Episodes

  • #459 Building a Life That's Better Than Before Breast Cancer™ with Cheri Henderson

    #459 Building a Life That's Better Than Before Breast Cancer™ with Cheri Henderson
    Apr 17 2026

    Cheri lives in Duluth, Minnesota with her adventure partner, Brent, along the stunning shores of Lake Superior. A two-time breast cancer thriver—first diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Stage IIIA in 2019 at 39 years old, and again with Metastatic Breast Cancer in 2021 at 41—Cheri continues to live life with strength, joy, and purpose.

    She leads an active, outdoor-centered lifestyle and seeks inspiration in nature, camping, fishing, hiking, and traveling. Cheri finds peace in collecting rocks, capturing her surroundings through photography, and nurturing deep connections with her family and friends.

    With over seventeen years of experience in the outdoor and fashion industries in leadership roles, Cheri blends her professional expertise with a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Communicating Arts to share her story through the power of writing. Cheri is a published author whose work has appeared in Wildfire Journal, the only literary magazine created for and by those "too young" for breast cancer and the Boundary Waters Journal, a nationwide wilderness canoe country magazine. Cheri is also trained as a 2026 Hear My Voice Breast Cancer Advocate with Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a national nonprofit organization providing trusted information and a community of support to those newly diagnosed, in treatment, post-treatment, and living with metastatic disease. Cheri looks to alchemize her experience into advocacy and chooses to live intentionally every day to honor her health and healing.

    Resources Mentioned:

    Work with Laura:
    https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health

    Get The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach app:
    https://apps.apple.com/us/app/breast-cancer-recovery-coach/id6720763813

    Learn about the Becoming You 2.0 coaching program
    https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/you

    Follow Cheri:
    https://www.instagram.com/chender1/

    Episode #420
    https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/420

    Wildfire Magazine
    https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/

    Boundary Waters journal
    https://www.boundarywatersjournal.com/

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    1 hr
  • #458 Breast Cancer Recovery - How to Use The Science of Mindset to Create Better Health

    #458 Breast Cancer Recovery - How to Use The Science of Mindset to Create Better Health
    Apr 10 2026
    What if your thoughts were creating physical changes in your body? In this episode, we are looking at the science behind mindset and how your brain, your expectations, and your thought patterns influence your health in very real ways. From negativity bias to the nocebo and placebo effects, I break down the research that shows how your mind impacts stress, symptoms, and healing. You will learn why fear-based thinking feels automatic, how it affects your body, and how to start shifting your thoughts in a way that actually works. This is not about positive thinking. It is about understanding how your brain works and learning how to guide it. Resources Mentioned: Work with Laura: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health Download the app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/breast-cancer-recovery-coach/id6720763813 REFERENCES Baumeister, R.F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K.D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5(4), 323-370. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1037/1089-2680.5.4.323 Rozin, P., & Royzman, E.B. (2001). Negativity bias, negativity dominance, and contagion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5(4), 296-320. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0504_2 Beecher, H.K. (1955). The powerful placebo. Journal of the American Medical Association, 159(17), 1602-1606. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/303530 de la Fuente-Fernández, R., Ruth, T.J., Sossi, V., Schulzer, M., Calne, D.B., & Stoessl, A.J. (2001). Expectation and dopamine release: Mechanism of the placebo effect in Parkinson's disease. Science, 293(5532), 1164-1166. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1060937 Kaptchuk, T.J., Friedlander, E., Kelley, J.M., et al. (2010). Placebos without deception: A randomized controlled trial in irritable bowel syndrome. PLOS ONE, 5(12), e15591. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0015591 Benedetti, F., Amanzio, M., Vighetti, S., & Asteggiano, G. (2006). The biochemical and neuroendocrine bases of the hyperalgesic nocebo effect. Journal of Neuroscience, 26(46), 12014-12022. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/26/46/12014 Haas, J.W., Bender, F.L., Ballou, S., Kelley, J.M., Wilhelm, M., Miller, F.G., Rief, W., & Kaptchuk, T.J. (2022). Frequency of adverse events in the placebo arms of COVID-19 vaccine trials: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 5(1), e2143955. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2788172 Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness. 💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching 💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community 👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach 👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    52 mins
  • #457 Training Through Treatment with Kristy Griggs

    #457 Training Through Treatment with Kristy Griggs
    Apr 3 2026

    In this episode, I'm joined by Kristy Griggs, founder of Training Through Treatment, to talk about the role exercise played in her experience with stage four breast cancer.

    Kristy was told to rest during treatment. But what she discovered was that movement helped her physically, mentally, and emotionally in ways she did not expect.

    She shares how she navigated the difference between needing rest and choosing to show up anyway, how exercise supported her through treatment, and how it ultimately led her to create a nonprofit that helps others access movement during cancer care.

    Listen to learn:

    • The difference between "I need rest" and "I feel uncomfortable but can still move"
    • How exercise supported treatment and recovery in real time
    • Why community matters during and after a diagnosis
    • What "vigorous exercise" actually means and why it matters
    • How to start moving even when energy is low

    This conversation is a reminder that movement does not have to be perfect to be meaningful.

    Resources Mentioned:

    Work with Laura:
    https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health

    Training Through Treatment Website:
    https://www.trainingthroughtreatment.org/ Follow Training Through Treatment on Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/training_through_treatment?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== Follow Kristy: https://www.instagram.com/kristygriggs?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    42 mins
  • #456 The One Book That Will Change Your Life After Breast Cancer

    #456 The One Book That Will Change Your Life After Breast Cancer
    Mar 27 2026

    This week's episode is a personal one.

    It came from a hard week, a lot of physical discomfort, and a moment of asking a simple question.

    Why don't we talk about this more?

    Not just the physical challenges after breast cancer, but the internal rules we carry about how we should handle them.

    In this episode, we talk about "manuals."

    The invisible rulebooks we all have that shape how we think, feel, and react.

    These manuals tell us:
    How we should act
    How others should act
    What is acceptable
    What is not

    And most of the time, we don't even realize they're there.

    When life doesn't match those rules, we feel frustration, anger, or sadness.

    But what if the problem isn't what's happening?

    What if it's the rule we're holding onto?

    Listen to learn:
    How hidden expectations create emotional suffering
    Why most of our rules were written without our awareness
    How to recognize when a "manual" is running your reactions
    What it looks like to question and rewrite those rules
    How letting go of expectations can change your relationships

    This episode invites you to pause, get curious, and start noticing the rules you've been living by.

    Because you get to decide if they still belong in your life.

    Resources Mentioned:

    Work with Laura:
    https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    33 mins
  • #455 Weight Loss After Breast Cancer

    #455 Weight Loss After Breast Cancer
    Mar 20 2026
    In this week's episode, we're talking about weight loss after breast cancer and menopause, and why it often feels like nothing is working. You're eating well. You're making changes. And your body is not responding the way it used to. We begin with a simple question. If weight loss is just calories in and calories out, why does it feel so different now? Think about Survivor. Everyone loses weight. But that is a short-term survival state, not a healthy or sustainable one. After cancer treatment, the body may still be operating from a place of stress, inflammation, and hormonal change. From a terrain perspective, that matters. In this episode, we explore: The impact of stress and cortisol on weight How detoxification supports metabolic function Why sleep and circadian rhythm influence fat loss What changes after menopause You'll also hear how research connects chronic stress, disrupted sleep, and hormonal shifts to changes in metabolism and weight regulation. This is not about doing more. It is about understanding your body in a way that allows you to support it differently. Resources Mentioned: How to Eat Without Fear and Guilt After Breast Cancer: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/eat Work with Laura: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness. 💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching 💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community 👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach 👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    40 mins
  • #454 Hope For Cancer with Chelsea Hassink

    #454 Hope For Cancer with Chelsea Hassink
    Mar 13 2026

    In this episode of the Better Than Before Breast Cancer podcast, Laura Lummer sits down with Chelsea Hassink to talk about her experience navigating a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis and the path that led her to explore integrative cancer care.

    Chelsea discovered a lump shortly after turning 40 and was quickly diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer that had metastasized to her liver. Within weeks, she began chemotherapy and entered the world that so many people with cancer know well.

    As she moved through treatment, Chelsea began researching other approaches that might support her body and improve how she felt during therapy. That curiosity eventually led her to the Hope For Cancer treatment centers, where she explored non-invasive therapies such as hyperbaric oxygen, hyperthermia, ozone therapy, and nutrient infusions as part of an integrative program.

    In this conversation, Laura and Chelsea discuss the fear many patients feel when considering integrative care, the importance of asking questions, and why finding a treatment path that aligns with your values and intuition can be an important part of the healing journey.

    This episode shares Chelsea's story and the insights she gained along the way.

    Resources Mentioned:

    Work with Laura:
    https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health

    Follow Chelsea:
    https://www.instagram.com/hassink_health_bites/

    Hope For Cancer Centers:
    https://hope4cancer.com/

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    50 mins
  • #453 The Truth About Ketosis - Breast Cancer and Nutrition, Just the Facts

    #453 The Truth About Ketosis - Breast Cancer and Nutrition, Just the Facts
    Mar 6 2026

    In this final episode of the Nutrition After Breast Cancer: Just the Facts series, we break down ketosis clearly and responsibly.

    Ketosis is not a cure for cancer.
    It is not a replacement for chemotherapy or radiation.

    But research, including the Keto-CARE trial at The Ohio State University and ongoing metabolic oncology work at Boston College, suggests that metabolic ketosis may influence insulin signaling, inflammation, and treatment response.

    This is a grounded, research-based conversation designed to help you understand your options without fear or hype.

    In this episode we cover:

    -What metabolic health really means
    -The Warburg Effect explained simply
    -Ketosis vs ketoacidosis
    -How ketones influence inflammation
    -How therapeutic ketosis is being studied
    -Genetic variants that may affect fat burning
    -When ketosis may help
    -When caution is needed

    Resources Mentioned:

    Work with Laura:
    https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    27 mins
  • #452 Fats And Breast Cancer - Breast Cancer and Nutrition, Just The Facts

    #452 Fats And Breast Cancer - Breast Cancer and Nutrition, Just The Facts
    Feb 27 2026
    In this week's podcast episode in the Nutrition After Breast Cancer: Just the Facts series, I bring up the study that sparked that concern. I don't ignore things like this. I don't pretend they don't exist. If there's research being talked about, I want you to know about it. But here are the actual facts. The study was done in mice. The mice were made to consume about 40% of their diet in olive oil. And the rest of their diet was an obesogenic, high-carbohydrate diet designed to promote weight gain and metabolic dysfunction. That is not a Mediterranean diet. That is not olive oil drizzled over vegetables and salmon. That is not real life. It was a laboratory model designed to stress metabolism. Context matters. Deeply. Resources Mentioned: Guide to Essential Fatty Acids: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/oil Episode #326 Simplifying Seed Oils and Fatty Acids After Breast Cancer https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/326 Work with Laura: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health REFERENCES: Obesity and Low-Fat Diet History Trends in Obesity Among Adults in the United States, 2005 to 2014 (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6001a15.htm Documents obesity prevalence: 15.0% (1976-1980), 23.3% (1988-1994) Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps (CDC) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9611578/ 30.9% obesity prevalence (1999-2000) Adult Obesity Prevalence, 2021-2023 (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db508.htm Current obesity prevalence: 40.3% How the Ideology of Low Fat Conquered America https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18296750/ Historical analysis of the low-fat movement Heart Disease Mortality Explaining the Decrease in U.S. Deaths from Coronary Disease, 1980–2000 (Ford et al., NEJM 2007) https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa053935 ~51% decline in men, ~49% decline in women47% from medical treatments, 44% from risk factor changesObesity and diabetes offset gains by 8% and 10% Heart Disease Mortality in the United States, 1970 to 2022 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.124.038644 89% decrease in heart attack deaths81% increase in heart failure and other heart disease deaths Omega-3s, Inflammation, and Cancer Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratios and Modern Diets Ancestral ratios: 1:1 to 4:1Modern Western diet: 15:1 to 20:1Impact on eicosanoid metabolism and cellular inflammation DHA and Triple Negative Breast Cancer (Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2019) DHA induced cell death in TNBC cellsMechanism: altered membrane composition, increased oxidative stress in cancer cells High-Fat Diets and TNBC Metastasis (Preclinical Studies) CD36-mediated fatty acid uptake in TNBCOleic acid-rich diets promoting metastasis in mouse modelsImportance of tumor phenotype and metabolic flexibility Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness. 💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching 💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community 👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach 👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    24 mins