Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

When we try to protect others from our pain, we often end up isolating ourselves. In this episode, Laura Lummer, The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach, shares her concept of the protective barrier, the invisible wall that forms when we hold our emotions in and pretend everything is "normal."

Through the lens of radical transparency and supported by research on emotional expression, Laura explains how honest communication reduces stress, strengthens immunity, and builds trust with our champions, the people who love and support us through it all.

Listen and learn how vulnerability can be one of the most healing tools in your recovery.

Explore more support:

• Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/lifecoaching

Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer

Back from Metabolic Health Day, I'm joined by client and Terrain Advocate-in-training, Katie Resor, to share the most use-today insights: energy and fatigue through a metabolic lens, nature and circadian rhythm, simple detox wins, EMF practices that fit real life, and the vendors/tests we loved.

You'll also hear reflections on community, hope, and why health is a terrain we tend, not a finish line.

Show links include the conference recordings and resources we mention.

Explore more support:

• Grab your copy of the Metabolic Health Day conference recordings here: https://mtih.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/mtih/product.jsp?product=1&https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/metabolic-health-coaching-m

• Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/lifecoaching

Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer

Being cancer-free doesn't always mean we've healed. After 14 years of managing cancer, I've learned that healing is about more than scans and lab results, it's about reclaiming joy, peace, and meaning in the present moment.

In this episode, I share stories of women who stopped waiting for permission to live and how research shows that hope, gratitude, and laughter can support real healing, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Explore more support:

• Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/lifecoaching

• Creating a Life You Love in 168 Hours a Week: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/168-hours-sp

Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer

October is a complicated month for so many of us touched by breast cancer. Pink ribbons are everywhere, sometimes they feel celebratory, other times they stir up fear, grief, or difficult memories. Both experiences are real, and both deserve to be honored.

In this episode, I invite you to see October through a different lens. Instead of focusing only on awareness, what if we made it about aliveness? I talk about how prevention deserves as much energy as detection, why metastatic breast cancer looks very different today than it did 10–15 years ago, and how daily acts of self-love, like steadying blood sugar, protecting sleep, or moving your body, can transform both health and quality of life.

This conversation is about shifting from fear to empowerment, from bracing for bad news to showing up fully for the life that's happening right now. Think of it like a rhinestone ribbon, multi-faceted, sparkly, unapologetically alive.

🎧 Listen in and let this October remind you: you don't have to wait for the other shoe to drop. You can choose yourself, today.

Explore more support:

• Metabolic Health Day: https://metabolichealthday.life/

• Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/lifecoaching

• Creating a Life You Love in 168 Hours a Week: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/168-hours-sp

Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer

Healing doesn't begin with shame, it begins with honesty. In this episode, I share why telling yourself the truth is the most powerful first step in creating health and joy after breast cancer.

You'll hear:

• Why judgment keeps us stuck in old patterns

• How curiosity creates opportunities for growth

• A simple framework to reflect on your strengths and challenges

• My personal story of facing the truth and finding healing

When you pair honesty with compassion, you'll see just how much power you have to create a body you love and a life you trust.

Explore more support:

• Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/lifecoaching

• Creating a Life You Love in 168 Hours a Week: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/168-hours-sp

Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer

Biological dentistry goes far beyond cavities and cleanings—it's about understanding how your mouth connects to your entire body. In this episode, Dr. Toni Engram explains how the oral microbiome impacts inflammation, hormones, digestion, and even healing from chronic illness.

We cover:

• Why dental materials (like mercury fillings and fluoride) matter for long-term health.

• How to safely approach dental care during cancer treatment.

• Everyday practices—like nutrient-dense food, flossing, and tongue scraping—that protect oral and systemic health.

Listen now and discover how supporting your oral health can support your healing.

Learn More About Dr. Toni Engram:

• Website: https://www.flourish.dental/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtoniengram

Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer

Why does it feel so hard to hear yourself when life gets busy—especially during breast cancer recovery? In this episode:

• The science of stress, sleep, and comfort eating

• Why white space is not a luxury but a recovery tool

• Four research-backed ways to restore energy and balance

• Practical if-then scripts to protect your health this season

Explore more support:

• Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/lifecoaching

• Creating a Life You Love in 168 Hours a Week: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/168-hours-sp

Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer

If you've ever thought, "I just can't stop eating sugar," this episode is for you.

I'll share what I discovered while reviewing 20 nutrition genomic reports from breast cancer survivors—and the surprising genetic commonalities that explain both difficulties with blood sugar regulation and stronger tendencies toward impulsive cravings.

You'll also learn how cancer cells use insulin receptors to fuel their growth, why sugar is about more than just sweets, and how your brain and body work together in the cycle of cravings. Plus, I'll walk you through The 5 S's framework—a simple set of tools to calm cravings and create a terrain that supports healing.

Listen now and discover how to nourish yourself with more confidence and trust.

Explore more support:

• Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/lifecoaching

• Take the free Sugar Challenge here: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/sugar

Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer

Food isn't just calories—it's connection. It's energy from the sun and the soil transformed into nourishment for your body. Yet in our modern world, food often feels like discipline, restriction, or just another task.

In this episode, I talk about how to shift your perspective so food once again becomes love—for your body, for your healing, and for your life after breast cancer.

Explore more support:

• Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/lifecoaching

• Creating a Life You Love in 168 Hours a Week: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/168-hours-sp

Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer

Stress isn't just "in your head"—it changes your biology. It depletes nutrients like magnesium, vitamin C, B vitamins, and zinc, and keeps your body in survival mode. Supplements can help, but they won't heal you if the root cause—stress—remains.

In this episode, I talk about why stress management is as critical as nutrition, how CBT and EMDR support your healing, and why lab testing matters before wasting money on supplements.

References from this episode:

1. Juster R-P, McEwen BS, Lupien SJ. (2020). Allostatic load and allostatic overload: Clinical implications. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00046

2. Singewald N, et al. (2004). Magnesium-deficient diet alters anxiety-related behavior in mice. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2004.10719406

3. Harrison FE, May JM. (2009). Vitamin C function in the brain: New evidence links ascorbate to neurotransmitter function. Brain Research Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2009.05.018

4. de Oliveira IJL, et al. (2015). Effects of oral vitamin C supplementation on anxiety in students. Nutrition Journal. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-14-36

5. Stough C, et al. (2011). The effects of 90-day administration of a high-dose B-complex vitamin on work stress. Human Psychopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1002/hup.1190

6. Singh A, et al. (1991). Effect of acute stress on plasma zinc. Biological Trace Element Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02990385

7. Hofmann SG, Asnaani A, Vonk IJJ, Sawyer AT, Fang A. (2018). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00117

8. Shaw RJ, et al. (2019). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and CBT for HPA axis habituation. Psychoneuroendocrinology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104420

9. Chen Y-R, Hung K-W, Tsai J-C, et al. (2014). Efficacy of EMDR for PTSD: A meta-analysis. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103676

Explore more support:

• Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/lifecoaching

• Creating a Life You Love in 168 Hours a Week: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/168-hours-sp

Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer