Learning to Trust Your Body Again - Movement for Recovery

What if your body, despite illness or injury, could still be a powerful ally in your healing journey? In this episode of Love Letters 2 Our Bodies, we’re joined by Valencia Balkcom, a nationally certified athletic trainer and cancer exercise specialist, for a moving conversation on reclaiming health and confidence through movement. Diagnosed with breast cancer the day before her wedding, Valencia shares how she used her expertise and personal journey to guide others, especially cancer patients and survivors, toward physical, mental, and emotional resilience. She explores the concept of “prehab,” how to reframe body image after appearance-altering surgery, holistic strategies for overcoming cancer-related fatigue, and why mindset matters just as much as medicine. Tune in for real talk, practical tools, and a powerful reminder that your body is still worthy of love, movement, and joy!

Key Points From This Episode:

•    Meet Valencia Balkcom and her healing mission.

•    A breast cancer diagnosis the day before her wedding.

•    How movement supported Valencia through her life and treatment.

•    Reframing fitness: from athlete to cancer exercise specialist.

•    Why “prehab” is just as important as rehab.

•    Designing personalized movement plans for every stage of treatment and recovery.

•    From rest to resilience: shifting the mindset about exercise during treatment.

•    Tips for navigating post-treatment identity and body image.

•    Helping clients reconnect with their changed bodies.

•    Managing cancer-related fatigue through joyful movement.

•    Movement as medicine for pain and neuropathy.

•    Grounding tools and holistic healing practices.

•    What loving your body might look like after it feels like it has betrayed you.

•    How Valencia’s phoenix tattoo became a love letter to her body.

•    One day, one step at a time: Valencia’s message for the newly diagnosed.

Quotes:

“Whether you have cancer or not, we have a lot of people [in this country] who are inactive. I hate to hear somebody say, 'I'm gonna die of something, so I might as well eat what I want,’ or ‘I don't need to exercise.’ I want to be able to change that narrative in people's minds.” — Valencia Balkcom [0:10:35]

“Based upon the diagnosis, what [exercises] can we do prior to treatment? Because in sports medicine, when you prehab, the stronger you are going in, the stronger you are coming out.” — Valencia Balkcom [0:11:52]

“When we hear the word diet. Everybody immediately thinks you're supposed to lose weight, [but] diet really means, what are you eating?” — Valencia Balkcom [0:32:20]

“No matter how you're moving, just move!” — Valencia Balkcom [0:39:55]

“You might feel like [your body] betrayed you when you get that diagnosis, but just take it one day at a time.” — Valencia Balkcom [0:51:01]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Valencia Balkcom on LinkedIn

Zumba with Valencia Balkcom

Earthing Harmony — $10 Discount Code: LOVE-2-MY-BODY

Love Letters 2 Our Bodies is sponsored by Moyo Institute, Inc and the Lloyd Symington Foundation
Gwendolyn Mitchell on LinkedIn
MOYO Institute, Inc
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