The Boob Report

Episode Synopsis:

Touching on the caregiving side of dealing with breast cancer again! Being a caregiver to anyone who is going through a devastating illness, like breast cancer, or aging parents can be overwhelming. You need to make sure that you are taking care of yourself so that you can be there for your loved one. Leah is passionate about helping caregivers!

Episode Guests:

After spending 20 years in marketing and communications, Leah was moved by her son's illness to return to graduate school to study the psychological implications of chronic illness on families. She is passionate about caregivers' mental health so that the whole family can thrive. She has her M.A. in Child and Adolescent Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is in her second year of a Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master's program, so she will be a Licensed Professional Counselor.

Leah is now using her expertise and experience to help families manage the stress, anxiety, and fear that can come with a crisis or chronic illness diagnosis.

Episode Synopsis: We serve as a partner as they heal in mind, body, and spirit.

The need for services continues as statistically 400 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in Weld and Larimer Counties each year.  According to Lydia, “We want to provide free post-diagnosis services to all women in northern Colorado. We are committed to continuing our important work with the supportive help of our professional providers, generous donors, committed board members, staff, and volunteers.”

The organization started providing services in January 2002 and since then Hope Lives! has provided services and improved the lives of thousands of women. The name has changed to Hope Lives! The Lydia Dody Breast Cancer Support Center to better describe who we are now.

Episode Guests:

Lydia Dody, Founder & Board Member

Starting a new organization was my creative vision but making it a reality took a village.

While fighting an arduous battle with breast cancer in 2001, my experiences and struggles during treatment led me to reach out to many complementary care providers to ease my Chemotherapy side effects and help me endure my treatments physically, psychologically, and emotionally. These services improved my recovery and quality of life so much that it moved me to start The Lydia Dody Breast Cancer Foundation non-profit to help other women in treatment.

Elise Carver, Executive Director

Elise is thrilled to be a part of the staff and mission of Hope Lives! Not only does she have a passion for helping people and giving back, but unfortunately like most, she too, has had various family members and friends affected by breast cancer. Elise brings more than 20 years of managerial, training, and customer service experience in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. Most recently, she held the position of Volunteer Coordinator in Weld county for Pathways Hospice.

Nikki Houser, Manager of Client Services & Communications

Nikki is the newest staff member to join Hope Lives! With a career that includes event, retail, and marketing management, she brings a unique perspective to the team. Recently, she decided to try her skills as a school librarian at a K-8 Charter School.

Aside from being a good fit professionally, Nikki is also a Breast Cancer Survivor! She was diagnosed in 2020 at age 44 with Stage 1C IDC, ER/PR+, Her2-, ATM+ and is currently in remission.

Episode Synopsis:

Imagine being on your journey with breast cancer and your spouse is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer! Kim has been through so much but has always maintained her sense of humor, and author of two books, and a tireless volunteer helping others.

Episode Guests:

Kim Sorrelle is an entrepreneur, director of a humanitarian organization, a popular speaker, and the author of two books. Her first book, Cry Until You Laugh, is about her breast cancer experience and her husband's battle with pancreatic cancer after being diagnosed four months apart. Her second book, Love Is, chronicles her year-long quest to figure out the true meaning of love, a sometimes funny, sometimes scary, always enlightening journey that led to life-changing discoveries found mainly on the streets of Haiti.

Episode Synopsis: 

This episode of The Boob Report podcast is all about Mom’s. Our guest Denise Taylor was the caregiver for her Mother during her first and second diagnosis of breast cancer. We are discussing how it can be overwhelming and rewarding all at once. She was able to step in and take over with power of attorney, keeping track of doctors’ appointments, treatments and medications. Amid all of that, she was able to take some time for her and her family by setting up outside help. She stresses how self-care can be so important to make sure you are there for your loved ones.

Episode Guests:

Denise Taylor

My goal is to help you build a life you love without apology. A life that is successful in every way you define. With the right "Success Strategies" you can have it all and I want to help you succeed. One of the biggest challenges we face as professional women is warring against the pressure to settle or even give up. Pressure to choose or even sacrifice who we are & what we want - be it love, career, family, relationship, or lifestyle. I believe we can pursue happiness our way without compromise. We don’t have to settle. 

Episode Synopsis:

Morgan is also a former insomniac. She spent almost a decade using prescription sleeping pills despite knowing that her overall sleep quality suffered. Morgan now inspires and teaches other women how to confidently, calmly, and effectively get a good night's sleep without the use of sleep aides.

Morgan is also a two-time breast cancer survivor. She advocates for a lifestyle of disease prevention and integrating holistic strategies for cancer treatment. Morgan lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and dog, Ollie, a shaggy, 15-pound mess of love.

Episode Guests:

Morgan Adams

Morgan Adams is a holistic sleep coach for women who struggle with getting a good night's sleep consistently. Her goal is to help women feel better and live better, and the key to both begins with a good night's sleep.

Morgan is an accredited health coach with additional advanced certifications in sleep science. She’s a sought-after podcast guest and expert for websites like MindBodyGreen.

Episode Synopsis:

Elizabeth Anne Wood is Professor of Sociology and chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work at Nassau Community College. She is also Senior Strategist for Woodhull Freedom Foundation, the only national organization dedicated full time to affirming sexual freedom as a fundamental human right. Her debut memoir, Bound: A Daughter, a Domme and an End-of-Life Story (She Writes Press, 2019) explores themes of sexuality, illness, aging, and the dysfunctions of the U. S. health care system and is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats. Elizabeth is a devoted cat person, and when she isn’t writing, teaching, or strategizing you can sometimes catch her on the flying trapeze.

Episode Guests:

Episode Synopsis:

Just a quick podcast to talk about how I have been working through my own struggles with pain, survivor’s guilt, the everyday craziness of life. I have mentioned before that I have struggled for years, even before breast cancer, with anxiety and depression and not really dealing with triggers that might set those feelings into high gear! It has also taken me some time to find things that work for me to help me calm down and work with my anxiety and depression. This does include therapy but I also have found things I can do on my own with self care. Once again, it’s not wrong to struggle with your emotions, be angry or cry! That’s all healthy and normal! I tried to find the humor in things, trust me it was hard but I kept at it. Keep moving forward, sometimes it’s all you can do!

Episode Guests: Me

5 Year Breast Cancer Survivor

Visionary at The Boob Report

Friend, ally, shoulder to cry on, an ear to vent and someone to share a glass of wine with!

Episode Synopsis:

On this episode of The Boob Report we are visiting with Dr. Hailey Steinhauser, a chiropractor and a wellness coach. For years she has helped family members, friends, patients, and clients get their health back on track and make the connection between how the mind affects the physical body. Powering up the nervous system, breaking old patterns that keep you in survival mode, and focusing on living in the present moment are all key parts of how she lives her own life and how she guides transformation in her patient's and client's lives.

Episode Guests:

Dr. Haley Steinhauser

Episode Synopsis:

On this episode of The Boob Report we are visiting with Dr. Barb Hughson, a woman devoted to helping other women get access to mammograms and thermograms AND educating them on how to live a healthier lifestyle through prevention and early detection.

Episode Guests:

Dr. Barb Hughson

President of Education of the Foundation holds a Doctorate in Leadership and has been involved in education and learning for several decades. A serial entrepreneur, she has literally helped thousands of people in her career and now utilizes her experience to design and develop the education arm of the Becky Baker Foundation.

Contact Dr. Barb at: drbarb@beckybakerfoundation.org.

Episode Synopsis:

On this episode of The Boob Report, we are visiting with Tracey Spielman, a self-professed Type A personality who was diagnosed with breast cancer on Valentine’s Day 2020 during the pandemic. She shares with us how challenging it was to deal with not only the diagnosis but the fact that she felt she had no control over what was happening to her.

Episode Guests:

Tracey Spielman

I grew up on a farm in South Dakota and attended South Dakota State University (go jackrabbits!) earning a degree in Engineering. I joined Air Force ROTC in college and served active duty for 9 years and 11 more years in the Air Force Reserves. I also work for an engineering consulting firm. I’m married with 3 teenagers… a now senior in high school and twin 8th-grade girls. All of these experiences made me extra strong…or so I thought. I was diagnosed with HER 2 positive (actually triple positive) Breast Cancer on Valentine’s Day in 2020, just as COVID was hitting. As I was scheduling my routine annual mammogram, I noticed something unusual.  We proceeded with the mammogram and even though my mammogram was deemed “clear” my ultrasound and subsequent biopsy confirm all 3 areas they tested  - including my lymph nodes, were positive. I was hysterical; this was not part of my plan.  I immediately started chemo in an effort to shrink the tumors, then had a double mastectomy.  I did not have a complete response, so I continued with 14 more Kadcyla infusions followed by 7 weeks of radiation, then reconstruction and fat grafting. It’s definitely a marathon vs a sprint, which is not what I wanted to hear, but having a good plan in place has really helped me navigate and stay focused and strong. And while I’m still a huge planner and worrier, this bump has taught me to focus more on today and to celebrate the small victories along the way.

MUSIC CREDIT

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A Happy Smile On Your Face by MusicLFiles

Episode Synopsis:

-What is “metabolism”?

-How metabolism relates to nutrition needs in general (i.e., energy balance) and how this may be impacted in different types of cancer.

-Breast-cancer specific metabolism and nutrition needs during/after treatment (could maybe touch on prevention, but that is not my forte)… general guidelines, some “newer/novel” dietary approaches (intermittent fasting, keto, etc.)

- a brief discussion on research study design and how to know if you’re getting reliable information would tie nicely into the topic of some of the newer dietary patterns because we’re just not there yet in terms of recommendations – there’s certainly promise, though!

Episode Guests:

Dr. Sarah Purcell

received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, respectively, at Florida State University. She continued her research at the University of Alberta, where she earned her Ph.D. in Nutrition and Metabolism. There, she investigated energy expenditure (calories burned) in relation to body composition (muscle and fat), dietary intake, and current nutrition recommendations among individuals with active cancer. Sarah completed her NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado - Anschutz. Her research in Colorado investigated relationships among appetite, body composition, physical activity, and energy metabolism and how exercise may impact these variables in people with obesity or previous cancer. Dr. Purcell recently started a new position as Assistant Professor of Nutrition at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan, where she will continue to investigate nutrition and metabolism in different contexts.

Dr. Purcell is passionate about exploring human physiology as it pertains to nutrition and exercise because it is an ever-growing field with great potential to positively impact health and longevity. Sarah’s love of nutrition and exercise translates to her personal life; in her free time, she enjoys training for triathlons and marathons, traveling, hiking, doing yoga, painting, eating, and spending time with her husband, Chase, and chihuahua, Bitsy.

Here are some of the general resources:

Episode Synopsis:

On this episode of The Boob Report, we are visiting with Heather Lorince Harrington, a very recent breast cancer survivor who along with most of us did not have a history of cancer in her family. An athlete, wife, and Mom, she made the decision to use the cold cap after her Doctor told her about the experimental therapy while going through her rounds of chemo. Would she do it again? It was a difficult process but one she does not regret.

Episode Guests:

Heather Lorince Harrington

Born and raised on a small farm in eastern Colorado

Collegiate volleyball player and semi-bro beach volleyball player

Avid worker-outer!  I own 2 gyms in Denver -- Compass Fitness and Compass Wellness

Residential real estate expert with Milehimodern -- 9 years

Mom of a 6 year old little girl named Quinn

Breast Cancer survivor - stage 3 HER2+ discovered in Aug of 2020 -- finished 12 rounds of chemo in late Feb 2021 and continued Herceptin shots until Nov of 2021,

Cold Cap user -- kept my hair successfully throughout chemo (lost eyebrows and eyelashes and every other bit but kept hair on my head)

Links:

Episode Synopsis:

It is something that is really not discussed that often, how much sex can be affected by an illness or a disability. When you lose the ability to perform sex, it is possible to experience depression, that feeling of who would want to be with me if I cannot have sex? Anna, having experienced those same feelings developed a dating app specifically to help those individuals who feel lost and that they can’t talk to anyone about what they are going through.

Episode Guests:

Anna Leonarda

CEO and Founder of Entwine ~ Online Dating App

Anna is a single mother of 2 children and resides in a suburb of Chicago, IL.  She is a 9-year breast cancer survivor.  Having struggled with Endometriosis, Vaginismus, and the side effects of Breast Cancer treatment, intercourse became too painful.  Her marriage later came to an end and Anna wondered how she would date while having sexual limitations.  She wondered what men do that have sexual dysfunction such as Erectile Dysfunction.  How do they date without the fear of rejection or embarrassment?  Anna decided to take action and created an answer.  A dating app called Entwine that takes sexual expectations out of dating.

Episode Synopsis:

On this episode, we are talking about how you can get through chemotherapy with a healthier diet. Now it is hard to eat or have an appetite going through treatment, but this episode offers some insight into how taking control of your diet can possibly make a difference. Our guest Martha is a registered dietitian who went through cancer and treatment and describes how this worked for her, she’s even written a book about it!

Episode Guests:

Martha Tettenborn, RD

a Registered Dietitian and certified Primal Health Coach with over 30 years of experience working in various areas of nutrition. My private practice promotes a low-carb and high-fat lifestyle for healthy aging and chronic disease prevention. After becoming a cancer survivor and thriver, I wrote and published Hacking Chemo: Using Ketogenic Diet, Therapeutic Fasting and a Kickass Attitude to Power Through Cancer. I have been a featured speaker at the Low Carb Long Weekend Summit and have also instructed courses for the Nutrition Network and Udemy on the ketogenic approach to cancer treatment.

Martha's Social:

Episode Synopsis:

We are discussing how your brain works in so many ways when it comes to healing. Being able to “rework” PTSD, trauma, and anxiety with a Healing Touch practitioner. We will be discussing gamma brainwaves, deep meditation, and all things related to calming yourself and your brain.

Episode Guests:

Ann Hince

When Ann was 19, she woke one morning to find her mother dead in her bathroom.

Twenty years later the tears from that trauma were still just under the surface. Ann found a simple technique that helped her release these emotions - but she went further and can now put her awareness inside her body - and has changed the bone structure of her skull. Ann has found that seeking out our truth, what we truly feel, and accepting those feelings, is the key to inner peace."

Episode Synopsis:

Today we are visiting with Drew and discussing Anxiety and Depression, it’s a touchy subject for some but for those of us who experience it on a daily basis, it can be debilitating. Receiving a devastating diagnosis of cancer or any other life threatening illness can create or exacerbate a sense of helplessness and lead to anxiety and/or depression.

Having suffered from anxiety, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and depression several times over a 20 year period, Drew got it together once and for all in 2008. Since then life has been happy, productive, and “normal”.

For the last 15 years, Drew has been active in the online anxiety community, working to use his experience and understanding to help those that are following down the path he’s traveled. His no-nonsense approach to these problems and willingness to provide direct, actionable advice even when it might not be easy to hear, has established him as a unique voice in the community.

Episode Guests:

Drew Linsalata

Founder/CEO at HELIX Interactive Podcast and Audiobook Production AND Creator and host of The Anxious Truth Podcast. Author, teacher, and podcaster on the subject of anxiety and anxiety disorders. He teaches basic meditation and focuses on training as part of anxiety recovery.

Episode Synopsis:

Lucinda Testo is such an incredible story of how Breast Cancer can run in the family but still not show up in genetic testing. She received a very recent breast cancer diagnosis, she has been in for regular mammograms because of her history. But due to Covid, it was pushed a few months and when she was finally able to get in, unfortunately, was diagnosed. She wants to share her story so that women will go and get tested!

Episode Guests:

Lucinda Testo

Episode Synopsis:

In 2015, on my 58th birthday, I was diagnosed with Stage 1C ovarian cancer.  During chemo, I lost my hair but I found something so much more important – my inner strength.

My perspective changed and I realized that if I wanted something different in my life it was up to me to make the necessary changes. I began training for my new career in 2017.

Episode Guests:

Nancy McKay ~ Recovery & Resilience Expert ~ Coach ~ Author ~ Speaker

A life and Equus coach who helps women find their voice and build their courage. She is the founder of Amazing Outlook Coaching and works with women virtually and with the help of horses to uncover the limiting beliefs and behaviors that are keeping them stuck in the muck!

Episode Synopsis:

Give us a little one paragraph synopsis of the episode. This appears in the episode description on Spotify or wherever people are listening.

Episode Guests:

Mary Turek

Mary Turek is the founder of Great Knockers Again. Since 2017, this group of Denver-area volunteer knitters and crocheters have created and distributed thousands of FREE soft, comfortable handmade breast prostheses for women who have undergone mastectomies or other procedures to the breast. Knitted Knockers are distributed FREE via requests at KnittedKnockers.org.

My sister is a breast cancer survivor, so helping those affected by breast cancer struck close to home and seemed like the perfect purpose-driven project for us. On a visit to Mom and her knitting group in Tennessee, I was inspired to build my own team of local crafters to support Knitted Knockers here in south metro Denver. Great Knockers Again was launched in the fall of 2017 with monthly meetings at Piney Creek Yarn in Centennial.

In 2022 I began a new role with Knitted Knockers Support Foundation answering phones to help survivors order their personalized Knitted Knockers and assisting medical clinics to distribute information to their patients. I am thrilled with this new opportunity to help spread the word out about Knitted Knockers!

Episode Synopsis:

Diagnosed 6 years ago Deb actually had worked previously for an oncologist AND the American Cancer Society so she knew just enough to be dangerous, and of course, ask the right questions. It really helped her since she had complications and is one of those unique individuals who deal with “if it can go wrong, it will”.

Episode Guests: Deb Krier

Deb Krier is an Unabashed Connector with information, knowledge, and resources to help people become more successful in business…and in life. She’s a LinkedIn Strategist, marketing professional, social media adviser, professional speaker and trainer. She’s also a survivor of Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer. Since 2011, Deb has hosted The Business Power Hour® and she absolutely loves talking with her guests about a variety of business topics. Deb is president of Wise Women Communications, LLC, a full-service marketing and public relations firm. She has an MS in Communications Management and an MBA in Business Management.

Episode Title: Turning a Negative into a Positive

Episode Guests: Sharon Madison

Early on, Sharon figured out that her mind was a powerful engine if she fed it with the right words and actions. Her approach paid off! In her early adult years, she started in retail, finding herself being promoted as one of the youngest store managers at the Ralph Lauren shop in Cherry Creek. When she took up bike racing and put in the hard work it took, she became a top competitor. Because of her actions and thoughts that “she’s got this,” she found herself the winner of 2 gold medals at the Maccabi Games in Israel in 2013 and the Colorado Road Race State champion in 2014. The contagion of her positive energy caught the eye of a nonprofit wanting someone to build up the cycling club arm of their organization. Sharon took on the challenge and created a thriving community of cyclists who followed Sharon’s lead in supporting each other with their goals.

Not only does Sharon harness her thoughts and actions to make “it happen,” but she also knows how to “turn lemons into lemonade” when everyday life throws her curveballs. The pandemic caused the nonprofit to shut down her 6-year efforts of building up the cycling arm, where she put her whole heart and soul into its development.

You know how it goes—- things were sailing along, and boom, some more lemons fell from the sky. Sharon was diagnosed with breast cancer on July 26, 2021, and had a double mastectomy on September 2. Then, she was served up radiation treatment for 5-days a week for 5 weeks. Thinking about anything but survival would have been our path for many of us. Not Sharon! Since she couldn’t ride her bike, she started walking every day and inviting friends to join her. Some of her walking partners were short-lived because they couldn’t keep up with her pace or her mileage. How many people do you know who thought it might be “fun” to do the Manitou Springs Incline with 2,768 steps and 2000 ft. elevation gain while undergoing radiation treatment? What came from having her cycling taken away (lemons) was getting the WR4 community plus spouses involved in walking, and that was the seed that made a WR4 walking club come to fruition. (Tasty lemonade for sure.) Sharon is a winner on so many fronts. Her strong belief in the importance of mindset never lets her down, no matter how many lemons have been thrown her way. Her message to others having to face the trauma of a cancer diagnosis is to remember—- NEVER GIVE UP!

Episode Synopsis:

Just a quick podcast to talk about how the holidays can be difficult and the trick is to find out a way to not only get through them but also to come out feeling better. I have struggled for years, even before breast cancer, with anxiety and depression and not really dealing with triggers that might set those feelings into high gear! It has also taken me some time to find things that work for me to help me calm down and work with my anxiety and depression. This does include therapy but I also have found things I can do on my own with self care. Once again, it’s not wrong to struggle with your emotions, be angry or cry! That’s all healthy and normal! I tried to find the humor in things, trust me it was hard but I kept at it. Keep moving forward, sometimes it’s all you can do!

Episode Guests: Me

5 Year Breast Cancer Survivor

Visionary at The Boob Report

Friend, ally, shoulder to cry on, an ear to vent and someone to share a glass of wine with!

Suggested Resources:

Episode Synopsis:

A survivor of late Stage 3 breast cancer in 2015, Diane is also a psycho-oncology influencer/advocate to increase access to financial and mental health resources for those impacted by the psychological trauma of cancer. Within three months of completing 10 months of treatment, she seed-funded a specialty at the University of Denver called the Center for Oncology Psychology Excellence (COPE)—the first specialty in the country to offer psycho-oncology training at the graduate level. She has since helped launch a mental health therapy pilot grant program through the Ray of Hope Colorado Cancer Foundation and serves as a Patient Advisor for Blue Note Therapeutics. Blue Note is a prescription digital therapeutics company. She self-published a five-star memoir, The Unlikely Gift of Breast Cancer, that describes how she used her business acumen to overcome cancer-related anxiety, and how the process of self-discovery motivated her to establish COPE. The Unlikely Gift was named one of the “Best Breast Cancer Books of All Time” by Book Authority and placed third in the memoir category of the 2019 Colorado Independent Publishers Association book awards, an international competition. Diane’s COPE story is featured in Courageous Warriors:  Beauty from the Ashes, a multi award-winning independent documentary film.

Episode Guests:

Diane Simard

COPE Founder | Speaker | Aerospace Exec

Nat’l Top 100 Business Women to Watch, BizWomen.com

Episode Synopsis:

Gina Simpson is the owner of the Colorado School of Healing Arts in Lakewood, CO, established in 1986.  She has been a Licensed Massage Therapist for 35 years and loves the opportunity to work with clients of all ages and all health histories as they need her areas of specialties.  In addition to overseeing the operations of the school, Gina has a thriving private practice and is trained in the following modalities:  Lymphatic Drainage Massage, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Reflexology, Trauma Touch Therapy, Sports Massage, Subtle Unwinding, Healing Touch and Phenomenal Touch.

Episode Guests:

Gina Simpson

You can reach her directly at 303-913-1795

Episode Synopsis:

• Colorado Cancer Coalition is a nonprofit organization with the State of Colorado that helps people who work in cancer care in Colorado
• Every State has its own coalition, although in some states it may not be set up as a nonprofit.
• Their resources consistent on information on prevention through end of life care

Stats ~ Cancer is the leading cause of death in the State of Colorado

Just a quick podcast to talk about how the holidays can suck and that’s okay! I had my bi-lateral mastectomy the week before Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday BTW!! I hated not being able to cook for my family or start breaking out the Christmas decorations to put up! But it’s okay, it’s not wrong to struggle with your emotions, be angry or cry! That’s all healthy and normal! I tried to find the humor in things, trust me it was hard but I kept at it. Keep moving forward, sometimes it’s all you can do!

Episode Guests: Me

5 Year Breast Cancer Survivor

Episode Synopsis:

• Became a nutritionist to help her kids eat healthier, it became a great resource for her when she received her diagnosis
• She did have a private practice while she also worked at a local hospital, she ended up closing the practice while going through treatment. And then opened it up again a year into treatment.
• Restarted under Life Well Lived to have a fuller life and while being aware of what is on your plate to also enjoy your food.
• Wanted to focus on how we live our lives, how we take care of ourselves, trying to eliminate stress, and focus on self-care
• How about we focus on the color of food on our plate! That is where we get nutrition through nourishment!
• Let’s get rid of stress
• 6 pillars ~ diet, exercise, stress, sleep, relationships, and toxins
• We wear stress like a badge of courage and we need to KNOCK IT OFF!!
• We need to get better at managing our stress
• Be your own advocate!

Episode Guests:

Regina Topelson is a registered dietitian and the owner of Life Well-Lived, a lifestyle medicine consulting practice in Denver. She is a regular health and wellness contributor to 9News Denver, CO, a podcaster, speaker, and cancer survivor. Her program, Wings of Hope, helps breast cancer survivors rebuild their life after a cancer diagnosis. Regina enjoys hiking, biking, yoga, and reading.

Episode Synopsis:

• Ariana is authentic, original and wild by nature. She is known as a visionary leader, successful entrepreneur, master somatic coach, zoologist, mother, artist, author, and international teacher of Embodied Leadership and founder of Equine Guided Coaching.
  
• Her teachings have been incorporated into numerous leadership institutes and equine therapy programs around the world including Institute for Women’s Leadership, Institute for Generative Leadership, Institute of Noetic Sciences, and Meridian University.
  
• Ariana grew up in two different worlds; the world of nature and the world of people. Her entrepreneurial instinct was sparked at a leadership conference when she saw the gap between the words people spoke and their non-verbal body language.
  
• Ariana’s mission is to empower healthy leaders to take a stand for healing the planet. She knows from experience that embodied women are the change-makers we need in our world today.
  
• Ariana is the author of three books internationally known spokeswoman on Embodied Leadership. She is a pioneer in the equine therapy field first founding Leadership & Horses™ in 1989 and Equine Guided Education & Coaching, in addition to co-founded the Strozzi Institute (Strozzi Somatics).
  
• She offers leadership and dignity programs, wellness coaching and spirit retreats, in which incorporates her passion for living a healthy lifestyle in balance with Mother Earth. She loves cooking, gardening, growing and making herbal medicines, and spending time in nature.
  

Episode Guests:

Episode Synopsis:

• Filmmaker for the last 30 years, took 3 years to make this film about survivors, caregivers. Not necessarily a film about cancer.
• Started by collecting stories about women and their journey with breast cancer, she just kept getting introduced to amazing women who kept introducing her to more amazing women.
• She also wanted to focus on caregivers and what their experience was
• Really focused on bringing information to the table that people may not have realized was available to them
• “We are the movie that shares what everyone wants to know but no one wants to say”
• It’s an unfiltered look at the disease; from diagnosis, to treatment, to rising from the ashes to find beauty in life again.
• Our warriors offer us A Beautiful Arc of Pain to Healing while being entrenched in the battlefields of breast cancer only to break down walls with a universal message of hope and healing for all, regardless of your enemy.

Episode Guests: Darla Rae
Producer, Director, CEO

Episode Synopsis:

• Diagnosed in 2007 on Valentine’s Day with breast cancer, had just moved to Colorado from California and was still settling in and had not built a relationship with a doctor. Was very healthy and ate organically so this diagnosis was devastating. It was a post menopausal cancer
• There are so many different types of breast cancer, it can start in the ducts or elsewhere, it can be a quick moving cancer or a slow moving cancer, it can be overwhelming to actually think about how many different types of breast cancer that there actually is.
• 7 years later on Valentine’s Day 2014 gets the diagnosis of colorectal cancer
• She took an integrative approach both times, combining eastern and western modalities of treatment
• Donna looks at cancer as a friend and an ally, it made her wake up and realize what was important to her, why look at it as a battle? She looked at it as part of her body.
• Instead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let’s not focus on the cancer and the fear, what if we looked at as this is breast awareness month to make sure you are healthy! Let’s not start from fear and inadequacy.

Donna continues to work on her own writing. To date, she has written and published three children’s books: Warm Toes, The Great Stirring, and The Recycling Project. Mosaic Heart: Pieces of an Unfinished Life is Donna’s first memoir.

Episode Guests: Donna Mazzitelli

Episode Synopsis:

• An amazing woman who is SO involved in the breast cancer community, we first met at Day of Caring an event that had women going through breast cancer or were survivors modeling for a charity event
• She is a two time cancer survivor who initially went through a bi-lateral mastectomy and chose not to have chemo or radiation because she was trying to get pregnant. She was diagnosed with breast cancer after going in for her first mammogram!
• She started sitting with other women who were going through Chemotherapy so they didn’t have to be there on their own, especially being so scared and having so many questions
• After volunteering for the Sue Miller/Day of Caring event for many years and then it was absorbed into Cancer League of Colorado she needed another outlet to volunteer her time.
• She started volunteering with Hope Held By a Horse helping them with their bookkeeping and then started adopting horse after horse and is up to FIVE!
• Went through training to become an Equine Gestalt coach, which is a type of coaching that helps clients bring to their awareness emotional blockages and unfinished business that may be holding them back in their lives. The personal work the Equine Gestalt Coaches guide their clients through is “in the moment”, deeply tied to somatics (body responses) and experiential in nature.
• She met with the creator of the organization, in 2019, who at the time was thinking she would have to close down since it had grown to be so big in Colorado!
• Hope Held By a Horse is an amazing experience for women who are going through breast cancer and all the emotion and trauma and pain. You are able to focus on yourself and what you are going through and spend the day with the amazingly intuitive animals that can empathize and help you deal with these emotions.

Episode Guests:

Suzanne Hagmaier

Episode Synopsis:

• Marcia had clear mammograms at 42 years old and then noticed something was wrong on her own
• Just looking in the mirror while on vacation she found an abnormality, was curious but didn’t think anything of it
• She called the Doctors office and they initially thought it was an infection, Marcia says, well just give me some antibiotics and we will call it good! Obviously, the nurse practitioner said no!
• They wanted to do a mammogram after the initial exam
• Immediately scheduled a biopsy,  like a lot of women have super dense breasts so they were being extra cautious.
• There was a lot of pain, not to scare women away from a biopsy OR a mammogram
• Diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer ~ micro pathology invasive ductal carcinoma
• Marcia is an incredibly strong woman who did this journey on her own, she stresses that every woman’s journey is different (what we always preach!!)
• We need to be more honest about the chemo and radiation treatments, they are painful, stressful and is traumatic for your body
• You need to have a comfortable, open, and honest relationship with your doctor to get through this
• It is okay for you to speak up, question, and be an advocate for yourself!

Episode Guests: Marcia Pinkstaff

Marcia is a successful businesswoman who inspires many. She is a Director with Touchstone Crystal by Swarovski and a published author. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer 9 years ago just 7 1/2 months after a completely clear mammogram. She shares her story to encourage and empower others to embrace the good in life and pay attention to your body and any changes.

Episode Synopsis:

Today we are chatting with Linda Hagan, she is a cancer survivor/thriver who is making a difference in other women’s lives who are going through breast cancer. We will be discussing how when trying to support someone going through this journey that you need to remember that it’s about her, not you! Be kind, supportive and listen. Instead of saying what can I do to help or I am here if you need anything, take the responsibility off their shoulders and tell them I am going to the grocery store and will pick up some stuff for you. Bring dinner, or just come over and hang out and watch a movie.

Episode Guests:

Linda Hagan

Health Insurance Disruptor | Connector | Cancer Slayer. Linda is Using her superpowers to share the Affordable Healthcare model and promote non-traditional health solutions.

Episode Synopsis:

• The benefits of Reiki and healing touch are so beneficial in helping the body come back into balance ~ the rest, digest and restore
• Are normally hands-on modalities but with COVID they have had to get creative with treatment
• It can help with your rest and with energy!
• It definitely helps with getting to a more positive place and helps with stress
• There are about 150 studies on the benefits and the safety of Reiki and Healing Touch, these studies have shown that they help support the immune system
• Sandy started out with a demo session 30 years ago and she was hooked, getting sessions and taking classes to learn how to heal emotionally, spiritually. She even started working on her husband and turned him on to it!
• LifeSpark Cancer Resources is a nonprofit that hosts two large fundraisers throughout the year, the Touching Tomorrow event is Friday October 15th
• UPDATE ~ the Touching Tomorrow event will now be virtual

Sandy Priester is Executive Director and Co-founder of LifeSpark Cancer Resources, a 17 year old nonprofit organization that provides Reiki and Healing Touch statewide to cancer patients and their caregivers. She has an MBA, and has been practicing energy therapies for over three decades.

Episode Synopsis:

• Do we really know what is in our skin care products? Become a label reader, the FDA does not always regulate what goes into skincare products
• There are watchdog groups that have stayed on top of testing and in contact with the FDA
• Things to avoid parabens, methoyl paraben, definitely want to avoid those ingredients
• Companies are really starting to step up and be more transparent with the ingredients and being “cruelty free”, “paraben free”, etc.
• Lemongrass Spa Products are all natural products, skincare, body lotion and now baby products
• Individual sales consultants who walk you through the best products for you
• They support their independent consultants with their specific charity work
• October is their pink campaign and they sell a healing balm and a portion of those sales go to companies who help support women who have been diagnosed

Episode Guests:

Heidi Leist

Episode Synopsis:

• It’s something I will never forget, being diagnosed with breast cancer and then finding out that my friend was diagnosed the very same day while living in another country
• While starting out with a more holistic approach to treatment, JuliAnne moved back to the United States and began a more integrative treatment plan
• lessons learned and resources from her metastatic breast cancer journey and a near death encounter, which returned her to her faith

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Episode Synopsis

This premier episode of The Boob Report features three of the most amazing women I know! These three ladies have been with me during my five-year journey with breast cancer, their love and support have been a large part of what kept me going. We will throw it all out there, how they felt getting that call from me, guilt, feeling helpless, wondering what to say. There will be some tears and lots of laughter, cause that’s what friends are for!

Episode Guests: