Dr Charlotte Tottman is a clinical psychologist who specialises in supporting cancer patients. Both her parents had died young from different cancers, so Charlotte always joked she would be next. In 2018, it wasn't a joke anymore.

While on a beach holiday, Charlotte found a lump in her breast.

When she got her own cancer diagnosis, all of Charlotte’s skills as a psychologist went out the window.

She was scared, and angry, and determined to keep going rather than letting herself rest.

After falling in a heap, Charlotte has found her way back - helped by an ex-husband’s generosity, by her own penchant for swimming only in bikini bottoms and by needing to be there to have deeper conversations with her children as they became adults.

Further information

Charlotte's podcast, Upfront About Breast Cancer - What You Don't Know Until You Do, is produced with Breast Cancer Network Australia, and is available to stream at Apple Podcasts.

If you or anyone you know needs help:

• Breast Cancer Network Australia on 1800 500 258
• Cancer Council on 13 11 20
• Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
• Lifeline on 13 11 14

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores breast cancer, cancer diagnosis, parenting, motherhood, mother-daughter relationships, divorce, finding love again, career change, double mastectomy, body image after cancer, psycho-oncology, helping people with cancer, how to talk to your children about cancer, mindfulness, swimming, mental health, shock, coping with illness, recovering from illness, major surgery, origin story.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.