The Cancer Pod: Integrative Medicine Talk

Gila Pfeffer: Humor Writer and Breast Cancer Prevention Advocate

Writer, humorist, previvor, survivor, and breast cancer prevention advocate Gila Pfeffer joins Leah for a thoughtful, funny, and deeply honest conversation about loss, resilience, and finding humor in the most unlikely situations.Gila talks about her memoir, Nearly Departed: Adventures in Loss, Cancer, and Other Inconveniences, how humor can be a survival tool during cancer treatment, and her cheeky Feel It on the First campaign that raises awareness of breast cancer screenings and risk reduction. Gila shares her experiences from undergoing a risk-reducing double mastectomy as a BRCA+ previvor to becoming a cancer survivor who is a powerful voice in breast cancer awareness. This wide-ranging interview moves between generations—Gila’s experience as a daughter watching her mother go through cancer, and later as a mother facing her own diagnosis—highlighting the power of storytelling to help us make sense of what feels impossible. Honest, insightful, and refreshingly human, this episode is for anyone navigating cancer.Follow Gila on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gilapfeffer/Subscribe to her Substack Send your Feel It On the First pictures to Gila! gilawrites@gmail.comThings mentioned in this episode:Read Gila’s first publication in McSweeney’s An Open Letter to Tiffany & Co. About Their Advertising Campaign for the Ring That Helps Women Remember They Survived CancerThe Tyrer-Cuzick Risk CalculatorKoning-Vera, compression-free mammographyEleonora Deplinsky, MD Gynecologic medical oncologist  https://www.instagram.com/drteplinskyRobyn Roth, MD breast radiologist  https://www.instagram.com/theboobiedocsSharsheret, a nonprofit dedicated to providing personalized support, education, and community for Jewish women facing breast and/or ovarian cancer.Support the showBecome a member of The Cancer Pod Community! Gain access to live Q&As, exclusive content, and so much more! Join us today! Check out our website! Looking for more information? We have blogs, merch, and all of our episodes listed by season and category. Shop our favorite reads! We've joined with Bookshop.org to offer some of our fave books! Have a comment or suggestion? Email us at thecancerpod@gmail.com Follow us wherever you browse. We're always @TheCancerPod: Instagram Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn YouTube THANK YOU!!

Innovations, Breakthroughs and Insights

Dr. Tina Kaczor and Dr. Leah Sherman discuss new diagnostic tools that can tell benign tumors from cancer in the pancreas, highlight the growing concerns over microplastics, and explore the link between ultra-processed foods and early colorectal cancer. They also highlight some amazing inventions by teenagers, like a melanoma-detection app and a skin-cancer-reducing soap. Last, they cover the benefits of hypnosis before breast cancer surgery and the health impact of commonly used chemicals in dry cleaning. This episode provides valuable insights for anyone interested in cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and overall wellness.Soap for skin cancers invented by TIME's Kid of the Year, Hemen BekeleA skin cancer detecting app invented by Richmond, VA high-schoolersThe dramatic increase in glyphosate use across the Midwest in the USAThe rising rates of cancer in young people around the worldExposure of rat fetuses to glyphosate levels led to early cancer developmentThe rising rate of glyphosate exposure over time Support the showBecome a member of The Cancer Pod Community! Gain access to live Q&As, exclusive content, and so much more! Join us today! Check out our website! Looking for more information? We have blogs, merch, and all of our episodes listed by season and category. Shop our favorite reads! We've joined with Bookshop.org to offer some of our fave books! Have a comment or suggestion? Email us at thecancerpod@gmail.com Follow us wherever you browse. We're always @TheCancerPod: Instagram Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn YouTube THANK YOU!!

Charlotte Bayala on Overcoming the Challenges of Gratitude

In this special November episode, we are swapping podcasts with Charlotte Bayala of the Cancer Caregiver Podcast. Charlotte explores the complexities of meeting expectations of gratitude during the holidays when you or your loved one is dealing with cancer. Listeners will hear an honest, grounded discussion of the mixed emotions that arise, and a breathing tool to help you deal with them in real time. By the end, listeners will have strategies for expressing gratitude authentically in difficult times. Links to Charlotte's bio and social mediahttps://www.cancercaregiverpodcast.com/Support the showBecome a member of The Cancer Pod Community! Gain access to live Q&As, exclusive content, and so much more! Join us today! Check out our website! Looking for more information? We have blogs, merch, and all of our episodes listed by season and category. Shop our favorite reads! We've joined with Bookshop.org to offer some of our fave books! Have a comment or suggestion? Email us at thecancerpod@gmail.com Follow us wherever you browse. We're always @TheCancerPod: Instagram Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn YouTube THANK YOU!!

Jeff Stewart: Author, Scientist, Jeopardy Champ, and Cancer Insider

In 2022, Jeff Stewart was preparing to donate a kidney when his life took a completely different turn. Unknown to him at the time, he was harboring two separate cancers—kidney and stomach. As a former Jeopardy champ, long-time molecular biologist, and inventor, it’s no surprise that Jeff instinctively framed his relationship with cancer as a complex puzzle that needed solving. In this heartfelt interview with Dr. Sherman, Jeff shares the insights he has gained over the years. He also discusses his published memoir, Living: Inspiration from a Father with Cancer. Written with his seven children in mind, Living offers advice and inspiration for everyone, regardless of age.  He also touches on his love of writing itself, having just completed his upcoming young adult fantasy book, Angel Chloe and the Wall of Stone and Bone. Jeff passed away in August 2025, yet his wisdom, humor, and legacy live on to inspire us, just as he intended.Hope for Stomach Cancer support group mentioned by JeffBuy his book, Living: Inspiration from a Father with Cancer, from our bookshop.org collectionNPR piece by Jeff on experimental therapies Support the showBecome a member of The Cancer Pod Community! Gain access to live Q&As, exclusive content, and so much more! Join us today! Check out our website! Looking for more information? We have blogs, merch, and all of our episodes listed by season and category. Shop our favorite reads! We've joined with Bookshop.org to offer some of our fave books! Have a comment or suggestion? Email us at thecancerpod@gmail.com Follow us wherever you browse. We're always @TheCancerPod: Instagram Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn YouTube THANK YOU!!

Interview with Maria Montoya, Patient Advocate and #CancerInsider

Maria Montoya shares her personal experience as a two-time AYA breast cancer survivor. Diagnosed first at 30 and later at 37, she discusses dealing with Li Fraumeni Syndrome—a rare genetic predisposition to various cancers. Maria also talks about the systemic gaps she encountered in the healthcare system, such as limited genetic testing and inadequate fertility counseling, and what can be done to fix this. She also shares how getting treatment during the isolating early months of the COVID-19 pandemic fueled her passion for cancer care advocacy and systemic change. Now pursuing a Master’s in Social Work, Maria aims to address systemic healthcare challenges, focusing on improving psychosocial support and survivorship care.Maria's bio and LinkedIn profileSupport the showBecome a member of The Cancer Pod Community! Gain access to live Q&As, exclusive content, and so much more! Join us today! Check out our website! Looking for more information? We have blogs, merch, and all of our episodes listed by season and category. Shop our favorite reads! We've joined with Bookshop.org to offer some of our fave books! Have a comment or suggestion? Email us at thecancerpod@gmail.com Follow us wherever you browse. We're always @TheCancerPod: Instagram Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn YouTube THANK YOU!!