On our continued quest to interview health experts with unique, integrative approaches to heal, we interview Dr George Xavier Love for Episode 26 of Thriver Talks. He is many incredible things but for today’s interview we focus on his mastery of Qi-Gong, an ancient Chinese exercise and healing technique that involves meditation, controlled breathing and movement exercises. And best of all, you can do it in the comfort of your own home! George Love explains and even demonstrates Qi-Gong with...

What are the odds that we find a former Hematologist and medical Oncologist turned board certified medical Acupuncturist to cover Traditional Chinese Medicine? Slim! But as per usual, we're here to defy the odds! Acupuncture and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) are integrative tools that we both use regularly.  While we can share our personal experiences, we too had many questions about the function and history of acupuncture. For episode 25 of Thriver Talks we went straight to the source...

Cancer is an ongoing learning process on self love through change. No one portrays this more beautifully than Kim Angell, our “unicorn status” 🦄 Thriver sis. (#IYKYK or just check out minute 9:36!) She models for us what it looks like to love your body as a symbol of strength. In this episode, you’ll learn: -The many phases of the surgery process -Reconstruction options and decisions -3 tips for self love after significant physical changes -Kim’s secrets on how she maintains such a positive...

Today, we take Thriver Talks LIVE for our first ever Zoom meet up! This episode is all about the power of the Thriver community and what can happen when social media is used as a tool for connection, transparency, and relationship. In this episode, you'll LEARN: -How the global pandemic has influenced both our personal and patient life and what you can do to help -How we cope with uncertainty -Practical tips to thrive during quarantine life In this episode, you'll SEE: -The instant...

Every single person in the world right now is in some way affected by the feelings of uncertainty and fear around the current global pandemic, COVID19. In addition to an underlying cancer diagnosis, this sudden panic can be an extra layer of stress and fear on top of what most of us are already going through, especially due to our suppressed immune systems from treatment and pre-existing conditions. Right when we thought things couldn't get worse, we have become part of that small percentage...

Breast cancer isn’t just breast cancer like we may have all once of thought prior to diagnosis. Now, thrust into the ‘world of cancer,’ we are aware of the different types of breast cancer, triple negative being the most rare. Because we are both ER+, we wanted to learn more about this diagnosis to educate ourselves and our community so we chose to interview our girl, Kelly Thomas. A triple negative breast cancer diagnosis packs a hard punch, but Kelly (@talkischeapxo) was determined not to...

It's here!...The long awaited "SEX-pisode". In episode 20 of Thriver Talks we break down needless barriers and discuss intimacy during and after treatment. We believe that the more questions we ask, the more access we have to answers; that we don't need to suffer alone; and that this community was created specifically for tough questions and vulnerable topics. Our guest, Dr. Rojas is not your typical oncological breast surgeon, founding the MUSIC Sex After Cancer program when she discovered...

Scanxiety and receiving results is by far one of the most stressful, draining, and trying experiences in the life of a Thriver. In fact, it's often more exhausting than treatment itself! We've had our fair share of scans and have developed some useful and practical coping skills that help us approach scans with a positive mindset, wait for results with a posture of assurance and receive the results empowered with an abundance of options. In Episode 19, we face the scanxiety monster head on,...

“What’s your faith? What religion are you?” These are loaded questions and certainly don’t have one word answers. In fact our belief system is rather difficult to articulate. What we can say with ease however, is that we know our faith is bigger and far more effective than any treatment we take, Eastern or Western. Just as we believe there are many paths to healing, we believe there are many paths to God, Source, Spirit, Universe, whatever you resonate with and in Episode 18 of Thriver...

We all deserve and are worthy of love, even with cancer, even with stage 4 cancer! In Episode 17 of Thriver Talks we share our two very distinct love stories to give you hope that even with an ‘incurable’ diagnosis, love is very possible. If you’re single, in a relationship or just getting out of one, this episode is for you. In this episode you will learn: - Our personal love stories, prior to cancer and during - Love is very possible - Rejection is often times redirection - Self...

On today’s episode of Thriver Talks, Nalie is joined by Erin Ripplinger (IG: @rippzie) from Utah who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer (HER2+) in 1999. At the time, she had an 18-month old baby girl and underwent treatments while pregnant with her son. Fast forward to today, she is an energetic Zumba Instructor, a passionate Flight attendant and is still cancer-free 21 years later. How did she do it? Find out in Episode 16 of Thriver Talks!

Induced menopause, hair loss, loss of a breast, mastectomy, weight gain and weight loss are some of what we have collectively experienced on our journeys with metastatic breast cancer. These physical changes not only wreak havoc on your body, they can wreak havoc on your mind and self image causing feelings of self doubt and unworthiness. We have struggled with these issues too and in Episode 15 of Thriver Talks we vulnerably discuss our own body image issues as a result of our diagnoses and...

Can you have babies? Do you want to have children of your own one day? Any plans to start a family? Have you considered adoption? Will you have to have a surrogate? These are some of the many questions we have had to ask ourselves when it comes to fertility and being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. In this episode we answer all of those questions and recall our own journeys with egg preservation. This topic isn’t always addressed when you or someone you know and love receives a...

Starting chemotherapy for the first time or trying a drug that is newly FDA approved is scary! We get it! You may be worried and have no one who could relate, but more than likely, we totally could. Whether you’re newly diagnosed and about to start treatment for the very first time, or if you have been on your journey and are changing treatment plans because your current one isn’t the best fit, this is the episode for you! Collectively we have been on so many different drugs over the years...

We wanted to set off the new year by addressing a very important topic. Hands down the number one question we get asked by those seeking inspiration and healing tips, is how we cope with fear despite metastatic breast cancer diagnoses. This is a tough topic, because truth is, we still struggle with fear like everyone else. We are not fearless, nor is that the goal, but we believe in working to get to a place where you ‘fear less’ in order to thrive and live beyond your diagnosis or...

Happy New Year Thrivers! Next week marks the beginning of not just a new year, but a new decade! Around this time of the year we feel a sudden pressure to create a list of New Year’s resolutions which are generally short lived. When February rolls around and we haven’t stuck to our resolutions we can feel a sense of shame or guilt. Rather than set resolutions for the new decade, in episode 11 of Thriver Talks we are going to tell you how to set intentions. Setting intentions focuses less on...

For our first Thriver Talks Interview, Nalie had the opportunity to sit with Chaunte Lowe, a 4x Olympian, Olympic Medalist, Speaker, American Record Holder, Mom of 3 and Triple Negative Breast Cancer Thriver! Nalie and Chaunte had the honour to share the stage at Facebook and Instagram Headquarters in San Francisco, addressing the topic of Resilience. Despite undergoing treatments for Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Chaunte is still training to compete in the 2020 Olympics while raising 3...

Much like yourself or anyone diagnosed with cancer, we were hungry for hope and hungry for information. One of the first things we did was read. We consumed anything that would provide us the hope we so desperately needed. Some books were recommended to us and others we discovered ourselves, but they all helped us tremendously, so we wanted to pass some along to you in hopes they do the same! We have read countless books over the years, and it was a bit hard to narrow down to 5. There are so...

We’re not big on labels because honestly, labels can be limiting and can even cause division. And let’s face it, in the cancer community there are so many of them. Some people really identify and relate to certain labels and that’s all good, as long as they make you feel empowered. But the one term that is all encompassing, and above all empowering and inspiring, is ’Thriver.’ We believe a Thriver is one who perseveres and breaks through barriers and limitations. A Thriver is one who...

As patients, we often forget that we are responsible for creating our team of healthcare physicians and integrative therapists who will walk the journey with us. We sometimes forfeit our power because of fear and desperation. We get it! We’ve been there too. But through the years of navigating our journeys, we have come to realize that there’s usually time for second opinions, and that choosing the right team players to create your ultimate ‘Dream Team’ is one of the most important steps to...

In today's episode of Thriver Talks we complete our Part 2 series of Integrative Therapies that help us thrive! Listen and be inspired as we scratch the surface and introduce you to the practices that we have implemented into our daily routines and busy lives that we believe have played a tremendous part in our healing. We know that in order to truly thrive and heal we must take a multi-faceted approach in order to address mind body and spirit. From yoga to reiki to myofascial release among...

When you’re faced with an “incurable” cancer diagnosis, you have two choices. One, to accept the fact that there are a limited amount of treatments to prolong your life starting with the ones that give you the best quality of life, ending with “sorry we’ve ran out of options”. Or two, you can research ancient Chinese Medicine that has been used for centuries, explore natural remedies, discover what others have implemented in their lifestyle to beat the odds and travel to the far ends of the...

People always want to know what our diets consist of, it’s one of the most common questions we receive. So in episode 4 of Thriver Talks, we wanted to give you some clarity and insight into the choices we have made when it comes to diet and what we believe has worked for us on our healing journeys. We believe that what we consume is just as important as the treatment we take and we discuss our ‘why’s’ in this informative episode. In this episode you will learn: - What our diets consist of...

In this episode we explain what metastatic breast cancer is, and what it means to live with MBC. Metastatic breast cancer is very different from all other stages of breast cancer and we dive into the common misconceptions about our unique, shared diagnosis. People with MBC often feel misunderstood and isolated and by sharing our perspectives and experiences we aim to offer hope to anyone affected by MBC as well as show others how they can better support those living with a metastatic...