Not Your Usual Cancer Podcast Changing the narrative around being a Cancer survivor

There’s the well known concept that ‘time heals’ but instead of this sense of incremental improvements, I’ve found that it comes in fits and starts. It’s been a few weeks since the last episode of this podcast and during that time I’ve been doing a lot of healing.
It’s so important to take time out for yourself- especially when recovering from cancer - in this episode I share about my recent experience going away for a retreat. Since finishing chemo, I’ve been away 4 times and each time have gone with the intention of allowing myself time and space to process buried feelings. Because, in everyday life, it’s a tendency I have and many have to ‘put them away for later’
I talk about creating a ‘wellness map’ to visually draw out the highs and lows both physically and mentally as it helps to process things.
Let me know what you think!




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So you’ve been through a cancer diagnosis, had treatment and taken time away from work… however long that has been for you, now you are considering your return to work. When is the right time to return?
Returning to work after cancer raises many challenges - the brain fog after chemo, navigating whether you talk about it openly with colleagues, how you manage your energy levels, and step away from feeling like a patient to going back into a position where you can make an impact in whatever you do. I share my experiences around returning to work after finishing chemotherapy and being given the all clear earlier this year.


In the first few weeks of my return to work - a hybrid role in London. In hindsight I was very much still in recovering - physically and mentally from my cancer journey:



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We see so much about cancer in the general media and it’s often portrayed in such a way that suggests we need to ‘fight’ - however going into ‘fight or flight’ mode only increases our stress levels, and that doesn’t help with healing our bodies and recovering. In this episode, I share the approach that helped me find a more calming way of dealing with it and why I don’t believe in saying ‘f*** you cancer’.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unusualwomen.substack.com

In this episode I share what helped me deal with Cancer-related Anxiety after my diagnosis and those times when I’d feel my thoughts going into a negative spiral, or struggle getting to sleep as I’d ruminate about the diagnosis and what could possibly happen in the future. Taking my usual psycho-spiritual approach.
I’ve split up my tips into these groups:
* When trying to get to sleep
* Small everyday things you can easily do with minimal time / money investment
* Bigger things requiring more time / money
* Tapping into Nature as a source of stress relief
Head over to Substack (unusualwomen.substack.com) for full details and links to everything I cover.
*Disclaimer* - I think this is obvious, but I have to say… this episode is purely based on my own personal experiences - I am not a medical professional, so please check with your care provider before doing anything new, especially if you are still going through active treatment- our bodies are all unique so what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa!

Links to things I mentioned - pick and choose what works for you!
* I use the Oura Ring and Fitbit Sense 2 for health tracking (you only really need one!)
* Free download of 2023 Moon dates
* Free Cyclical Chemo tracker
* Free Cyclical Moon- linked tracker
* Search for Moon-tracking apps in the App Store or Google Play store- I love the Chani app and The Pattern app for astrology tracking
* Gong Sound Bath- Spotify tracks
* Study showing Reiki healing effects - more effective than a Placebo
* Study showing Yoga reduces inflammation in cancer survivors
* Solfeggio frequency- Spotify list
* Insight Timer - search for cancer / chemo related audios
* Transformational Breathwork
* Breathwork - Wim Hof
* Qoya- feminine dance movement- helps relieve stress by ‘shaking’
* Life After Cancer Charity - Offer support groups online
* Shine Cancer Support- charity for those in 20s, 30s, 40s affected by cancer- offer a group programme called ‘Breakout’
* Maggies Support Centres
* Kyle Gray Oracle deck - Angels and Ancestors
* Pillow spray - This works
* ‘Spiky yoga mat’ - a.k.a. an Acupressure mat - this is the one I have
Using Oracle cards to help take my Chemo drugs:





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When we get that diagnosis, this is often one of the first questions that comes up- is it my fault that this has happened? Have I caused it in some way?
This is a topic I feel really strongly about as I think it’s all to easy to beat ourselves up over perceived mistakes we’ve made or ‘unhealthy’ choices we may have made in our lives.
Have a listen to hear my thoughts on this - exactly one year after my bowel resection operation to remove the tumour and 7 months after finishing active treatment and being given the ‘all clear.’ This time a year ago, I was in a lot of pain… right now, I’m honouring the day that my surgeon was able to remove it all and set me on the road to recovery.




This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unusualwomen.substack.com

In this episode, I share how I took a cyclical approach to chemotherapy, applying the same concept of phases as per the moon cycle (winter, spring, summer, autumn). This helped me break down the seemingly very long stretch ahead of feeling yuck with the chemo. It also helped me remember when to take the drugs and gave me a visual way of seeing my progress through the cycles.
If you’d like to download my Chemo cycle tracker, you can head here - there is an editable version too if your chemo is a different structure to my 3-week cycle, or you want to set it up differently (we are all unique right!) I’ve also included a simple drugs table I used everyday- I recommend writing down everything you take as you take it, as you can literally forget 30 seconds later if you even took it or not!
Here’s a pic of me with my completed tracker!
Please share with anyone you know going through chemo or about to start as this really helped me get through.




This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unusualwomen.substack.com