** Cancer is weird and it makes you weird--you’ll do weird things ** Cancer pushes you out to the ends of the bell curve--out to the extremes ** You are liberated to embrace your weird--no shame in the game ** Cancer treatment is weird--chemo drugs, radiation ** Find your fringe folk ** You can weaponize your weird if that’s your thing ** Other people will project their weirdness onto you ** There’s no hiding it and you have to look at your weird ** Realize that everyone is fucking weird--cancer just takes away your illusion of normal ** Lean into the weird and start something new

We are one year old! Thanks to our listeners (and to cancer!) for coming along with us on our journey to find the elusive new normal and victories in the dark.

** There is no timeline or flowchart for how to “move on”

** It’s definitely time to move on when there is no other choice

** You always have to think about cancer logistics (insurance, cancer treatment centers, etc)

** It’s common to wonder what you could or should do--you can feel stuck

** You get to choose to disclose or not--tell people if it’s comfortable and if it comes up

** Show people your cancer--put it out there to someone

** Leave while you are still having fun at the partys

** You get to know your unique body. Mimi has a crazy heart —which we all could have guessed by listening to her. (HAHAHAHHA!)

** Bask in and enjoy all the love and caring from people who want to help you.

** We should eat what our body needs instead of the calories provided by the traditional American diet.

** Wants vs. needs can become very clear. #cancerclarity

** The human body is fucking amazing HEALING ITSELF and MOVING AROUND. <3<3<3

** Exercise as if you will get cancer.

** You can find what you love best about you, like your great sense of humor.

** You realize how much you control your own experience through your thoughts and actions.

** Try to squint your eyes and adjust to the dark because you are the only one who can find the victories and find your way back to the light.

** Hone the weaponized awkwardness if that’s your thing.

** There is no escaping the guilt and shame—deal with it now or later

** You will have survivor’s guilt, or guilt about how much people have sacrificed to help you

** You will have shame about your scars and imperfections—disease can feel shameful

** Cancer allows you to speak your truth—use that to burn off the guilt and shame

** Guilt can turn into a spiral, so watch out for feeling guilty about feeling guilty

** Recognize your own guilt, and recognize when you are getting guilt from other people

** Shine a light on all your feelings and allow yourself to talk about it

** Therapy can help you move through the guilt and shame

** Practice honesty with yourself and others--practice authenticity

** We don’t choose the Phoenix Fire

Listen to our raw, unedited recap of Podcon 2, featuring a 6 hour flight delay, melancholy jellyfish, ThanksCancer cosplay, and occasional sprinkles of cancer.

We discuss Leanna’s experience with her mother’s stage IV cancer.

The diagnosis process is generally awful at work ** You don’t have to be open about cancer--if you are open, you can help the next generation of patients ** Tell fewer rather than more--you can ALWAYS tell more people, and you can’t tell FEWER people ** Working will (likely) be your main issue if you work through cancer treatment ** If you can ramp down your job to 20 hours a week, do that ** Be gentle with yourself ** Everyone should have disability insurance ** Disability doesn’t pay out at 100%--it pays out from 40% to 80% generally ** Know yourself and your job and communicate clearly to coworkers about that ** Don’t compare yourself to anyone else--your experience can be totally different ** There will (might) be guilt of shame, whatever choice you made about working ** You might cry all the time for awhile, working or not ** You don’t need to apologize--this is not your fault, and Thanks, Cancer! absolves you ** Resources online can help with the process or resume critique ** Use your newfound perspective (in job and in life) when you inevitably get through to the other side

We want to label “shoulds” to put people into boxes ** The “shoulds” come from fear ** You can figure out your own “shoulds”--and change your mind about it ** Explore the “coulds” ** Eliminate “should” from your vocabulary as much as you can ** Know where your own “shoulds” come from

** Try magnesium, edible marijuana, or melatonin ** Your bed should only be for sleeping ** You will have to detox from anything you lean on to sleep, whether it’s ativan or Netflix