Not Today Cancer

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:

My podcast Creating Sunshine Podcast My Instagram @itssarahbeaver My website creatingsunshine.net

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]

Medical menopause after a breast cancer diagnosis is nothing like the gradual kind. When your ovaries are shut down with Zoladex injections or removed through surgery, your estrogen doesn't decline over years — it drops by up to 90% overnight. And most women are sent home with a pamphlet and a six-week follow-up.

In this episode, Jen shares her personal experience — four months on Zoladex injections followed by a bilateral oophorectomy — and breaks down everything your doctor didn't have time to explain: what medical menopause actually does to your body and brain, why it hits so much harder than natural menopause, and every strategy she uses to get through it.

What we cover:

• Why medical menopause is so different from natural menopause — and why the symptoms are more intense

• The full symptom picture: hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and atrophy, joint pain, brain fog, sleep disruption, bone loss, hair changes, and the mood shifts nobody warns you about

• Why your mood changes are not a character flaw — and what's actually happening in your brain chemistry

• Diet as medicine — what to add (phytoestrogens, anti-inflammatory foods, fiber, protein) and what to reduce (sugar, alcohol, processed foods)

• Exercise — the specific types that protect bone density, support mood, and reduce cardiovascular risk

• Vaginal estrogen — the research most women have never seen, including the 2023 JAMA Oncology study (49,237 patients) and the 2025 PubMed meta-analysis (24,060 patients), and how to bring this conversation to your doctor

• Supplements that actually help: magnesium, Vitamin D3+K2, Omega-3s, ashwagandha

• Sleep — how to set your bedroom up for success and protect the one thing that affects everything

• Mindset, emotional support, journaling, and when it might be time to talk to your doctor about more support

Research mentioned:

• 72% of breast cancer survivors experience hot flashes and night sweats more severe than women without cancer — Endocrinology Advisor

• Over 70% of postmenopausal breast cancer survivors face genitourinary syndrome of menopause — AUA News 2024

• JAMA Oncology 2023 (49,237 patients): vaginal estrogen users showed 23% LOWER breast cancer mortality risk

• PubMed meta-analysis 2025 (24,060 patients, 8 studies): vaginal estrogen not associated with increased recurrence — odds ratio 0.48

• Abrupt surgical menopause associated with more significant mood symptoms — MGH Center for Women's Mental Health

Resources + links mentioned:

• Not Today Cancer Inner Circle (weekly Thursday calls — all virtual): [JOIN HERE]

• Magnesium Breakthrough by Bioptimizers

• Protein powder (third-party tested with Icelandic Spirulina): [Use HELLO10 for $10 off]

• Hair toppers — DM Jen on Instagram @jendelvaux for info

• Jen's Blueprint: jendelvaux.com/blueprint

Disclaimer: Nothing in this episode is medical advice. Jen is sharing her personal experience and research. Always consult your physician or oncology team before making any changes to your treatment or supplement protocol.

In this episode, Jen sits down with osteopathic physician and women's health expert Dr. Paige to do a deep dive on peptides—with guardrails. They break down what peptides actually are in simple language, how they work as signaling molecules in the body, and why they're more of a "cherry on top" than a shortcut when foundations like sleep, nutrition, blood sugar, and muscle aren't in place.

They also unpack the hype around microdosing GLP‑1—why some women are using it for energy, body composition, metabolic health, and even after breast cancer—and what the emerging research and clinical experience really show so far. Jen shares her own experience microdosing GLP‑1 under Dr. Paige's care after a breast cancer diagnosis, and they discuss how insulin, inflammation, cardiovascular health, and brain health all intersect here.

You'll hear a candid conversation about:

• What peptides are and how they differ from hormones.

• Why so many women in perimenopause and menopause are curious about peptides for energy, weight, and inflammation.

• The dangers of online buying, "peptide stacking," and DIY dosing from TikTok, discount sites, and gray‑market vials.

• The difference between FDA‑approved drugs, reputable compounded medications, and unregulated "research" peptides sold directly to consumers.

• What microdosing GLP‑1 really means, potential benefits, and what's still unknown.

• Why blood work, testing, and your personal "health philosophy" matter before starting any peptide.

• A green / yellow / red framework for women with a history of breast cancer: which peptide patterns feel more comfortable, which require extreme caution, and which are a hard no outside research settings.

If you've ever thought, "Should I be on a peptide? Am I missing out?" this is the episode you listen to before you inject anything into your body. Connect with Dr. Paige:

Website: www.gozawellness.com IG https://www.instagram.com/goza.wellness https://www.instagram.com/dr.paige.do Free Hormone and Peptide Guide! https://signaturepc.ac-page.com/wrwr-hormone-peptide-guide

Connect With Jen:

• Instagram: @jendelvaux

• BrocElite — 20% off with code NOTTODAYCANCER: mara-labs.com/nottodaycancer

• Join the Not Today Cancer Inner Circle: JOIN HERE

• Join the FREE Not Today Cancer here: REQUEST TO JOIN HERE

• Learn more: My WEBSITE

• EMAIL ME: [email protected]

Leave a Review:

If this episode gave you something today, a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts takes 30 seconds and helps more women find this show. Jen reads every single one.

Natalie Frey is 38 years old, a homeschooling mama, woman of deep faith, and my kind of person — fully crunchy. In November 2024 she was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer. She didn't abandon who she was when the diagnosis hit. She leaned in harder — to her faith, her holistic practices, her community. She finished treatment in October 2025 and is now doing the real work of healing.

Follow Natalie on Instagram: @themomwifeandchristlife — DM her anytime, she responds and will help however she can.

Join my FREE Not Today Cancer community on Facebook: Click here to join

BrocElite — 20% off with code NOTTODAYCANCER: mara-labs.com/nottodaycancer

What We Cover

• How her cancer was discovered at a pap smear — not a mammogram or self-exam

• What lobular breast cancer is and why it hides on imaging (1 in 5 breast cancer cases is lobular)

• Her staging: anatomical 3A, prognostic 1B, grade one multifocal tumors

• Why she waited 6–7 weeks before starting chemo to do her due diligence

• The detox tools she kept up during chemotherapy — with her oncologist's blessing

• The little-known tip: requesting an extra liter of saline after your infusion

• Her four pillars of post-treatment healing: sleep, stress, exercise, and diet

• Healing osteopenia naturally

• The blessings she can now see on the other side

Resources & Links

Nothing shared here is medical advice. Always consult your oncologist before starting or changing any protocol.

Natalie's Shop: shopmy.us/shop/themomwifeandchristlife — everything is linked there

Sleep

• CURED Serenity Gummies — takes the edge off, relaxes you (sleep is a bonus side effect)

• CURED Dream Gummies — fall asleep, stay asleep, restorative sleep

• Discount code: THEMOMWIFEANDCHRISTLIFE for 15% off your first order

• Magnesium glycinate — nightly

Detox Bath (used weekly during chemo — same day as infusions)

Equal parts of each, water as hot as you can bear, 20 minutes minimum, then rinse:

• Magnesium Flakes

• Aztec Indian Healing Clay

• Baking Soda

Other Detox Tools

• Ionic Foot Bath (~$120)

• Castor Oil Pack on Liver — Queen of Thrones brand (Amazon) — 4–5x per week

Skincare During Chemo

• Nu Skin Lumi Spa — used every evening, credits this with keeping her skin healthy through chemo

• Luminance Skincare — non-toxic, gentle enough during treatment

• Discount code: NATALIE for 15% off

Radiation Skin Care

• Miaderm Fragrance-Free — used 2–3x daily; apply immediately after treatment (never before), one tube lasted 6.5 weeks

• Discount code: RELIEF15F for 15% off

• Boiron Calendula Cream — used this until Miaderm arrived

Hair Regrowth

• Nu Skin Collagen — oncologist approved 2 weeks after last infusion; Natalie credits it with fast regrowth (also great for skin)

Scriptures That Carried Natalie Through

• Isaiah 41:10

• Jeremiah 29:11

Connect

• Natalie: On IG @themomwifeandchristlife — DM her, she will respond

• Jen: [email protected]

• Not Today Cancer podcast: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Goodpods

• Community: Not Today Cancer — The Inner Circle

Loved this episode? Leave a 30-second review — it helps more women find this community. Share this with your person. You know who needs it.

Most cancer couples talk about the hard stuff behind closed doors. Today, Jen and her husband Darren say it out loud. Two cancer diagnoses, one marriage, and the most honest conversation they've ever recorded together.

In this episode Jen is joined by her husband Darren — who is living with Grade 4 Astrocytoma brain cancer and defying statistics every single day — for a raw, real conversation about what cancer actually does to a relationship.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• What it's like when both people in a marriage are fighting cancer at the same time

• The role reversals, the fear, and the conversations most couples avoid having

• Intimacy after cancer — the honest conversation nobody is having publicly

• The research-backed reason your relationship can literally affect your survival odds

• What cancer took from Jen and Darren's marriage — and what it gave them that nothing else could

Stats Referenced in This Episode:

• Median survival for Grade 4 brain cancer: 12–18 months. Less than 10% of patients survive five years — MD Anderson Cancer Center

• Being married is associated with better cancer survival outcomes — in some cancers, the survival benefit of marriage is larger than the published survival benefit of chemotherapy — Journal of Clinical Oncology

About Darren: Darren Delvaux is Jen's husband and a Grade 4 Astrocytoma brain cancer survivor who has defied every statistical expectation. He joins the Not Today Cancer podcast periodically to share the perspective no one else can — what it looks like to love someone through cancer while fighting your own battle at the same time.

Connect With Jen:

• Instagram: @jendelvaux

• Join the Not Today Cancer Inner Circle: (JOIN HERE)

• Get the Blueprint: jendelvaux.com/blueprint

Mentioned in This Episode:

• The Not Today Cancer Blueprint — Jen's complete system for rebuilding life after a breast cancer diagnosis: jendelvaux.com/blueprint

Leave a Review: If this episode gave you something today, a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts takes 30 seconds and helps more women find this show. Jen reads every single one.