This Is What Resilience Looks Like: Grief, Cancer, and the Courage to Keep Going (S8 E4)
Description
Joy O’Brien has survived the unimaginable — childhood trauma, the loss of her baby daughter, and a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis at 53.
But her story isn’t just about what she’s lived through — it’s about the quiet strength to live with courage, creativity, and grace.
At 55, Joy O’Brien (@joybellelondon) is embracing a new chapter — one that honours every scar, every heartbreak, and every step she’s taken to get here. Her journey is not just one of survival but of radical resilience. From escaping an abusive childhood home to building a successful marketing career without a university degree, Joy’s path has never been easy, but always deeply human. And just as she was finding her rhythm in midlife, life tested her again: a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis at 53.
In this episode, Joy opens up about the hardest chapters — including the unimaginable grief of losing her daughter Lacey. She shares what it means to keep moving forward while never forgetting, honouring both the sorrow and the strength that shaped her.
We talk about both the beautiful growth and the unimaginable loss within her family, her breast cancer diagnosis, and her career pivot from marketing to running her own jewellery business.
Joy’s journey is filled with wisdom, heart, and the reminder that real strength doesn’t always look loud — sometimes, it looks like simply choosing yourself.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.
🔗 Follow Joy: @joybellelondon
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#MoreThanSurvival #WomenOver50 #CancerSurvivor #GriefToGrowth #QuietPower #MidlifeReinvention #YouAreNotInvisibleAfter50 #SecondActStories #CreativeHealing
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