Cancer is one of the most frightening diagnoses any of us can face — and yet, it’s also an area of medicine where progress is happening at an extraordinary pace.

In honour of World Cancer Day, this episode launches a new two-part series on cancer for Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo. Melissa sits down with two of Canada’s leading voices — a leading cancer scientist, Dr. Lillian Siu, and a powerful advocate and CEO, Dr. Miyo Yamashita, from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, one of the top five comprehensive cancer centres globally.

Together, they break down what cancer actually is, why survival rates have improved so dramatically, where prevention and early detection truly save lives, and how cutting-edge research — from immunotherapy to liquid biopsies — is transforming outcomes for patients in Canada and around the world.

This episode is science-forward, deeply human, and essential listening for anyone whose life has been touched by cancer — which, statistically, is all of us.

• What cancer is — and how it develops
• Cancer staging and how classification has evolved
• Why there is no single “cure” for cancer — and why that’s often misunderstood
• Which cancers are now considered highly treatable or curable
• Why cancer rates are rising as our population ages
• The concerning rise of early-onset cancers in younger adults
• Lifestyle, environmental, and genetic cancer risks
• What prevention actually means — beyond headlines and fear
• Screening and early detection: where it saves lives and where gaps remain
• Breakthroughs in precision oncology, immunotherapy, and targeted treatments
• The future of liquid biopsies and blood-based cancer detection
• Why philanthropy and research funding are essential to progress
• What gives cancer experts the most hope right no

Dr. Lillian Siu

Dr. Siu is a senior medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is the 2025–2026 President of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the world’s largest scientific organization dedicated to advancing cancer research.

Her work focuses on translating scientific discoveries into personalized cancer therapies, including precision oncology and liquid biopsy technologies. She has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and was awarded ASCO’s highest honour, the David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award. In 2025, she was named one of the 100 most influential people in oncology worldwide.

Dr. Miyo Yamashita

Dr. Yamashita is President and CEO of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Canada’s largest cancer charity and the primary fundraising organization for Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. She leads national and global efforts to fund breakthrough research in precision medicine, immunotherapy, genomics, and patient-centred innovation.

Under her leadership, the Foundation has focused on accelerating the translation of discovery science into real-world clinical impact. She has been named one of the Top 100 Oncology CEOs globally — with Princess Margaret the only Canadian institution recognized.

• Princess Margaret Cancer Centre – https://www.uhn.ca/PrincessMargaret
• Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation – https://thepmcf.ca
• Cancer screening & prevention in Canada – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/chronic-diseases/cancer.html
• World Cancer Day – https://www.worldcancerday.org

**Always speak with your health-care provider about screening, symptoms, or personal cancer risk.**

Tech and Audio Producer: Drew Garner 

Producer: Melissa Grelo (@melissagrelo, @agingpowerfullywithmelissagrelo)

For any partnership inquires, contact [email protected] 

Cancer is one of the most frightening diagnoses any of us can face — and yet, it’s also an area of medicine where progress is happening at an extraordinary pace.

In honour of World Cancer Day, this episode launches a new two-part series on cancer for Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo. Melissa sits down with two of Canada’s leading voices — a leading cancer scientist, Dr. Lillian Siu, and a powerful advocate and CEO, Dr. Miyo Yamashita, from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, one of the top five comprehensive cancer centres globally.

Together, they break down what cancer actually is, why survival rates have improved so dramatically, where prevention and early detection truly save lives, and how cutting-edge research — from immunotherapy to liquid biopsies — is transforming outcomes for patients in Canada and around the world.

This episode is science-forward, deeply human, and essential listening for anyone whose life has been touched by cancer — which, statistically, is all of us.

• What cancer is — and how it develops
• Cancer staging and how classification has evolved
• Why there is no single “cure” for cancer — and why that’s often misunderstood
• Which cancers are now considered highly treatable or curable
• Why cancer rates are rising as our population ages
• The concerning rise of early-onset cancers in younger adults
• Lifestyle, environmental, and genetic cancer risks
• What prevention actually means — beyond headlines and fear
• Screening and early detection: where it saves lives and where gaps remain
• Breakthroughs in precision oncology, immunotherapy, and targeted treatments
• The future of liquid biopsies and blood-based cancer detection
• Why philanthropy and research funding are essential to progress
• What gives cancer experts the most hope right no

Dr. Lillian Siu

Dr. Siu is a senior medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is the 2025–2026 President of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the world’s largest scientific organization dedicated to advancing cancer research.

Her work focuses on translating scientific discoveries into personalized cancer therapies, including precision oncology and liquid biopsy technologies. She has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and was awarded ASCO’s highest honour, the David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award. In 2025, she was named one of the 100 most influential people in oncology worldwide.

Dr. Miyo Yamashita

Dr. Yamashita is President and CEO of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Canada’s largest cancer charity and the primary fundraising organization for Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. She leads national and global efforts to fund breakthrough research in precision medicine, immunotherapy, genomics, and patient-centred innovation.

Under her leadership, the Foundation has focused on accelerating the translation of discovery science into real-world clinical impact. She has been named one of the Top 100 Oncology CEOs globally — with Princess Margaret the only Canadian institution recognized.

• Princess Margaret Cancer Centre – https://www.uhn.ca/PrincessMargaret
• Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation – https://thepmcf.ca
• Cancer screening & prevention in Canada – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/chronic-diseases/cancer.html
• World Cancer Day – https://www.worldcancerday.org

**Always speak with your health-care provider about screening, symptoms, or personal cancer risk.**

Tech and Audio Producer: Drew Garner 

Producer: Melissa Grelo (@melissagrelo, @agingpowerfullywithmelissagrelo)

For any partnership inquires, contact [email protected] 

In this very special and personal episode of Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo, I’m joined by my parents, Claire and Frank Grelo, to talk about something I never expected to experience so close to home: shingles. Before this experience, and like many people in their 50s, I didn’t know much about shingles or realize how common it is among adults who’ve had chickenpox. Did you know that adults who’ve had chickenpox have a 1 in 3 chance of developing it?1 I didn't. 

In this episode, in partnership with GSK, we talk candidly about what shingles was like from my father’s perspective, how it impacted our family, and the lessons we learned about listening to your body, supporting loved ones, and staying informed about your health. This episode is a reminder that our health evolves over time, and how important it is to speak to your healthcare provider about proactive steps you can take to help protect your health.

SHINGRIX is a vaccine that helps protect adults against shingles (herpes zoster). 100% protection not guaranteed. Adverse reactions may occur. SHINGRIX does not prevent chickenpox or treat shingles or its complications. Ask your healthcare professional if SHINGRIX is right for you. Learn more at SHINGRIX.ca. To report an adverse event, please call 1-800-387-7374

Trademarks are owned by or licensed to the GSK group of companies.

©2026 GSK group of companies or its licensor.

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Tech and Audio Producer: Drew Garner 

Producer: Melissa Grelo (@melissagrelo, @agingpowerfullywithmelissagrelo)

For any partnership inquires, contact [email protected] 

1 SHINGRIX, Herpes Zoster Product Monograph. October 13, 2017.

In this deeply personal episode of Aging Powerfully, I sit down with Jann Arden to talk about her family’s journey through dementia and Alzheimer’s disease — with both of her parents. Jann shares the emotional realities of caregiving, the challenges of watching someone you love change, and how humour, resilience, and connection help navigate the hardest moments.

Together we explore:

• What it’s really like caring for parents living with dementia

• How caregiving reshapes identity, relationships, and family roles

• The emotional weight of the “long goodbye”

• Jann’s biggest lessons and hopes for other caregivers

• Why self-compassion and support matter for everyone involved

This episode is a heartfelt conversation about love, loss, resilience, and the power of showing up — even when it feels impossible.

Plus, Jann shares if she’s making new music and what and WHO is bringing her joy, love and happiness these days. Spoiler alert: Someone is getting married! 

Support & Resources

If this episode resonates with you — whether you’re caring for a parent, partner, friend, or thinking ahead — know that you are not alone and there are supports available across Canada:

Alzheimer Society of Canada

• National hub of information on Alzheimer’s and other dementias, education, and support services; https://alzheimer.ca/en

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start, reaching out to your local Alzheimer Society or caregiver support service can help you find practical tips, connection, and support tailored to your situation.

Tech and Audio Producer: Drew Garner 

Producer: Melissa Grelo (@MelissaGrelo, @AgingPowerfullyWithMelissaGrelo)

For any partnership inquires, contact [email protected] 

Academy Award–winning actress Marcia Gay Harden joins me on Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo for an intimate conversation about losing her mother to Alzheimer’s — and what it taught her about love, grief, and what truly endures.

In honour of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, Marcia shares the heartbreaking and beautiful moments of walking beside her mother as memory fades, along with what she’s learned about women’s brain health, risk, and prevention — and the changes she has made in her own life since her mother’s battle with the disease.

I was fortunate to sit down with Marcia in Toronto at the first-ever Women’s Brain Health Summit, where she spoke powerfully about her personal journey and the urgent need for more research, funding, and awareness around a disease that disproportionately impacts women.

This is a conversation about more than illness — it’s about what remains when memory disappears, and how love never does.

Tech and Audio Producer: Drew Garner 

Producer: Melissa Grelo (@MelissaGrelo, @AgingPowerfullyWithMelissaGrelo)

For any partnership inquires, contact [email protected] 

January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in Canada, and this episode tackles a critical — and often overlooked — reality: nearly two-thirds of Alzheimer’s diagnoses are in women.

Melissa is joined by returning guest Dr. Liisa Galea (previous Episode #46), a world-renowned neuroscientist, inaugural womenmind Treliving Family Chair in Women’s Mental Health, Senior Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, where she helps guide evidence-based research and innovation focused on brain health and aging.

Dr. Galea shares the latest science on women’s brain health, the menopausal brain, and why decades of male-focused research have left dangerous gaps in our understanding of Alzheimer’s risk in women. Together, they explore what we know, what we’re still learning, and where research must go next to close the gender gap in neuroscience.

• Why women account for the majority of Alzheimer’s cases
• How menopause and hormonal changes affect the brain
• The role of inflammation, stress, and aging in cognitive health
• Emerging research in dementia prevention
• What women can do now to support brain health — without fear

This is an empowering, evidence-based conversation about awareness, advocacy, and protecting women’s brains across the lifespan.

Tech and Audio Producer: Drew Garner 

Producer: Melissa Grelo

For any partnership inquires, contact [email protected] 

2025 was one of my busiest—and most meaningful—years yet. Thank you for being on this journey with me and for showing up week after week to learn, question, laugh, and age powerfully together.

As we wrap up the year, this episode is a Power Replay: a look back at the incredible conversations from Season 3, plus a preview of what’s coming in 2026.

Note: We’ll be taking a short break, with new episodes returning in January 2026—so now is the perfect time to catch up on anything you missed.

So much is coming next year, including deep dives into:

• PCOS
• Endometriosis
• Fibroids
• Pregnancy during perimenopause
• Breast cancer
• Cancer screenings in midlife
• Evidence-based strategies for better sleep
• Caregiving in Canada (over 13 million unpaid caregivers)
• A very special episode featuring my parents, my most beloved role models

I want to hear from you.

What topics do you want us to tackle next?

Reach me via my website: agingpowerfullywithmelissagrelo.com

Or connect on Instagram: @melissagrelo, @agingpowerfullywithmelissagrelo

Wishing you peace, good health, prosperity, and clarity in 2026.

Merry Christmas

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Holidays

Tech and Audio Producer: Drew Garner 

Producer: Melissa Grelo

For any partnership inquires, contact [email protected] 

In this episode of Aging Powerfully, Melissa digs into one of the most emotional (and common!) midlife topics: hair loss, with medical and cosmetic dermatologist, Dr. Renée A. Beach (@dermabeach). From thinning at the crown to shedding in the shower, we talk about why it happens, what’s normal, and when to investigate further.

We cover:

• How perimenopause, menopause, stress, and genetics impact hair
• The difference between “normal shedding” and true hair loss
• Medical causes to rule out (like thyroid issues, iron levels, and hormones)
• Evidence-based treatments vs. overhyped “miracle” cures
• Practical strategies to protect hair health from the inside out
• The emotional toll of hair loss and how to protect your confidence and identity

If you’ve ever felt panicked by the hair in your brush or avoided looking at your part in photos, this episode will give you clarity, options, and a lot of compassion.

Tech and Audio Producer: Drew Garner 

Producer: Melissa Grelo (@melissagrelo, @agingpowerfullywithmelissagrelo)

For any partnership inquires, contact [email protected] 

(Originally aired May 23, 2024)

In this uplifting episode, Melissa sits down with mother-daughter powerhouse Joan MacDonald (@trainwithjoan) and Michelle MacDonald (@michellemacdonaldofficial) to explore what’s truly possible when women choose strength, consistency, and self-belief — no matter their age.

Joan began her fitness journey at 70 and has since inspired millions of women to reclaim their health. Michelle, her coach and daughter, shares the training, nutrition, and mindset strategies that made Joan’s transformation sustainable and life-changing.

• Joan’s turning point and how she began at age 70
• Michelle’s expert approach to strength training for women in midlife
• The emotional and identity shifts that come with reinventing yourself
• Why it’s never too late to build strength, confidence, and vitality
• How visibility and community empower women to age powerfully

Tech and Audio Producer: Drew Garner 

Producer: Melissa Grelo (@melissagrelo, @agingpowerfullywithmelissagrelo)

For any partnership inquires, contact [email protected] 

This week on Aging Powerfully, we’re getting brutally honest about one of the most avoided — yet most essential — topics in midlife: preparing your family for the unexpected.

Most people think they’re organized.

Spoiler: they’re not.

To cut through the confusion and give us the real roadmap, I’m joined by Canada’s financial powerhouse Pattie Lovett-Reid. Together, we break down the exact documents, details, and conversations every family needs long before a crisis hits.

In this eye-opening and empowering conversation, we explore:

• Last Will & Testament
• Powers of Attorney (financial + personal care)
• Healthcare directives
• Trust documents (where applicable)
• Life insurance and beneficiary designations
• Digital access planning (passwords, accounts, social media, subscriptions

Why planning ahead isn’t morbid — it’s mature.

It’s not about control — it’s about caring.

Tech and Audio Producer: Drew Garner 

Producer: Melissa Grelo (@melissagrelo, @agingpowerfullywithmelissagrelo)

For any partnership inquires, contact [email protected]