Facing Inward: The Podcast

When Venus Gines was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, she was stunned. The women she saw in breast cancer awareness campaigns were white, and she had never imagined that someone like her could face the same diagnosis. More than three decades later, Venus has transformed her personal experience into a lifelong mission to improve healthcare access, education, and advocacy for Latina women. In this episode of Facing Inward, host Melissa Carter reunites with her former Georgia State University classmate to discuss the barriers facing underserved communities, the historical roots of medical mistrust, and the importance of treating patients as whole people rather than diagnoses. Now navigating her third experience with breast cancer, Venus continues to champion culturally responsive healthcare, even as funding challenges threaten the programs her community depends upon. Learn more about Venus's work: www.interculturalhealth.org 🎧 Subscribe to hear real patient stories and healthcare conversations that matter. 📘 Want to go deeper? Melissa's memoir Facing Inward is available wherever books are sold. 📝 Transcripts available at themelissacarter.com

What happens when your body knows something is wrong—but no one believes you? Breast cancer survivor and advocate Megan-Claire Chase shares her extraordinary journey from years of unexplained symptoms to becoming a voice for patients navigating healthcare, bias, and self-advocacy. 🌐 https://warriormegsie.com 🗣️ See  Megan-Claire's Speech at the 2026 ASCO Voices (https://bit.ly/4fdY1Uu) 🎧 Subscribe to hear real patient stories and healthcare conversations that matter. 📘 Want to go deeper? Melissa's memoir Facing Inward is available wherever books are sold. 📝 Transcripts available at themelissacarter.com.

In this episode of Facing Inward, Melissa sits down with Dr. John Lipman, a pioneer in uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), to discuss one of the most common—and misunderstood—conditions affecting women. They explore the many ways fibroids can impact the body beyond heavy menstrual bleeding, why symptoms are so often dismissed or misdiagnosed, and how millions of women may be living with unnecessary pain simply because they haven't been told all of their treatment options. 🩺 Atlanta Fibriod Center (https://atlii.com) 🎧 Subscribe to hear real patient stories and healthcare conversations that matter. 📘 Want to go deeper? Melissa's memoir Facing Inward is available wherever books are sold. 📝 Transcripts available at themelissacarter.com.

Author and Patient Advocate Ilana Jacqueline joins Facing Inward to break down medical gaslighting—why it happens and how patients can advocate for themselves. A must-listen for anyone who's ever felt dismissed in the exam room. 🎧 Subscribe to hear real patient stories and healthcare conversations that matter. 📘 Want to go deeper? Ilana's Book Medical Gaslighting and Melissa's memoir Facing Inward are available wherever books are sold. 📝 Transcripts available at themelissacarter.com.

In this episode of Facing Inward, host Melissa Carter speaks with Bryon Daily, National Community Outreach Manager at Blood Cancer United and a multiple myeloma survivor, about what it means to face a life-altering diagnosis with courage, curiosity, and community. Bryon shares how subtle changes in his lab work—and an attentive primary care physician—led to an early diagnosis, and walks listeners through his treatment journey, including chemotherapy and an autologous bone marrow transplant. 🎧 Subscribe to hear real patient stories and healthcare conversations that matter. 📘 Want to go deeper? Melissa's memoir Facing Inward is available wherever books are sold. 📝 Transcripts available at themelissacarter.com.