Episode One: This is not a story about cancer

Ok so, let's talk about cancer...

In the opening episode of Beyond Curious, hosts Keeks and Jesse set the stage for a story that goes far beyond illness. Jesse begins unpacking the early days of her relationship with Danni, the charm, the pull, the red flags she brushed aside, and how a sudden cancer diagnosis became the hook that bound her more tightly to him.

What emerges is not a story about sickness, but about love, control, family patterns, and the invisible forces that keep us tethered to relationships we can’t easily walk away from.

Music credits

@fatshaudi (thank you for gifting your beautiful music)

Get support in Australia:

1800RESPECT

Beyond Blue

Lifeline Australia

Get support outside of Australia:

NO MORE Global Directory

Learn more:

Coercive Control, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Intimate Partner Violence, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

DFV Risk Factors and Identification, Qld Government

Partner Violence, Australian Bureau of Statistics

Ending Violence Against Women, UN Women

Beyond Curious shares lived experiences of coercive control, emotional abuse, and professional misconduct. All events discussed are drawn from documented evidence, contemporaneous messages, or firsthand accounts. Identifying details have been changed or withheld to protect privacy and safety.

All references to documents, images, or communications are based on material that was voluntarily shared with the host at the time of the events. Any opinions expressed are clearly identified as personal reflections, and care has been taken to avoid publishing private medical or identifying information.

The aim of this podcast is to raise awareness, promote understanding, and support recovery, not to defame or harm. Every statement has been made in good faith and supported by credible material.