When you receive a cancer diagnosis, the whole world as you knew it gets turned upside down. There are numerous lessons learns, heartbreaks, moments of weakness and strength and confusion and all the emotions in between.

In this episode, I discuss the Top 10 most important life lessons I've learned after receiving this diagnosis. Topics include the importance of trusting your gut with decisions, why rest is not weakness and how slowing down in life is absolutely necessary to heal your body, the importance of boundaries in your healing journey, why you are SO much more than your physical body as you go through changes during a health diagnosis like this, finding room for joy, the need to manage your STRESS, and so much more.

When we can step outside of ourselves and begin to see the life lessons we can learn and grow from in this experience, things become richer. Priorities shift. The little things become the big things and the things we once worried about fade away.

I hope that even if you do not have a diagnosis like this, you can begin to change your perspective on things in life that we worry about and focus on, and find ways to loosen the grip on your stress, support your mental health, enjoy life and find beauty in the little things.

Did you enjoy this episode? If so, make sure to FOLLOW the FWD Think Tank on Spotify to get alerted when new episodes release, leave a 5 star review or a comment, and share with a friend who may need to hear this message! It means the absolute WORLD to me!

RESOURCES:

Book a FREE 30 Minute Strategy Call with my Naturopathic Oncologist, Dr. Lori Bouchard: https://l.bttr.to/41o7P

Use code "JAMIEM15" for 15% off your first purchase of Merino Wool clothing at woolly.clothing

Support my healing journey: https://gofund.me/4e3ffb57

Healing from surgery is anything but linear. There is both a physical and a mental/emotional aspect to it all, and through it I have had SEVERAL lessons including humility, practicing patience, and listening to my body in the moment to give it what it needs.

While everyone heals different from a surgery, I wanted to share my recovery process in hopes it might help someone who needs it. In this episode, I discuss meditations I did to help me mentally and also relieve my pain, physical things I did (stretching, massage, walks and also hydrodissection of the nerves to help my nerve pain; linked below) as well as what I had to surrender to- asking and receiving support, setting boundaries for my self in the healing process, going inward and doing self-check-ins, resting, and eating well to support my body's needs during this slow healing and recovery process.

If you or someone you know is about to go through a major (or minor) surgery, please share this episode with them. Sometimes we can be hard on ourselves for not being further along or healing faster in any type of life situation- but it is important we embrace the slowness, the stillness and the in between- for that is what life is all about!

RESOURCES:

Support my road to recovery: https://gofund.me/5c67677c

woolly.clothing: Use code "JAMIEM15" for 15% off your first order

Nerve Hydrodissection Treatment with Dr. Kaplan at OWM Integrative Wellness Clinic in Buffalo, NY: https://owmintegrativewellness.com/nerve-and-tissue-hydrodissection/

Letting Go Meditation with Dr. Joe Dispenza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odzdENNR_IU

When you receive a cancer diagnosis, it is truly one of the most life altering things that can happen to a person. It rocks your world, leaves you confused and if you're fortunate enough- allows you to reflect on life as you knew it and make some major changes so that YOU can create a life that supports your health.

When I first got diagnosed with a thymoma, I was SO BLESSED to find Kali Moynihan through Instagram, simply by searching "#thymoma" - she had documented her healing journey from not one, but TWO surgeries to remove her thymoma and a reccurence after having her son.

Kali is an absolute LIGHT in my life. Not only was she willing to connect with me and share resources, but since that time we've developed a friendship that not many others would understand. I am eternally grateful for her, and for her wisdom and courage to share her story.

Kali takes us through her journey from her original diagnosis at the height of the pandemic, going alone into the hospital and her first surgery, and finding the right support and resources on the other side of her surgeries to help her body TRULY heal.

She discusses the importance of advocating for yourself, finding functional medicine doctors that helped her get to the root cause of mystery illnesses and pain that she experienced for YEARS without resolution, and how things like mold exposure, inflammation and chronic pain may have contributed to her cancer diagnosis. She also discusses how she made radical changes to not just her diet, but her mindset, healed her nervous system, and changed her perspective on these lifestyle changes to make them FUN and part of her everyday life.

Kali is an example of radical healing, and I am so blessed to call her a friend and have her share her story here with you!

You can find Kali on Instagram @healwithcancer

I love you Kali! Thank you for your friendship and for sharing your story, I know this will make an impact on so many and inspire others to go inwards and support their health no matter where they are at in their journey.

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RESOURCES:

Visited woolly.clothing and use code "JAMIEM15" to get 15% off your first order of Merino Wool, non-toxic atheisure

Book your FREE 30 minute consult with my Naturopathic Oncologist, Dr. Lori Bouchard: https://l.bttr.to/41o7P

Recovering from thoracic & robotic surgery has been a MAJOR lesson in patience and releasing expectations, to say the least.

In this episode, I dive into all of the things I have been doing (or not doing!) to help heal my body during recovery. I touch on topics including sleep hacks and habits to improve my sleep during recovery, how I changed my eating habits to support my healing and tissue rebuilding, my mindset shifts I have made to help me release my expectations of how this should all look, and more.

Healing is certainly not linear, and as always I try to be as transparent as possible sharing what's working for me. If you or someone you know is going through surgical recovery or has an upcoming surgery, please share this episode! I hope to share this story of mine in efforts to help someone else heal. It means the world to me!

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RESOURCES:

Get 15% off Woolly Clothing using code JAMIEM15 at checkout, woolly.clothing

Have you ever wondered if light can treat tumor cells? What about plant medicine?

This week, I bring Dr. Leonard Kaplan to the Think Tank, an incredibly skilled and talented Terrain Doctor I had the privilege of working with on my healing journey. Dr. Kaplan is the founder of OWM Integrative Wellness in Buffalo, NY offering cutting edge treatment for cancer care, pain management, regenerative and anti-aging services and more.

Dr. Kaplan and I discuss how he puts together completely individualized treatment plans for his cancer clients, using my own journey and program as an example, where we used Photodynamic Therapy- a Weber technology that uses lasers, light and plant medicine photosensitizing agents to target tumor cells and heal our body. It's all TRULY fascinating.

Being in the care of Dr. Kaplan and his team this year has TRULY been a unique experience that I am forever grateful for and it was such an honor to reconnect with him and share more about his expertise this week with all of you!

You can learn more about Dr. Kaplan's offerings and get in touch with him directly through his website: https://owmintegrativewellness.com/

#photodynamictherapy #lighttherapy #lasertherapy #cancerhealingjourney #cancercare #integrativecancercare #metabolicapproach #webertechnology #terrain #holisticcancercare

When it comes to metabolic cancer care, mistletoe therapy is widely used in places like Europe to improve immunity and enhance the cancer healing journey.

I am joined this week by Rebecca LaMarca, Functional Medicine Nurse Practitioner and the owner of IV Elements- a functional medicine clinic in New Jersey that provides IV medicine drips and alternative medicine services. Rebecca is trained under Dr. Nasha Winters' metabolic approach, and has been a certified provider of mistletoe therapy since 2023 under Believe Big and PAAM.

In this episode, we discuss the various types of mistletoe plants, how the patient bonds with the mistletoe treatment, and its effectiveness in helping support a cancering journey and healing process.

Rebecca is also trained in the Zotzmann ozone machine offering 10-pass hyperbaric ozone, EBOO and other procedures that help people with co-infections, inflammation, autoimmune issues and biofilm issues that can be contributing to a cancer diagnosis.

Rebecca is SO full of wisdom, I'm excited to share her knowledge with you this week! Please see below for how to get in touch with IV Elements- they ship mistletoe throughout the U.S- and I am excited to be offering 5% off first time mistletoe treatment for all podcast listeners when you mention my name, Jamie Mazza, or the FWD Think Tank Podcast.

Learn more about IV Elements: https://ivelements.net/

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Sign up for a FREE 30 minute consult with my Naturopathic Oncologist Dr. Lori Bouchard: https://l.bttr.to/41o7P

When I received my cancer diagnosis, I knew it was likely I would need surgical intervention. After interviewing multiple surgeons and being filled with fear over the outcome, I was BLESSED to find Dr. Robert J. Cerfolio, the Head of Clinical Thoracic Surgey at NYU Langone Hospital in NYC.

This man is TRULY incredible, and you'll see why he is one of my favorite humans. This man not only championed for my health on the other side of surgery, but he saved my life and forever changed the trajectory of my longevity by achieving a R0 resection on a very complex surgery.

This thoracic surgery involved essentially 2 surgeries: a sternotomy and a robotic surgery in the ribcage, and was certainly not easy and involved multiple surgeons.

What sets Dr. Cerfolio apart aside from his vibrant personality and big heart is his faith- his faith in something bigger than him to take on challenging surgeries with confidence and faith in a positive outcome.

He sees his patients as a whole person, not just a tumor, and his belief in mindset, physical health and nutrition to support both pre and post-operation efforts help to make his surgeries successful by supporting the patient's ability to heal their health.

I cannot wait for you to dive into this episode and see why I just adore this doctor. Dr. Cerfolio specializes in thoracic surgery- involving lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and cancers of the thoracic area including rare thymomas.

If you or someone you love is faced with a cancer diagnosis and is in need of surgery, I couldn't recommend this man more. He changed the game.

You can get in touch directly with Dr. Cerfolio's office here: https://nyulangone.org/doctors/1245272483/robert-j-cerfolio

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#nyulangone #thoracicsurgery #roboticsurgery #tumorsurgery #thymoma #thoracicsurgeon #surgicaloutcome #cancerjourney #cancerhealing #r0resection

To book a consult with my Naturopathic Integrative Oncologist Dr. Lori Bouchard, click here: ⁠https://l.bttr.to/41o7P⁠

Kicking off Season 2 of the podcast, I share how I prepared myself for major surgery to remove my thymic tumor on a mental, physical and emotional level.

This surgery, while very involved and something that had the ability to completely change my life for better or worse, was something I had been mentally preparing for for OVER a year.

In this episode, I discuss the journey of finding my beloved surgeon at NYU Langone, Dr. Robert Cerfolio, the confidence and peace of mind he and his team gave me to go into this surgery with a little less stress, and all of the preparation I did to prepare my physical body (strength training, nutrition) and emotional body (prayer, meditation, visualization and more) to allow my body to go into this long surgery in the best way possible.

While not everyone faced with a cancer diagnosis needs to opt for surgical intervention, there were many reasons that this was the case for my unique case. I couldn't be happier with the outcome and the team I had by my side at NYU Langone- truly changed the game for me in every way, including a successful surgery with quality of life that was not promised.

If you or a loved one is needing to opt for surgical intervention in their cancer care plan, I encourage you to find the right team that feels good for your nervous system- I promise it will change the game in the trajectory of your healing.

XO

Jamie

#cancerhealingjourney #surgicalintervention #nyulangone #thoracicsurgeon #thoracicsurgery #integrativeoncology #metabolicapproachtocancer #thymoma

Curious about how to support your cancer diagnosis with metabolic therapies? Heard about high dose vitamin C, mistletoe and hyperbaric chambers, but don't know where to start or why they're beneficial? This episode is for you.

This week, I sit down with my Integrative Oncologist, Dr. Janet Maendel and pick her brain all about integrative therapies for healing cancer. I have worked with Dr. Janet one on one over the course of the last year + since my diagnosis. She is an incredibly intelligent, nurturing soul and has provided SO much comfort and wisdom to me.

She discusses more about the metabolic approach to cancer, how and why cancer is a metabolic disease, and dives deep into different metabolic therapies and how they help to heal the body, as well as why monthly lab work is important for showing trends into what processes are happening in the body, and how she approaches personalizing treatment plans for her patients.

Dr. Janet is also part of the Immunocine practitioner consultant team, a dendritic immune cell therapy based in Cancun, Mexico.

I am so grateful to have Dr. Janet as my FINAL episode of Season 1 on the FWD Think Tank.

About Dr. Janet: Janet Maendel is a Doctor of Natural Medicine (DNM) and a leading expert in integrative oncology and functional medicine, combining her extensive training with a compassionate, patient-centered approach. Her expertise lies in employing The Metabolic Approach to Cancer, a cutting-edge, evidence-based clinical methodology designed to address cancer as a metabolic disease. This comprehensive approach utilizes advanced diagnostics, including blood chemistry, genomic analysis, toxicity profiling, hormone assessment, microbiome testing, and more, to create personalized strategies for optimizing therapies, food plans, detoxification protocols, and supplement regimens.

Janet’s work with The Metabolic Approach to Cancer empowers patients at every stage of their journey—whether as a preventative measure, in conjunction with conventional treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery, or during post-treatment recovery. By identifying and addressing the root causes that contribute to the growth and progression of cancer, Janet’s practice focuses on restoring balance and resilience to the body’s metabolic terrain.

She is a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner (CFMP) and an Integrative Functional Medicine Practitioner (I.F.M.P.), with specialized training in functional medicine—a data-driven, systems-based approach that emphasizes understanding and treating the underlying causes of illness and nutrient deficiencies.

In addition to her functional medicine credentials, Janet holds a diploma and doctoral degree in Manual Osteopathy, equipping her with advanced expertise in holistic manual therapies. These modalities are used to effectively treat musculoskeletal conditions and injuries while supporting the body's overall structural and functional integrity.

Janet’s integrative care philosophy reflects her commitment to providing scientifically informed, personalized treatment plans tailored to each patient’s unique needs, fostering healing, balance, and vitality in the body, mind, and spirit.

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RESOURCES:

Connect with Dr. Janet: www.nurturerestore.com

Learn more about Immunocine: https://immunocine.com/

Schedule a FREE 30 Minute Consultation with Dr. Lori Bouchard: https://l.bttr.to/41o7P

Want to become UNBREAKABLE? What if I told you it IS POSSIBLE to COMPLETELY HEAL from a chronic condition like c@ncer? And what if I told you the strongest tools in your toolkit are NOT the drugs or the surgery; it's instead the power that lies within: strength training, mental fitness and the grit to NOT QUIT on yourself?

Let me introduce you to quite honestly one of the most influential women I met on my healing journey this year: the badass, strong, witty, brilliant and tenacious Tania Atkin.

This interview has been my favorite yet! Tania not only healed herself of c@ncer AND a broken back, but she is determined to show up for herself AND her coaching clients day in and day out- because she refuses to quit. This is the first time that I sat down and interviewed someone on the other side of their chronic health diagnosis, and let me tell you- I have CHILLS watching this.

Tania breaks down what was happening in her life leading up to her diagnosis, and the exact tools she leaned on in her toolkit- healing emotional trauma, using pilates and strength training, reframing her mindset around fitness, lessening the intense cortisol-spiking HIIT workouts, and finding joy again. Having a degree in Naturopathy, and a background as a Fitness Competitor & Elite Strength Coach, she defied the odds and is truly unstoppable.

With over 35 years in the Wellness Field, Tanya is a Professional Fitness Athlete, Elite Strength Coach & Fitness Expert, Integrative Health Practitioner Clinical Therapist, Resilience & Body Image Expert & Cancer Thriver. 

As a pioneer in the health, fitness, psychology and resiliency she's made it her mission to REVIVE women from the depth of despair, dis-ease and emotional adversity, both physically and emotionally.

Tanya resides in Canada with her family, loving husband Nathan and her two sons, Reece and Braylon. 

Diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in February of 2022 and a broken back, Tanya was determined to heal- drawing on her naturopathic learnings, physical fitness background and healing her emotional mind and strengthening her psychological assets: TENACITY, GRIT & RESILIENCY. 

Now offering women, in 2025 the UNBREAKABLE Private Coaching Community-Build an UNBREAKABLE mindset, body, & life!

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RESOURCES:

You can learn more about Tania at www.taniaatkin.com, or find her on Instagram @psychsporttan.

Get Your FREE 30 Minute Strategy Call with my Naturopathic Oncologist Dr. Lori Bouchard: https://l.bttr.to/41o7P