The Positive Gene Podcast

Your Voice Matters: How Patient Advocates Shape Healthcare Policy As patient advocates, we have the opportunity to help shape healthcare policy by sharing our lived experiences with the people making decisions that affect our lives. In this episode of The Positive Gene Podcast, host Sara Kavanaugh sits down with Tennessee State Representative Bob Freeman for a candid conversation about how legisla...

Episode Summary In this episode of The Positive Gene Podcast, Sara Kavanaugh sits down with therapist, BRCA1 previvor, and podcast host Sara Champie for a deeply honest conversation about the emotional realities of hereditary cancer risk. Together, they explore the layers of fear, grief, agency, trauma, identity, and healing that can emerge after genetic testing and prevention decisions. Sara Cham...

As we close out Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, this episode marks the final installment in our series on Lynch syndrome and hereditary cancer risk. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to go back and listen to the earlier episodes—each one offers a powerful and important perspective on what it means to understand and navigate inherited cancer risk. **** Episode Overview Diane Hardesty’s story i...

Lynch Syndrome Series This episode is part of a five-part series on living with Lynch syndrome, focused on raising awareness and sharing perspectives from patients, advocates, and organizations working to improve outcomes in hereditary cancer. Episode Overview In this episode, Sara Kavanaugh speaks with Joan Rush, co-founder of the Jacqueline Rush Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising a...

Lynch Syndrome Series - This episode is part of a five-part series on living with Lynch syndrome, released in recognition of Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day on March 22. Episode Overview In this episode, Sara Kavanaugh speaks with Jennifer Mercer, founder of Lynch Syndrome Awareness and Education, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing awareness and helping families better understand hereditary cancer r...

Lynch Syndrome Series In recognition of Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day on March 22 each year, The Positive Gene Podcast is featuring a five-part series exploring what it means to live with Lynch syndrome; from diagnosis and treatment to advocacy, prevention, and long-term survivorship. Note: This episode includes brief discussion of depression and suicidal thoughts. Please listen with care. Support...

This episode kicks off a five-part series on living with Lynch syndrome, released in recognition of Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day on March 22. When host Sara Kavanaugh was first diagnosed with hereditary cancer mutations, including Lynch syndrome, there were few voices sharing what life with inherited cancer risk actually looked like. One of the first organizations she discovered was AliveandKick’n...

Episode Summary In this episode of The Positive Gene Podcast, Sara sits down with Aliza Friedlander, a BRCA1-positive previvor and advocate with the Cancer Vaccine Coalition. Aliza shares her unusual path to genetic testing, what shifted after her sister’s breast cancer diagnosis, and how she ultimately decided on risk-reducing surgery. Together, they unpack what “cancer vaccines” really mean (and...

Episode Summary This special, urgent episode of The Positive Gene Podcast steps outside our normal publishing schedule because the stakes could not be higher. Congress is considering the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA) — a bill that would once again allow companies to patent human genes and biomarkers, reversing the 2013 Supreme Court decision that made genetic testing more accessible, c...

Episode Summary In today’s conversation, we dig into the part of cancer conversations that rarely makes headlines -  hereditary cancer risk, prevention, and the systemic barriers that keep people from getting the care they need. My guest, Jennifer Thompson, MS, CGC is a board-certified genetic counselor and founder of HealthyGene, a digital genetic counseling clinic designed to remove barriers to...

Episode Summary In this episode of The Positive Gene Podcast, Maddie Williamson, a genetic counselor and BRCA1 carrier, joins host Sara Kavanaugh to discuss what it means to navigate hereditary cancer risk as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Drawing from both personal experience and professional expertise, Maddie shares the challenges and insights that come with balancing genetic risk, identity,...

In this moving episode of The Positive Gene Podcast, host Sara Kavanaugh sits down with author Tiffany Graham Charkosky, whose forthcoming memoir Living Proof: How Love Defied Genetic Legacy shares her deeply personal journey through Lynch Syndrome, family loss, and the power of love and resilience. Tiffany reflects on how discovering her genetic risk reshaped her understanding of health, motherho...

Earlier this year, musician Peter Cornell — brother of the late Chris Cornell — received a diagnosis no man expects: breast cancer. Testing revealed he carries a CHEK2 mutation, which increases the risk for breast, prostate, and other cancers. In this raw and powerful conversation, Peter shares how his wife first discovered the tumor, his treatment experience at Vanderbilt, and the profound impact...

Episode Overview Season changes can stir up a lot - especially if you’re living with hereditary cancer risk. In this conversation, Lisa Jacobs shares her framework of “graceful grit” - meeting hard moments with both courage and softness. We talk scanxiety, decision fatigue, and how simple, repeatable practices (breath, micro-goals, ritual, curiosity) help you feel present and grounded before scree...

Summary In this episode of The Positive Gene Podcast, host Sara Kavanaugh takes the mic on the road in London with Dr. Stefania Vicari and Dr. Hannah Ditchfield of the University of Sheffield. Together, they explore how research into social media is reshaping what we know about hereditary cancer, advocacy, and the very word previvor. Why does this matter? Because our digital footprints tell powerf...

Episode Summary: In this Season 3 premiere of The Positive Gene Podcast, host Sara Kavanaugh sits down with Kristina Coccoluto — a BRCA1 previvor, Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Finisher, and passionate advocate — to explore what it means to face genetic risk and still run forward with purpose. Kristina shares her deeply personal journey: growing up surrounded by cancer, the emotional weigh...

In this insightful episode of The Positive Gene Podcast, host Sara Kavanaugh sits down with Dr. Brian Shirts, Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at Vanderbilt University and founder of ConnectMyVariant.org . Together, they explore the powerful potential of family-based genetic outreach as a pathway to preventing hereditary cancer. Dr. Shirts shares the pivotal research...

Colorectal Cancer Awareness, Genetic Risk, and Breaking Barriers to Screening with Dr. Frederick Gandolfo, Board-Certified Gastroenterologist & Host of The Real GI Doctor Show Episode Overview: In this episode, we’re tackling a tough but critical topic—March's Colorectal Cancer Awareness, genetic risk factors like Lynch Syndrome, and why so many people delay or avoid screening. I sit down with...

Let’s take a moment to protect your peace. I know it is difficult to continue showing up with resilience and purpose when facing uncertainty. Advocacy and action require strength, but strength comes from within. Yet we are facing relentless attacks on healthcare, research, and fundamental rights. It’s exhausting, and some days, it feels like too much. But we cannot pour from an empty cup.  This me...

In this special in-person episode, Host Sara Kavanaugh visits the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee, to speak with Dr. Tuya Pal, Principal Investigator of the ICARE Initiative. ICARE is a groundbreaking registry dedicated to improving access to hereditary cancer expertise, advancing research, and supporting patients and families with hereditary cancer risk. Dr. Pal shares her...

In this episode of The Positive Gene Podcast, host Sara Kavanaugh sits down with Dr. Marleah Dean-Kruzel, a health communication expert, TEDx speaker, and BRCA2 previvor. Dr. Dean-Kruzel is not only a renowned professor of health communication but also a powerful advocate featured in the CDC's Bring Your Brave Breast Cancer Campaign. Together, they discuss the art and science of effective communic...

Description: In this insightful episode, Host Sara Kavanaugh sits down with Natalie Samson, Certified Genetic Counselor and founder of Golden Genetics, to discuss the power of integrative genetic counseling. Natalie shares her insights on combining traditional genetic testing with holistic health practices to manage health risks proactively. This episode is timely for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness M...

In Season 2, Episode 8 of The Positive Gene Podcast, Sara Kavanaugh welcomes Kathy Baker, founder of My Faulty Gene, for a powerful conversation about surviving hereditary cancer and the impact of genetic testing. Kathy shares her journey of facing cancer multiple times, the life-changing decision to pursue genetic testing, and her mission to help others manage their risk and access vital resource...

In this timely special episode, I set aside the usual format to talk sincerely about what’s at stake in Election 2024 for healthcare, women’s rights, and environmental protections. Drawing from my own experiences with miscarriages, hereditary cancer risks, and an environmental contamination, I share personal stories to highlight how the choices we make at the polls could impact access to compassio...

In this episode, Sara holds a deeply engaging conversation with Krista Brown, a registered nurse, cancer prevention coach, and breast cancer survivor with an ATM genetic mutation. Krista’s journey goes beyond her medical expertise; it’s a mission driven by her personal story, relentless research, and a desire to help others navigate life with hereditary cancer risks. Listen as Krista blends her pr...