Unfiltered Healing: Real Talk on Life, Love and Healing after Cancer Survival

Ending my marriage was one thing. Untangling our lives afterward was something completely different.

In this episode, I talk about why I chose to end my marriage through a text, the financial mess that followed the divorce, and why I walked away from money from our business without asking for a cent.

I also share what happened when I tried to sell our fifth wheel and discovered just how much of a mess I was still cleaning up literally. 😳

Divorce isn’t always about revenge or getting everything you’re entitled to. Sometimes you reach a point where you don’t want to fight anymore.

You just want out.

This is the messy, expensive, and sometimes unbelievable reality of trying to close one chapter of your life and finally move forward.

I always thought ending a marriage would involve some huge conversation or dramatic final moment.

Mine ended with a text.

On Thanksgiving, after another argument left me home alone, I had a feeling something wasn’t right. I went into the garage, found something I didn’t recognize, and Googled it.

That’s when I realized what I had found: drugs.

It wasn’t the first time drugs had affected our marriage, and I had already promised myself that if it happened again, I would leave.

This time, I kept that promise.

In this episode, I talk about the moment I finally ended my marriage, why that discovery wasn’t the only reason I left, and what I learned about setting a boundary and actually honoring it.

Sometimes a relationship doesn’t end because of one moment. Sometimes that moment is simply the one that makes you stop ignoring all the others.

🎙️ Unfiltered Healing: Real Talk on Life, Love & Survival

After separating from my husband, I went back.

Not because everything was suddenly better, but because I felt like I owed it to my marriage to give it one more real chance.

There were promises of counseling and hope that things could change. Then COVID happened, counseling never happened, and eventually we fell back into the same patterns.

But this episode isn’t only about what went wrong in my marriage. It’s also about something I did wrong.

One night, I drank too much, blacked out, became physically violent toward my husband, said things I couldn’t remember, and revealed the affair.

There are parts of our stories where we were hurt and there are parts where we caused hurt. Healing requires being willing to tell both.

In this episode, I talk about second chances, accountability, changing my relationship with alcohol, and what happens when giving a relationship another chance still doesn’t fix what’s broken.

🎙️ Unfiltered Healing: Real Talk on Life, Love & Survival

After surviving cancer, I thought I was finally moving forward but my marriage was still falling apart.

In this episode, I share one of the harder parts of my story to admit: I had an affair. I’m not sharing it to justify what I did or make excuses. I’m sharing it because healing also means taking accountability for the parts of our stories where we were wrong.

That relationship showed me what had been missing from my marriage and forced me to confront what I truly wanted from a partner.

Two things can be true at once: you can be deeply hurt by someone and still be responsible for the ways you hurt them.

This is a conversation about loneliness, infidelity, accountability, and finally recognizing when a relationship is no longer what you want for your life.

In this special episode of Unfiltered Healing: Real Talk on Life, Love & Survival, I sit down with oncologist Dr. Sanchez for an honest and informative conversation about cancer from the other side of the exam room.

We talk about what she wishes every patient knew on the day they’re diagnosed, common misconceptions about cancer treatment, how treatment plans are developed, and why advocating for yourself matters.

Dr. Sanchez also explains recurrence and how it can be different from an initial diagnosis, both medically and emotionally. We discuss medications, advances in cancer care, and some of the resources and treatments available today that can help patients not only survive cancer, but maintain their quality of life throughout treatment.

One of my favorite parts of this conversation was hearing the passion Dr. Sanchez has for her work and for the people she cares for. You can genuinely hear how much she cares about helping her patients.

Whether you’ve just been diagnosed, you’re currently in treatment, you’re a survivor, or you love someone affected by cancer, this episode offers knowledge, encouragement, and a reminder of just how important it is to ask questions and be an active part of your care.

This is Unfiltered Healing real conversations about cancer, survival, and everything that comes with it.

Most people assume cancer was the reason I went to therapy. The truth is, it wasn’t. While I was fighting cancer, I was also fighting to save a marriage that was quietly breaking me. In this episode, I share how therapy helped me realize I couldn’t keep saving someone else while losing myself.

My last chemotherapy treatment didn’t end with ringing a bell or a celebration. It ended with me quietly walking out the door. In this episode, I share what that day was really like, the relief of finishing treatment, and the fear that doesn’t always disappear when cancer treatment ends.

While my family made sure I was never alone during cancer treatment, I found myself protecting the image of someone who wasn’t truly showing up for me. In this episode, I share the painful reality of covering for my husband while I was the one fighting for my life and what that taught me about self-worth and healing.

Cancer taught me many difficult lessons, but one of the greatest was discovering who truly showed up. In this episode, I share how my family and friends carried me through surgery, chemotherapy, and recovery. Their presence reminded me that healing isn’t something we’re meant to do alone.

We Don’t Have to Compare Suffering

After my cancer diagnosis, something unexpected started happening people would apologize before telling me about their own struggles.

“I know this isn’t as bad as what you’re going through…”

But here’s the truth: pain isn’t a competition.

Cancer doesn’t make heartbreak hurt less. It doesn’t erase grief, financial stress, loneliness, or loss. We don’t have to earn the right to feel pain by having the “worst” story.

In this episode of Unfiltered Healing: Real Talk on Life, Love & Survival, I share one of the most important lessons cancer taught me: everyone is carrying something, and every story deserves compassion.

Because your pain matters not because it’s bigger than someone else’s, but because it’s yours.