The Cancer Journey Podcast

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 inv...

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 fe...

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. Th...

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.comF...

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 sce...

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 nei...

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 co...

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...

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 suppo...

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 o...

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 whe...

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...

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 ...

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, ...

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 li...

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-mak...

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 c...

Join us for a tender exploration of one of cancer's most unexpected heartbreaks—when the people you thought would be your strongest support quietly step away when you need them most.We create space for the complex emotions that arise when friendships shift during life's most challenging seasons. This isn't about blame or judgment, but about honoring the very real grief that comes when support systems change in ways we n...

Join us for an honest exploration of burnout culture and the profound exhaustion so many of us carry, not just from work, but from a society that profits from our depletion.We create space for the soul-deep tiredness that comes from carrying everyone else's needs while forgetting to include yourself in the equation. Discover why burnout isn't just about being busy, but about moving so far from your natural rhythm that every...