Celebrating A Richer Life with Ellie Guardino A Richer Life

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Ellie Guardino, Vice President Global Head of Hematology Oncology for Personalized Healthcare at Genentech, adjunct clinical professor for medical oncology at Stanford University and loving Mom, Wife and Friend. Ellie was recently nominated and elected by Fierce Farma as one of 2020’s Fiercest Women in Life Sciences.
Ellie Guardino has been fighting her own battle with cancer since 2008 and speaks about how she is facing it head on, focusing on her work, and what it takes to live life to the fullest in spite of aggressive cancer. This episode is dedicated to celebrating Ellie Guardino’s incredible medical career achievements and her momentum to keep moving forward, inspiring others in the process. 
Episode Highlights: 
Rich Weingart introduces Ellie Guardino.  Who were Ellie’s role models growing up and what drove her forward?  Ellie takes us through her inspiration and her life’s work.   How important is it to hold space for your patients for them to feel safe?  Challenges of being a patient.     When did she transition to Genentech?  What causes cancer to come back? In 2012, Ellie had another melanoma that developed on her chest wall.  What is Ellie’s status today?  How impactful has her family been in her life?   Our faith can move mountains.   What advice would she share with her children and to her younger self?   The peaceful life of Martin Luther King helps Ellie Guardino tremendously.   What would Ellie Guardino like to share with the audience?  3 Key Points:

To have faith is to defy logic and it is an act of courage. It takes faith to think positively and to know that there is a deeply loving God that cares about our pain.    No one is without fear. But it is crucial to get to a point where you can live each day without being burdened by it and can live each moment to the fullest.  Ellie Guardino’s motto is “Faith over fear.”  Tweetable Quotes:
“I may not be as much of an advocate for myself. But I was so grateful for all of the care and support that I got. I just try to remind myself that I am a patient now. I have to view this as a patient and let them help me.” – Ellie Guardino “I was very open and I knew that would serve me well because that is what I have always told my patients. You need to embrace your community because that is what will get you through.” – Ellie Guardino “When I was diagnosed with my melanoma, I had a chance to evaluate whether I was doing everything I wanted to be doing and the answer was yes. I wouldn’t have done anything differently. ” – Ellie Guardino “I probably spend an hour and a half or two hours with each patient on that first visit and look at, what are their economic needs? Are they going to need extra support? We have all kinds of breast cancer grants. ” – Ellie Guardino “I was able to keep my practice and also do research at Genentech that would impact far more patients in the long run than my one-on-one patient-to-patient care. ” – Ellie Guardino “If I worry about tomorrow, I lose today, and I don’t want that to happen, that I lose opportunities, and happiness that I could be having, and fun that I could be having when you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. Don’t focus on that.” – Ellie Guardino Resources Mentioned:
Ellie Guardino on Linkedin