the tools to take care of your health & vitality!