The Many Faces of Cancer

Today's guest is Claudia Perez-Favela, a proud wife and mother of three, a first generation non-traditional college student studying criminal justice, and a cervical cancer survivor.  Living in a rural community in California, when she was diagnosed, she was sure she was going to die, especially after losing her mother to ovarian cancer 5 years earlier. She was misinformed about the nature of...

Today's guest is Jamie Lynn Bailey, a yoga instructor, certified personal trainer, and breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed in early 2020, right before the COVID-19 shutdown. She tells us all about her journey and getting the care she needed during that crazy time. After her treatment was finished, she was navigating a whole new world and wanted to make the best health care choices she c...

Today's guest is Vicki Mackie, founder and executive director of Sites and Insights, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides free Mindful Therapeutics Through Art workshops, programs, and retreats for cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and clinical caregivers. Workshops can be done in person in Colorado, or virtually. Vicki is also a cancer survivor, living with metastatic breast cancer for th...

Today's guest is Dina Tibbs, an expert in transformational group facilitation, guiding people toward why their soul is here on the planet as a coach, mentor, and soul companion. She's also a breast cancer survivor. This is a great conversation about the metaphysical and spiritual. Deep topics include coming to terms with the possibility of dying, experiencing awe in all things, not takin...

I can't wait for you all to meet my guest this week. Howard Aaron is one of the most positive, upbeat people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. One of his favorite sayings is that the glass isn't half full or half empty, it's always overflowing! It's the perfect positive start to the new year! Howard was diagnosed with Stage 4 B Cell Lymphoma in his brain in early 2023...

Today's guest is Kristen Baerveldt, here to share her story and educate us all about skin cancer. She was diagnosed over 16 years ago with Melanoma and has been speaking out ever since. Skin cancer can happen to anyone. We tend to think of skin cancer as a lesser cancer, not as big a deal as the more known cancers, but it is diagnosed more often that the big ones all combined. And it can be t...

Do you make New Years Resolutions every year only to be disappointed when you can't keep them? Do you set goals that you don't achieve? It can be so disheartening and then what happens the rest of the year? I gave up making resolutions years ago because I always ended up feeling like a failure for not keeping them. We all have down days. We all have times where we just don't wanna.....

Today's guest is Katie Smith, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2012. Over 12 years later, she's thriving in life after beating the odds!! Katie began writing a blog to keep her friends and family updated on her treatments and progress. She continued that blog for 4 years, even after treatment was finished. That blog eventually turned into her book "Welcome to Katie's Bra...

Today's guest is Kathy Washburn. Kathy is, among so many things, a life coach specializing in positive psychology, emotional health, and post-traumatic growth. Diagnosed with Stage IV vulvar cancer while in the best physical shape of her life, she began to look deeper into emotional health. She discovered positive psychology and the Type "C" behavior pattern, which is all about peop...

My guest this week is Rick Baker, founder of the Becky Baker Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports families affected by breast cancer. His wife Becky battled stage IV breast cancer for four years and Rick took care of her every day. Before she passed, one of the last things she said was that she was sorry no one would remember her name. Rick has seen to it that people remember her na...

I'm so excited about today's episode! It's a little different and so impactful! My guest this week is Brenda Rivera, a pediatric nurse with over 7 years experience, and she lives life with the mindset of changing the family lineage and building a legacy for future generations to come. While she doesn't work in oncology, she takes care of many children going through cancer who a...

Today's guest is Lisa Walther, a Certified Cancer Exercise Trainer and a two-time breast cancer survivor. She's also the creator of Move4Life, a wellness program for people on a cancer journey from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.  Lisa is speaking my language!! We talk all about the importance of exercise and fitness for overall health, but especially when going through cancer. W...

Today's guest is Denny Williams, a high school athletic director and an advocate for the mental health side of cancer after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2022. Denny needed support going through his cancer treatments and after and found that support for men was difficult to find. He did find an organization called Friend For Life Support Network https://www.friend4life.org/ that h...

Today's guest is Joana Breckner, a breast cancer survivor, a three time oral cancer survivor, an accidental motivational speaker, cancer awareness advocate, professional organizer, wife and mother to two girls.  Oral cancer is not one of the "fancy" cancers or one we hear about a lot, and it should be. It's easily screened for when you visit your dentist. Joana loves sharing he...

Today's guest is Frank McKenna, owner of Beach Better Bodies and founder of the Wellness Beyond Cancer Program for cancer survivors. He is also a non-smoker diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in 2016. November is lung cancer awareness month and this is a timely episode discussing genetic mutations that cause cancer. We also talk about targeted therapies, advocacy, empowering others through we...

Today's guest is Shena White, a wealth and efficiency expert, speaker, and breast cancer "pre-vivor." After several of her female family members battled breast cancer, Shena got genetic testing and decided to have a preventative bilateral mastectomy. Shena tells her story of the difficult decision, dealing with judgment from others, genetic counseling and testing, listening to and f...

That is the question... When we receive a cancer diagnosis (or any other issue, to be honest), do we share it with others?  If so, who do we tell?  Family?  Close friends?  All the world through social media channels?  And how do we decide? I'm not here to tell you what to do. I didn't want anyone telling me what to do when I was diagnosed. I talk in this solo episode about the upsides a...

Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation with Heather DeKeyser. Heather is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Sex Therapist in Colorado and is the Clinical Director of a group therapy practice called Dalliance Sexual Wellness Collective. Today's episode is a deep dive into sexual wellness. Whether you are going through or have completed treatment for cancer, especially reprodu...

Today's guest is Heather DeKeyser, LMFT, CST, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Sex Therapist in Colorado with a passion for helping individuals and couples navigate the complexities of relationships and sexual health. She co-founded and is the Clinical Director of a group therapy practice called Dalliance Sexual Wellness Collective. She's also a survivor of triple n...

Today's guest is Megan Magee, a registered dietetic tech, certified mind body eating coach, and owner of Nourish Nutrition Counseling. She is also a cervical cancer survivor. After experiencing a full-body breakdown 9 months after the end of her active treatment, and not finding the resources to help her, she decided to shift her nutrition practice to more of an auto-immune and chronic diseas...

Today's guest is Gloria Davis, owner of Magnolia Salon, Founder of The Crown and Glory Project, and breast cancer survivor. Gloria's experience with chemotherapy helped ignite a passion to help others in the same situation. She offers her services to people before and after chemo and now specializes in specialty hair extensions, as well as wigs and toppers. It's not about vanity; it...

It's time for another solo episode. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is probably the most widely known form of cancer and we all know breast cancer is associated with the pink ribbon. Unfortunately, pinkwashing also occurs in October. What is pinkwashing? It's when a company or organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product,...

Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation with Claire Margit. Claire is a lymphatic specialist trained in all things lymphedema. Today we do a deep dive into what causes lymphedema, simple steps to help prevent it, and ways to manage it if you are diagnosed. Claire has some incredible resources for you for even more information... -Children’s Hospital Colorado has an incredible intro video that helps e...

Today's guest is Claire Margit, a massage therapist, educator, motivational speaker, and a two time cancer survivor. These days she specializes in all things lymphatic, especially lymphedema. We talk about the importance of taking care of your lymphatic system, especially if you've had lymph nodes removed or gone through radiation. We start the discussion about lymphedema and how a lymph...

This week's guest is Kristel Strother. Kristel is a psychotherapist at 413 Counseling and an amazing human! Kristel has been a caregiver is one way or another to three different people during their cancer journey, beginning with her mother. The lessons and gifts she received from each experience are so moving and inspirational! You just have to listen. We talk about healing relationships, fin...