w/Jenni Tooley

Jenni Tooley
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Arts
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to w/Jenni Tooley, an Audio Diary! I’m Jenni Tooley, a former actress and filmmaker turned writer and storyteller, sharing the truth about healing, survival, and the strange, often unexpected beauty that shows up in the middle of it all. From cancer diagnosis to recovery, from reinvention to rest, from breakdowns to quiet rebuilds—nothing here is polished or prescriptive. It's just me with my iphone wherever I'm at, doing whatever I'm doing- both literally and figuratively! If you’re navigating change, loss, healing, or just the slow unraveling of who you thought you were… you’re not alone. Come as you are. Stay as long as you need. And always remember that you are loved. www.jennitooley.com

  1. CC S5.E9: Trauma, Tight Asses & Pelvic Floor Therapy

    3d ago

    CC S5.E9: Trauma, Tight Asses & Pelvic Floor Therapy

    Today I’m diving into what happened at a visit with my pelvic floor therapist so this episode might make you a little uncomfortable. But I promise that this episode is vulnerable, practical, weirdly educational, and occasionally very funny. Cancer Chronicles S5.E9: Trauma, Tight Asses & Pelvic Floor Therapy This episode was recorded on February 1, six months after my ileostomy closure surgery, and explores what recovery actually looks like after chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, bowel reconstruction, and reconnecting an entire digestive system.More Specifically: * what pelvic floor therapy actually is and what happens during an exam * how LARS surgery scar tissue can affect bowel function * how surviving trauma — physical, emotional, spiritual, historical — can leave the body in a constant state of bracing * convincing your body that it’s safe again * why my anus apparently refuses to relax * the deeply humbling experience of celebrating a successful poop If you’re going through cancer recovery, chronic illness, pelvic floor issues, trauma recovery, post-surgical healing, or simply trying to reconnect with your body after a hard season, I hope this helps you feel less alone. If you know someone who could benefit from this podcast, please share it:) Love ya lots!Jenni Get full access to w/Jenni Tooley at www.jennitooley.com/subscribe

    24 min
  2. CC S5.E8: Cancer Treatment Aftercare, Spiritual Immunity & Healing Buttholes

    May 28

    CC S5.E8: Cancer Treatment Aftercare, Spiritual Immunity & Healing Buttholes

    We’re still catching up on podcast episodes- this one was recorded back in January. Things have changed a bit since then, but life is still surreal. Many thanks to those who have supported the cast, mrJames who contributed the new Season 5 branding, and to Linda who heeded the call and sent me a bidet attachment! Support is still needed and appreciated:)venmo: @jenni-tooley zelle/paypal: jennitooley@gmail www.jennitooley.com You all rock! Now on with the show… Cancer Chronicles S5:Ep8 Treatment Aftercare, Spiritual Immunity & Healing Buttholes After rectal cancer treatment, there are a lot of strange little things that become part of everyday life. Some are scary. Some are annoying. Some are unexpectedly funny. And some involve conversations with medical professionals where you ask for “skincare tips” and they mistakenly think that these tips are for your face.There’s also a quiet thread running underneath this episode about recovery after active treatment — the strange emotional space where the emergency is technically over, but your body and nervous system are still trying to figure out what happened.The Breakdown * sensitive skin and skincare for your butt * recovery realities nobody talks about like long-term radiation damage, fecal incontinence and IBS * the unexpected emotional joy of a bidet attachment * rebuilding an aftercare team * protecting both my physical and spiritual immune systems * pulling inward for a while * allowing myself to simply exist without hiding my scars If you’re navigating cancer recovery, chronic illness, burnout, nervous system exhaustion, or just trying to feel human again after a hard season… this one’s for you. Love ya lots.Jenni Get full access to w/Jenni Tooley at www.jennitooley.com/subscribe

    14 min
  3. My body still remembers

    May 21

    My body still remembers

    Cancer Chronicles: Survivorship is a real-time audio journal of the lived experience after cancer treatment, where healing doesn’t follow a timeline and the body continues to speak long after medical care ends. In this episode, I reflect on survivorship as something embodied rather than conceptual. I share about the unexpected return of physical echoes from treatment, including moments from hospital stays that still live in the nervous system and body memory. One memory in particular — repeated IV attempts, blown veins, and alarm machines triggered by movement — opens into a larger reflection on how the body holds onto experiences long after they seem “over.” This is a conversation about what lingers, what resurfaces, and what it means to rebuild trust with a body that has been through a lot. Season 5: Survivorship is unfolding in real time. If you want to support me and this ongoing work, you can do so via Substack membership at www.jennitooley.com or direct support (Venmo @jenni-tooley, PayPal/Zelle: jennitooley@gmail.com). Thank you- you are loved. Jenni Get full access to w/Jenni Tooley at www.jennitooley.com/subscribe

    30 min
  4. Survivorship, Pelvic Floor Therapy, and getting to know my body...again.

    May 14

    Survivorship, Pelvic Floor Therapy, and getting to know my body...again.

    This episode begins on New Year’s Day 2026, in the middle of ongoing recovery from cancer treatment. Survivorship is not a label. It’s a lived process that begins at diagnosis and keeps unfolding. The body does not follow calendars. It follows capacity. For me, survivorship is a space that doesn’t end when treatment ends, but continues with digestive issues, fatigue, physical therapy, nervous system regulation, and the daily negotiation with what my body can actually do. This season, my only real guide is simple: my healing comes first. Too bad it took cancer to remind me of that:)Until next time- you are loved. If this work resonates with you, please support its continuation by becoming a paid subscriber at www.jennitooley.com or by sending direct support via Venmo (@jenni-tooley), PayPal, or Zelle (jennitooley@gmail.com). Every bit of support helps sustain this work while I recover and continue creating from inside the process. Get full access to w/Jenni Tooley at www.jennitooley.com/subscribe

    27 min
  5. NYE, Oncology Centers, & Pelvic Floors

    May 7

    NYE, Oncology Centers, & Pelvic Floors

    Hi darlin!This one is coming at ya from my car in the Oncology Center parking lot on NYE day. It was my first day of post-treatment physical therapy- a pelvic floor therapy intake no less. Talk about anxiety! Let’s jump right in,,,shall we?Love ya lots!Jenni Be w/Jenni Tooley wherever, whenever, and however she is by becoming a free or paid subscriber at www.jennitooley.com. You can also keep her in gas money and copays via venmo @jenni-tooley or paypal/zelle: jennitooley@gmail.com Get full access to w/Jenni Tooley at www.jennitooley.com/subscribe

    8 min
  6. Same Event, Different Body

    Apr 30

    Same Event, Different Body

    This week’s episode starts with church bells ringing outside my car window- let’s enjoy them for a moment, shall we?Now on to the meat of it! I was invited to participate in the Lavender & Lore event again this year. It got me thinking about the last time I was there—right in the middle of radiation and chemo. I showed up exhausted, overheated, and not very clear about where I even was in my body. And yet… something really beautiful came out of that day. In this episode I’m reflecting on: ✨ what it was like showing up to Lavender & Lore last year in the middle of treatment✨ the unexpected gifts that came from it—including a dog park community that ended up helping me more than I ever expected✨ what I lost during cancer treatment (and what I’ve let stay lost)✨ what it means when an opportunity comes around again✨ preparing for events when your bowels might have other plans (yes, we’re going there again)✨ and why “my healing comes first” is still the compass I’m following Sometimes the real abundance doesn’t show up the way we expect. Sometimes it comes sideways—through community, connection, or someone offering to walk your dog. Love ya lots!Jenni You can support the podcast as well as well as my livelihood by becoming a paid subscriber at www.jennitooley.com or making a donation via venmo@jenni-tooley Get full access to w/Jenni Tooley at www.jennitooley.com/subscribe

    22 min
  7. S5:Ep2 My First Post-Cancer CT Scan

    Apr 23

    S5:Ep2 My First Post-Cancer CT Scan

    Hey there! Today we’re going to be doing a Cancer Chronicles episode… unless I get completely derailed, which could happen. Seriously, this is the third attempt at recording this episode.The first time I was interrupted by my dog.The second time I was interrupted by my bowels. This is a story that I really don’t want to tell. But I keep hearing it in my head… and every time I tell it to someone close to me, they laugh. So here we go! Welcome to Episode 2This episode is about my first surveillance CT scan after cancer treatment wearing a body that doesn’t have a rhythm yet. Two months out from an ileostomy closure and I still don’t know when I’m going to go to the bathroom, what it’s going to be like, or how long I’m going to be in there. The CT scan required an hour drive while fasting, and an iodine contrast. Let’s just say, my body went bonkers resulting in two Walmart bathroom stops and so much time spent on the toilet that I realized that Walmart has its own radio station. We also get into: * the difference between worry, anxiety, and concern * what it means to listen to your body (or not listen to your body) * and how healing doesn’t always look the way you think it will Sometimes survivorship looks like just trying to make it home and being kind to yourself when your body has other plans. This s**t happens.Like… it literally happens.Lova ya!Jenni No sponsors or a big machine behind this—just me. So, if you want to help keep the truth flowing, send a little digital love my way via venmo @jenni-tooley, zelle/paypal using jennitooley@gmail.com, or become a freaking awesome subscriber at www.jennitooley.com Get full access to w/Jenni Tooley at www.jennitooley.com/subscribe

    27 min
  8. S5:Ep 1 Cancer Chronicles: Complete Response, Not Complete Recovery

    Apr 16

    S5:Ep 1 Cancer Chronicles: Complete Response, Not Complete Recovery

    Hi darlin! We’re finally back! It took me long enough! We’re here with Season 5 of the podcast! This podcast has had so many names that I’m not even going to throw one out there for you right now, but I will tell you that this season is about Cancer Survivorship. Because I am now a cancer survivor! This season is for anyone who has ever thought, “Shouldn’t I be better by now?” And for the people who love us, too. The ones who may not realize that the crisis can be over, but the recovery is still very much happening. Welcome to Episode 1In this episode, I talk about what it means to have a complete response to cancer treatment and still be very much in recovery. My bloodwork looks good. My scans look good. The cancer is gone. And yet I am still dealing with bowel issues, fatigue, fear, and the very real question of how exactly I am supposed to function like a normal person when my body clearly did not get that memo. I also talk about the support drop off that happens after treatment ends. During cancer, there is a team. There are specialists. There are grants. There is support. Then suddenly you are in survivorship, still dealing with the fallout, and a whole lot of people and systems seem to think you should be fine now. I’m not sharing this to be dramatic. I’m sharing it because people need to understand this part. Just because we are cancer-free does not mean we are back to normal. Here’s the quick lowdown: * what a complete response actually means after rectal cancer treatment * life after chemo, radiation, surgery, ileostomy, and ileostomy reversal * the reality of bowel dysfunction and urgency in post-treatment recovery * what happened when I literally could not trust my body in public * why survivorship after cancer can still be physically and emotionally hard * the gap between looking well and actually being well * Social Security disability and the impossible logic of proving you are not fully functional * why recovery needs a new support team, even after treatment ends Love you lots,Jenni Keep the poop talk coming and the candid truth about living with cancer in the open by supporting me via Venmo @jenni-tooley, via paypal/zelle using jennitooley@gmail.com or becoming a subscriber here at www.jennitooley.com Get full access to w/Jenni Tooley at www.jennitooley.com/subscribe

    28 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to w/Jenni Tooley, an Audio Diary! I’m Jenni Tooley, a former actress and filmmaker turned writer and storyteller, sharing the truth about healing, survival, and the strange, often unexpected beauty that shows up in the middle of it all. From cancer diagnosis to recovery, from reinvention to rest, from breakdowns to quiet rebuilds—nothing here is polished or prescriptive. It's just me with my iphone wherever I'm at, doing whatever I'm doing- both literally and figuratively! If you’re navigating change, loss, healing, or just the slow unraveling of who you thought you were… you’re not alone. Come as you are. Stay as long as you need. And always remember that you are loved. www.jennitooley.com

Information

  • Creator
    Jenni Tooley
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    88
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jenni Tooley
  • Show Website
    w/Jenni Tooley