Cortisol after cancer is the conversation nobody on my care team had with me. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 — invasive ductal carcinoma, stage one, grade two. I went through lumpectomy, radiation, ovarian suppression, and two years on an aromatase inhibitor before I had to come off because my bones were already in osteoporosis. Throughout all of it, my nervous system was screaming. My cortisol was running hot all day long, confirmed by a Dutch test. And not one doctor told me what stress was doing to my body or how to mitigate it.

In this solo episode of Not Today Cancer, I'm walking you through the seven activities that lowered my cortisol...broken into the things that don't cost a dime (meditation, breathwork, walking outside, unplugging) and the things that do (acupuncture, energy healing, therapy). I'm also sharing the actual research behind each one, so you know this isn't woo...it's documented science.

What you'll learn:

• Why cortisol is wrecked after a cancer diagnosis (and why mine was high long before)

• The symptoms of high cortisol most breast cancer survivors miss

• How mindfulness meditation protected the cortisol rhythm of breast cancer survivors in a randomized controlled trial

• Why a single session of slow breathing drops cortisol immediately

• The "nature pill" research showing 20–30 minutes outside lowers cortisol 21% per hour

• Why the NCCN officially recommends acupuncture for cancer survivors

If you're a breast cancer survivor, caregiver, or anyone whose body has been running on fumes...this episode is for you. We don't get the option of not mitigating stress. Pick one thing on this list and start tomorrow.

Disclaimer: This episode reflects my personal experience and a summary of public research. It is not medical advice. Always consult your care team.

📋 RESOURCES + LINKS

📿 Free 10-minute meditation for survivors: CALM

💚 Free Facebook community: JOIN HERE

🌟 Paid Community ($19.99/mo): INFO HERE

📖 Nontoxic Home Guide: SWAPS

💪 DNA Test: INFO HERE

🎙️ Not Today Cancer Podcast — new episodes every Tuesday + Friday

🌐 Website: jendelvaux.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jendelvaux/

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📋 RESEARCH CITATIONS

MEDITATION + CORTISOL:

• Carlson et al. — Mindfulness-based stress reduction maintains healthy diurnal cortisol rhythm in distressed breast cancer survivors. Published in PMC. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5430085/

• MBSR reduces salivary cortisol immediately following class — PMC

BREATHWORK + CORTISOL:

• "The Effect of Breathing Exercise on Stress Hormones" — Cyprus Journal of Medical Sciences

• Slow breathing at ~6 bpm boosts heart rate variability up to 40% — International Journal of Psychophysiology

WALKING + NATURE:

• Olafsdottir et al. — Walking in nature vs treadmill: cortisol comparison. Sage Publications

• Hunter et al. — "Nature pill" research: 20-30 minutes outdoors drops salivary cortisol 21% per hour. Frontiers in Psychology

• Repeated forest walking reduces hair cortisol (chronic stress marker) — Scientific Reports, 2025

ACUPUNCTURE:

• NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network) guidelines recommend acupuncture for cancer survivors

• Acupuncture modulates HPA axis, serotonin, GABA, melatonin — Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2022

• Bayesian network meta-analysis — Frontiers in Oncology, 2023

Melissa Mariano is a 43-year-old Canadian flight attendant living in Dubai who was diagnosed with triple positive (ER+, PR+, HER2+) breast cancer after a routine mammogram...zero symptoms, zero lumps. She almost skipped her follow-up appointment. In this episode, she shares how she went from stage 0 DCIS to navigating Herceptin without chemo, low-dose "Baby Tam," the Dutch test, and a radical people-pleasing wake-up call that changed everything.

In this episode we cover:

• How calcifications on a mammogram went from "nothing to worry about" to a biopsy — and why she delayed 4 months

• The vacuum-assisted biopsy that may have removed her invasive cancer entirely before surgery even happened

• Why her final pathology came back DCIS only, stage 0 — and what triple positive actually means

• 18 rounds of Herceptin (anti-HER2) with NO chemo — and the NCCN guideline that made that possible

• The Italian Clancy study on "Baby Tam" (5mg Tamoxifen) and why she's tapering down from 20mg

• Dutch test results: high estrogen, good methylation — what it means and what she's doing about it

• Supplements she's using: L-theanine, Relora, liposomal glutathione, DIM (cycled), NAC

• Sauna 2x/week, red light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, yin yoga, sound healing, Reiki, breathwork — her full protocol

• Egg freezing for fertility preservation before starting Tamoxifen

• The people-pleasing pattern she believes contributed to her diagnosis — and the shift that changed everything

• Why she says: "I'm no longer a phony — but I am my priority"

Links & Resources:

• Clancy Study on Low-Dose Tamoxifen (Baby Tam / 5mg): READ HERE

• NCCN Guidelines for Breast Cancer: READ HERE

• Connect with Melissa Mariano: https://www.instagram.com/melidubai/

• Not Today Cancer Inner Circle (weekly live calls, community support): [INFO HERE]

• BrocElite: 20% off here Chapter Markers (estimated)

  • 00:00 — Intro: Meet Melissa — Dubai life, flight attendant, Italian roots

  • 04:00 — The mammogram that almost didn't happen: calcifications and a delayed follow-up

  • 08:30 — Biopsy results: triple positive, Grade 2 IDC + high-grade DCIS

  • 13:00 — MRI showed no mass enhancement — the biopsy may have removed the cancer

  • 19:00 — Surgery, clear margins, final pathology: stage 0 DCIS

  • 22:00 — 20 rounds radiation — spinning and yoga the whole way through

  • 25:00 — Herceptin without chemo: the NCCN guideline that changed everything

  • 28:00 — Tamoxifen side effects, Baby Tam, and the Italian Clancy study

  • 34:00 — Dutch test results, functional gynecologist Dr. Maria, supplement protocol

  • 38:00 — Sauna, red light, hyperbaric oxygen, yin yoga, sound healing

  • 44:00 — "I'm no longer a phony — but I am my priority": the people-pleasing shift

  • 50:00 — What cancer gave her: resilience, perspective, advocacy

  • 54:00 — Closing: the "Nope. Not Today." shirt moment + not today cancer

Medical disclaimer: This episode is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your own oncologist, physician, or qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions about your diagnosis, treatment, or supplement protocol.

Jen sits down with her husband Darren for a real, unscripted life update..no highlight reel, no polished answers. Between Darren's grade 2 astrocytoma in 2009, his recurrence as grade 4 in 2019, and Jen's own breast cancer diagnosis in between, this couple has lived through more than most. And yet...here they are. Talking about upcoming scans, their daughter's wedding, what fear actually feels like years in, and what "thriving" means when you've stared down the worst.

This is the conversation that happens after the treatment ends. The one nobody makes a podcast episode about. Until now.

In this episode:

• Darren opens up about how his relationship with scans and scanxiety has changed over the years...and what it feels like going into an MRI now vs. in the beginning

• What it means to hit a milestone like your daughter's wedding when your first goal was just to see the kids graduate

• Whether the fear ever actually goes away — and what they both do when those thoughts creep back in

• Darren's honest take on all the lifestyle changes Jen has made since her diagnosis — did he ever think she was going too far?

• The 3 biggest changes Jen made that she believes had the most impact on their family's health and quality of life

• What to do when you're overwhelmed and don't know where to start....a simple, grounded answer for anyone in the thick of it

• The exhaustion of "doing all the things"...and how to stay motivated when you're running on empty

• What thriving looks like now vs. before — answered together, and it's powerful

• What they're each most grateful for today

This episode is for you if:

• You're walking through a diagnosis right now and wondering if life ever feels normal again

• You're the partner or caregiver who is holding it all together and feeling invisible

• You're on the other side of treatment and trying to figure out who you are now

• You just need proof that hope is real and people do get to the other side

Links & Resources:

• Not Today Cancer Inner Circle (Thursday calls) — JOIN HERE

• Non-Toxic Guide — Download Here

There was a time when the goal was just to get through the day. Just to get to the next appointment. Just to hear good news. And now they're talking about weddings and what it means to actually live again. Not perfectly. Not without fear. But with a completely different perspective. Not today, cancer.

Medical Disclaimer: Nothing shared in this episode constitutes medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider regarding your personal treatment plan.

If you finished cancer treatment and then felt completely abandoned when it came to what happened to your body next...this episode is for you.

Jen sits down with Dani Binnington, founder of the global non-profit Menopause and Cancer, host of the Menopause and Cancer podcast (212+ episodes), and author of Navigating Menopause After Cancer. Dani was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at 33...a young mom to three children under five — and later pushed into sudden surgical menopause after her oophorectomy as a BRCA1 carrier. No one counseled her. No one warned her. So she built the resource she wished had existed.

This conversation covers everything nobody tells you...and everything you deserve to know.

In this episode:

• Dani's diagnosis at 33 with triple negative breast cancer, her BRCA1 mutation, and the decision to have a double mastectomy and oophorectomy

• What makes cancer-induced menopause fundamentally different from natural menopause...and why it's a harder experience

• The difference between chemotherapy-induced, surgical, and medically-induced menopause...and what each means for your body

• Why 50% of women on endocrine therapy don't complete their full 5–10 year course because of menopausal side effects...and what to do if that's you

• The truth about vaginal estrogen for breast cancer survivors — why over 88% struggle with genitourinary symptoms and why this treatment is safer than most oncologists let on

• Jen's own story: years of fear around vaginal estrogen, the nearly-didn't-make-it-to-the-bathroom moment that finally changed her mind

• HRT after cancer — what the guidelines actually say, and how to have an informed conversation with your doctor

• The "beautiful platter" framework: Dani's approach to menopause management that includes lifestyle, medical options, complementary therapies, and everything in between

• Phytoestrogens, Mediterranean diet, exercise, acupuncture, SSRIs for hot flashes....the full evidence-based toolkit

• Simple tweaks that can make a huge difference if you're struggling on hormone-blocking medication right now

• How Menopause and Cancer started as a Facebook group and grew into a global community with 212 podcast episodes, in-person events, and an international book written with 20 doctors

• Why the burden of figuring all this out should NOT fall on patients alone...and what Dani is doing to change that

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Navigating Menopause After Cancer by Dani Binnington — https://a.co/d/0dxiGTR5

• Menopause and Cancer podcast — Listen HERE

• Dani Binnington on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/menopause_and_cancer/

• Not Today Cancer Inner Circle — INFO HERE

• BrocElite - 20% off LINK

You are not stuck. Your symptoms will fluctuate. And you have more options than anyone has probably told you. Not today, cancer.

Medical Disclaimer: Nothing shared in this episode constitutes medical advice. Always consult your oncologist or healthcare provider before making any changes to your treatment plan.

Nobody in the cancer and wellness space wants to talk about this one. Today, Jen goes there.

This isn't a lecture. It's not a guilt trip. It's the honest, real conversation Jen wished someone had with her...about what alcohol actually does to your hormones, why it matters specifically for breast cancer survivors, and what she personally does when she chooses to have a drink.

Because information that feels like power is very different from information that makes you feel afraid.

In this episode:

• Jen's personal relationship with alcohol before and after her breast cancer diagnosis

• Why alcohol raises estrogen (and what that actually means for your body)

• The liver connection...why your body can't clear excess estrogen when it's busy processing alcohol

• How your genetics determine how your body handles alcohol and why two women can drink the same amount and have completely different experiences

• Acetaldehyde — the toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism most people have never heard of

• The DNA testing Jen recommends to understand your own metabolism (and the one she used herself)

• Exactly what Jen does before, during, and the morning after she chooses to drink — her full harm reduction protocol

• The two supplements she takes every time: sulforaphane (Brock Elite) and NAC — what they do and why

• The mindset piece — why guilt the next morning is information worth paying attention to

• How she used her DNA test results + a Dutch test + AI to build a supplement protocol specific to her body

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Brock Elite sulforaphane supplement + 20% off code - Mara Labs supplements - Use code NotTodayCancer f

• NAC supplement Jen recommends — Amazon Link

• Pique green tea — Disocunt link Pique Tea

• The DNA Company - DNA testing Link

• Not Today Cancer Inner Circle — Join Here

You don't have to white-knuckle it. You don't have to be reckless. There's a middle space — and that's where informed choices live. Not today, cancer.

Medical Disclaimer: Jen Delvaux is not a medical doctor and nothing shared in this episode constitutes medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

Today Jen welcomes cancer survivor, business owner, and holistic health advocate Stephanie Rouzee to Not Today Cancer. Stephanie calls herself a "corporate dropout turned cancer thriver" after leaving a high-pressure mortgage career to prioritize healing, purpose, and time with her family.

Stephanie shares how she was originally told "cancer doesn't hurt" when she reported painful breast symptoms, despite having dense breasts and feeling a clear lump. Months later, severe pain finally led to a same-day mammogram, biopsy, and a diagnosis of stage 1, grade 2 invasive ductal carcinoma. She opens up about navigating endless appointments, portal results that quietly revealed "invasive ductal carcinoma," and the moment she chose to see cancer as an "opportunity" instead of a life-ending sentence.

You'll hear:

• The exact symptoms she felt (including pain) and why dense breasts plus "it doesn't hurt so it's fine" can be such a dangerous combo.

• Her treatment path: lumpectomy, 22 rounds of radiation, medically induced menopause, and why radiation fatigue hit her harder than she expected.

• Why she ultimately stopped hormone-blocking meds after joint pain, brain fog, and the terrifying moment she couldn't remember her own son's name.

• How she uses food as medicine now—focusing on plants, organic grass‑fed meats, mushroom coffee, low‑sugar, low‑processed eating, and specific bio‑nutrients to support hormones and healing.

• The role of exercise, walking, and strength training in lowering inflammation, regulating hormones, and supporting her mental health post-treatment.

• Her experience with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and functional testing (like the Dutch test) to uncover high estrogen, cortisol issues, and estrogen detox challenges.

• Why she quit her corporate job after her doctor warned that her high stress and poor nutrition could raise her risk of recurrence—and how working alongside her husband changed everything.

  Connect with Stephanie:

  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/direct/t/113784370013536/

  Resources mentioned:

  • Not Today Cancer Inner Circle (Thursday Calls!) JOIN HERE

  • GET BrocElite: Mara Labs supplements - Use code NotTodayCancer for 20% off

  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jendelvaux/ Email me: [email protected]

  If this episode spoke to you…

  Please take 30 seconds to follow the show and leave a review—it truly helps more women find this podcast when they're newly diagnosed, in treatment, or trying to rebuild life after cancer. And as always, remember: Not today, cancer. Medical Disclaimer: Jen Delvaux is not a medical doctor, and nothing in this episode constitutes medical advice. Always consult your oncologist or healthcare provider before making any changes to your treatment plan.

Jen Delvaux shares her personal decision to come off Letrozole after being diagnosed with full osteoporosis at her 2-year DEXA scan. She walks through everything she's doing instead: her complete natural bone health protocol covering nutrition, supplements, movement, lifestyle, and the key labs every woman on hormone-blocking medication should know about. Real talk, real research, real options. Not today, cancer.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Personal Story 02:21 Understanding Hormone Blocking Therapy 04:14 Experiencing Side Effects and Pain 07:15 Healing and Exercise Journey 09:06 Bone Density Testing and Results 10:00 Research on Bone Loss and Fracture Risk 15:13 Deciding to Stop Medication and Risks 16:33 Supporting Bone Health Through Diet 21:22 Exercise Recommendations for Bone Strength 24:28 Lifestyle Factors and Bone Rebuilding 25:21 Monitoring Bone Health and Questions to Ask Doctors 26:48 Community Support and Final Thoughts

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Free Bone Health PDF — Grab it HERE

• Not Today Cancer Inner Circle (Thursday Calls!) JOIN HERE

• AlgaeCal supplement — algaecal.com

• Protein powder (Icelandic blue spirulina, third-party tested) + discount code —> USE CODE HELLO10

  Medical Disclaimer: Jen Delvaux is not a medical doctor, and nothing in this episode constitutes medical advice. Always consult your oncologist or healthcare provider before making any changes to your treatment plan.

She was 29 years old. No family history. No warning signs. She found it herself in the shower — and it changed everything.

Claire was diagnosed with breast cancer at 29, went through a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and eight years on and off Tamoxifen — all while teaching first grade, freezing her eggs, getting married, and becoming a mom to three kids. She lived 11 and a half years of clear scans and a full, beautiful life.

Then last Christmas Eve, it came back. Stage 4. Metastatic. Liver and bones.

And Claire's response? "It's just a little road bump."

This episode is one of the most honest, funny, and genuinely hopeful conversations about metastatic breast cancer you will ever hear. Claire is the host of Perky Bits — a blog and podcast she started in 2014 to document her journey in real time — and she holds absolutely nothing back.

What we cover:

• Finding a golf ball-sized tumor in the shower at 29 — and what happened next

• How Claire worked as a first grade teacher throughout chemo and radiation

• Why she froze her eggs before starting chemotherapy — and had three healthy children

• The GI symptoms that started in July 2024 that nobody connected to cancer for months — and the critical warning signs metastatic survivors need to know

• Getting the call on Christmas Eve that it had spread to her liver and bones

• What it actually feels like when treatment starts working — and her tumors start shrinking

• How she talks to her young kids about her treatment without terrifying them

• The connection between stress and recurrence — and what she wishes she'd managed differently

• Why stage 4 is not what it used to be — and the women thriving 15+ years out

• The unexpected blessings cancer gave her — including the line she ends every speaking engagement with: "Thank you, cancer."

• Where Perky Bits came from — and the story of the older gentleman who had to hold her breast with gauze for an hour post-biopsy (you can't make this stuff up)

Important message for every survivor: Claire's metastatic diagnosis showed up as GI symptoms — bloating, distension, constipation, diarrhea — not a breast lump. Your mammograms matter. But so does listening to your body everywhere else.

Connect with Claire:https://www.instagram.com/claireperkybits/ Listen to Perkybits here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/perkybits-riding-the-waves-of-life-intro/id1890866013?i=1000759385674

Connect with Jen:

Community: Not Today Cancer — The Inner Circle GET BrocElite: Mara Labs supplements - Use code NotTodayCancer for 20% off Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jendelvaux/ Email me: [email protected]

What actually happens on diagnosis day — not the version you tell people later, but the real one? The fear, the disbelief, the weird human moments that happen right alongside the most terrifying news of your life?

In this episode, Jen sits down with her husband Darren for one of the most honest conversations they've ever had on the podcast. Jen was diagnosed with ER/PR+ breast cancer. Darren has been fighting Grade 4 Astrocytoma brain cancer — and is still here, defying every statistic. Together, they go back to diagnosis day and talk about what they wish they knew, what they'd do differently, and what they'd say to each other — and to you — if they could go back.

This episode is not heavy. It's honest, it's real, and yes — it's funny. Because sometimes that's the only way through.

What we cover:

What diagnosis day actually looked and felt like for each of them — the unfiltered version

The things they did in those early days they'd absolutely tell themselves NOT to do (the 2am Google spiral, anyone?)

The one thing each of them would tell themselves if they could go back

How to trust your instincts when the medical system feels overwhelming

What it looks like to build a support system that actually holds you

The moment cancer stopped feeling like something happening TO them and started feeling like something they were navigating TOGETHER

If you're in the middle of a new diagnosis — this episode is for you. Share it with someone who needs it. Tag us @jendelvaux so we can cheer you on.

Nothing in this episode is medical advice. Always consult your physician or oncology team before making any decisions about your treatment.

Connect with Jen:

Community: Not Today Cancer — The Inner Circle GET BrocElite: Mara Labs supplements - Use code NotTodayCancer for 20% off Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jendelvaux/ Email me: [email protected]

You've probably heard stories about women who get diagnosed and "bounce back." But what does it actually look like when a stage three triple negative breast cancer diagnosis tears your entire life apart — and you have to rebuild from scratch as a single mom?

In this episode, Jen sits down with Sarah Beaver — stage three triple negative breast cancer survivor, mindset and resilience speaker, podcast host of Creating Sunshine, and a woman who walked away from 27 years in corporate America to step fully into her purpose.

Sarah takes us back to the moment she found her lump through self-exam, the agonizing wait between imaging and diagnosis, and what it was like to hear the words "you have cancer" on January 3rd, 2025. She opens up about telling her two young daughters (one of whom scooted away thinking it was contagious), making the bold decision to take a leave of absence instead of pushing through chemo while working as a senior manager at Costco, and completely overhauling her family's nutrition during treatment.

Jen and Sarah go deep on advocating for yourself when a surgeon's plan doesn't feel right, fighting insurance companies for an out-of-network reconstructive surgeon, getting second opinions, and trusting your gut — even when everyone around you is telling you to "just do what the doctor says." Sarah shares how she chose a double mastectomy with DIEP flap reconstruction (no implants, no expanders) and the emotional reality of seeing her body for the first time after surgery.

They also talk about the identity shift that hits after treatment ends — the "now what?" that nobody prepares you for — and Sarah's free, accessible tools for healing: journaling, meditation (she's 220+ days in a row on Insight Timer), accepting help, and creating "sunshine moments" with her daughters.

If you're in the thick of treatment, freshly cancer-free, or somewhere in between — this one is going to remind you that you don't have to do this alone, you are allowed to slow down, and the woman you become on the other side might just be the best version of you yet.

Connect with Sarah Beaver:

Connect with Jen:

Community: Not Today Cancer — The Inner Circle GET BrocElite: Mara Labs supplements - Use code NotTodayCancer for 20% off Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jendelvaux/ Email me: [email protected]