Kicking Cancer's Ass

Cancer makes you feel like everything is being taken from you — your routines, your certainty, your identity. But what if it didn’t have to take your hair?

In this episode of Kicking Cancer’s Ass, Roxanne shares the exact method she used to keep her hair through chemotherapy… twice. After losing her hair the first time, she approached her second diagnosis differently — and found one thing she could control.

You’ll hear:
• How cold caps actually work (science + practicality)
• What it really takes to use them during chemo
• The “cold cap brigade” of friends who helped swap caps every 25–30 minutes
• The emotional power of preserving your identity during treatment
• The advice she gives anyone newly diagnosed and overwhelmed

If you’re facing cancer, terrified of losing your hair, and desperate for even one point of control — this conversation will give you hope, clarity, and a real option to stay you.

You are not powerless. And you don’t have to go through cancer looking like your diagnosis.

When cancer crashes into your life right before a holiday, everything changes. Suddenly the day that’s “supposed” to be about gratitude, food, and connection becomes a minefield of pitying looks, whispered conversations, and emotional overwhelm.

I know this feeling deeply. My family has faced two cancer diagnoses right before Thanksgiving—first my mom, twenty years later my sister. At the time, my sister was preparing for chemo, terrified about fertility, and only 29 years old. I had a newborn who was five days old. We were scared, exhausted, and completely unsure of the future.

And yet… we made a choice.

We decided that Thanksgiving wasn’t going to be about cancer. Not because of denial or toxic positivity, but because we all needed one day of normalcy before the storm hit. We focused on noise, food, connection, and the small, chaotic moments that made us feel human. It worked—because we set the emotional temperature before we walked in the door.

In this episode, I share:
✨ How to take back control of your holiday experience
✨ Why your family needs a “roadmap” to support you without pity
✨ The exact 3-sentence script you can text, say, or repeat at the door
✨ How to create presence without pretending nothing’s wrong
✨ Why setting boundaries is an act of power—not selfishness

Your holidays can still hold meaning. Even when everything around you is uncertain, you can reclaim moments of connection and create emotional safety for yourself.

Here’s the script you can use:
“I want today to be about being together, not about cancer.
Please don’t treat me like I’m fragile.
If I need something, I promise I’ll tell you. I may tap out early or take a break—that’s just part of where I am right now.”

These words will help people love you the right way—without pity, without awkwardness, and without toxic positivity. They give you control when so much else feels out of reach.

Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with warmth, clarity, and the people who make you feel like YOU.

The FDA just removed a major warning label from hormone therapy — a sign that science around women’s hormones is changing fast. But what does this shift really mean for people who’ve faced cancer or want to protect their long-term health?

In this episode, Dr. Mary Ann Martin (“The Hormone Hacker”) joins us to unpack how hormones, food, and stress all shape your body’s internal environment — and what you can actually do to make it less welcoming to cancer.

You’ll learn:

This isn’t fear — it’s clarity.
Kicking Cancer’s Ass brings you the stories, science, and suggestions to take back control of your health and healing.

Why does waiting for scan results feel like your nervous system is vibrating? Because your brain hates uncertainty more than bad news—and it’s trying to protect you by preparing for every worst-case scenario. In this episode, Joelle shares what happened on January 3rd, 2023, when a routine imaging appointment turned into an MRI, then a biopsy, then surgery delay—all while the “what ifs” took over her brain. If you’re sitting in that space right now, waiting for results that feel like they hold your entire life, this is for you. You’ll learn why waiting activates your threat system (it’s biology, not a character flaw), why willpower won’t help but structure will, and the one simple tool that interrupts the spiral: name the fear, name the fact. Seven out of ten biopsies come back benign. Right now, in this moment, you’re okay. You don’t need certainty to be okay today—you just need a plan for the waiting. And whatever the answer is? You can handle it.Strategic Choice: Opens with the visceral feeling listeners recognize (“vibrating nervous system”), immediately validates their experience, then moves to Joelle’s specific story as proof she understands. The three concrete takeaways give immediate value, and ending with “you can handle it” delivers the confidence promise without empty platitudes.

What happens when a doctor tells you “it’s not good” and you’re only 42?

Miguel Rueda got one of the rarest prostate cancer diagnoses possible—2% of 2% of cases—at an age when most men don’t even get screened. His urologist told him if it were him, he’d just live out what time remained. That phone call came nine years ago.

Miguel runs marathons now. His kids call him every day. He’s on a medication that didn’t exist when he was diagnosed, working because he and his team bought enough time for it to become available.

This conversation reveals how Miguel stopped asking “why me” and started asking “so what, now what?” You’ll hear about the snowy hill that changed his perspective, the microwave incident that taught him about accepting help, and why being vulnerable with his three kids made his family stronger than cancer could break it.

If you’re wondering whether fighting is worth it, this episode answers that question without sugarcoating what the fight actually requires.

ManUpToCancer – Join Our Pack – https://manuptocancer.org/
Movember Foundation – https://us.movember.com/

Why does hearing “it’s malignant” make you want to scream, cry, or punch a wall—sometimes all in the same hour? Your body just learned about a threat that’s been there for a while, and your nervous system jumped into fight or flight before your brain could catch up. That’s not weakness. That’s biology.

In this episode, Joelle walks you through what’s happening inside your body in those first shocking moments after diagnosis. You’ll understand why you’re trying to make decisions with a brain that’s been hit by lightning. Why that quiet question “Did I cause this?” won’t stop whispering. Why people saying “stay positive” makes you want to throw something.

You’ll also learn the one thing that calms your nervous system enough to think clearly, and how to let your feelings move through you instead of gaining strength inside you. This is for day one, before the plans, before the treatment—when you’re just trying to catch your breath.

You’re not crazy. You’re in shock. And that’s exactly where we start.

When treatment ended, no one offered me survivorship care. It was just — “You’re done. Be grateful.”

In this episode, Dr. Mindy Goldman, Chief Clinical Officer of MIDI Health and UCSF Professor Emeritus, reveals the truth behind The Survivorship Lie:
why 80% of OB-GYNs aren’t trained in menopause care, how women fall through the cracks between oncologists and gynecologists, and what every survivor deserves to know about hormones, heart health, bone density, and quality of life after cancer.

Dr. Goldman shares groundbreaking insights from her 25-year career — including how survivorship guidelines are finally changing, what treatments are safe, and how to advocate for care that treats all of you, not just your cancer.

🎙️ Kicking Cancer’s Ass is your guide to reclaiming power, clarity, and hope — even with cancer in the room.

Highlights:

The day before my preventive mastectomy, I got a call that changed everything.
The surgery was cancelled — because cancer was already here.

In this solo episode, I share what that moment taught me about power.
Because even when cancer takes control, you still have choices.

I walk you through the three swings that helped me reclaim mine:

If you’re newly diagnosed or walking alongside someone who is, this episode will remind you:
you may not choose the pitch — but you can always choose the swing.

💥 Kicking Cancer’s Ass is your weekly guide to clarity, control, and hope — even with cancer in the room.

When bestselling author Cara Lockwood was dropped by her publisher in the middle of chemotherapy, she could have given up.
Instead, she discovered a mindset that helped her survive cancer — and rebuild her life.

In this episode of Kicking Cancer’s Ass, Cara and host Joelle Kaufman talk about what it really means to find strength when everything feels uncertain, how laughter can coexist with fear, and why giving yourself permission to be okay is one of the bravest things you can do.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll hear:

✨ Kicking Cancer’s Ass is for newly diagnosed cancer patients who feel overwhelmed and want clarity, control, and hope. Every episode helps you take back power — even with cancer in the room.

Telling your family you have cancer might be the hardest conversation of your life.
Joelle Kaufman has lived it — as both the child of a survivor and a parent with cancer.

When Joelle found out she had cancer, she had to tell her three kids — ages 21, 19, and 15 — and then her parents, including her mom, a 43-year survivor. In this raw, heartfelt episode, Joelle shares the real conversation, what she learned, and how love and strength show up in unexpected ways.

You’ll discover:

Whether you’re newly diagnosed or supporting someone who is, this episode will remind you that cancer may be in the room, but it does not get to take your power.

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💬 Share this episode with someone who needs to know they’re not alone.