FAQ: How Did You Tell People? (or, Leveraging Your Strengths in the Face of Trauma)

Classic

The night before surgery, I learned a friend had died from an overdose. The next day, I woke up in recovery and was offered fentanyl and oxycodone for my pain. This is a story about a man who dedicated his life to helping others recover, the day I drove two hours to help him after a relapse, and why I believe addiction deserves the same compassion we so readily extend to illnesses like cancer.

Diagnosis/Treatment Update: Back to Boobs

In this update: a surprise return of rectal cancer symptoms, an emergency visit with my colorectal surgeon, and the MRI everyone seems to be waiting on. I share my first Herceptin-only infusion, the joys of hot flashes and possible chemo-induced menopause, pre-op appointments for my implant swap surgery, hair loss, acupuncture, and a question I can't stop asking: Why is the universe testing me like this? We also talk about receiving uncertainty, receiving love, and why I'm looking forward to the rearview mirror even more than the MRI.

Left of Surviving

A friend once suggested there’s a place even further left on the spectrum than surviving. I thought I understood what he meant. Then came divorce. Cancer. Chemotherapy. Grief. In this episode, I share what happened when my body finally stepped out of survival mode—and all the things I had been too busy surviving to feel came rushing in. Sometimes making it through the day is too much. Sometimes the goal is just making it to the next breath.

Diagnosis / Treatment Update: "Optimize to the X"

Chemo set one, complete. Now it’s time for the next block. This episode is about surviving cancer one day at a time, breaking impossible things into manageable pieces, and borrowing a mindset from the human-performance world to stay psychologically afloat through dual-cancer treatment.

FAQ: How Did You Tell People? (or, Leveraging Your Strengths in the Face of Trauma)

How do you tell people the worst news of your life? This episode is about cancer, crisis communications, spreadsheets, trauma, strategic messaging plans, and the strange things we cling to when our lives explode. Also: audience segmentation, Instagram rollout strategy, and why being a former communications professional turned out to be unexpectedly useful during a dual cancer diagnosis.