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Cancer saved my life. Sometimes the worst news can make you look at life in a whole new way. I've been both a caregiver and now a survivor, actually an outlier, having beaten one of the deadliest cancers, so I'm here to provide hope and inspiration to all of you. We'll talk to experts, share survivor stories, reflect on the meaning of life...and have fun doing it!
17 Episodes
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Dr. Steffan Van Gool is a physician and cancer immunotherapy specialist and the founder of the Immun-Oncological Center Cologne, or IOZK, in Germany. For decades, he has worked alongside patients and families facing some of the most challenging cancer diagnoses, focusing on personalized, multi-faceted treatment approaches designed to activate the body’s own immune system while supporting the whole person. And by multi-faceted I mean MULTI faceted. There is standard of care, dendritic ce...
Survivor Series Continues with a story inside a story. Today I’m talking with Justin Johnson. You all know I believe that things happen for a reason - even if the reason isn’t something we understand or fully appreciate at the time. And I’m pretty sure Justin feels the same way. As an Emmy winning documentary filmmaker, Justin lived across the country from his family and got pretty busy with his career, so busy he barely felt connected them, only being pulled back in when his mom was diagnose...
Continuing our Survivor Series with inspiration for young people with cancer and anyone who knows someone facing a scary diagnosis. I used to say I avoided the “tilted head” friends, the ones who looked at me with big eyes and a sad face because they just didn’t know how to act when they saw me. And years later I have much more compassion for that and even recognize my own struggles with knowing exactly what to do and say sometimes when someone you know is going through a hard time. So ...
Continuing our Survivor series with a story that will blow your minds. You know I like to say that before cancer I lived on caffeine and cortisol. I may have avoided the bad foods and looked really healthy, but as I got closer to my GBM diagnosis (looking back) I realize just how stressed out I was and what a toll that took on my body, especially my immune system. Jennifer Dickenson was living a similar way - probably times ten - when she was diagnosed with glioblastoma. The good news is she'...
Dr. Saskia Biskup is my hero, the doctor I attribute to my success in beating Glioblastoma for nearly eight years. Many of you know her as the innovator behind the "CeGat vaccine" or the vaccine in Germany. Dr. Biskup will explain in detail how the vaccine works, why she is specializing in GBM now but how she dreams this technology will one day help with many cancers. And she shares the news about the vaccine coming to the US in clinical trial in 2026. Please listen and share and let me know ...
Welcome back to the Brainy Blonde Podcast! Wow, you guys it has been quite a week. I am recovering from surgery and it’s a planned surgery as part of my protocol to prevent cancer because I now know my inherited cancer risk. It’s been quite a ride, but I’m sitting here thinking about how incredible the human body is once again and how fragile it can be. Last week I was doing push-ups with a 15 pound weight between my legs and a few days ago I could barely walk from my bedroom to the bat...
As you know, in season 2 we are shining a light on survivors. And today’s guest is someone you will not forget! She is the most lovely, radiant human. And she exudes gratitude and hope. I just know she’s going to have the same effect on you that she did on me. First of all…I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve so often heard that it’s weird that I got glioblastoma because it’s “an old man’s disease.” Well, not only am I living proof that is not the case, I have met so many young women who’ve ...
Welcome to Season 2 of The Brainy Blonde Podcast. This season is all about YOU, the survivors. The warriors. You inspire me every single day. I created the Brainy Blonde Podcast to spread hope - and to empower you with the tools I’ve been learning so that you too will be an outlier and beat the odds. In season 1 I connected you with experts on the future of not only medicine but true wellness. I shared my best secrets, some of my favorite humans. I connected you with research, new cli...
Today marks the 7th anniversary of my incurable brain cancer diagnosis. To celebrate this milestone, I'm dedicating this special episode to all my brainy friends, the brain cancer thrivers and their caregivers. I'm thrilled to introduce you to the brilliant Dr. Andrea Wasilewski. In this episode we talk with Dr. Wasilewski, a board-certified neurologist, neurooncologist, and director of the Givens Brain Tumor Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I'm so grateful to have Dr. Wasilewski...
I’m so happy you’re here with me. And I’m so darn happy to be back. It’s been a little while since I’ve been here with you but I promise it’s for a really really exciting reason. I’ve been traveling to Europe every month since November and will continue to do so for a while. And there are 2 very big reasons why that’s happening. And 2 very big reasons why this is good news for you. First I’m going to let you in on a secret. Dr William Li is a new friend of mine and one of the most incre...
Do you know what’s really strange, having these two things at the same time: survivor’s guilt and imposter syndrome. Survivor’s guilt and the not quite understanding why the heck I got to survive a cancer most people don’t is what prompted me to live my cancer story out loud. And ultimately start this podcast. At first it's exciting and feels so right, but then the imposter syndrome kicks in: who am I to do this work? I'm not an expert in anything. I'm not a doctor. Have you ever felt h...
So many of us are in the sandwich generation, parenting our children and caring for our aging parents at the same time. And it's hard stuff. Choosing where to be and when - and giving ourselves grace when maybe we would choose differently knowing what we know now is sometimes hard to accomplish. I know I struggle with it. But my guest today has really been helping me with that. And I know she's going to help you too! Laura's story is statistically impossible and almost hard to believe, but wh...
Today's expert will no doubt make your life feel so much better. If you're like me, you can go down the proverbial rabbit hole on the internet searching for medical answers, big and small, and often that causes more anxiety. Dr. Rohan Ramakrishna is an award-winning, board-certified neurosurgeon . He is the Chief of Neurological Surgery at New York-Presbyterian and Brooklyn Methodist, and he is a Professor of Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell and the Director of the Brain Met...
It is almost the holidays, which is absolutely my favorite time of the year. We just go all out for Christmas around here and it is so fun! The reason I wanted to bring today’s guest on was for all of you today too realize that even if you have a diagnosis which limits what you normally would eat during the holidays, there are options for you so you can stay on track. I’m a huge food as medicine person, as you know - and medicine as medicine, which is why I have talked to so many expert...
If you're here, you're likely worried about cancer, how not to get it, how to heal from it or how to save someone you love. I believe we can all beat cancer. Your genes are not your destiny. Your prognosis is not your fate. You do have the power to change your story. What you do does matter. So, now you want to know exactly what to do. And this conversation is going to help you figure that out. How knowing the specifics, not just about your cancer or cancer risk, but about how your body’s fun...
If cancer runs in your family should you get tested? Do you want to? Why would you even want to know? What about other inherited diseases? Today, I'm interviewing genetic expert Natalie Samson. You may have seen her on social media as the founder of Golden Genetics. And she is bringing all the good feels to the field of genetic testing and counseling. We talk about what types of inherited mutations you can test for, from Alzheimers and dementia to cancer and autism. We differentiate somatic g...
Rebecca aka That Brainy Blonde is not only a survivor but an outlier. Having beaten impossible odds, her story might just be what you need to change your own. Rebecca has been both the caregiver to her mom and a survivor to one of the world's toughest, most incurable cancers...until now! The Brainy Blonde Podcast is here to inspire and motivate you and to empower you with the tools I’ve been learning so that you too will create a life that’s not just stranger than fiction but better th...
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