The Cancer Journey Podcast
The Cancer Journey Podcast, produced by the Cancer Journey Institute, offers support and guidance for patients, survivors, and caregivers navigating cancer. Each episode aims to foster resilience and growth, reframing the cancer experience as a meaningful journey rather than a battle. The podcast provides compassionate insights and practical advice to illuminate the path through the complexities of cancer care.
Episodes
Episode 133: What to Do When Hope Runs Low
What to Do When Hope Runs Low | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 133Disappointment on a cancer journey: what to do when hope runs lowMaybe a treatment didn’t work the way you hoped, or someone you counted on didn’t show up. Disappointment is part of a cancer journey, and the usual advice to stay positive or lower your expectations leaves you with nowhere to put what you actually feel.This heal
Episode 132: Angry, And Still Emotionally Intelligent
Anger on a cancer journey: what to do with it before you speak upA cancer experience gives you plenty of reasons to be angry. A doctor who rushes you. A clinic visit that leaves you feeling like the problem. Being emotionally intelligent doesn't make that anger disappear, and it doesn't mean you have to swallow it either.This healing and emotional wellness conversation from The Cancer Jour
Episode 131: You're Allowed to Want Something
You’re Allowed to Want Something | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 131You can't get back to normal after cancer. Here's what to reach for instead.Maybe you've caught yourself thinking it too: I just want things back to how they were. It's a natural thing to want. It's also not available to you anymore. There's no normal left to return to. Only change.That doesn't m
Episode 130: Owning Your Cancer Story
Owning Your Cancer Story | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 130In this deeply personal episode of The Cancer Journey Podcast, Shariann shares the full arc of her own cancer journey, five separate diagnoses over more than two decades, and what she learned from each one. She and Alicia talk about the exhaustion of running toward an end zone that keeps moving, the emotional toll of a stem cell tr
Episode 129: "I'm Afraid to Die" — And Why You Deserve Somewhere to Say That
"I'm Afraid to Die" — And Why You Deserve Somewhere to Say That | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 129In this episode of The Cancer Journey Podcast, Shariann and Alicia step back to talk about why this work exists in the first place. They explore the quiet stigma that still surrounds a cancer diagnosis, why people whisper it instead of saying it plainly, and what that silence cos
Episode 128: Surviving Survivorship
Surviving Survivorship | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 128In this episode of The Cancer Journey Podcast, Shariann and Alicia dig into survivorship, the phase that gets celebrated as a finish line but often marks the start of the hardest emotional work. They talk honestly about the disorientation of reentry, why "bouncing back" is the wrong goal and "finding your way forward&q
Episode 127: Between the Diagnosis and Everything After
Episode 126: The Quiet Recoveries with the Biggest Impact
The Quiet Recoveries with the Biggest Impact | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 126In this episode of The Cancer Journey Podcast, Shariann and Alicia dig into recovery, not as a single milestone but as something that happens over and over, in ways big and small, all along the Cancer Journey Roadmap.They talk about why the shape of healing is a rise and dip that repeats rather than a straight c
Episode 125: The Anger That Doesn't Get Permission
The Anger That Doesn't Get Permission | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 125This episode of The Cancer Journey Podcast captures something different: an unscripted coaching moment between Shariann and Alicia after an unexpected interruption throws off an entire day. They talk through what it actually feels like to get knocked off your axis by something you never saw coming, why even small i
Episode 124: What is Your Edge?
What is Your Edge? | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 124In this episode of The Cancer Journey Podcast, Shariann and Alicia continue the conversation that started at their coach retreat in Costa Rica, digging into the concept of the edge: the invisible line where fear stops growth before it starts. They reframe the edge from a cliff you could fall off into a curtain you've never actually l
Episode 123: What Endings Can't Take From You
What Endings Can't Take From You | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 123Shariann and Alicia just returned from leading a retreat in Costa Rica built around the theme of aliveness, and this episode is a raw, real-time look at what it feels like to come back down from something that expansive. They talk about the disorientation of endings, why "bittersweet" often hides more grief th
Episode 122: What Disappointment Is Really Telling You
What Disappointment Is Really Telling You | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 122Expectations feel harmless until they collapse.In this episode of The Cancer Journey Podcast, Shariann and Alicia sit with what expectations actually do to us, on a cancer journey and far beyond it. They talk about the difference between expecting a specific outcome and holding a standard for how you want to live,
Episode 121: The Question Your Being Is Actually Asking
The Question Your Being Is Actually Asking | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 121This episode is for anyone who has ever pushed through exhaustion when a nap was what they actually needed, or Googled at 2am hoping to find an answer that would finally make things feel okay.Topics covered in this episode:What being and doing actually mean and how they work togetherWhy doing from a place of panic
Episode 120: Celebrate Anyways
Celebrate Anyways | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 120What does it actually mean to celebrate when you're in the middle of something this hard?Celebration and cancer don't seem like they belong together. But at the Cancer Journey Institute, celebration is a tool, not just a feeling. In Episode 120, Shariann and Alicia make the case for why it matters more on a cancer journey than any
Episode 119: The 2am Spiral
The 2am Spiral | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 119Nobody tells you that the hardest part of a cancer diagnosis isn't the diagnosis itself.It's the noise that comes after. The urgent need to understand everything, decide everything, control something. Anything. The internet spiral at 2am. The feeling that if you just push hard enough, you'll get ahead of it.In this episode, Shari
Episode 118: Facing the Chapter That Feels Like an Ending
Facing the Chapter That Feels Like an Ending | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 118Life is fragile. We say that a lot in this work. This week, we recorded from inside it.Someone in our community got news that the medical system has done all it can. We felt that with them. This episode came the next day.In this conversation, we talk about what it actually means to face mortality on a cancer jou
Episode 117: Confusion Is a Signal, Not a Flaw
Confusion Is a Signal, Not a Flaw | Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 117Confusion on a cancer journey isn't a sign that something is wrong with you. It's a signal, and learning to read it instead of fighting your way out of it can change the whole experience of being in it.In Episode 117, Shariann and Alicia explore what confusion and lack of clarity actually feel like on a cancer journey,
Episode 116: Why the End of Treatment Feels So Complicated
Why the End of Treatment Feels So Complicated | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 116The end of cancer treatment should feel like everything you've been waiting for. And sometimes it does. But a lot of the time, it feels anticlimactic, disorienting, or even empty , and almost nobody talks about that.In Episode 116, Shariann and Alicia dig into the experience of endings: what the drop after
Episode 115: When Forgiveness Feels Like Giving Something Up
When Forgiveness Feels Like Giving Something Up | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 115Forgiveness is one of those words we think we understand until we actually try to practice it. On a cancer journey, it takes on a whole new dimension: forgiving your body, forgiving yourself for how you've responded under enormous pressure, and forgiving others when your capacity to hold anything extra is
Episode 114: The Someday Trap
Play feels like the last thing on the list when you're on a cancer journey. But what if waiting until everything is handled before you let yourself feel good is the very thing making the journey harder?In Episode 114, Shariann and Alicia have a deeply honest conversation about what gets in the way of play, joy, and lightness on a cancer journey, and what it actually looks like to start making
Episode 113: How We Die with CJC Barbara Haedtke
How We Die with CJC Barbara Haedtke | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 113How do we die? It's a question most of us spend our lives avoiding — and one that becomes impossible to ignore when you're on a cancer journey, especially a terminal one.In Episode 113, Shariann and Alicia are joined by Barbara, a certified Cancer Journey Coach who is also living with a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Episode 112: Where Does Joy Even Fit?
Where Does Joy Even Fit? | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 112How do you possibly find joy when you're on a cancer journey? When treatment is exhausting, energy is limited, and just getting through the day takes everything you have — where does joy even fit?In Episode 112, Shariann and Alicia get practical and personal about what it actually looks like to find moments of nourishment and d
Episode 111: What the System Wasn't Designed to Hold
What the System Wasn't Designed to Hold | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 111The cancer care system is extraordinarily skilled at treating the physical body. But a cancer journey is so much more than what shows up on a scan — and for most people moving through it, the emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of the experience are largely unaddressed.This is a conversation about the lim
Episode 110: The Conversation Nobody's Having About Chemo Brain
The Conversation Nobody's Having About Chemo Brain | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 110Brain fog, chemo brain, and the days when you just can't access yourself the way you normally can — this is one of the most common and least talked about experiences on a cancer journey. In Episode 110, Shariann and Alicia get candid about what it actually feels like to not feel brilliant, and what
Episode 109: Feeling Stuck on Your Cancer Journey? You're Not Alone
Feeling Stuck on Your Cancer Journey? You're Not Alone | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 109Feeling stuck is one of the most universal experiences on a cancer journey — and one of the least talked about.In this episode, Shariann and Alicia explore what stuckness really is, why it's so hard to move through, and what it actually looks like to begin letting go. The conversation covers th
Episode 108: When a Loved One Passes from Cancer (with Christine Anastos)
When a Loved One Passes from Cancer | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 108When a loved one passes from cancer, the journey doesn't end — it just changes. In this episode, Christine Anastos of Connect and Thrive (CAT) shares what it really means to be a cancer caregiver, the weight of showing up through the impossible, and what it's like to navigate your own cancer diagnosis while still
Episode 107: How Are You, Really?
How Are You, Really | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 107What does trust actually mean when you're on a cancer journey - and why do so many people feel unseen even when they're surrounded by people trying to help them?In Episode 107 of the Cancer Journey Podcast, Shariann and Alicia explore two of the most powerful tools in Cancer Journey Coaching: trust and powerful listening. They d
Episode 106: Underneath the Overwhelm: The Emotions, the Clarity, and Who You Get to Become
Underneath the Overwhelm: The Emotions, the Clarity, and Who You Get to Become | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 106We've been taught that stress is a sign we're doing something important — that carrying it means we're busy, and busy means we matter. But on a cancer journey, when the body is already working so hard, stress isn't something to push through. It's a signal wor
Episode 105: Still Becoming - Life & Cancer (with CJC Judy ViaCava)
Still Becoming - Life & Cancer | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 105In this episode, we're joined by Judy ViaCava, a certified Cancer Journey Coach and breast cancer survivor, for an honest conversation about identity after cancer. What does it mean to stop trying to go back to who you were? How do you find yourself in what comes next? And what gets in the way of that emergence — the
Episode 104: Setting Emotional Boundaries When You Have Cancer
Setting Emotional Boundaries When You Have Cancer | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 104When you're navigating a cancer diagnosis, you're already carrying more than most people will ever understand. And then everyone who loves you shows up — with their own fear, their own grief, their own need to feel like things are okay. In Episode 104, Shariann and Alicia dig into what happens when
Episode 103: Being Brave When Cancer is in the Room (with CJC Lauren Huffmaster)
Being Brave When Cancer Is in the Room | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 103Lauren Huffmaster has been living with metastatic breast cancer since 2015. In the ten years since her diagnosis, she founded Adventure Therapy Foundation, became a speaker and author, and has spent her life building something that gives other people a better experience than she had. In this episode of the Cancer Jour
Episode 102: Is Your Body Trying To Tell You Something?
Is Your Body Trying To Tell You Something? | Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 102Your body is constantly sending you messages. Exhaustion. Pain. That lump in your throat. Brain fog. Weakness. But we're so ruled by what we should be doing that we don't slow down to listen.In this episode of The Cancer Journey Podcast, we're talking about the constant battle between what you should do an
Episode 101: Mourning the You Before Cancer
Mourning the You Before Cancer | Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 101Cancer changes you. And one of the hardest parts? Mourning who you were before. When your body felt like yours. When you had clarity and energy. When breathing wasn't something you had to think about.In this episode of The Cancer Journey Podcast, we're talking about the grief that shows up when you're in the Pit of yo
Episode 100: Celebrating Cancer Journey Milestones
Celebrating Cancer Journey Milestones | Cancer Journey Podcast (Episode 100!)We made it to 100 episodes! And we're celebrating by talking about something we don't do enough: celebrating milestones on a cancer journey. Not just the big ones like finishing treatment. The small ones too. Like waking up and feeling pretty good. Or making it through another day.In this special episode of The Ca
Episode 99: People Pleasing on a Cancer Journey
People Pleasing on Your Cancer Journey | Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 99Stop people pleasing. When you're navigating cancer, it's easy to put on a brave face and try not to bring everyone down. You don't want to be seen as weak or incapable. You want to take care of everyone else first. But here's what happens: you end up completely depleted. And the people you're trying to
Episode 98: When A Loved One is Diagnosed with Cancer (with CJC Leslie Purchase)
When a Loved One is Diagnosed with Cancer | The Cancer Journey Podcast | Episode 98GET YOUR FREE MEDITATION: www.thecancerjourney.com/cancer-journey-podcast/episode-98When someone you love gets diagnosed with cancer, the instinct is to help. But knowing how to actually show up in a way that supports rather than burdens can be complicated.Leslie Purchase, one of our certified Cancer Journey Coaches
Episode 97: Cancer's Anger Has Impact
I Have Cancer and I'm Tired and Angry | The Cancer Journey PodcastThis episode didn't go where we expected. We started talking about exhaustion and anger on a cancer journey, and ended up processing something vulnerable in real time.When you have cancer, "tired" doesn't describe the bone-deep exhaustion that makes it hard to lift your arm. When you're that depleted, your nerves are on the surface.
Episode 96: Grief on a Cancer Journey
Grief on a Cancer Journey | The Cancer Journey PodcastGrief lands heavy, and on a cancer journey, it shows up in ways you don't always expect. This episode explores the many forms of grief that appear along the cancer journey and why making space for it matters more than trying to avoid it.Grief isn't just about death. It's mourning the person you were before diagnosis. It's the an
Episode 95: Reactivating Your 5 Senses
Reactivating Your 5 Senses | The Cancer Journey PodcastWhen was the last time you truly noticed what you were experiencing through your 5 senses? On a cancer journey—and honestly, in life—we can become so disconnected from our bodies that we forget to simply be present.In this episode, Shariann and Alicia explore how your 5 senses (taste, touch, smell, sound, sight) can ground you when you're
Episode 94: How to Manifest the Life You Want
How to Manifest The Life You Want: Beyond the BuzzwordJoin our virtual DREAM workshop: Jan 18, 2026 https://thecancerjourney.com/dream-workshop-offerManifesting became a trendy buzzword without anyone explaining how to actually do it. This episode breaks down what manifesting really means and how to use it as a practical tool on your cancer journey.Manifesting isn't about positive thinking tha
Episode 93: What Dreaming Looks Like with Cancer
Dreaming with Cancer: Why Your Heart's Desires Still MatterCan you dream when you have cancer? Should you? In this episode, we challenge the idea that dreaming is frivolous during a cancer journey and explore why staying connected to what your heart wants is actually essential for healing.We talk about what happens when you shut down your desires to be "practical," how cancer can for
Episode 92: How to Stop Beating Yourself Up
How to Stop Beating Yourself Up on Your Cancer Journey | Self-Compassion & ForgivenessStop beating yourself up. When you're navigating cancer, it's easy to become your own harshest critic. That voice that says you're not doing enough, that you messed up, that you should have done better gets so much louder. In this episode of The Cancer Journey Podcast, we explore why we're so
Episode 91: Permission to be Sad
Permission to Be Sad During a Cancer JourneySadness feels like it should be simple to talk about, but it's not. In this Cancer Journey Podcast episode, we explore why it's so hard to actually let yourself be sad, what happens in your body when you suppress it, and why crying feels so out of control.We talk about the physical sensations of sadness, why it feels inconvenient or like a deacti
Episode 90: Cancer and Loneliness
Cancer and Loneliness: Finding Connection When You Feel Most AloneLoneliness during cancer isn't about being physically alone - it's about feeling separated even when surrounded by support. In this episode, we explore the profound difference between aloneness and loneliness, and why the cancer journey can feel so isolating even with loved ones by your side.We discuss the unseen parts of ca
Episode 89: Gift Yourself Joy
What does it mean to gift yourself joy during a cancer journey, especially when the holidays arrive and energy is limited?In this episode, we explore how joy is still completely possible even when cancer is in the mix. We talk about giving yourself permission to experience joy without guilt, finding what brings you joy without efforting or spending money you don't have, and navigating the holi
Episode 88: I HATE CANCER!!
In this episode, we discuss why cancer is so hard. The immediate fear of death that comes with diagnosis. The exhaustion of holding everything together. The emotions that need somewhere safe to land. We explore the pressure to be positive, the confusion of trying to make sense of something senseless, and why having a coach who can hold space for all of it matters so deeply.In this conversation, we
Episode 87: Showing Up When You're Sick
How do you show up for yourself when you're not feeling your best? In this episode, we get vulnerable and record while we're both actually sick to talk about what it means to keep going when you're depleted.During a cancer journey, you often feel sick, tired, or completely disconnected from your body. And the easiest thing to do is isolate and push everything away. But sometimes what y
Episode 86: The Language of Cancer
Language of Cancer: Why the Words You Use Matter for Your HealingThe language we use during cancer affects our healing and sense of self profoundly. In this episode, we explore the power of words during a cancer journey, from battle language to toxic positivity to the things we say to ourselves when no one else is listening.Cancer comes with its own vocabulary. Medical terminology we're forced
Episode 85: Cancer and Relationships
Cancer and Relationships: How Connections Change During Your JourneyHow do relationships change during a cancer journey, and what do you really need from the people in your life? In this episode, we explore the complex dynamics that shift when cancer becomes part of your story.Cancer changes you, which means it changes every relationship. From your doctors to your family, from your partner to your
Episode 84: Cancer and Allies
What are allies on your cancer journey, and how can you find support in unexpected places? In this episode, we explore the concept of allies as more than just people who show up for you.We dive into why traditional support systems sometimes fall short during cancer, and how expanding your definition of "ally" can open up entirely new possibilities for feeling held, resourced, and nourish
Episode 83: Hard Emotions Series: Resentment
Resentment hides in the shadows and builds from things you tell yourself are too small to mention, until it eclipses the love in relationships that matter most. In this final episode of our Hard Emotion Series, we explore why resentment is so common on a cancer journey and how to address the "pinch" before it becomes unbearable.#CancerJourney #Resentment #PatientAdvocacyWHAT WE EXPLORE I
Episode 82: Hard Emotions Series: Disappointment
In part three of our Hard Emotion Series, we explore Disappointment—the heart-dropping-into-your-stomach feeling that makes you want to blame yourself, fix it immediately, or avoid feeling it altogether.This episode offers compassionate guidance for anyone navigating the inevitable disappointments of a cancer journey while maintaining hope and finding new paths forward.Join our community at: theca
Episode 81: Hard Emotions Series: Anger and Rage
In part two of our Hard Emotion Series, we dive into the emotions most people are afraid to name honestly: Anger and Rage. These aren't just frustration or being upset, they're powerful energies that carry immense judgment in our culture, making them the emotions we suppress most.We explore the crucial difference between anger (when a boundary gets crossed) and rage (when boundaries get cr
Episode 80: The Hard Emotions Series: Fear
Some emotions are often labeled "taboo" but are essential parts of being human, especially on a cancer journey, and we're digging into them with our Hard Emotions Series. We're starting with Fear because it's the emotion we hear about most from anyone navigating cancer. Not just fear of dying, but fear of what happens to loved ones, fear of losing control, fear of judgment, a
Episode 79: Accepting Your Cancer
Take a behind-the-scenes look at our recent Earth & Essence event at Filoli Gardens, where we brought together people at all stages of their cancer journeys for an afternoon of nature, reflection, and community.In this episode, Shariann and Alicia share insights from watching participants explore the manicured gardens and the imperfect forest trail with trolls, and how both paths offered exact
Episode 78: Changing Your Perspective Changes Your Healing
We get real about the pressure to "stay positive" during cancer treatment and offer a different approach, one that makes space for ALL your emotions while still moving toward healing and hope.This conversation is for anyone tired of forced positivity, anyone feeling stuck in difficult emotions, or anyone ready to discover the power they have to shift their healing journey through perspec
Episode 77: Get Everything You Want
What's the difference between what you want and what you need? And why does that distinction become so crucial when you're navigating a cancer journey?In this heartfelt episode, Shariann and Alicia explore how cancer puts you center stage in your own life, forcing you to ask yourself what you actually want—not just what you need to survive, but what would make this life feel worth living.F
Episode 76: Cancer is Not Your Fault
Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself.This episode is about the blame we carry, the shame that festers, and that voice in our head that sounds like a prosecutor building a case against us.If you've ever whispered "What did I do wrong?" or "How is this my fault?" after a cancer diagnosis (or really, after anything difficult in life), this conversation is for yo
Episode 75: Recognizing Cancer's Impact
Drawing from Shariann's incredible 20+ year journey through five different cancer diagnoses, we talk about how cancer forces all of us to slow down in a world that's absolutely obsessed with speed, and why that forced pause might be exactly what our souls have been craving.Here's what we really get into: Why cancer is like hitting a detour sign with no GPS to guide you, and how that
Episode 74: Cancer and Self-Care
This episode isn't about treating yourself better when you're alone. It's about what happens when self-care and relationships intersect. When caring for yourself feels like it might hurt someone else. When you have to choose between your well-being and someone else's comfort.We talk about the moment you realize you've been absorbing emotions that were never yours to carry. What
Episode 73: You Were Never Meant To Carry It All
We're having an honest conversation about one of the hardest but most important topics on the cancer journey—asking for help. We're exploring why this feels so difficult when it's actually one of the strongest things you can do, how to shift from "help" (which can feel victim-like) to "collaboration" and "support" (which feels empowering), and the beautifu
Episode 72: Cancer and Money
We're opening our hearts about one of the most challenging yet essential topics on the cancer journey—the intersection of cancer and money, and how financial fears can sometimes feel just as devastating as the diagnosis itself.We're having an honest conversation about why money becomes such a heavy topic when cancer enters your world, how financial panic can eclipse even the cancer experie
Episode 71: Reclaiming Your Power
You ARE your power—it's not something outside yourself that you need to find. No one knows you and loves you like you do. The most beautiful choice you have is how you choose to see your situation. And having someone reflect back your incredible light? That's not selfish—that's essential.Whether you're a cancer patient, survivor, thriver, or caregiver, this episode offers gentle wi
Episode 70: The Key to Your Own Peace
When life throws you something as overwhelming as a cancer diagnosis, it can feel like peace is something that only exists on vacation, somewhere far away from all the decisions, treatments, and uncertainty. But what if peace isn't a destination you have to travel to?In this episode, we explore what it really means to find and hold your peace during life's most chaotic moments, especially
Episode 69: Stress Responses: Fawn and Fib
In this final episode of our stress response series, we explore two responses that are newer to the research but probably familiar to your lived experience: Fawn and Fib. These responses show up when your nervous system decides the safest way through a situation is to either keep everyone else comfortable or create a more acceptable version of yourself.The goal isn't to eliminate these respons
Episode 68: Stress Responses: Flight
When you're facing overwhelming situations during a cancer journey, the flight response shows up in ways that might surprise you. It's not always about physically running away—sometimes it's that internal "no" when your doctor is delivering difficult news, or the complete denial that kicks in during diagnosis.In this episode, we continue our stress response series by explorin
Episode 67: Stress Responses: Fight
When you're facing a cancer diagnosis, your fight stress response is going to show up whether you want it to or not. That surge of adrenaline, the pounding heart, the feeling like you need to control everything right now—it's your primitive nervous system trying to protect you from what it perceives as a threat.In this episode, we continue our series on stress responses by exploring what t
Episode 66: Stress Responses: Freeze
When you're navigating a cancer journey, stress responses are going to show up whether you want them to or not. But what if the thing we've been taught to judge ourselves for is actually pointing us toward the solution?In this conversation, we explore how these responses are really precursors to emotions—and why that freeze response you might be criticizing yourself for could actually be y
Episode 65: Cancer and Joy
When cancer enters your life, it can feel like a dark veil settles over everything—making joy feel impossible or even inappropriate. But what if everything you've been told about how you're "supposed to feel" during a cancer journey is wrong?Joy isn't something you manufacture or force. It bubbles up naturally when you stop judging yourself for being human. Whether you're
Episode 64: Who Shows Up
Join us for a tender exploration of one of cancer's most unexpected heartbreaks—when the people you thought would be your strongest support quietly step away when you need them most.We create space for the complex emotions that arise when friendships shift during life's most challenging seasons. This isn't about blame or judgment, but about honoring the very real grief that comes when
Episode 63: Burnout Culture and the Revolutionary Act of Slowing Down
Join us for an honest exploration of burnout culture and the profound exhaustion so many of us carry, not just from work, but from a society that profits from our depletion.We create space for the soul-deep tiredness that comes from carrying everyone else's needs while forgetting to include yourself in the equation. Discover why burnout isn't just about being busy, but about moving so far
Episode 62: What To Do When You Don't Recognize Yourself
Join us for a tender exploration of one of cancer's most disorienting experiences - that moment when you look in the mirror and don't recognize the person staring back.We create space for the profound grief that comes when your sense of self feels foreign, when the roles that defined you no longer fit, when your energy and capacity have shifted beyond recognition. This loss deserves to be
Episode 61: What is Listening, Really?
We open our hearts about the different levels of listening—from those light surface conversations that help us feel connected to the world, to the profound practice of powerful listening that creates spaces where people feel genuinely seen, heard, and understood.Discover why listening goes far beyond hearing words or waiting for your turn to speak. Learn how curiosity, presence, and genuine care c
Episode 60: Cancer is a Gift
We open our hearts about what awakens when cancer stops us in our tracks: the discovery that we matter simply for being, the courage to finally put ourselves alongside those we love, the sudden clarity about what truly deserves our precious energy and attention.This isn't about silver linings or toxic positivity. For those in treatment right now, we hold deep space for your struggle. This conv
Episode 59: What's the S in PESH?
This gentle conversation explores one of the most misunderstood dimensions of the cancer experience - the spiritual aspect represented by the "S" in our PESH Check-in.We create a spacious, judgment-free space to explore what spirituality really means on the cancer journey - not as a set of beliefs or practices, but as our personal relationship with meaning, connection, and that inner vit
Episode 58: The Fundamentals
Join us for a soul-nurturing conversation about our Fundamentals Program – that special 12-week journey where healthcare professionals, cancer thrivers, caregivers, and compassionate souls come together to learn the art of truly seeing, hearing, and understanding each other during the cancer experience.Discover how this program helps you find words for experiences that often go unnamed, and how th
Episode 57: The Power of the Pause
In this episode of the Cancer Journey Podcast, we explore the transformative power of pausing during a cancer experience. We discuss how slowing down reconnects us with our bodies, regulates our nervous systems, and creates space for healing.We talk about how pausing helps us process emotions and gain clarity, why a cancer diagnosis often creates a sense of urgency that prevents pausing, and the d
Episode 56: Navigating The Unknown
When cancer enters our lives, uncertainty becomes our constant companion. In this thoughtful conversation, we explore how to navigate the unknown—from treatment decisions to worrying about outcomes—with greater courage and trust.As we explore in this episode, the unknown isn't something to fear but rather a canvas waiting for our unique brushstrokes. While uncertainty is inevitable on the canc
Episode 55: Being Human with Cancer
In this honest conversation, we explore what it truly means to be human while navigating the cancer journey—not the idealized warrior or saint that society often expects, but the full, messy spectrum of our humanity.The reality is that no one receives a cancer diagnosis without feeling deeply about it. This conversation honors the gift of being human—in all its messiness, complexity, and contradic
Episode 54: Cancer and...Grief
In this heartfelt conversation, we explore grief as it arrives on the cancer journey—for patients, survivors, thrivers, and especially caregivers. Building on our discussion of death and dying, we now turn toward those who remain, holding space for both the emptiness and the love that continues.We demonstrate our own process of giving ourselves permission to express everything we're feeling ab
