Breast Cancer Conversations

280. Breast Cancer Recurrence After Mastectomy with Teresa Baglietto

Love the episode? Send us a text!What happens when breast cancer comes back — even after doing “everything right”?In this deeply honest conversation, Laura Carfang sits down with Teresa Baglietto, a four-time cancer survivor, author, and podcast host, to talk about what it really means to live with cancer recurrence, fear, and long-term survivorship.Teresa shares what it felt like to discover her first breast cancer lump (“it was like a block of cement”), how she navigated a recurrence after bilateral mastectomy, and the treatment decisions that ultimately saved her life — including why she chose not to take chemotherapy or tamoxifen.Together, Laura and Teresa explore the emotional and practical realities of survivorship: fear of recurrence, making medical decisions without complete information, balancing career and health, and finding purpose after cancer.This episode is for anyone newly diagnosed, living with metastatic or recurrent disease, or learning how to live after cancer — when the world expects you to “move on,” but your body and mind remember everything.In This Episode, We Talk About:What a breast cancer lump can actually feel likeBeing diagnosed after delaying a mammogramBreast cancer recurrence after mastectomyRadiation vs chemotherapy and treatment decision-makingOncotype DX testing and personalized careSaying no to tamoxifen after severe side effectsFear of recurrence and how it shows up years laterHow cancer reshapes career, identity, and purposeWhy having a plan can help you survive the unknownFinding meaning and community after diagnosisAbout Our GuestTeresa Baglietto is a four-time cancer survivor, author of The Ripple Effect, and host of the podcast InShok. Her work focuses on resilience, leadership, and navigating life’s hardest moments with intention and courage.Support the showLatest News: Become a Breast Cancer Conversations+ Member! Sign Up Now. Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources! Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work.

279. Breast Cancer Stopped My Life—Music and Meditation Helped Me Breathe Again

Love the episode? Send us a text!Breast Cancer Stopped My Life—Music and Meditation Helped Me Breathe Again: How Music and Meditation Support Healing During Breast Cancer TreatmentA breast cancer diagnosis can abruptly stop life in its tracks—canceling plans, disrupting careers, and forcing an unfamiliar stillness. In this deeply moving episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, host Laura Carfang, Ed.D. sits down with Elizabeth Borowsky, a professional pianist and composer, and Jesika Harmon, a meditation coach and wellness guide, to explore how music and meditation became powerful tools for healing during cancer treatment.Together, they tell the story of an unexpected reconnection that led to a creative collaboration: Sonisah Meditation—a unique fusion of live piano music and guided meditation designed to help people move through illness, grief, and life’s hardest moments with greater clarity and compassion.This conversation is a reminder that healing is not only physical—it’s emotional, spiritual, and creative. Whether you’re living with breast cancer, supporting someone you love, or navigating another season of uncertainty, this episode offers permission to slow down, listen inward, and discover new ways to heal beyond medicine.Resources:Elizabeth Borowsky and Jesika Harmon co-created Inner Harmony, a meditation album combining live piano composition with guided mindfulness practices. Their work introduces Sonisah Meditation—from sonus (sound) and niseion (experience through trial)—a new approach to healing through sound and stillness.📍 Available on:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6KmlM20xrcRU9qQfGnkXEb?referral=labelaffiliate&utm_source=1011lBVpP95B&utm_medium=Indie_Distrokid&utm_campaign=labelaffiliate Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/inner-harmony/1846165188?uo=4YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-JylYyr_EELearn more about our guests: Elizabeth Borowsky: https://www.elizabethborowsky.com/inner-harmonyJesika Harmon:https://www.meditationwithjesika.com/s-projects-basicSupport the showLatest News: Become a Breast Cancer Conversations+ Member! Sign Up Now. Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources! Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work.

278. You’re Not Lazy: The Real Science Behind Cancer Fatigue with Dr. Landmann

Love the episode? Send us a text!Cancer related fatigue is one of the most persistent and frustrating symptoms. In this deeply validating and informative episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, host Laura Carfang, Ed.D., sits down with Dr. Jessa Landmann, naturopathic doctor and integrative oncology specialist, to unpack why fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, joint pain, and sleep disruption linger long after chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone therapy.Too often, those diagnosed with breast cancer are told to “give it time,” “exercise more,” or “push through.” This conversation reframes fatigue as a treatable, understandable consequence of cancer and its therapies—and offers compassionate, practical strategies to reclaim quality of life.Whether you’re newly diagnosed, in active treatment, living with metastatic disease, or years into survivorship, this episode reminds you: you’re not broken—and you don’t have to live exhausted. Support the showLatest News: Become a Breast Cancer Conversations+ Member! Sign Up Now. Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources! Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work.

277. Exposing the Hidden Crisis in Cancer Care—Why Supportive Care Matters More Than Ever

Love the episode? Send us a text!In this powerful episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, host Laura Carfang, Ed.D. sits down with philanthropist Sheri Biller of the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation to explore the often overlooked—but absolutely essential—role of supportive cancer care.After losing her two closest friends to breast cancer over 35 years ago, Sheri made a promise: if she ever had the resources, she would dedicate her life to improving the emotional, psychological, and practical support available to everyone facing cancer. That promise became the Biller Family Foundation and later the national coalition Together for Supportive Cancer Care.This episode dives deep into:Why the words supportive care matter—and how they differ from palliative and hospice careHow siloed hospital systems leave millions without access to emotional and psychosocial supportWhy cancer is becoming an elitist disease—and how technology and policy can fix itCaregiver burnout and why Sheri believes we need a “Teach for America” for caregiversThe shocking lack of trust, education, and information in underserved and rural communitiesWhy supportive care should be a standard of care for all life-threatening illnessesIf you’re a patient, caregiver, clinician, or advocate for equity in cancer care, this conversation is a must-listen.Topics We Cover✔️ Sheri’s personal story and the loss that inspired her life's work ✔️ Early challenges in cancer language, communication, and stigma ✔️ Why patients “shut down” the moment they hear the word cancer ✔️ Supportive care vs palliative care—what’s the difference? ✔️ Breaking barriers for rural, underserved, and Spanish-speaking communities ✔️ Why caregivers are the next major crisis in healthcare ✔️ The need for culturally competent engagement in faith communities ✔️ Financial toxicity and the real-world burdens families face ✔️ AI and the future of early diagnosis and survivorship support ✔️ How hospitals, pharma, policy, and nonprofits are finally working togetherWhy This MattersSupportive care is more than comfort—it’s critical to surviving and living with cancer. From mental health to financial navigation to caregiver support, Sheri explains how integrating supportive care into every diagnosis could transform outcomes for millions.Resources: The Biller Family Foundation: https://billerfamilyfoundation.org/Support the showLatest News: Become a Breast Cancer Conversations+ Member! Sign Up Now. Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources! Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work.

276. Clear Margins, One Surgery: Inside Perimeter’s Game-Changing Breast Cancer Technology

Love the episode? Send us a text!In this powerful conversation, host Laura Carfang, founder of SurvivingBreastCancer.org, sits down with Adrian Mendes, CEO of Perimeter Medical Imaging, and Dr. Allison DiPasquale, breast surgical oncologist and technology innovator. Together, they unpack one of the most anxiety-provoking moments after breast cancer surgery: “Did we get clear margins?”Today, surgical innovation is radically changing that question.Dr. DiPasquale walks listeners through the current challenges surgeons face with breast surgery, why 20–25% of patients traditionally require a second surgery, and how new real-time imaging tools are dramatically lowering that number. Mendes shares how Perimeter’s groundbreaking optical coherence tomography (OCT) and AI-powered margin assessment technology enables surgeons to visualize tissue in the operating room with near-microscopic detail—helping them achieve clear margins the first time.In this episode we discuss: What “clean margins” really mean and why they matterWhy many patients still face additional surgeries — and how that’s changing How OCT imaging works What AI can detect that the human eye can’tHow this technology reduces repeat surgeries and emotional burdenWhat patients should ask their surgeon before going into the ORThe upcoming FDA review and when patients can expect wider availabilityHow rural and community hospitals could benefit from AI-assisted surgical toolsSupport the showLatest News: Become a Breast Cancer Conversations+ Member! Sign Up Now. Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources! Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work.