She Had Cancer While Pregnant — And Chose to Fight

She Had Cancer While Pregnant — And Chose to Fight

Gina Zapanta joins Cake for Dinner to talk about empowerment, motherhood, survival, and the moment women stop waiting for permission to become who they were always meant to be. Gina is an attorney, entrepreneur, founder of Empowered With Gina, and a woman who has built a community around helping women reclaim their agency, trust their intuition, and break free from cultural and societal programming. What began as small virtual meetups during COVID eventually grew into a platform where women could find community, resources, and the reminder that permission was never something they had to earn — it was already within them. Gina also opens up about one of the most terrifying chapters of her life: being diagnosed with stage one cervical cancer while seven months pregnant. She shares the fear, the survival instinct, the fight to protect her daughter, and how that experience shaped the way she now views resilience, motherhood, and purpose. This episode is about breaking the mold, rewriting the language we use about ourselves, choosing a powerful mindset, and realizing that life does not end at 40 or 50 — for many women, that’s when launch day begins. 00:00 Introduction 00:04 What Empowered With Gina Really Means 04:08 Growing Up Feeling “Othered” 06:10 Diagnosed With Cancer While Pregnant 07:27 “Who’s Gonna Raise My Daughters?” 08:21 PTSD, Anxiety & Finding Opportunity in Pain 10:13 Why Gina Helps Women Rise 12:13 The Power of Language 14:37 Powerful Mindset vs. Powerless Mindset 16:20 Intuition, Jealousy & Breaking Free 21:21 Letting Go of Ego & People-Pleasing 22:00 Motherhood Without Martyrdom 27:50 Where to Find Gina Learn more about Keesha: https://keeshascott.com/ Book Pre Order CAKE FOR DINNER: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0H5CW77FP?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0H5CW77FP&linkCode=xm2&tag=simonsayscom&dplnkId=ca66e48c-1d99-4095-a35e-8d40794ffd1d&nodl=1  Follow Gina: https://www.instagram.com/ginazapanta_/

Jennie Garth on the Wake-Up Call That Changed Her Life

Jennie Garth joins Cake For Dinner for an honest and deeply vulnerable conversation about fame, motherhood, midlife, self-love, and what it really means to choose yourself. Best known for her iconic role on Beverly Hills, 90210, Jennie opens up about what it was like becoming famous at a young age, how the show changed her life, and what it cost her along the way. But this conversation goes far beyond Hollywood. Jennie shares the heart behind her book I Choose Me, reflecting on the seasons where she lost sight of herself, struggled through depression, navigated divorce, raised her daughters, examined her relationship with alcohol, and learned how to rebuild from the inside out. This episode is about the woman behind the fame — the mother, the survivor, the seeker, and the woman who finally learned to say: I choose me. Learn more about Keesha: https://keeshascott.com/ Book Pre Order CAKE FOR DINNER: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0H5CW77FP?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0H5CW77FP&linkCode=xm2&tag=simonsayscom&dplnkId=ca66e48c-1d99-4095-a35e-8d40794ffd1d&nodl=1  Follow Jennie: https://www.instagram.com/jenniegarth/  00:00 Introduction 01:00 Welcome Jennie Garth 01:30 Landing Beverly Hills, 90210 02:43 How 90210 Became a Cultural Phenomenon 04:31 The Legacy of 90210 06:33 The 90210 Cast Bond Today 08:03 What Fame Gave Her and Cost Her 09:00 The Wake-Up Call Behind I Choose Me 12:00 Why Women Struggle to Choose Themselves 14:00 Menopause, Midlife & Women’s Health 16:30 Breaking Perfection Culture 18:30 Why She Had to Tell the Truth 21:18 Losing Sight of Herself 22:32 Rediscovering Joy and Self-Care 24:39 Wellness Trends, Parenting & Grace 27:18 “I Was So Depressed” 27:59 Her Daughters Saw Her Rise 31:54 Divorce, Love & Starting Over 34:16 Learning to Love Herself 36:15 Sobriety and Showing Up Fully 41:17 Radical Acceptance and Forgiveness 44:55 What Her Daughters Taught Her 49:18 Finding Yourself Again 51:53 Writing I Choose Me 53:19 Healing, Strength & Letting Go

How to Stop Reacting and Start Connecting with Your Kids

In this episode of Cake for Dinner, Keesha sits down with Erin Morrison, the voice behind The Conscious Mom and author of Three Minutes for Mom, for a raw and honest conversation about motherhood, conscious parenting, emotional regulation, and the pressure moms feel to get everything right. Erin shares why parenting is less about controlling your child and more about understanding what is happening inside of you. Together, they talk about mom guilt, gentle parenting, the labels we put on our kids, why parents take behavior personally, and how apologizing to your children can actually build deeper trust and connection. This conversation is for every mom who has ever yelled, overreacted, questioned herself, or felt like she was failing — only to realize that motherhood is not about perfection. It is about awareness, repair, self-trust, and learning how to show up again. If you are navigating conscious parenting, gentle parenting, motherhood, tweens, teens, big emotions, or your own healing journey as a mom, this episode will hit home.   00:00 — Introduction 01:04 — Welcome Erin Morrison 01:44 — Why Erin Wrote Three Minutes for Mom 03:05 — The Missing Link in Parenting 04:18 — The Baggage We Bring Into Motherhood 06:19 — How Labels Shape Our Kids 10:40 — Letting Kids Find Their Own Path 13:22 — Are Parents Living Through Their Children? 15:12 — Learning to Pause Before Reacting 18:21 — Why Apologizing to Your Kids Matters 21:55 — Conscious Parenting vs. Gentle Parenting 24:07 — Phones, Sleepovers & Modern Parenting Boundaries 28:21 — It’s Never Too Late to Start Over 31:05 — Trusting Your Gut as a Mom 34:03 — How to Become a More Conscious Parent 37:29 — What Erin Had to Unlearn 43:19 — Breaking Generational Parenting Patterns 45:10 — The Truth About Early Motherhood 52:51 — Where to Find Erin Morrison 53:21 — Closing Thoughts   Learn more about Keesha: https://keeshascott.com/ [https://keeshascott.com/] Get Erins book: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=3+minutes+for+mom&adgrpid=189369634271&hvadid=779579003977&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9012036&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=11163684166959021073--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=11163684166959021073&hvtargid=kwd-2393975566028&hydadcr=22536_13730665_8233&mcid=2933b18f25b336578aff6b5ca96e801b&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_3ik3m4oy7r_e [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=3+minutes+for+mom&adgrpid=189369634271&hvadid=779579003977&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9012036&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=11163684166959021073--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=11163684166959021073&hvtargid=kwd-2393975566028&hydadcr=22536_13730665_8233&mcid=2933b18f25b336578aff6b5ca96e801b&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_3ik3m4oy7r_e]

Why Women Need to Talk About Grief, Loss & Healing

Today Lisa McCarty joins the conversation to talk about the stories women often carry in silence — grief, miscarriage, infertility, caregiving, mental health, motherhood, and the complicated realities of healing. Lisa is a journalist, writer, and grief educator whose work has been featured in major publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, and more. Through her writing, she brings honesty and clarity to topics that many people struggle to talk about openly. In this conversation, Lisa shares how losing her father while becoming a mother shaped her work, why writing became a way to process grief, and how sharing her personal story helped other people feel less alone. She also opens up about her experience with infertility, four miscarriages in one year, the diagnosis that changed everything, and the emotional toll that continues even after a successful pregnancy. This episode is a deeply honest conversation about women’s health, loss, resilience, advocacy, and the importance of creating safe spaces where women can tell the truth about what they are going through. Whether you have experienced grief, pregnancy loss, infertility, caregiving, anxiety, or simply a hard season of life, this conversation is a reminder that you are not alone — and that your story matters. Learn more about Keesha: https://keeshascott.com/ Follow Lisa: https://www.instagram.com/lbmccarty717  00:00 — Introduction 00:48 — Why Lisa Started Writing About Grief 01:19 — Losing Her Father While Becoming a Mother 03:27 — How Sharing Grief Helped Her Feel Less Alone 04:31 — A Complex Father-Daughter Relationship 06:10 — Writing Personal Essays vs. Reported Stories 08:26 — Four Miscarriages in One Year 09:50 — The Devastating Reality of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss 11:39 — The Diagnosis That Changed Everything 14:42 — Finally Getting Answers and Trying Again 15:14 — The Mental Health Toll of Infertility 16:10 — Being Reminded of Loss at Every Doctor’s Visit 17:52 — Why Sharing Women’s Health Stories Matters 18:24 — Helping Other Women Advocate for Themselves 20:27 — Why Women Need Better Access to Information 21:22 — The Lack of Emotional Support During IVF 23:38 — Social Media, Misinformation & Women’s Health 26:09 — Why Reliable Medical Information Matters 30:15 — Why We Avoid Talking About Loss and Mental Health 31:31 — Breaking the Stigma Around Women’s Emotions 32:37 — Caregiving, Boundaries & Normalizing Hard Conversations 33:58 — The Piece That Changed Lisa the Most 35:27 — Anxiety, Motherhood & Learning Boundaries 37:14 — Advice for Anyone in a Hard Season 39:16 — Where to Find Lisa McCarty 39:38 — Closing Thoughts

The Internet Safety Talk Every Parent Needs to Hear

In this powerful episode of Cake for Dinner, Greg Schiller joins the podcast for an urgent and eye-opening conversation every parent needs to hear. Greg is a former assistant U.S. attorney who spent 20 years prosecuting online predators, internet crimes, and crimes against children. He has testified before Congress on online exploitation and now serves as the CEO of Child Rescue Coalition, an organization helping law enforcement identify and stop predators around the world. This conversation dives into what parents are getting wrong when it comes to kids and technology, why smartphones are not just “phones,” how predators target children online, and why communication at home is the most important safety tool parents have. Greg breaks down the realities of online exploitation, the dangers hidden inside apps, games, and social platforms, and the simple non-negotiables parents can put in place to better protect their children. From Snapchat and Instagram to hidden apps, screen monitoring, privacy myths, and the importance of starting conversations early, this episode is a must-listen for moms, dads, and anyone raising kids in the digital age. This is not about fear. It is about awareness, communication, and giving parents the tools to protect their children before something happens. Learn more about Keesha: https://keeshascott.com/ Read More About Gregs Work: https://childrescuecoalition.org/   00:00 — Introduction 00:48 — What parents are getting wrong about kids and technology 02:27 — Why online predators are everywhere children are 04:49 — If your child has a device, they can access everything 06:02 — Why parents need to talk about sex and online safety earlier 08:38 — The best parental control is communication 10:29 — Why devices should not charge in kids’ bedrooms 13:36 — When should parents give their child a phone? 14:52 — “Pause before you post” and teaching kids digital awareness 16:17 — How predators pretend to be someone they are not 17:52 — The reality of online offenders and how they target kids 21:44 — Why parents need better language to explain online danger 23:50 — The shocking number of online child exploitation reports 26:50 — How Child Rescue Coalition helps law enforcement catch predators 28:58 — How Greg’s work affects him as a father 33:29 — Three non-negotiables for kids and devices 34:56 — Why kids should never communicate with strangers online 35:28 — The truth about Snapchat and disappearing messages 38:54 — Why kids feel safe online when they are not 39:11 — Rapid fire: Snapchat, Instagram, privacy, apps, and monitoring 43:55 — The one sentence every kid should hear before getting a phone 44:49 — Greg’s biggest takeaway for parents 46:46 — Where to learn more about Child Rescue Coalition