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Test Those Breasts ™️
This podcast by Jamie Vaughn is a deep-dive discussion on a myriad of breast cancer topics, such as early detection, the initial shock of diagnosis, testing/scans, treatment, loss of hair, caregiving, surgery, emotional support, and advocacy.
These episodes will include breast cancer survivors, thrivers, caregivers, surgeons, oncologists, therapists, and other specialists who can speak to many different topics.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and not all information in this podcast comes from qualified health care providers, therefore does not constitute medical advice. For personalized medical advice, you should reach out to one of the qualified healthcare providers interviewed on this podcast and/or seek medical advice from your own providers.
Test Those Breasts ™️
Episode 90: Integrative Healing and Personal Power with Crissy Florio
This episode focuses on empowerment through holistic healing in the face of breast cancer. Jamie Vaughn and Crissy Florio discuss personal journeys, the importance of preventative health, emotional recovery, and the role of community support, as well as the launch of Crissy's book, "For the Love of Jugs."
• Emphasis on the importance of holistic healing
• Discussion of preventative care before a breast cancer diagnosis
• Importance of emotional and energetic healing during recovery
• Role of yoga and personal practices in healing
• Navigating support networks and community resources
• Launch of C
rissy’s book, aimed at empowering women on their cancer journeys
• Encouragement for women to reclaim their power and trust their intuition during treatment
• Strategies for caregivers and support systems to assist loved ones through their journeys
Contact Crissy Florio:
Website Healing Harmony
Email Email Crissy Florio
Instagram Follow Crissy on Instagram
Flo_withcrissyflorio
Facebook Follow Crissy on Facebook
YOUTUBE Flo With Crissy on YouTube
Resources:
Heal Documentary- Heal Documentary
Cancer Cartel- Cancer Cartel
You Can Thrive- You Can Thrive
How Not to Die Book by Dr Michael Greger - How Not To Die
Anti Cancer A new way of life by David Servan- Schreiber - Anti Cancer: A New Way of Life
You are invited to For the Love of Jugs Launch Party! When: Feb 23, 2025 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/8Qt7EIbFTBmT8ncTbZ0yqg
After registering, you will
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Where to find Jamie:
Instagram LinkedIn TikTok Test Those Breasts Facebook Group LinkTree
Jamie Vaughn in the News!
Thanks for listening!
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I am not a doctor and not all information in this podcast comes from qualified healthcare providers, therefore may not constitute medical advice. For personalized medical advice, you should reach out to one of the qualified healthcare providers interviewed on this podcast and/or seek medical advice from your own providers .
Hello friends, welcome back to the Test those Breasts podcast. I am your host, jamie Vaughn. I'm a retired teacher of 20 years and a breast cancer thriver turned staunch, unapologetic, loud supporter and advocate for others, bringing education and awareness through a myriad of medical experts, therapists, caregivers and other survivors. A breast cancer diagnosis is incredibly overwhelming, with the mounds of information out there, and other survivors A breast cancer diagnosis is incredibly overwhelming, with the mounds of information out there, especially on Dr Google. I get it. I'm not a doctor and I know how important it is to uncover accurate information, which is my ongoing mission through my nonprofit. The podcast includes personal stories and opinions from breast cancer survivors and professional physicians, providing the most up-to-date information. At the time of recording Evidence, research and practices are always changing, so please check the date of the recording and always refer to your medical professionals for the most up-to-date information. I hope you find this podcast a source of inspiration and support from my guests. Their contact information is in the show notes, so please feel free to reach out to them. We have an enormous breast cancer community ready to support you in so many ways.
Speaker 1:Now let's listen to the next episode of Test those Breasts. Well, hello, friends, Welcome back to this episode of Test those Breasts. I am your host, jamie Vaughn, and we are in season four of the podcast, and so I'm super excited. And today I get to interview my friend, chrissy Florio again. We have actually talked on the podcast early on in my podcast days, but I get to have her back because she's got some exciting news for us. So Chrissy is a passionate advocate for holistic healing, blending over a decade of experience as a 200 ERYT yoga instructor with a personal journey of resilience and empowerment.
Speaker 1:She specializes in vinyasa and therapeutic yoga, with advanced training in yoga for cancer recovery, yoga for lymphatic system and yoga for myofascial release. A breast cancer thriver herself, chrissy drew on her yoga practice to move through her journey with grace and ease, deepening her connection of the mind, body and spirit connection. She expanded her knowledge to include holistic practices that support healing and now shares these tools with others navigating life after cancer. Her first book, for the Love of Jugs, a Breasties Guide Creating Grace and Ease Through the Breast Cancer Journey, is set to launch late February. It's February 23rd of 2025. Written with love, humor and authenticity, for the love of jugs, a Breasties Guide is a heartfelt guide offering a holistic approach to navigating breast cancer. Her goal is to inspire women to reclaim their power and navigate their cancer journey with grace, strength and ease.
Speaker 1:Chrissy is deeply passionate about empowering others. She believes that breast cancer diagnosis doesn't have to dull your shine. She advocates for her fellow breasties, helping them find peace in their journey, reconnect with their bodies and reclaim their inner power. She also promotes preventative breast health education to support women before a diagnosis ever even occurs. Nice, through her book, teachings, workshops and Events, her mission is to help many pink sisters and women in general rediscover their strength, tap into their spiritual essence and let their inner light radiate. Oh, right up my alley, chrissy, how are you doing today?
Speaker 2:I am fantastic and, honestly, just first of all, I'm so happy to be back here with you again. We had such a good time the first time we spoke God, I think that was back in 2023. So I'm honored to be back here again with your amazing community and, you know, just sitting here listening to you say all of that, I just, you know, put my hands on my heart and I just I receive and I feel all the feels. I've got tears kind of coming down my face because, as we know, life after cancer can really be just a different journey than what we had ever anticipated. And just to hear somebody else speak of some of the things that I've done since then and how I've really kind of developed this pathway of being really present and just appreciating life way more than I ever thought, it was just humbling to listen to it. So, thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're so welcome and thank you, because I mean I love working with women and so you know there's a lot of things that has changed. You know, since I've actually talked to you, I'm doing the breast cancer classes through the Know your Lemons and I'm pretty sure you know who. That is right, uh-huh, yeah, yeah, know.
Speaker 2:Your Lemons.
Speaker 1:Amazing and I've taught 47 people here in Reno so far, and on World Cancer Day, february 4th, I'm going to be teaching another class at Nevada Cancer Coalition, which is a local community cancer place here in Reno. So I love to, you know, talk to people who also advocate and teach people who've never even been diagnosed yet, because that's the thing is is that we need to have that as part of our audience, because you know otherwise, you know, obviously you're, you know, preaching to the choir of people who've already had breast cancer.
Speaker 1:So we have to make sure that those other people young, even younger folks, because they're getting cancer as well.
Speaker 2:So thank you for what you do.
Speaker 2:Of course you know it's the preventative measure. Unfortunately, our medical society and the world we live in, and you know, in hospitals and the medical field it's reactive care right, so they're working with the people after they're already diagnosed. But what can we start to do to really get the word out? There's things that you can start to do beforehand, before you get diagnosed, if ever right, and it goes for any kind of disease. It doesn't have to necessarily just be breast cancer.
Speaker 2:But I think that understanding our bodies, having a beautiful connection with our bodies, our energy, our minds, our hearts, before something of a diagnosis or a traumatic situation happens, allows us to be able to go through whatever scenario it is.
Speaker 2:With a little bit better understanding, you'll be stronger, you'll be healthier to navigate whatever the waters are for you. So I just I think it's really important for all listeners and all people to understand that we got one life to live in, this physical body that we're in. So why not really treat it with the love and the respect and honor it and feed it what it needs to be fed and nourish it the way that it needs to be nourished in order to try to be as healthy as we can? I mean, obviously, with external factors and environmental toxins and stuff like that. There are some things that are just literally out of our control. But again, if we really start to strengthen this bond with our bodies and strengthen the actual bodies themselves to be able to move and be the way that they're designed to, whatever comes our way will be a little less hard to navigate through. Right, and I do want to amplify what you just said will be a little less hard to navigate through.
Speaker 1:Right, and I do want to amplify what you just said, because I've been talking to, I've talked to people about this all the time. You know, when I was diagnosed and you and I probably mentioned it when we interviewed is that when I was in, when I was diagnosed, I was in really good shape, like I was very healthy. I, you know, was at a great weight. I was really healthy in my mind, physically healthy, and you know. So people were pretty surprised when I got breast cancer. They're like, oh my God, but you're so healthy, and it just really really hit me hard thinking to myself. You know, it's almost like I felt like people were like, what did you do?
Speaker 1:Like yeah, like it was my fault that I got cancer, and and then come to find out that healthy people can get cancer too, and I hear it all the time is yeah, and the point is is that, yes, healthy people can get cancer, because we all have cancer cells, right so, but the point is is that I was able to move through it much better than if I wasn't healthy.
Speaker 2:It's so true. Yeah, I mean, like I said, I hear it all the time and I too. I I was. I was a yoga instructor. I was young, I was 42 years old. I thought I was healthy, I taught yoga, I ate fairly well, I'm, I'm in a happy, you know marriage, I have beautiful children, and then I get slapped with this. So I was diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer. So ER, pr and triple um or HER2 positive, uh, breast cancer, sorry. And back in 2020 and talk about like, uh, like I got wrenching kind of situation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was like what, and? And you do, you know, obviously when you get diagnosed with it, you start thinking about what did I do wrong? What then? We can't go down that route. That's a whole rabbit hole of things that just we don't ever want to do that. But but what I realized was, you know, there were things. When I stopped and looked back, I'm like, oh okay, well, I could have probably stopped that. I probably could have ate a little bit better here and this and that. So, but again to your point, if you're healthy before you're able to navigate the waters Think about just COVID or even any kind of sickness, flu or whatever. We hear about colds going around left and right but if you're a healthy person and your immune system is strong and your lymphatic system is flowing the way that it should, then yeah, you're going to catch up on some bacteria, but your body is going to be able to do its job and fight it and work through and be able to eliminate and detox the bacteria.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, hey, and then also didn't you do the. What do you call?
Speaker 2:it Cold capping.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cold capping, I did I did, and that worked pretty well for you.
Speaker 2:That did. That did I mean? I want to say I lost a little bit right at the crown and maybe just a little bit kind of like around my ears, but for the most part I was able. I have a lot of hair, I have a lot of hair, I have a lot of hair, so I was able to maintain my hair. It's funny, my husband's bald, so he was like that's my look in the family. I don't want anybody else having my look, so it was wonderful. So, yeah, that was one of the add-ons in my journey that I did.
Speaker 2:But I got to say, obviously, when I started going through my protocol and what my process and what my journey was going to be in my breast cancer storyline, I had to stop and pause. Obviously, with it being COVID too, I had to quarantine myself again. The uncertainty of life back then was I had no idea how my body was going to react to if I did come into contact with COVID with immunity being down. So we as a family quarantined once again and it honestly was a blessing in disguise. As much as I love support and I want support, I got it in a different way, not in a physical touch type of support. Although I'm a big hugger, I loved a hug, I missed my hugs from people, but it really gave me the time to pause and to realize that healing through a breast cancer or a cancer journey or a diagnosis of some sort, even trauma cancer or a cancer journey or a diagnosis of some sort, even trauma has to not just be on a physical level, it has to be on an emotional and energetic mental body. So we really need to kind of look at our bodies as a whole and see where we can kind of start to incorporate other healing modalities. And that's why I really appreciated more of an integrative approach.
Speaker 2:I didn't just do Eastern or Western medicine, traditional or conventional medicine, I really merged the two together. I did do cold capping, I did do chemo, I did do mastectomy with reconstruction, but behind the scenes I was meditating daily, I was doing visualization work, white light healing. I didn't do EFT tapping until after I was done with chemo, because the tapping on the head, I was afraid to do that with the cold capping, because there's a lot of things that you're not really supposed to do when you're cold capping, like getting too heated, brushing your hair too much, washing your hair too much, because that could potentially allow the hair to fall out. So I didn't really do EFT tapping or emotional freedom technique, but I love that now I incorporated it after Going out for walks, being in nature, jumping in the ocean, all things that could help me heal, release any of the stagnant, heavy energy that some of the Western protocols could provide, like radiation.
Speaker 2:I didn't do radiation but a radiation could, or chemotherapy can do. Some of that heaviness and that trauma of getting the actual protocols can stay stuck in our cells. So I really tried to do a good job of releasing that and being open and vulnerable and healing on all levels, not just the physical. I wasn't looking at just where the cancer was. I was really trying to look at my body as a whole and shed layers and heal and just things that have happened to me in the past that you know, who knows who could potentially have been a reason why I got the breast cancer, you know.
Speaker 1:So yeah, yeah, and it's. It's hard because we just never know, like we never know. You know, you can think, you can think about what, if what you know did this cause it? Did that cause it? I mean, I always thought that it was stress and trauma for me. I mean, I lost my mom in 2019 and I still feel like I haven't recovered from that and I don't but it just caused a lot.
Speaker 1:Um, you know it. Um, it kind of set off this whole um thing of my relationship with my dad changed you know just so much and I just really felt that that's what it was. And then I've talked to like surgeons, breast surgeons and and and people like that, who've said, oh yeah, that's a bunch of hoo-ha, that's not, it's not stress and trauma. So it's like you know.
Speaker 1:I don's like I don't know what I could have done. But oh, and then I had someone say that I probably ate too much soy. I think you and I said that we talked about that in the beginning too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I know that that's been a myth.
Speaker 1:I know that that was a thing and I remember it very well when that came out and I stopped eating any kind of soy products and things like that. But it all turns out that it just depends on you know where things are sourced from. You want to make sure that you're not eating processed foods.
Speaker 2:And non-GMO and absolutely and the truth of the matter is as well is that we want to. From a physical standpoint, if our lymphatic system, which is our I don't love to call excess hormones, excess cells and moving too, whatever then our body is on overload and it can't actually go to the cancerous cells and really kind of fight that as well, right? So the immune system, the lymphatic system, really should be super important in our healing and even beforehand, understanding those systems, right, understanding how we can support those systems to help in that detoxification, to help our build the strength of our immune system, to help our circulatory system and all the things. And our gut too. You know more and more research is coming out about how important our gut is. That holds about 80% of our immune system and 80% of our lymphatic system as well, right? So you know don't quote me on those statistics of the lymphatic system, but I have heard 80% of the immune system, for sure, but we do have a lot of lymph nodes also in our gut that can help kind of detox as well.
Speaker 2:But when we're unhealthy and we're on overload and we're constantly eating things or drinking things or putting us in a space where there's Bluetooth always around Wi-Fi, always around those kind of, you know, emfs, those electric magnetic fields around, then our body just is on overload and it's just. It's just the way of the world right now. So if there are things that we can do to take our own health and into our own hands, like lymphatic drainage, like moving our bodies, like breath work and meditation, a lot of those we can do on our own and are free as well.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So I love things like that, where I can learn about it. I can do it in my own body and I don't have to go to a specialist although going to specialists are fantastic, Like lymphatic drainage massages are amazing and really important to go to a specialist to do those because that can kind of help and release some of that toxic waste that's in the body potentially.
Speaker 1:Right, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Do you, when you talk to people about moving them through their cancer journey and then life beyond, do you recommend any kind of supplements or? Um? So, like I am, I love doing fiber. Um, I'm a doTERRA girl. So, I, so I use their fiber and then the psyllium husk. Okay, okay, I heard, I heard that psyllium husk is something we all need. What are? You what do you usually tell people? I mean it's nice, because it just cleans you out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, you know, I think I think that everyone is so different and, with our own genetic DNA and makeup, how we absorb things is going to be different from person to person. For me, personally, I really don't give too much advice around that because, again, I don't know how they're going to absorb it. And somebody who takes a ton of vitamin C, but maybe it's not the right vitamin C or their body's not absorbing it properly or they're not eating it at the right time, that could kind of potentially be a not very good thing, right? So I encourage, I encourage all of my women that I speak to and clients and friends to really talk to more of a naturopathic doctor, yes, or a nutritionist, and, and the truth of the matter is like, we are not getting the nutrition that we need to from our food. We should.
Speaker 2:I love to look at food as medicine, but the truth of the matter is is that most people just are not. They're not receiving as much, you know, fruits and vegetables, yeah, yeah, and if you live in a place where you can't get outside and get fresh, like vitamin D, real vitamin D taking it, you got to have the right one. What is it? What do you got to take it with, so you know your body absorbs it. I don't have that knowledge, I don't.
Speaker 2:So that's why I kind of refer out to more of like a naturopathic doctor or a functional medicine doctor. But yeah, I think fiber is really important to get things continuing to move. I think exercising and sweating and breath work and moving your lymphatic system. I really, really encourage that. So when I'm working with some of my private clients, we do some of I teach them certain things that they can help their lymphatic system, that they can start to do daily, add it into their daily routine and then you know, as far as I mean, I know there's a ton of supplements out there, but again, I just kind of refer out to the specialty people.
Speaker 1:Right, because you never know where it's coming from, like I, you know, most of the time you're peeing that stuff out anyway. So, yeah, I definitely always recommend people going to a you know a nutritionist natural, you know natural doctor naturopathic doctor. I do have friends who see integrative oncologists and it is really, really important that that integrative oncologist can work hand in hand with your regular oncologist as well.
Speaker 1:integrative- oncologists can work hand in hand with your regular oncologist as well. I think when, when both of them are working together, it's way better, way better.
Speaker 2:And that's so beautiful If you can find that pairing. I have found in my own experience that a lot of conventional doctors don't really want to work with the integrative side, with the holistic side. So finding centers and doctors and offices that will incorporate the two, I mean. To me it's the best of both worlds and that's what I always say is that it doesn't. You don't have to pick sides. Why can't we bring them together and let them work with one another to really create this journey of healing physically where the cancer is, get it out, but then on an emotional and a mental level, on an energetic level as well.
Speaker 2:When I was going through chemo, I was lucky enough to have a pranic energy healer kind of working on me while I was going to chemo and a few times throughout the week to help cleanse out some of the energy, of what chemo can do and the trauma of going and getting chemo. It's very scary when you first start. You don't know what to expect. You have no idea how your body's going to adapt to it, what side effects you're going to get, and I honestly, while I did get a whole slew of side effects, I still feel it was probably way better than again. If I were, if I were unhealthy, I feel like my side effects were been way worse, and if I didn't have my energy healer helping to cleanse some of that out of me as well, I feel like I would have been able to. I would have been more tight, I would have been more emotionally, kind of not healing in that aspect, as well as energetically, obviously, too. So it's really, really important that we see ourselves as a whole and, um, maybe this is a good segue.
Speaker 2:So, you know, for the book, um, for, for the love of jugs out February 23rd this year, 2025, um, it is. So. It's the book that I wish I had. It's the book that I wish I had right from the beginning. It's the book that, the moment you either hear somebody that you love that just was diagnosed or maybe they were diagnosed months ago, maybe there's a thriver and they're still needing some help to kind of, you know, work through things. I this is the book that I want people to, just the moment they hear that I got to order you, because how many times have you heard oh, my gosh, my friend was just diagnosed. What can I send her? Right, I get that question all the time this book. My intention is that this book is going to be super helpful in that case.
Speaker 2:So it's For the Love of Jugs, and I have a funny story of why it's called for the love of jugs. I love the name, it's catchy, it's funny, it's light, right, it's humorous. Yeah, kind of like test those breasts, exactly, exactly. It's fun and just to bring a sense of lightness to it, right? Breast cancer breast cancer diagnosis is a heavy journey but it doesn't have to be right. So kind of give ourselves a little bit of grace.
Speaker 2:And so my brother-in-law quick story, real quick. My brother-in-law used to always call me jugs before I was diagnosed. Funny, because I'd never had boobs, right, right, and he was just. It was a joke because I was very small, I was not well endowed before I got diagnosed, neither am I now, but he would always like what's up, juggs? And so kind of. After my journey, when I started thinking how can I be now of service to the beautiful pink sisters that are going to go ahead of me, or you know after, and when I started to really think about doing a book and what I want it to be, and I was like for the love of jugs, just for the love, for the love of jugs.
Speaker 1:So that's how that was born.
Speaker 2:But it is. It's a Breasties guide. It's kind of like you know what to expect when you're expecting your girlfriend's guide to things, that sort of thing. But it brings my essence of how I went through my journey really with this feeling of ease, of peace, of grace, what I've created in my journey and it's not necessarily my storyline, my story is woven into it, for sure but it is helping women from the moment they hear those words to hopefully they hear the words that they are cancer-free, ned, no sign of cancer anywhere.
Speaker 2:I pray that all of Pink Sisters hear those words. I understand that not everybody will, but this book can really help them navigate their journey and open their eyes to seeing their journey through a different lens and more of a holistic lens and how they can help their bodies heal mind, body, heart and soul and how they can incorporate all of these things into their journey, into their life on all levels. It's all fantastic information. So even if there's a caretaker that is taking care of somebody with cancer or breast cancer, you know they could read it too and get a little bit of a glimpse as to what may be going through their loved one's mind. I love that you've included that that's so good. Yeah, sympathetic system. How can we make ourselves feel a little bit more calm and restored? And in those moments I typically have a recorded meditation that they will be able to navigate their ways to, to listen to these meditations. So there's also practices that they would be able to do journaling prompts and the meditations and checklists of, you know, before they start chemo, before they start surgery.
Speaker 2:But it's so, it's interactive and it's also really coming back to helping each one of my readers get back to reclaiming their power, not giving their power over to the cancer right and to this diagnosis and really learning to also understand if something in their journey doesn't feel right just because your doctor says you have to do it, do you? If it really doesn't feel right and aligned to you and your energy and your essence, do you have to do everything they say? I'm going to say no and I know that's a big statement and I don't ever really want to go against doctors. But I also understand the power of feeling aligned and that gut feeling and your own intuition and that should be way stronger than anybody else. You know anybody else's word or anybody else's suggestions, as long as you're doing things on the side and really trying to do you know other things, but just because somebody says you have to do something, I mean would you go jump off a bridge? Just because somebody said you had to do it.
Speaker 1:No, I'd get a second opinion on that.
Speaker 2:Second opinions, or right, exactly, you know what I mean on that. Second opinions, or go right, exactly you know what I mean. So it's really kind of helping the readers also navigate, find grace and ease, but then also stand in their power and then just give them a lot of ideas of what they can do to holistically help support their system. And I don't ever say you have to do this because what I just said, right, I want them to really what feels aligned to you. It's just a lot of suggestions and you know, offerings.
Speaker 1:And suggestions that you know you've got firsthand experience with as far as how you went through it. So I mean, I feel like that's pretty powerful in itself. So how is it broken up? You have you know it's right from when they hear those words. What can people expect on those first pages?
Speaker 2:They have, and I'm going to try to keep it short and sweet so I don't give it away Right, they're going to have two choices. They are going to have a moment where they're at a fork road. They hear those words you have breast cancer. Now what, right, am I going to go down this path of like woe is me? I can't believe this. How did this happen to me?
Speaker 2:And you see me right now shrinking and shrinking and shrinking as I'm saying those words, or I could be like you know what? I'm going to take this beast on. I'm going to stand in my power. I'm going to take this like the warrior that I am and I'm going to do everything in my power because I deserve it. I am worthy of living, I am worthy of showing up to this disease and fighting this disease, but not fighting myself. I am worthy of healing myself and doing it in a beautiful, graceful way, and that's how I'm going to show up, right? So they have. That's, like you know. Really, the first, the first of it is how are you going to look at this?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I remember, oh my God, it was so scary, you know.
Speaker 2:It was absolutely.
Speaker 1:I was just in such a deep dark space and I do remember waking up in the middle of the night one night going I can't do this, I can't stay here. Yeah, and so I did. I reached out to Eddie Ennever in. I found I just started kind of searching around Facebook cancer support, found Eddie Ennever in Australia and I saw, I kind of watched some of his videos and he's a three-time cancer survivor and I just thought you know what I'm going to message this guy. So I did, told him that I was just diagnosed and I was just freaking out and I was super dark. Yeah, I need I know I can't stay here. Can we talk to each other about how you can support me? And he reached out to me pretty quickly. I've interviewed him before and he's great. He reached out to me and he's like let's talk. So he's the one that helped me. He really took that proverbial hand and drug me out of the darkness, because it is.
Speaker 2:It's so dark, it's so heavy, it's so scary. The fear of uncertainty, the fear of the unknown is a real thing, and that's why I needed this book to be birthed out into the world for our beautiful pink sisters. So, yeah, we go through that and I never downplay the heaviness of what they would be feeling or could potentially be feeling, but I am giving them that same thing of like. Here are things that you can pull yourself out of it and and and then you know all the way even into like body image and how your body's going to change, right, so there's, there's a lot to it. It's, it's really great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and mourning, you know, the loss of our breasts. I mean our breasts are are. You know what we think of as our womanhood Right and so um, luckily, you know, I I kind of I feel better in my body now.
Speaker 2:I mean, I have sure, and that's a process.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is, it is, and then I get PTSD. So when I have to go see my oncologist I walk in there and literally the smell and everything it's like I don't even want to be there, right? So you have here too, the importance of support, like support groups, I'm assuming, in your book. Do you have some information about that? I?
Speaker 2:have information about creating your team of support, from everything from your team of doctors to who are going to be your go-to people on your down days, when you're having very dark days, who are you going to lean on? Is it your spouse? Is it a best friend? If you don't even have anybody, ask your local cancer center. They have support systems and support groups there. The importance of being supported and held through this is super important. So I do talk about that fairly in the beginning of the book of think about this and think about how you need to be supported, because I understand that sometimes you're not going to know what you need, but you need to use your voice and if there are days where you really do need something from somebody, use it and be like a smoothie or somebody dropping off a meal or coming to clean your house, whatever the case may be. But yes, having a support, whether it's a circle of other people going through it or people of your tight knit group. Create that and lean into them in the beginning and all throughout.
Speaker 1:And I mean it is really hard for people who are on the outside and they're watching their friend or their family member going through things like that. And it's really cool because I've interviewed Alyssa Calver from wegotthisorg and she, you know, she's got metastatic breast cancer and she came up with a website where people can go to and there's it's it's kind of like run like a baby registry or a wedding registry, but it's for cancer and if people can have a wish list on there and people can support that way. But also have another friend of mine who is using a website called giving in kind and it houses all of the things that a cancer patients needs, like um.
Speaker 1:People can donate their time or money for house cleaning. They can. There's a wish list on there.
Speaker 1:There's a meal train that's connected to there. So support out there is just getting more and more amazing and it's easier for people to support. We have two fantastic organizations here in Reno Nevada Cancer Coalition that I work with all the time. In fact, on the 4th, which is World Cancer Day, I'm going to be teaching a breast cancer class there, and also I work with our friend Natalie, who has a cancer community clubhouse. So people go there and they do yoga, they do, you know, sound baths, they do crafts or they just go there and have coffee talk.
Speaker 1:So, reaching out, and I'm sure, like you, I have people who connect people to me all the time. In fact I have had three people just in the last few weeks reach out to me and say hey, jamie, I just wanted to connect you to one of my really good friends who just got breast cancer, or her mom just got breast cancer. Like I have a phone call after our meeting now with someone who so I can help them support their mom, and so you know it's just so I I really encourage people who've been diagnosed to really really let people help you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, that's a huge I I. I talk about that in the book, you know especially women that were like, oh, I can do it all, I got this. You know, don't let them help you. People want to help you. They don't know what to do and they want to help. Let them, Let them, Let them.
Speaker 1:Yes, Well, I think this is so great. I cannot wait for the book I definitely need to get. Where is it going to be sold?
Speaker 2:I assume on Amazon, so it's going to be on yep, on Amazon and then in Barnes and Nobles at some point as well, but I believe right now it's going to be just starting on Amazon and I'll send you the link and everything once it's up and ready to go. And I am just, I'm so excited, like I said before, I'm just so ready for her to be birthed out into the world and I know that she is going to help so many of our pink sisters and I just hope that it really does bring them that sense of peace and safety and support that they so need to go through this. So I'm just I'm really excited and really ready to get it out there.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm excited too, and you know what? Writing a book is not easy. That takes a lot of effort and time, and I'm sure you woke up in the middle of the night thinking, okay, well, no, I need to do this, I need to do that I am just very, very grateful for people like you and are you know I, maybe you can do a couple little snippet, read alouds, you know just to kind of get it out there too.
Speaker 2:Actually on on February 23rd at 7 PM Eastern Standard Time, I am going to be doing an online launch, so I can send you the link to that and we'll put it in the show notes. Yes, and for anybody who wants to join, they'll be able to. I'll come on and I will do a few different readings and we will talk about ways that you can order the book and review the book when you're done and kind of go from there. So I will definitely send that to you and we can put it in the show notes.
Speaker 1:And, by the way, those books are really helpful. I remember when I first got diagnosed I wanted to know all the things that I can use on my face to make it look like I'm an actual, you know, still a girl and I bought a book called Pretty Sick and there was all kinds of research that went into it and it was a woman who had gone through breast cancer and she was a very high powered person who worked in the public a lot, so she needed to be able to look like she wasn't sick and so she recommended different kinds of makeup um everywhere from uh, you know um, personal care for your, you know, vagina and
Speaker 1:wigs and nails, how to take care of your nails, just everything. And so books like yours is just so. They're just so helpful. So in the show notes I've got a couple of things. I have your website, healing Harmony. I have your email address and also where people can follow you on Instagram, facebook and YouTube. I love it. Flow with Chrissy. And then you have a couple of resources on below yeah, the heel documentary. Uh, cancer cartel. You can thrive. How not to die? I remember, how not to die, anti-cancer, a new way of life. So you've got some great resources and we're very lucky to have you in the breast cancer community.
Speaker 1:Chrissy and I'm just so excited that you reached out to me and we got to do this again.
Speaker 2:I know and thank you for all the beautiful work that you are putting out into the world. You know, with these podcasts you are just getting the information out and having these beautiful conversations that people you know are sitting back and like they're just not sure what to do. But podcasts like yours are so valuable to to this industry. You know, unfortunately I have to call breast cancer an industry, because it is right but to our pink sisters and to the people that have gone before us, the people supporting them, the people that are going through it right now and the beautiful women to come, you know, unfortunately that may be diagnosed in the future. So keep up the amazing, amazing work and I can't thank you enough.
Speaker 1:Well, I will put your book on my resources. I don't know if you know or not, but I do have a website teslasbreastorg and it is a nonprofit and in the, in that website, there's a resource tab where I have my favorite books, my favorite podcasts, um, and just all the things, so I'll be putting that on on there as well.
Speaker 2:Amazing. Thank you so much. Thank you for your support Always. It really means a lot.
Speaker 1:You're so welcome, chrissy. Well, thank you again, and to my audience, I just really appreciate your joining us again and, as usual, please head to your favorite platform and rate and review this show. It really does help get the word out worldwide, and so it you know. Give it a, give it a five star and give a little a ditty on what you think about the podcast. I just really appreciate it. We'll see you next time on the next episode of test those breasts. Bye for now, friends.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for listening to this episode of test those breasts. I hope you got some great much needed information that will help you with your journey. As always, I am open to guests to add value to my show, and I'm also open to being a guest on other podcasts where I can add value. So please reach out if you'd like to collaborate. My contact information is in the show notes and, as a reminder, rating, reviewing and sharing this podcast will truly help build a bigger audience all over the world. I thank you for your efforts. I look forward to sharing my next episode of Test those Breasts.
