This week, I’m sitting down with someone who has completely blown my mind — Hayley Arceneaux. You might know her as the youngest American to ever go to space and the first astronaut with a prosthetic limb. But what you may not know is that Hayley’s journey started as a childhood cancer patient at St. Jude, and today, she’s a physician assistant at the very same hospital that saved her life. We talk about everything from how Hayley processed the life-changing call inviting her to join SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission, to what it was like going to space and coming back to Earth, and how she conquered her fears along the way. If you’re looking for inspiration to dream bigger or just want to know what it’s really like to be an astronaut, this episode is going to stick with you.

Follow Hayley: https://www.instagram.com/hayleyarc 

Hayley’s Books:

Wild Ride: A Memoir of I.V. Drips and Rocket Ships

https://amzn.to/3PKgtI9

Wild Ride (Adapted for Young Readers): My Journey from Cancer Kid to Astronaut

https://amzn.to/4gIeekn

Astronaut Hayley’s Brave Adventure (PRE-ORDER)

https://amzn.to/4gHXA4i 

Watch this episode in video form on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmevEcbh5h5FEX0pazPEtN86t7eb2OgX 

Sponsors: 

Loftie: Head to ByLoftie.com and use code REALSTUFF20 to get 20% off orders over $125.

Naväge: Order the new Naväge Baby Aspirator and Inhaler today at Navage.com/REALSTUFF.

To apply to be a guest on the show, visit luciefink.com/apply and send us your story. 

I also want to extend a special thank you to East Love for the show's theme song, Rolling Stone. 

Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstuffpod 

Find Lucie here: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciebfink/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luciebfink 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/luciebfink 

Website: https://luciefink.com/ 

Produced by Cloud10. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.