What are allies on your cancer journey, and how can you find support in unexpected places? In this episode, we explore the concept of allies as more than just people who show up for you.We dive into why traditional support systems sometimes fall short during cancer, and how expanding your definition of "ally" can open up entirely new possibilities for feeling held, resourced, and nourished. From nature walks to warm soup, from movement to music, from gratitude to simply being willing to try something new, allies can show up in countless forms.Key topics we cover:• What allies really are (people, places, things, and actions)• Why some people disappear during your cancer journey and how to navigate that• The concept of attachment and what healthy support actually looks like• Why you are your own best ally• How to recognize what truly nourishes your soul• The importance of being open and willing to receive support in new forms• Why trying something new (even if it doesn't work) is valuable• The fluid nature of allies and why that's actually freeingWe share personal stories, including an experience with wooden trolls in a garden and how nature became a powerful source of healing. We also discuss the practical side of building your list of allies so that when you're feeling low or slipping into the pit, you have concrete ways to shift your energy and find your way back to yourself.This conversation is for anyone navigating cancer as a patient, survivor, thriver, or caregiver. It's for anyone who has felt alone even when people are around, or who is searching for more ways to feel supported on this journey.Remember: you're more powerful than you realize.Connect with The Cancer Journey: www.thecancerjourney.comTopics: cancer support, cancer allies, cancer journey, emotional support during cancer, finding support, cancer caregivers, holistic cancer support, cancer empowerment, self-advocacy, cancer communityChapters: 00:00 Introduction and PESH Check-in 02:15 Defining Allies Beyond Just People 08:30 When Expected Support Disappears 15:45 Attachment and Healthy Support 22:10 You Are Your Own Best Ally 28:35 Examples of Unexpected Allies 35:20 The Process of Discovering Your Allies 42:15 Flexibility and Grace in Finding Support 48:30 Final Takeaways and Closing PESH
Resentment hides in the shadows and builds from things you tell yourself are too small to mention, until it eclipses the love in relationships that matter most. In this final episode of our Hard Emotion Series, we explore why resentment is so common on a cancer journey and how to address the "pinch" before it becomes unbearable.#CancerJourney #Resentment #PatientAdvocacyWHAT WE EXPLORE IN THIS EPISODE:Resentment is that knot in your stomach that starts as a ping—something small like dishes left on the sink or a dismissive tone from your doctor. Each time you swallow the feeling and tell yourself it's not worth mentioning, you add another layer. Before you know it, you're bitter, avoiding appointments, or considering walking away from relationships that actually matter.On a cancer journey, resentment shows up constantly. You're expected to be grateful for everything anyone gives you, even when it's not what you need. You don't want to "stir the pot" with your medical team. You silence yourself because "it's not worth making it a big deal." But that's gaslighting yourself: if an emotion came up, it matters.We discuss why passive aggression is often resentment trying to find its voice, how power dynamics in medical relationships make this worse, and practical ways to notice when something "pinches" so you can address it before resentment builds. The key insight: if a relationship can't stand up to you having your voice, was it worth having?This conversation offers guidance for cancer patients navigating difficult medical relationships, caregivers feeling unheard, and anyone learning to advocate for themselves without passive aggression or silent suffering.
In part three of our Hard Emotion Series, we explore Disappointment—the heart-dropping-into-your-stomach feeling that makes you want to blame yourself, fix it immediately, or avoid feeling it altogether.This episode offers compassionate guidance for anyone navigating the inevitable disappointments of a cancer journey while maintaining hope and finding new paths forward.Join our community at: thecancerjourney.com#CancerJourney #Disappointment #HeartEmotionSeries #Hope #EmotionalHealth #CancerSupport #ProcessingEmotions #Grief #Resilience #CancerCoaching #Healing #Authenticity #CancerCommunity #CancerAwareness #CancerSurvivor
In part two of our Hard Emotion Series, we dive into the emotions most people are afraid to name honestly: Anger and Rage. These aren't just frustration or being upset, they're powerful energies that carry immense judgment in our culture, making them the emotions we suppress most.We explore the crucial difference between anger (when a boundary gets crossed) and rage (when boundaries get crossed repeatedly until you feel invisible). They discuss why we avoid these emotions, how that avoidance actually makes things worse, and the clean versus dirty ways to release this energy.For anyone on a cancer journey, boundaries get violated constantly—by your body, the medical system, well-meaning loved ones. This episode offers a compassionate framework for acknowledging and working with these taboo emotions instead of suppressing them until they explode.Join our community: www.thecancerjourney.com#CancerJourney #Anger #Rage #HeartEmotionSeries #EmotionalHealth #Boundaries #CancerSupport #ProcessingEmotions #SelfCompassion #CancerCoaching #MentalHealth #EmotionalIntelligence #Authenticity #CancerCommunity #Healing
Some emotions are often labeled "taboo" but are essential parts of being human, especially on a cancer journey, and we're digging into them with our Hard Emotions Series.
We're starting with Fear because it's the emotion we hear about most from anyone navigating cancer. Not just fear of dying, but fear of what happens to loved ones, fear of losing control, fear of judgment, and the cascade of fears that can feel overwhelming.
#CancerJourney #Fear #HardEmotionSeries #CancerSupport #EmotionalHealing #CancerCoaching #Vulnerability #Bravery #ProcessingFear #CancerCommunity #MentalHealth #Courage #Authenticity #CancerSurvivors #Caregivers
Take a behind-the-scenes look at our recent Earth & Essence event at Filoli Gardens, where we brought together people at all stages of their cancer journeys for an afternoon of nature, reflection, and community.In this episode, Shariann and Alicia share insights from watching participants explore the manicured gardens and the imperfect forest trail with trolls, and how both paths offered exactly what different people needed. They explore why solo reflection time in nature before community sharing created space for authentic connections and unexpected collaborations.From roses that smell like lychee to trolls asking "What do I hear when I get quiet?" this conversation reveals how structured, safe spaces can help people reconnect with themselves amid the chaos of cancer treatment and caregiving.#CancerJourney #NatureHealing #CommunitySupport #CancerSupport #Reflection #Mindfulness #FiloliGardens #CancerSurvivors #Caregivers #Healing #Authenticity #SelfCare
We get real about the pressure to "stay positive" during cancer treatment and offer a different approach, one that makes space for ALL your emotions while still moving toward healing and hope.This conversation is for anyone tired of forced positivity, anyone feeling stuck in difficult emotions, or anyone ready to discover the power they have to shift their healing journey through perspective.Website: thecancerjourney.comFollow us for more content on transforming your cancer journey.Remember: You're so much more powerful than you realize🧡#CancerJourney #PerspectiveHealing #CancerSupport #EmotionalHealing #Hope #CancerCoaching
What's the difference between what you want and what you need? And why does that distinction become so crucial when you're navigating a cancer journey?In this heartfelt episode, Shariann and Alicia explore how cancer puts you center stage in your own life, forcing you to ask yourself what you actually want—not just what you need to survive, but what would make this life feel worth living.From Ryan Gosling's powerful scene in The Notebook to the vulnerability of sharing their own wants out loud, this conversation dives deep into why we often live in survival mode and how the space that cancer creates can become a sacred invitation to dream again.Asking for what you want isn't selfis it's essential. This episode is for anyone who's ever struggled to voice what they truly desire, especially those whose lives have been touched by cancer.Join our community: Website: www.thecancerjourney.com#CancerJourney #WantVsNeed #PersonalGrowth #CancerSupport #Authenticity #SelfAdvocacy #Vulnerability #CancerCoaching #LifePurpose #SelfCare #Mindfulness #CancerSurvivors #Caregivers #LifeTransformation #Desires #Dreams #CancerCommunity
Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself.This episode is about the blame we carry, the shame that festers, and that voice in our head that sounds like a prosecutor building a case against us.If you've ever whispered "What did I do wrong?" or "How is this my fault?" after a cancer diagnosis (or really, after anything difficult in life), this conversation is for you.Healing isn't linear, and neither is learning to be gentle with yourself.Take what serves you. Leave what doesn't. And remember, you get to choose what you carry.Connect with us:Â www.thecancerjourney.com
Drawing from Shariann's incredible 20+ year journey through five different cancer diagnoses, we talk about how cancer forces all of us to slow down in a world that's absolutely obsessed with speed, and why that forced pause might be exactly what our souls have been craving.Here's what we really get into: Why cancer is like hitting a detour sign with no GPS to guide you, and how that's where Cancer Journey coaches come in to help you navigate. We talk about the huge difference between thinking this is just a temporary detour versus recognizing it as a complete life recalibration. Shariann shares some beautiful insights about how the forced slowdown of treatment can actually become sacred time for self-discovery, and we dig into why our society judges "sitting around" so harshly and how you can reclaim the incredible power of stillness.
This episode isn't about treating yourself better when you're alone. It's about what happens when self-care and relationships intersect. When caring for yourself feels like it might hurt someone else. When you have to choose between your well-being and someone else's comfort.We talk about the moment you realize you've been absorbing emotions that were never yours to carry. What it means to love yourself with the same intentionality as you love others. Why boundaries aren't about keeping people out but about showing up authentically within your relationships.Join our community: www.thecancerjourney.com
We're having an honest conversation about one of the hardest but most important topics on the cancer journey—asking for help. We're exploring why this feels so difficult when it's actually one of the strongest things you can do, how to shift from "help" (which can feel victim-like) to "collaboration" and "support" (which feels empowering), and the beautiful truth that when you ask for support, you're not just receiving, you're giving others the gift of feeling needed and valued.Remember: You were never meant to carry it all alone, and asking for help actually strengthens relationships and creates something beautiful that none of us could achieve solo.Join the CJI Family at www.thecancerjourney.com#CancerJourney #AskingForHelp #CancerSupport #Connection #Collaboration #PersonalEmpowerment #CancerCoaching #SupportSystem #CommunitySupport #Relationships #Podcast
We're opening our hearts about one of the most challenging yet essential topics on the cancer journey—the intersection of cancer and money, and how financial fears can sometimes feel just as devastating as the diagnosis itself.We're having an honest conversation about why money becomes such a heavy topic when cancer enters your world, how financial panic can eclipse even the cancer experience itself, the parallel journeys of facing cancer and facing money, why both can feel isolating and terrifying to look at, how your perspective becomes your most powerful tool for both challenges, and the incredible resources that exist beyond what's in your bank account.
You ARE your power—it's not something outside yourself that you need to find. No one knows you and loves you like you do. The most beautiful choice you have is how you choose to see your situation. And having someone reflect back your incredible light? That's not selfish—that's essential.Whether you're a cancer patient, survivor, thriver, or caregiver, this episode offers gentle wisdom and hope for those moments when everything feels impossible.#CancerJourney #ReclaimYourPower #CancerSupport #Empowerment #CancerCoaching #PersonalGrowth #Podcast
When life throws you something as overwhelming as a cancer diagnosis, it can feel like peace is something that only exists on vacation, somewhere far away from all the decisions, treatments, and uncertainty. But what if peace isn't a destination you have to travel to?In this episode, we explore what it really means to find and hold your peace during life's most chaotic moments, especially when you're navigating a cancer journey.This isn't about toxic positivity or avoiding difficult emotions. It's about developing the awareness to recognize when you're carrying weight that doesn't belong to you, and the tools to return to your own center when the world feels chaotic.#CancerJourney #InnerPeace #PersonalPower #EmotionalWellness #SelfTrust #Healing
In this final episode of our stress response series, we explore two responses that are newer to the research but probably familiar to your lived experience: Fawn and Fib. These responses show up when your nervous system decides the safest way through a situation is to either keep everyone else comfortable or create a more acceptable version of yourself.The goal isn't to eliminate these responses—they developed for good reasons and sometimes they still serve you. It's about developing enough awareness to recognize when they show up and choose whether they're actually helping you get what you need in that moment.#CancerJourney #StressResponse #Fawn #Fib #EmotionalAwareness #Authenticity #Survival #Healing
When you're facing overwhelming situations during a cancer journey, the flight response shows up in ways that might surprise you. It's not always about physically running away—sometimes it's that internal "no" when your doctor is delivering difficult news, or the complete denial that kicks in during diagnosis.In this episode, we continue our stress response series by exploring what flight actually feels like, why it happens, and how to work with that urge to step away instead of judging yourself for having it.Flight can feel like relief in the moment—there's this sense of "I don't need to know, this isn't mine to handle." But the challenge comes when stepping back becomes permanent avoidance. The key is learning to use that space to gather yourself and then come back to engage more consciously.
When you're facing a cancer diagnosis, your fight stress response is going to show up whether you want it to or not. That surge of adrenaline, the pounding heart, the feeling like you need to control everything right now—it's your primitive nervous system trying to protect you from what it perceives as a threat.In this episode, we continue our series on stress responses by exploring what the fight response actually feels like from the inside, why it shows up so intensely during cancer journeys, and how to work with all that intense energy instead of being completely overwhelmed by it.Learn more by visiting: thecancerjourney.com#CancerJourney #StressResponse #Fight #EmotionalAwareness #SelfCompassion #Healing
When you're navigating a cancer journey, stress responses are going to show up whether you want them to or not. But what if the thing we've been taught to judge ourselves for is actually pointing us toward the solution?In this conversation, we explore how these responses are really precursors to emotions—and why that freeze response you might be criticizing yourself for could actually be your pathway to conscious choice-making.Whether you're receiving unexpected news from your medical team, dealing with the daily challenges of treatment, or supporting someone through their cancer journey, this episode will help you understand what your body is trying to communicate and how to work with it consciously.Because here's what we know: you're going to be triggered. The question is whether you're going to notice what's happening in your body and take a moment to be with it, or let the automatic response take over completely.
When cancer enters your life, it can feel like a dark veil settles over everything—making joy feel impossible or even inappropriate. But what if everything you've been told about how you're "supposed to feel" during a cancer journey is wrong?Joy isn't something you manufacture or force. It bubbles up naturally when you stop judging yourself for being human. Whether you're a patient, thriver, survivor, or caregiver, this episode will help you embrace the full spectrum of emotions available to you.