In This Episode: 

• In Christina's research and now her life she studies the practice of gratitude.
• Gratitude practices are something that anyone, no matter what they are going through can implement. They are all accessible and all free. This doesn't mean that they are easy, but they can make an incredible impact.
• Some examples include
  • Doing a gratitude list when you wake up in the morning
  • Writing letters to people you are grateful for and giving those letters to then in person or reading them on the phone
• We talk about some of her thoughts, poems and observations in her book, Kiss Your Brain: Diagnosis Diaries
• For Christina, she wanted to bring attention to the narrative of loving your body and brain even during the time she had the uninvited guest of cancer. Trying to articulate the difference between fighting brain cancer without fighting or blaming her brain.
• Christina was a neuroscience undergraduate, and has always thought of herself as a "brain-nerd."
• We talk about her Ted talk and what that experience was like for her.
• Christina defines a neurodivergent person.
• Christina shares the moving story of sharing her Ted Talk and her diagnosis with her middle school students.
• We discuss why she wrote her book during her diagnosis, treatment, and recovery and the response she has seen from it. She also used some of the funds to help go towards research.

Quotes from This Episode: 

• Tragedy can kick you down and lift you up in the same breath. It can make friendships stronger. It can give you purpose. It can inspire, you can bring hope. It can strengthen faith and it can accelerate dreams. It can bring an unexplainable peace, a love for your body that you never knew. It can introduce you to the bravest people that walked this earth and the smartest people born to help you heal. And that's why I'm not scared. Thank you tragedy for what you've taught me. It's now time for you to go. - Christina
• But when you hear the word cancer, you then hear warrior fighter. You can fight this, you can beat this. And when I started hearing that, of course, I've seen that all around me in commercials and advertising, but when people started to say it to me, it was really uncomfortable.  It didn't sit right with me and thinking about how much I love the brain and how much I tell my students, the brain is amazing. I thought I don't want to fight my brain for the rest of my life. -Christina
• I've learned in therapy is do focus on truths. On what I know is fact, I don't know what my life will be like in five years, 10 years or longer, but I do know I'm strong. I'm resilient. I can rise again. I have community behind me. -Christina

Links To Things We Talk About: 

• Kiss Your Brain: Diagnosis Diaries - by Christina Costa
• Christina's Ted Talk
• The Michigan Medicine Multi-disciplinary Brain Tumor Clinic
• Kiss Your Brain for Research

Episode Info: 

This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch. 

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