Kicking Cancer's Ass

 When you hear the words “It’s malignant,” your world stops. Everything you thought you knew about control, safety, and your future suddenly disappears.

In this raw and hopeful conversation, bestselling author Cara Lockwood — known for her 35+ romance novels — shares how one moment changed everything: the phone call that shattered her world, and the sentence that helped her rebuild it — “Cancer doesn’t get to decide. You do.”

Host Joelle Kaufman and Cara dive deep into:

If you’re newly diagnosed and feel like cancer is running the show, this episode will help you reclaim your power, your calm, and your voice — one decision at a time.

🎙️ Kicking Cancer’s Ass is your weekly dose of hope, humor, and hard-won wisdom — because even with cancer in the room, you’re still in charge.

What if the hardest part of cancer isn’t chemo—it’s finding the words to tell your partner?

Joelle Kaufman knows this moment intimately. Walking to her husband’s office after her biopsy results, she recalls: “He looked up from his desk and his eyes just filled. He didn’t ask. I didn’t have to explain. I just nodded.”

In this raw, honest episode, Joelle reveals three truths about telling your partner: First, they already know something’s wrong—the people who love you feel your fear before you speak. Second, they don’t need your treatment plan—they need to hear “I’m scared and I need you with me.” Third, their reaction isn’t yours to manage—it’s love trying to find a place to land.

“The minute you let them in, you’ve stopped facing cancer alone,” Joelle shares. This isn’t about delivering devastating news. It’s about building your foundation as a team.

Ready to transform the hardest conversation into your strongest connection? Listen now. 

In this powerful episode, host Joelle Kaufman shares how she refused to face her diagnosis solo — and built her power team instead. You’ll learn how to create your own lineup of support: from your medical squad and mental health pros to your life crew and “joy squad” who remind you that you’re still you.

💡 You’ll Learn:

You don’t have to fight harder — you just have to build smarter.
Because cancer throws curveballs, but you don’t have to face them alone.

🎙️ Hosted by Joelle Kaufman — founder of Kicking Cancer’s Ass, your guide to reclaiming your power, even with cancer in the room.

When your phone rings and you hear the words “it’s malignant,” your world stops. Your body reacts before your brain can — fear, anger, disbelief, numbness — all of it hits at once.

In this deeply personal episode, Joelle Kaufman shares the exact moment she heard those words on a Zoom call, the wave of emotions that followed, and the three steps that helped her find her footing when everything felt out of control.

This isn’t about toxic positivity or “staying strong.” It’s about learning how to breathe, ground, and begin again — even in the hardest moment of your life.

💡 You’ll Learn:

You didn’t choose this timing. But you can choose how you meet it — with clarity, control, and hope.

🎙️ Hosted by Joelle Kaufman — founder of Kicking Cancer’s Ass, your guide to reclaiming your power, even with cancer in the room.

When you share your diagnosis, everyone suddenly has something to say — a “miracle cure,” a diet to try, or the dreaded “stay positive.” Most mean well, but their words can land like blame instead of comfort.

In this episode, Joelle Kaufman shares how to protect your peace and power when good people give bad advice. You’ll learn simple, real-life ways to handle unhelpful comments without guilt — and without losing yourself in the process.

💡 You’ll Learn:

You can’t control what people say — but you can control what you let land.
Cancer may be in the room, but it doesn’t get to dominate the room or take your power.🎙️ Hosted by Joelle Kaufman — founder of Kicking Cancer’s Ass, your guide to reclaiming your power, even with cancer in the room.

How do you handle watching cancer touch three generations of your family? Benjamin Kaufman found out when his mom received her stage two breast cancer diagnosis during his junior year of college—3,000 miles away. As the son of host Joelle Kaufman, Benjamin shares the raw experience of being a college student when your parent has cancer.

His response reveals three powerful insights for building confidence through cancer’s curveballs: First, sometimes the most important thing you do is simply show up, even when you don’t know what to say. Second, daily phone calls that avoid “cancer land” can become happiness tripwires that lift everyone up. Third, transparency—not protection—helps families face cancer together effectively.

Benjamin’s story demonstrates how cancer creates opportunities for deeper connection while maintaining normal life. His approach of calling his mom every single day (a practice that continues three years later) shows how small gestures create profound support systems.

This conversation offers hope for families separated by distance during treatment and proves that living your own life fully can be the greatest gift you give someone fighting cancer.

How do you make doctors see you when they keep saying “don’t worry” and you know something’s wrong?

Michelle Audoin asked her surgical team to show her what reconstruction looks like on a Black woman’s body. They had nothing. When she pushed for a CT scan, her “stage zero” diagnosis became stage four. Her invisibility in the medical system nearly cost her life.

In this conversation, Michelle shares the exact questions that force doctors to take you seriously: “Where’s the science behind that?” You’ll learn why dense breasts need supplemental screening—and why you can’t wait for the system to call you back. She explains how “I don’t know my family history” should qualify you for genetic testing, not disqualify you.

Eight years into thriving with metastatic breast cancer, Michelle created Uncovered—making visible what the system refused to show her.

👉 Feeling lost in the cancer maze? Subscribe at KCAPodcast.com Get episodes, resources, and tools that help you speak up confidently and transform fear into fierce action.

How do you know if that supplement your sister swears by will help you—or interfere with the chemo that’s supposed to save your life?

Dr. Lise Alschuler, board-certified naturopathic oncologist and breast cancer survivor, breaks down what most oncologists won’t tell you: killing cancer cells isn’t enough. Your body creates a tumor microenvironment—and conventional treatment often makes it worse.

In this conversation, you’ll learn why exercise beats every supplement on the market, how to tell the difference between prophylactic and neoadjuvant chemo (and why it matters when celebrities claim they “cured cancer naturally”), and the exact questions to ask before adding anything to your treatment plan.

Dr. Alschuler also addresses something nobody talks about: financial toxicity. She shares how to scale back integrative recommendations without sacrificing protection against recurrence, and why hiding budget concerns from your providers hurts you more than the cost itself.

Find board-certified naturopathic oncologists, understand the tumor microenvironment concept, and get the three-tool prevention toolkit that lowers recurrence risk.

Are you hiding your cancer symptoms because you think that’s what tough guys do? Paul learned the hard way that the biggest mistake men make isn’t physical—it’s emotional isolation.

After beating stage four colorectal cancer once, Paul thought he had it figured out. Exercise through chemo, stay positive, power through. Then cancer returned, and he discovered something that changed everything: “When faced with cancer, women tend to reach out and men tend to check out.” That checking out leads to worse survival rates.

Paul shares how he built his “pack”—from Man Up to Cancer support groups to controlling information flow with his family. You’ll hear why he tells every man to “change everything,” how his wife became his research partner, and the specific ways he transformed chemo days from endurance tests into recovery opportunities. Paul doesn’t sugarcoat the reality: “I cry at Hallmark movies now”—but he shows why embracing vulnerability made him stronger.

If you’re trying to tough it out alone, this episode gives you permission to build your crew

Why do men with cancer have lower survival rates than women? Paul Apodoca thought he knew what “fighting like a man” meant until stage four colorectal cancer taught him otherwise. When a routine colonoscopy turned into a death sentence conversation in a single afternoon, Paul discovered the most dangerous myth about masculinity and cancer.

Paul went from CEO managing teams to patient learning that accepting help wasn’t weakness—it was strategy. He found Man Up to Cancer, a support group that redefined courage as “having the strength to accept help and knowing we’re smarter and stronger as a pack than we are as lone wolves.” Through surgical marathons, unexpected emotions, and the challenge of telling his kids, Paul learned that vulnerability became his superpower.

You’ll hear how he challenged his medical team’s initial plan, why he kept working through treatment, and the conversation technique that helped him guide his children through their fear. Plus, Paul shares his “cancer tourist detector” and the mindset shift that transformed his journey from survival mode to coaching his own recovery team.