My guest today is Veronica Villanueva, who discovered her “why” in life after being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2016. Through her work as a wellness expert, she aims to inspire others through a holistic lifestyle built on a commitment to self-growth and good nutrition.

She is a trained chef and health coach based in Los Angeles and the co-founder of Alive Well Thrive, a cannabis line aimed at creating the highest quality cannabis products to help others live their healthiest lives. This is an area I don’t know much about, but I want this to be a place where we can be curious and ask questions.

2:24 – Veronica 101

• “I’m very excited to say I am alive despite doctors telling me I had less than 6 months to live in September 2016,” said Veronica.
• She was told she wouldn’t make it to 50 years old. She’s now 53 and credits her survival to studying integrative medicine.

4:45 – What her life was like before cancer

• Before her cancer diagnosis, people would have assumed Veronica had a perfect life. She was a super mom with three beautiful, smart children.
• She protected her kids from reality and sheltered them with a bubble of perfection. But on the inside she was an anxious mother.
• She was raised to believe that she should stay home with her children, which she did, but she wanted more in her life.   

8:42 – What led to her lung cancer diagnosis?

• Veronica was going through a divorce, but she and her husband agreed to wait until their kids were in college. The divorce became ugly, and it was a shock to her system.
• She didn’t eat, didn’t sleep and ate tootsie rolls and drank coffee.
• She started having back pain, and that was the first sign of lung cancer.

14:18 – Loving herself

• Veronica knew she would beat the cancer and live. The diagnosis opened her eyes to how she was living. She finally felt like she mattered, and she decided to prioritize herself.
• “I live a life right now where I come first all the time, and that’s not being narcissistic. That’s not being egotistical. It’s honoring myself. I’m rarely depleted. I’m always replenished,” said Veronica.

18:16 – Detoxing her body

• Veronica detoxed her body with good food and her environment by choosing which people she wanted to be around, what she read, etc.
• “I really cleaned my life from the inside out,” said Veronica. “There’s not bad fat in my life.”

20:21 – Her businesses

• She has VeronicaVillanueva.com, which is where she coaches people and helps them become healthy.
• She also has Alive Well Thrive, which has medicinal cannabis for people with cancer.

25:00 – Why cannabis?

• Veronica’s company uses cannabis for medicinal purposes, not for vaping.
• It helps shrink and eradicate tumors, especially at high doses. It can also help with nausea and loss of appetite.

35:30 – Her faith

• Veronica’s faith has played a huge role in her recovery. She doesn’t believe she got cancer because she did something bad, and she doesn’t believe in karma.

41:25 – Get to know you

• Her favorite meal – Carrot ginger soup and lentil soup
• People think she’s an extrovert, but she prefers to be home
• Cooking and music make her happy

FEATURED QUOTES

“I’m very excited to say I am alive despite doctors telling me I had less than 6 months to live.” – Veronica

“I learned to love myself and to give myself all the care and love that I am so amazing at for other people.” – Veronica

“I live a life right now where I come first all the time, and that’s not being narcissistic. That’s not being egotistical. It’s honoring myself. I’m rarely depleted. I’m always replenished.” – Veronica

“I really cleaned my life from the inside out.” – Veronica

• http://veronicavillanueva.com/
• https://alivewellthrive.com/

About Veronica:

Veronica Villanueva discovered her "why" after being diagnosed with stage IV cancer in 2016. Through her work as a wellness expert, Veronica aims to inspire others to embrace a holistic lifestyle built on a commitment to self-growth and good nutrition. Veronica is a trained Le Cordon Bleu chef and a Health Coach with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and she has a degree in International Relations from UC Berkeley. Veronica is currently based in Los Angeles, CA and is the Co-Founder of Alive Well Thrive, a cannabis line aimed at creating the highest quality cannabis products around to help other live their fullest and healthiest lives yet.

Thank you to our partner of the show: 

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