Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

In this episode, I'm joined by Kristy Griggs, founder of Training Through Treatment, to talk about the role exercise played in her experience with stage four breast cancer. Kristy was told to rest during treatment. But what she discovered was that movement helped her physically, mentally, and emotionally in ways she did not expect. She shares how she navigated the difference between needing rest a...

This week's episode is a personal one. It came from a hard week, a lot of physical discomfort, and a moment of asking a simple question. Why don't we talk about this more? Not just the physical challenges after breast cancer, but the internal rules we carry about how we should handle them. In this episode, we talk about "manuals." The invisible rulebooks we all have that shape how we think, feel,...

In this week's episode, we're talking about weight loss after breast cancer and menopause, and why it often feels like nothing is working. You're eating well. You're making changes. And your body is not responding the way it used to. We begin with a simple question. If weight loss is just calories in and calories out, why does it feel so different now? Think about Survivor. Everyone loses weight....

In this episode of the Better Than Before Breast Cancer podcast, Laura Lummer sits down with Chelsea Hassink to talk about her experience navigating a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis and the path that led her to explore integrative cancer care. Chelsea discovered a lump shortly after turning 40 and was quickly diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer that had metastasized to her liver. Within we...

In this final episode of the Nutrition After Breast Cancer: Just the Facts series, we break down ketosis clearly and responsibly. Ketosis is not a cure for cancer. It is not a replacement for chemotherapy or radiation. But research, including the Keto-CARE trial at The Ohio State University and ongoing metabolic oncology work at Boston College, suggests that metabolic ketosis may influence insulin...

In this week's podcast episode in the Nutrition After Breast Cancer: Just the Facts  series, I bring up the study that sparked that concern. I don't ignore things like this. I don't pretend they don't exist. If there's research being talked about, I want you to know about it. But here are the actual facts. The study was  done in mice. The mice were made to consume about  40% of their diet in olive...

Dairy is one of the most misunderstood foods in wellness. Is it inflammatory? Does it increase mucus? Does it raise IGF-1 and breast cancer risk? Or is that fear-based messaging? In Part 4 of the Nutrition Just the Facts series, Laura breaks down the science behind dairy and separates cultural belief from biological evidence. This episode covers: • Dairy and inflammatory biomarkers • The mucus myt...

Why are so many women told to avoid animal foods after breast cancer? And what does the science behind that advice actually show? In this episode of Better Than Before Breast Cancer, Laura Lummer explores plant-based versus animal-based eating through a clear, grounded lens. She explains why large observational studies like the Nurses' Health Study became so influential, how The China Study was ov...

Carbohydrates are often blamed, feared, or oversimplified, especially after breast cancer. In this episode, Laura continues her Nutrition Myths and Truths series with an evidence-based conversation about carbohydrates. This is not about food rules. It is about understanding how carbohydrates function in the body, how they interact with metabolism, inflammation, and genetics, and what lab markers c...

What does the science actually say about red meat after breast cancer? In this episode, Laura Lummer begins a new series focused on separating nutrition myths from facts. The conversation was sparked by hearing a physician recommend a low-fat, high-fiber diet with no red meat to an entire room of cancer patients. Laura explains why that kind of advice ignores bio individuality and why nutrition sc...

Diet plans. Supplements. Protocols. Podcasts. Advice from well-meaning people. At some point, all of that support can stop feeling helpful and start feeling overwhelming. In this episode, Laura shares a real-life story that highlights how stress and unresolved trauma can impact metabolic health, even when diet and exercise look "right." She explains why consistency, tracking data, and self-honesty...

At the beginning of the year, affirmations are everywhere. But if you have ever felt frustrated, tense, or discouraged while trying to use affirmations, this episode explains why. In Episode 446, Laura shares why affirmations that are not believable often create internal pushback, self-judgment, and cognitive dissonance, and why this is not a personal failure. You will learn how the brain responds...

Have you ever wondered why the new year brings so much pressure to move faster, even when your body feels tired and out of sync? In this episode, Laura shares a perspective that reframes fatigue, resistance, and the urge to slow down through the lens of evolutionary mismatch and seasonal rhythm. Rather than pushing harder, this conversation invites curiosity, compassion, and a deeper understanding...

Cold and flu season can feel extra challenging after breast cancer, especially when energy is already low after the holidays. In Episode 444, Laura shares gentle, practical ways to support your immune system during winter without fear or pressure. You will learn how the immune system works, why it is not meant to stay activated, and how sleep, stress, and hormone shifts influence immune health. La...

This episode comes out the day after Christmas, when many of us are surrounded by more stuff, more noise, and more overwhelm. In this episode, we talk about how clutter is not just physical. It can show up in our thoughts, our emotions, and even our schedules. We explore how rumination and constant busyness can keep the nervous system stuck in stress, and why clearing space in your environment and...

As the year comes to a close, Laura reflects on a powerful pattern many women experience after breast cancer: feeling like an observer in their own life rather than an active participant. In this episode, Laura explores how trauma, uncertainty, constant stimulation, and comparison can lead to disconnection and low-level dissociation. She explains why stillness is often avoided, how the nervous sys...

In this episode, I sit down with Kristie Howlett, NP , to talk about a topic so many women worry about but rarely get complete information on. Kristie brings her years of oncology and integrative experience into this discussion about bone health, estrogen changes, metabolic influences, and the difference strength training truly makes. I loved the way Kristie explained how muscle communicates with...

What does abundance really mean when you are healing from cancer? In this episode, Laura talks with cancer survivor and health coach  Hayley Dubin about manifestation, mindset, intuition, and the small actions that create meaningful change. About Hayley Dubin: Hayley is a Certified Health Coach, Metabolic Terrain Advocate, and founder of reVIVE Wellness. She is also the host of The Cancer Liberati...

After breast cancer, many women stay stuck in patterns of hypervigilance, overthinking, poor sleep, and emotional overwhelm without realizing the deeper cause: their body doesn't feel safe. In this episode, we explore: • How the nervous system processes safety • Why childhood patterns affect you today • Why fear of judgment activates the same pathways as physical threat • How safety influences dig...

In this episode, Laura speaks with three-time stage-four cancer survivor Paloma Soledad , the creator of Luxcare Clothing, chemical-free, Sun-safe, adaptive, and sustainably made pieces designed for women in cancer treatment and recovery. Paloma shares her story of immunotherapy, lymphedema, and living in a post-cancer body, and how her background in fashion led her to create clothing that honors...

In this episode, Laura explores a question that often brings women more confusion than clarity: "What is my purpose?" Drawing from her own reflections and from coaching breast cancer survivors, she reframes the conversation around a far more supportive question: "Am I living on purpose?" You'll hear how intentional living supports cognitive health, stress resilience, emotional wellbeing, and metab...

Why do we keep holding on to things that don't serve us, relationships, habits, or clutter that drains our energy? In this episode, Laura Lummer explores how the brain's desire for safety keeps us clinging to what's familiar, even when it hurts us. You'll hear about two fascinating studies on the psychology of familiarity and habit formation, and learn how awareness, curiosity, and small acts of r...

When you've lived through breast cancer, life often feels like a mix of opposites, gratitude and fear, healing and side effects, joy and grief. In this episode, Laura shares what it means to hold space for both the good and the hard, and how allowing energy to flow supports both emotional and physical healing. She explores the science of psycho-neuro-immunology, the lymphatic system, and fascia, a...

When we try to protect others from our pain, we often end up isolating ourselves. In this episode, Laura Lummer, The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach, shares her concept of the protective barrier , the invisible wall that forms when we hold our emotions in and pretend everything is "normal." Through the lens of radical transparency and supported by research on emotional expression, Laura explains how...

Back from Metabolic Health Day, I'm joined by client and Terrain Advocate-in-training, Katie Resor, to share the most use-today insights: energy and fatigue through a metabolic lens, nature and circadian rhythm, simple detox wins, EMF practices that fit real life, and the vendors/tests we loved. You'll also hear reflections on community, hope, and why health is a terrain we tend, not a finish line...