In Part 1 of this series, “Planning and Packing”, I looked at things you can do in advance of your trip to help make things easier and more enjoyable when traveling after a breast cancer diagnosis.

In Part 2, “On the Move”, I detailed how to navigate the actual travel portion via trains, planes, and automobiles.

Now we’ve finally reached the best part - enjoying your time away!

Traveling in modern times has many conveniences and also a lot of headaches.

An itinerary including planes, trains, automobiles can translate to long lines, frustrating delays, lost luggage, and cancelled hotel rooms.

The last thing you need whether traveling for work or pleasure is the added discomfort of a lymphedema flare up or pain from scar tissue and limited range of motion.

Cancer's impact on my ability to travel far and freely is one of the greatest concerns of my personal survivorship but, I have learned a lot through both my career and personal experience about how to make sure that traveling after a breast cancer diagnosis is not only doable but safe and enjoyable!

And while my trips may take me farther than some of you are inclined to go, there are a lot of lessons that can be relevant from your easiest day trip all the way to your grandest adventure.

While most people recognize spring cleaning as a time to wash the windows and vacuum the baseboards after a long winter indoors, it’s also a great time to clean up your personal belongings and self-care routines!

This is especially helpful when you are living with a breast cancer diagnosis or history, because if you’re like me, it probably takes more than it used to keep you functioning at your best.

Ready to channel this fresh spring energy into refreshing more than just your home?

If you're like many people, you might have heard the term dry brushing before (or maybe not?!) but you're not sure what it is or what it can do for you. 

Today, I’m going to share an overview of dry brushing that will help you understand what the fuss is all about and decide if this easy, portable self-care practice is for you.

Self-care is a critical part of recovery and survivorship. It’s how we take our power back.

But you’ve got to know exactly what that means as it relates to your body and life, as you are now, on this side of a breast cancer diagnosis.

I’m doing a deep dive and breaking down everything you need to know about breast cancer self-care, including how to make it effective and relevant regardless of where you are on your breast cancer timeline.

If you’ve experienced a breast cancer diagnosis, you know that it changes everything - who you see in the mirror, what you believe about your body, and how you experience day to day life.

And while we spend a lot of time focused on our medical team and support systems for recovery and healing, one thing that often gets overlooked or sidelined is real, relevant self-care that supports you during treatment, recovery, and survivorship.

Today, I’m going to introduce everything you need to know about breast cancer self-care and how to get started.se

Look, I know the term self-care isn’t new.

In fact it’s way overused and often without much substance.

And sometimes, when you’re searching for external resources and tools, like so often happens during and after a breast cancer diagnosis, you lose track of the finer details of what self-care really means.

But self-care is actually one of the most critical parts of recovery and survivorship so making it relevant to you and your experience is why I’m here and what we’re going to figure out today.

I’m going to help you put the SELF back in your survivorship self-care and why it can be the difference to ditching the overwhelm and actually following through with self-care practices and routines you enjoy.

So many people who go through a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment come out on the other side feeling lost and adrift when all we want to feel is relief.

We get stuck wondering things like, will I ever feel comfortable in my body again, or how do I possibly get started taking care of myself from here?

When you’re unsure what to do next, it’s hard to move forward.

The good news is, you can easily bring order to the chaos by crafting the perfect self-care plan for your recovery and healing.

How often have you heard people talk about the “new normal” after a breast cancer experience? 

The term is thrown around like it’s a reward you are magically granted for getting through various steps of the cancer process.

Unfortunately this couldn’t be further from the truth.

You may have already been on this path for a while (or you may be just getting started), but I hope to give you a unique perspective and stronger foundation on which you can build YOUR new normal after breast cancer.

Ready to dive into a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into CREATING a new normal you can actually look forward to and enjoy?

The decision whether or not to reconstruct breast mounds after a mastectomy is a very personal one.

Mastectomy changes your body forever and, for many women, this is not only physically challenging but mentally and emotionally difficult as well.

The most common choice after mastectomy is some form of breast mound reconstruction instead of wearing artificial prosthetics, typically with breast implants.

Between Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday my inbox is FULL.

I have chosen not to send out a ton of individual emails for these various events and instead am keeping my commitment to you (and myself) of showing up every Sunday with education and inspiration through breast cancer and beyond.

This week I want to acknowledge a few things that have been coming up for me and that you may relate to as we enter the holiday season.

Discussing money in the context of self-care is not just acknowledging a reality; it's a practical step towards a more sustainable and mindful approach to wellness amid the financial challenges that often accompany a cancer journey.

What is oncology massage?

Who is it right for?

What are the benefits?

How do you find a trained therapist?

I do not believe we are meant to operate at the same energetic capacity year round.

Spring and summer are times of awakening and abundance, full of light and life.

Fall and winter are times of rest, gathering and storing our resources, preparing for the rebirth of the abundant seasons once again when the time comes.

It's a difficult time for so many.

There is much about this war that I don't understand.

But I don't need to understand its intricacies to recognize that people I know and love are being affected by the impacts near and far.

What I'm noticing the most is how many deeply layered scars have been torn open and turned into fresh wounds.

If I'm honest, of course I have a fear of being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

But for me it is important to not hide from this fear but to acknowledge and honor it.

For me, I see every person diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer as myself.

There is a “silent majority” in breast cancer land.

They are the millions of women living in breast cancer survivorship that aren't the ones you likely know about.

Let's talk about the ones who aren't talking about breast cancer…

Here it is, the good, the bad, and the pink.

Until this year, October has always sent me running in the other direction.

So what’s different? 

The greatest secret I have ever learned that serves me in healing and in life….