Stage Hope

Dietitian and Culina Health CEO Vanessa Rissetto on her breast cancer diagnosis, advocating for yourself in medicine, and building a company through treatment.

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• Culina Health Official Website

Vanessa Rissetto talks fast, tells the truth, and does not soften it for anyone. The registered dietitian and CEO of Culina Health joins Cassandra and Kayoll in Hoboken for the first-ever live in-person episode of Stage Hope, and she opens with the itching in her left breast that lasted a full year before anyone found anything. Mammograms came back clear. Doctors said eczema. When a new primary care physician finally listened, the scan showed what looked like tiny grains of rice, and the biopsy she was told to wait two months for happened in days because her friends picked up the phone. She was diagnosed with HER2 triple-positive stage 1A breast cancer in May of 2023.

What follows is a conversation about what it actually takes to get good care. Vanessa walks through choosing Kadcyla over Taxol so she could keep her hair and keep leading her company, the twenty rounds of radiation, the fourteen-day wait to learn a suspicious scan was only post-radiation scarring, and the decision to skip reconstruction. She and the hosts get into the things people do not say out loud, like being the strong friend nobody checks on, managing your family's feelings while you are the patient, the mood swings on Lupron, and telling your eleven-year-old and nine-year-old that the word cancer does not automatically mean dying. She also names every doctor who listened to her, on purpose, every single time.

Then there is the work. Vanessa built Culina Health because she had student loans, made close to a million dollars in nine months with no marketing, and raised thirteen million more while sitting in infusion chairs. She explains why insurance now pays dietitians to spend an hour with a patient when a primary care doctor gets seven to twelve minutes, why she went to Capitol Hill, and why she thinks "everything in moderation" is nonsense. She gets into cashew cheese, Red Dye 40, grapes, Teflon, and the pots your mother cooked rice in. And she closes on hope, which for her sounds like fifty more years, two kids who take up space, and finally believing what she tells herself instead of what everyone else tells her.

Facing cognitive decline from cancer treatment? Discover how to reclaim your focus, overcome digital distractions, and use holistic habits to heal your mind.

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Have you ever felt like your brain is constantly flipping through channels, unable to settle on just one? For many cancer survivors, cognitive decline and focus issues linger long after treatment ends, making everyday tasks feel exhausting. In this episode, we unpack the reality of post-treatment brain fog and share actionable strategies to help you reclaim your mental clarity. 

Cassandra and Kayoll get real about the mental burden of balancing high-functioning careers, motherhood, and the invisible cognitive shifts that accompany cancer survivorship. They explore how relentless digital distractions compound this mental haze and openly debate their personal coping mechanisms, from experimenting with attention medications to embracing holistic approaches like fasting, nutrition, and analog time-blocking. Discover the reassuring science behind neuroplasticity that proves your brain can heal, but you'll have to tune in to find out the one everyday habit you must break to truly find peace. 

If you found comfort and practical advice in our journey, please subscribe, like, and leave a review for Stage Hope!

How do you balance parenting and cancer treatment? Discover the hidden realities of cancer survivorship, caregiver burden, and finding joy in hard seasons.

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Navigating a cancer diagnosis is overwhelming, but doing it while raising toddlers adds an entirely new layer of complexity to the journey. In this special listener Q&A episode of the Stage Hope Podcast, we pull back the curtain on their personal experiences balancing motherhood, grueling treatments, and the delicate transition into survivorship. Tuning in will give you a raw, honest look at finding joy in the darkest seasons and equip you with practical insights for supporting yourself or a loved one through life-altering medical news. 

After kicking things off with a well-deserved celebration of a New York Knicks playoff win, we dive deep into the realities of parenting through cancer and building a reliable support system. We explore the heavy choices around privacy, shedding light on why keeping a diagnosis quiet can sometimes be the ultimate form of self-preservation. You'll hear a vital conversation about the often-overlooked reality of caregiver burden, as well as the hidden psychosocial and physical effects of oncology treatment that linger long after chemo ends. Discover the simple mindset shift that helped both moms show up for their families, and find out what strange, lingering physical sensation might actually be a surprising sign of cellular healing. 

If this conversation resonated with you or could help someone you love, please subscribe, share, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or YouTube!

Struggling to find work-life balance during or after cancer treatment? Learn how to escape the Superwoman Schema, beat burnout, and finally prioritize joy.

Episode Resources:

• Superwoman Schema Research Paper by Dr. Cheryl Woods-Giscombé
• Cancer and Careers: Navigating the Workplace During and After Treatment
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Understanding and Managing Chemo Brain
• Explaining Allostatic Load and the Biological Impact of Chronic Stress

Have you ever felt like you're constantly dropping balls in the endless juggling act of being a working professional and a parent? In this episode, we get real about the myth of work-life balance, sharing their deeply personal experiences of navigating demanding careers during and after cancer treatment. Tune in to gain a refreshing, honest perspective on setting boundaries, managing burnout, and giving yourself permission to step back when life throws its hardest curveballs.

The conversation dives into the complex realities of cancer survivorship and returning to the workforce, from battling post-treatment brain fog to overcoming the intense pressure of feeling left behind by peers. Together, we unpack the "Superwoman Schema" - a psychological framework that heavily pressures women of color to flawlessly execute their professional and familial roles - and debate the hidden costs of constantly choosing resilience over rest. We explore practical, habit-building strategies to calm morning anxiety before you even touch your inbox. However, the ultimate breakthrough hinges on a thought-provoking five-million-dollar question that will completely redefine how you prioritize your own personal joy.

If this honest conversation resonated with your own daily juggling act, be sure to subscribe to Stage Hope and leave a review!

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Tired of toxic diet culture? Registered dietitian Wendy Lopez shares practical tips for plant-forward eating, stress-free meal prep, and food freedom.

Episode Resources:

• Official Website for Diabetes Digital
• The Diabetes Digital Podcast
• Find a Registered Dietitian Database
• EWG’s Consumer Guide to Pesticides in Produce
• Harvard’s Guide to Plant-Forward Eating

Are you exhausted by rigid wellness trends and the constant pressure to eat perfectly? In this episode, Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Educator Wendy Lopez breaks down how to genuinely nourish your body without sacrificing the cultural joy of eating. Tune in to discover practical ways to balance a plant-forward lifestyle, simplify busy weeknight meals, and ditch the perfectionist mindset that makes nutrition feel like an overwhelming chore. 

We dive into the surprising realities behind organic food labels and why connecting with local farmers might actually be the smarter choice for your health. Wendy unpacks the darker side of modern wellness culture, explaining how to embrace intuitive eating and mindful nutrition without spiraling into stressful, disordered habits. The conversation also explores the deep ties between holistic health and major life transitions, touching on everything from breast cancer recovery to navigating IVF. You will walk away with a fresh perspective on disease prevention and a much-needed reminder to slow down, process your emotions, and reclaim your personal identity. 

Hit play to rethink your relationship with food, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an empowering conversation like this one!

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Overwhelmed by goals? In this podcast episode, discover how daily self-reflection, finding your purpose, and doing less better transforms personal growth.

Episode Resources:

• Jim Rohn on the Power of Reflection
• Charles Duhigg on the ARC Framework
• Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• Digital Detox Guide from Cleveland Clinic

Do you find yourself trapped in a cycle of starting projects but struggling to cross the finish line? In this episode of Stage Hope, Kayoll and Cassandra explore the transformative power of daily self-reflection and how to break free from the heavy pressure of doing it all. Tune in to learn how shifting your focus to doing "less better" can help you reclaim your time, energy, and overall peace of mind. 

The co-hosts open up about the realities of juggling motherhood, demanding careers, and how surviving a life-altering breast cancer diagnosis radically shifted their approach to time management and work-life balance. They break down actionable self-development strategies, including the ARC framework for beating procrastination and the bold concept of "heading to the red" when faced with daunting tasks. You'll hear an honest conversation about setting boundaries, the hidden dangers of perfectionism, and why relying on a strong spiritual foundation can help center your daily actions. Will working harder on yourself than your job actually cure your burnout, or is the real secret to personal growth simply learning to embrace the chaos? 

If you are ready to set intentional goals for the season ahead, make sure to subscribe and leave a review!

Two breast cancer survivors launch the Stage Hope Podcast, sharing raw stories of diagnosis, motherhood, and finding joy beyond the struggle.

Meet Cassandra Dell and Dr. Kayoll Gyan - an engineer and a nurse scientist, two mothers, and friends who are done waiting for the 'right time' to share their stories. In this debut episode of the Stage Hope Podcast, they rip the Band-Aid off and open up about theirbreast cancer diagnoses, treatment journeys, and what it really means to find hope on the other side of a life-altering experience.

From the gut-punch of reading "carcinoma" on a patient chart to making impossible decisions about fertility in the middle of a cancer fight, Cassandra and Kayoll walk through the raw, unfiltered reality of young motherhood colliding with a breast cancer diagnosis. They explore the emotional weight of the diagnostic waiting period, the grief of plans interrupted, and how faith, community, and identity shift when life throws its hardest curveball. What stands out is their shared commitment to talking about cancer not from a place of fear, but from one of resilience, purpose, and even joy - proving that vulnerability and courage are two sides of the same coin.

If this conversation resonated with you, subscribe to the Stage Hope Podcast so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help others find this community of hope and honest conversation.