Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

When we make the choice to wait and see what an external circumstance might create, we're making the choice not to engage in our life. In this scenario, we are the ones who step out of life, even if we fool ourselves into thinking the circumstance (i.e. cancer) is the cause. In this episode, you'll hear more about subtle ways in which we give up power over our lives. How our brains offer us though...

A blessing and curse in life is that we never really arrive.    We're always in the process of life, but we often miss what's happening in the process because we think we should be somewhere else.   We think we should have more time, more money, different circumstances.   We think we should be doing more, especially compared to the next person.   But the truth is, you're exactly where you should b...

How many times in life have you felt unworthy, worthless, unloved, or broken because of another person's words or actions?   Wouldn't it be nice not to feel that ever again?   It is possible.   Not because you can control what other people think or do.   It's possible because you can learn that your worth is inherent and has nothing to do with anyone else's thoughts or actions.   Listen to this we...

Have you ever wondered if you have a fear of being happy?   Do you feel guilty when taking care of yourself, but you see someone else struggling?   If so, you're not alone.   Fear of happiness, or cherophobia, is identified by specific thoughts and behaviors that might be more common than you think.   In this episode, hear about those symptoms along with:   -Real-life examples of the fear of happi...

What would you think if I asked you to tell me something every day for a month that you loved about yourself?     Well, I asked my members to do just that. In this week's podcast, I want to share some of the things they had to say about learning to love themselves unconditionally.     I have to say that people were a little nervous at first, and some had to process blocks even to say loving things...

When I look back over the past 10 years I'm amazed at how much my perspective of cancer has changed.   I thought I had it beat because I was always down for the fight.   But the most important thing I've learned is that the best way to get back to life is to let shit go.   It took many years for me to figure out that grieving was a necessary part of healing.   Even when I did figure out it took wo...

If you lost your hair during chemo and had to endure the weird regrowth stages, watched it grow back looking like someone else's hair, or watched it thin due to menopause and hormone treatments then you know…it's not just hair.   But you may have heard that comment from others along the way.   Hair and our identity are closely entwined.   We change our hair to fit our stage of life, reflect our pe...

When your closet is full, it's a challenge to find anything and overwhelming to think about clearing it out.   When your mind is full with an idea or belief it's hard to see any other way to be or any other path that can be taken.   That's a painful place to be and a place we often put ourselves in when we believe there's only one way for an experience to go.   It's where we get stuck when we beli...

When you think about the relationships in your life, what are the conditions you put on them?   Do people have to earn your love or do specific things to deserve your love?   For most of us, the answer is yes.   But have you thought about how that applies to yourself and your body?   What are the conditions your body has to meet to deserve your love?   If it doesn't meet those conditions, what do...

This week I had an eye-opening experience when I came across a journaling exercise that I did in 2013, the year after I finished treatment for my first breast cancer diagnosis.   It was eye-opening to see the destructive and abusive way I thought of and spoke about myself at that time.   I had a mindset then that was so full of pain and judgment that it's hard to believe I ever found my way here....

Sometimes our biggest barrier to change is the belief that we shouldn't have negative thoughts. After working so hard to stay positive, think healthier thoughts, and adopt a good mindset, negative thoughts should go away, right? Not so fast… Your brain is wired to avoid pain and keep you safe. So, it is always going to offer thoughts to steer you away from expending too much energy, creating chang...

What is a balanced life? Recently, I've been exploring this idea a lot. I started off thinking a balanced life meant finding just the right formula for work, health, family, and social. But that led to more stress and I could never find the right amount of time to fit it all in. Plan B...only say yes to what you love and what feels good. Well, there are a lot of things that I love and that feels g...

No matter how far off plan life takes you, time is never wasted. Life is happening. Whether it's happening the way you want it to or not, it's still happening. A new year always feels exciting and like a fresh start. But, if you take the same defeating thoughts into it, little will change. This is a great time of year to examine the story you tell yourself about the past twelve months and consider...

Most survivors are familiar with the feeling of being isolated, not fitting in, or being an outsider after a breast cancer diagnosis. That's why it feels so good to connect with other groups of survivors, o ther people who understand your experience at the deepest level.   And maybe that's enough?   Knowing and accepting that you belong to different groups who connect with you can ease the uncomfo...

It's hard for most people to understand why a survivor would feel anything but normal when treatment ends, but we have so much more going on in our minds than we could ever have imagined.   One of those ideas that can have a huge impact on recovery, self-image, and self-worth is shame.   Shame is the emotion that comes up when we tell ourselves stories like:   -I must have done something wrong to...

There's so much to do! How many times in your life, especially at this time of year, have you told yourself you're overwhelmed because of the number of demands in your life? You tell yourself you're overwhelmed because of all the emotions you're feeling or all the decisions you have to make. What if you could change that feeling without changing all the things? In this show I'll offer you some ins...

In this episode I'll introduce you to Terri Brooks, the Founder of The World of Lonsville, a nonprofit organization bringing gifts of joy and support to breast cancer survivors and to children with cancer. Terri is a mom, a coach, an entrepreneur, and an inspiration. Listen to her story of surviving breast cancer while going through a divorce and still choosing to embrace the joy in her life and t...

Today marks my 58 th  year of life and 10 years of managing breast cancer.   I've learned a lot in my time here on earth and as I look forward to my 59 th  year, there are three things that I will be intentional about reducing in my life.   In this show, I'll share those three things with you and how they can subtly take away from living life to its full potential.  

The last thing anyone wants to do is feel uncomfortable. We avoid it at any cost.   We do anything to move closer to happiness, even if it means that we never spend time looking at or dealing with what is making us uncomfortable.   We feel pressured to be happy.   If we're not happy, other people might feel uncomfortable or worried.   If we're not happy, we may appear ungrateful for all the good t...

Big girls don't cry…but maybe they should.   Very few of us are taught to freely cry whenever we feel emotional.   Instead, we're taught to stop crying, stuff it in, never let them see you cry.   That may have been necessary to get through life not so long ago, but we live in different times.   In these times we know a lot more about emotions, emotional wellbeing, and expressing ourselves in healt...

How many times has someone heard you had breast cancer and immediately told you a story of someone they know or heard of who died from breast cancer? In this show you'll hear about a client of mine who was looking for a solution to this type of situation. I'll also share how to manage a situation like this without going into an emotions spin out. Referred to in this episode: The Four Pillars of Br...

We are exceptional when it comes to caring for others, and we're happy and proud to do it. But, we're not so great at taking care of ourselves or allowing others to care for us. In this episode I'll give you insights on: -What happens when women give more than they have -How we end up feeling  -What we tell ourselves about accepting help -What you can ask yourself to practice better self care and...

How do you live the life you want when you're forced to deal with things you don't want in your life?   How do you make the best choice when you don't like any of the options?   How do you find happiness when it feels like you're stuck in a nightmare?   This is the time to drop the shield, stop fighting, and start seeing that things aren't going to be perfect, but they can still be better…maybe ev...

Life gets so busy that we can find ourselves, trying to keep up and feeling exhausted when we finally have a little bit of down time. You may be dealing with the fatigue of breast cancer treatments, or even avoiding all the emotions waiting to be processed. So, when do you get what you need? When do you create, the space, the connections, the time you need for you? For that matter, how do figure o...

You know what kind of awareness you need to have before breast cancer.   Check for lumps, discolorations, dimpled skin, inverted nipples, irregular discharge and do your regularly scheduled mammograms.   But what should you be aware of after breast cancer?   It's a whole new ball game with it's own set of fears, and challenges.   Of course, you still follow through with medical advice and supervis...