This episode is part of my special series, “Your Voice, Your Health and is designed to teach us all about step therapy.  Joanna Doran is a cancer rights attorney, author, speaker, and CEO of Triage Cancer, a national, nonprofit organization providing free education on practical and legal issues that may impact individuals coping with cancer and their caregivers. Joanna has spent nearly thirty years working on behalf of individuals with cancer and co-authored a book called Cancer Rights Law...

Beth Fairchild is an artist, metastatic breast cancer thriver, advocate and founder of a new non-profit called Cancer Culture. This patient-led non-profit organization is designed  to sound the alarm about the growing public health concern that is breast cancer. #CancerCulture uses art and storytelling to raise awareness, provoke and inspire change by bringing a hopeful view to the community and shining a light on the realities of the disease, all while creating a sense of community among...

I’m so excited to have my good friend Rachel Beller back on the show! Rachel is the author of several books including her latest one called, “Spice Rack.” She explains the benefits of the Beller Nutrition approach, offers up expert advice about maintaining a healthy weight during and post-treatment, and the easiest ways to incorporate the Beller methodology into our meals each day.

I’m so happy to welcome back my dear friend AND my very own breast oncologist, Dr. Eleonora Teplinksy. Tune in to learn about Dr. Teplinksy's expertise, as well as explore strategies for effectively navigating genetic testing and breast cancer screening for our daughters. This subject holds great personal significance for me, given that I have two young adult daughters with an elevated risk of breast cancer due to our extensive family history. Dr. Teplinksy guides us in forging a...

This was one episode I never expected to record. My beautiful mother Barbara is one of the sweetest, caring people you’ll ever meet. She saved my life by encouraging me to get a BRCA test and continues to be a true advocate for our entire family and for everyone she meets. A few months ago, and 17 years after her initial breast cancer diagnosis, she was faced with a very difficult decision to make about her own health. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly be more proud of her. Do not miss...

Introducing a brand new Dear Cancer, I'm Beautiful podcast series called, "Your Voice. Your Health!” The first episode of this series titled, "What is Step Therapy and How Does it Affect Cancer Patients?” will provide you with comprehensive information about step therapy and its implications on your treatment choices and outcomes. I didn't even know what step therapy was until recently. These "fail first" policies have become way too common in healthcare insurance plans. They require us to...

I’m so thrilled to introduce you to my new friend, Katherine Mason. She is an incredible artist and founder of Painted With Lipstick. Tune into this episode to hear Katherine's story, as she was a tremendous source of love and support for a friend of hers who was undergoing breast cancer treatment. Together, they discovered the power of lipstick and how it played a special part in her friend’s healing process.

Meet my friend Hayley Brown, Director of Partnerships and Programs for TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance. Hayley is also the daughter of the Foundation’s founder, Ricki Fairley. Hayley is the driving force behind their special program, “For The Love Of My Gurls. We’re going to hear Hayley’s story, why she’s so passionate about breast cancer advocacy and challenges that she’s currently facing as she tries to navigate her own breast health and screening. Most importantly, she shares some...

If you don’t know her already, please meet my friend Rachel Burns. Rachel is a pop-soul-cabaret-satire singer/songwriter and a breast cancer survivor dedicated to using her voice and platform to raise awareness of the realities of the disease while creating a sense of community among patients. We’re going to learn how singing can actually be therapeutic, how Rachel uses her music to advocate for breast cancer, the upcoming Cancer Culture fashion shows and her Living My Breast Life fundraiser...

I’m so excited to have my dear friend Dr. Jonathan Bank back on the show! He’s a board-certified plastic surgeon and an internationally known expert in microsurgery. A particular area of specialty is the sensory restoration of the reconstructed breast, in which Dr. Bank has one of the longest-standing experiences in America. In this episode, we talk about a surgical technique that he's very passionate about called Resensation. Dr. Bank explains how it works and his “why” behind his interest...

Meet my friend Whitney O’Connor. She’s been working in the mental health community since 2012 and most of her time is spent managing and building her nonprofit business called, The Boobie Queen Company. Whitney founded this organization after being diagnosed at 30 years old and 6 weeks after getting married. She does this by donating Boobie Crowns and facilitating retreats for her Boobie Queens. Tune into this special episode to learn how Whitney uses her experience as a mental health...

You’re going to love meeting my friend Melissa Papock, Founder & CEO of Cabana Life.  We met years ago when I was a publicist and she was my client, talk about full circle! At age 26, Melissa was diagnosed with melanoma during a routine skin check. Melissa's problem became her purpose and she started Cabana Life with the dream of using her personal story and stylish clothing to help educate and protect as many people as possible. Hear Melissa’s story, learn why it’s so important to...

Introducing Kimmay! She’s an Undergarment Educator, Self-Love coach and Founder of Hurray Kimmay. Kimmay has been featured on major national morning shows including Rachael Ray and TODAY. She’s on a mission to help us all feel comfortable and confident in our bras. Hear how Kimmay became a bra expert, the do’s and don’t when it comes to finding the best bra for you regardless of your body type, and most importantly how to embrace and love your body throughout the process.

The concept of clean beauty can be very overwhelming and confusing, especially when you’re navigating a cancer diagnosis. Thank you Kelsey Bucci, CEO and Founder of Paris Laundry for teaching us the do’s and dont’s! This amazing cancer thriver, entrepreneur and Mom of four was instructed by medical professionals to refrain from using certain products to minimize her exposure to toxins. This ultimately led to the launch of an entire lifestyle brand which offers clean and sustainable beauty,...

If you don’t know him already, meet my new friend Josh Levin! He’s the President of LympheDIVAS, a brand dedicated to helping us feel beautiful by offering stylish yet functional lymphedema garments.  LympheDIVAS was created by Josh’s late sister Rachel who ultimately lost her life to triple negative breast cancer. He continues to keep her incredible vision alive today. Tune in to learn about the “why” behind Josh’s mission, how wearing a beautiful lymphedema garment can help you feel...

Today is International Yoga Day so I couldn’t resist inviting a yoga loving thriver here to chat with us about the healing benefits of yoga! Introducing Emily Pareti, founder of Emily Pareti Yoga and a beautiful thriver who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2010. A relapse seven years later led her to discovering yoga as a way to deal with the emotional and physical challenges that a cancer diagnosis can bring. Hear Emily’s amazing story, how she fell in love with yoga and how yoga can...

I’m so glad I met Dionne!  She’s an incredible celebrity lash expert, breast cancer thriver and founder of D’Lashes and has worked with major celebs including Victoria Beckham, Naomi Campbell, Renee Zellweger, Lindsay Lohan and Mary J. Blige. Otherwise known as “Hollywood’s Secret Beauty Weapon” and “The Pioneer of Lash Extensions,” Dionne shares her passion for helping breast cancer thrivers look and feel their best with her lash expertise along with some do’s and don'ts when it comes to...

Tune in for a very empowering conversation about mastectomy tattoos with Karen Malkin- Lazarovitz, Founder of EMPOWERink! This brand new non-profit organization connects breast cancer survivors, previvors and thrivers with tattoo artists who provide complimentary tattoos. Karen shares her incredible story, her “why” behind EMPOWERink, and how these gorgeous tattoos can help you feel empowered and define your beauty on your terms. If you’re even thinking about a mastectomy tattoo, you’re going...

If you’re struggling with getting your sexy back, tune into this very candid and empowering conversation with “Sexpert” Dr. Juliana Hauser. She’s got a PhD in Counseling Education, teaches other graduate therapists and has a background in teaching gender studies. She’s also a licensed marriage and family therapist, professional counselor and mama! We chat about where to even start when it comes to sex and intimacy, how to engage your medical team about your sexual challenges, and the benefits...

May is Osteoporosis Awareness Month, so let’s talk about bone health with Kevin Ellis! Better known as Bone Coach,™ he’s a Forbes-featured Integrative Health Coach, podcaster, YouTuber and founder of BoneCoach.com. We debunked some myths and misconceptions about osteoporosis and Kevin shared some of his favorite tips. Tune in to keep those bones strong, and visit this link for his amazing Stronger Bones MasterClass!™

May is Osteoporosis Awareness Month, so what better time to talk about the benefits of bone health and Pilates? Meet Aliyah Hatcher, Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher and Founder & Owner of Pilates Center of Rockville. Learn what Pilates is, why it's so beneficial for overall bone health, how it can improve your posture, strengthen your core and so much more!

If you're apprehensive about diving into the crazy world of dating while navigating metastatic breast cancer, then this episode is for you! Deltra is one of the most inspiring, vibrant thrivers that you'll ever meet. We talked about dating apps, what her deal breakers are, when to let your partner know that you have metastatic breast cancer, as well as a ton of other tips that will help you take that leap into the dating world.

Meet my dear friend, artist, and three-time cancer survivor Marianne DuQuette Cuozzo! We talk about her cancer experience, her life as an artist, and how the two worlds collided with her fab LymphaDIVAs collab. She also shares her tried and true fashion tips for those of us who are flat and don’t have breast reconstruction.  Thank you to LympheDIVAs for sponsoring this special episode! For 10% off of your LympheDIVAs purchase, visit this link and enter promo code CF2023 at checkout.

Shopping for a wig for the very first time when you're about to lose your hair to chemo can be a very daunting task. Have no fear, Jess the @hairlossgirlboss is here! She's a true expert when it comes to finding the perfect wig and offers up some really great tips about where to find the best ones, how to care for and style them, insurance coverage options and so much more. I promise you'll be so excited to shop for yours after listening to this episode!

We went there! I had a very candid and informative conversation with Gerie DiPiano, women's healthcare expert and President and CEO of FemmePharma. We discussed all of the sexual health and intimacy challenges that cancer patients face, some very proven and effective solutions, and the importance of feminine self-care whether you're sexually active or not.