Professional. Polished. Accomplished. Thoughtful. Made It. Ready to Make It. “Inspiring Women” is an interview show hosted by Laurie McGraw. 30 years of leadership in both commercial companies and non-profits has taught Laurie one thing: Women need women. Women need Inspiring Women. Hear short-form interviews every week from Inspiring Women who are at the pinnacle of their careers and Inspired Women who are just starting out.
All content for Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw is the property of Laurie McGraw and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Professional. Polished. Accomplished. Thoughtful. Made It. Ready to Make It. “Inspiring Women” is an interview show hosted by Laurie McGraw. 30 years of leadership in both commercial companies and non-profits has taught Laurie one thing: Women need women. Women need Inspiring Women. Hear short-form interviews every week from Inspiring Women who are at the pinnacle of their careers and Inspired Women who are just starting out.
Why Do 80% of People Choose to Work Through Cancer? With Gina Jacobson || EP.207
Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw
12 minutes
3 months ago
Why Do 80% of People Choose to Work Through Cancer? With Gina Jacobson || EP.207
"You might not have been born for this, but you almost died for it."
When Gina Jacobson's husband spoke those words, he captured the profound transformation that turned a stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis into a mission. Given just one to two years to live, Gina didn't just survive—she discovered why work matters so deeply when everything else falls apart.
Now, as Program Director for Working with Cancer, she's tackling an uncomfortable truth: there's a massive gap between what well-meaning colleagues want to do and what actually helps. When people don't copy you on emails to "spare" you, when they assume you can't handle meetings, when they reduce you to your diagnosis—the isolation can be as devastating as the disease itself.
In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Gina also speaks about:
Why "Can I work?" is the second question cancer patients ask after "Will I live?"
How manager training can build organizational empathy that extends far beyond cancer
it means when 80% of Americans choose to work through cancer treatment
Why creating confidence before diagnosis changes everything
How simple accommodations can preserve identity during treatment
What happens when your biggest pitch becomes helping others through their darkest hour
Chapters
02:14 - From Potato Cravings to Stage 4 Diagnosis
03:43 - The Gap Between Intentions and Impact
05:20 - What Organizations Really Need to Do
07:39 - The Workforce Cancer Crisis
08:59 - "You Almost Died for This"
10:37 - Creating Confidence Before Crisis
Guest & Host Links
Connect with Laurie McGraw on LinkedIn
Connect with Gina Jacobson on LinkedIn
Connect with Inspiring Women
Browse Episodes | LinkedIn | Instagram | Apple | Spotify
Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw
Professional. Polished. Accomplished. Thoughtful. Made It. Ready to Make It. “Inspiring Women” is an interview show hosted by Laurie McGraw. 30 years of leadership in both commercial companies and non-profits has taught Laurie one thing: Women need women. Women need Inspiring Women. Hear short-form interviews every week from Inspiring Women who are at the pinnacle of their careers and Inspired Women who are just starting out.
