If you have ever lain awake at 2am before a scan, heart pounding, mind spiralling into every worst-case scenario, you are not broken. You are not disordered. You are human. And this episode is going to change the way you understand what is happening inside you.

In this conversation, Katherine sits down with Diante Fuchs, Clinical Psychologist, author of The Gift of Anxiety, and founder of The Unstuck Initiative, to talk about something that affects almost every woman navigating breast cancer: the anxiety that does not go away when treatment ends.

Together they unpack why anxiety after a cancer diagnosis is not a mental health disorder but an ordinary response that has gotten stuck on itself, and why that distinction matters more than most women have ever been told.

They explore scanxiety, the real, clinically recognised distress that builds before and after cancer-related imaging, and why treating it as just a feeling keeps so many women trapped in a cycle they cannot get out of. Research shows 73% of adults experience worry when thinking about routine cancer screenings, yet most are never given the tools to actually work with that fear rather than around it.

This episode also covers:

Why the strategies most women reach for when anxiety hits, including pushing through, suppressing feelings, and staying busy, often make things worse rather than better. The difference between ordinary anxiety and stuck anxiety, and why both deserve compassion rather than correction. Dee's EASE Method: four steps to move out of resistance and into genuine healing.

The language trap: why saying "I should", "I have to", and "I must" quietly puts your nervous system into a stress response. What it actually looks and feels like when anxiety starts to shift. And the one thing Dee would say to a woman lying awake at 2am, days before her results come in.

Katherine also shares her own experience of fighting her body through four rounds of the Red Devil, and the moment she finally stopped resisting and what happened when she did.

This is not a conversation about managing anxiety. It is a conversation about healing it.

Key takeaways:

• Anxiety after a cancer diagnosis is a normal, valid response. It becomes stuck when we layer fear on top of the feeling itself.
• Scanxiety is a recognised clinical experience, most intense in the waiting period between scan and results.
• Coping is not the same as healing. The EASE Method offers a different path.
• Swapping "I should" for "I could", "I have to" for "I get to", and "I must" for "I want to" gives your nervous system choice, and choice reduces threat.
• You have survived 100% of your worst days. Your nervous system just needs the evidence.

Find Diante Fuchs: Instagram and TikTok: @ease.anxiety Website: theunstuckinitiative.com Book: The Gift of Anxiety

What happens when fear completely takes over after a breast cancer diagnosis? In this deeply personal episode of Breast Wise: Unafraid, Katherine shares the moment she realised that survival was not just about treatment plans, statistics, or staying positive. It was about finding a reason to keep living, even in the middle of fear.

Katherine opens up about being diagnosed while raising two young children, the panic and uncertainty that followed, and the question that slowly changed everything for her: “What is this asking of me?” This conversation explores the connection between fear of recurrence, nervous system regulation, chronic stress, and the role meaning can play in life after breast cancer treatment.

You’ll hear an honest discussion about survival mode, burnout, and what happens when the body spends years stuck in fight or flight before cancer even arrives. Katherine explains the research behind purpose, post-traumatic growth, and how a sense of meaning can help the nervous system shift out of chronic stress and into a state more supportive of healing. This is not about toxic positivity or pretending breast cancer is a gift. It is about creating a future your body believes is worth moving towards.

Katherine also reflects on the changes she made after treatment, becoming more present with her children, learning self-compassion, and rebuilding a life that felt more honest and intentional. If you are struggling with breast cancer anxiety, feeling disconnected from yourself after treatment, or trying to trust your body again, this episode will meet you gently where you are.

Listen now, and if you would like support understanding where you are in your recovery, take the Resilient Remission Assessment at breastwise.co.nz or connect with Katherine on Instagram at @breastwisenz.

After a breast cancer diagnosis, the medical system moves fast: appointments, scans, treatment plans, and surgery. But when treatment ends, many women are left facing a different challenge, a gap between clinical care and genuine human support.

In this episode, Katherine talks with Dr. Barbara Hochstein, one of New Zealand’s most experienced breast radiologists, a founding trustee of the Aratika Cancer Trust, and a breast cancer survivor herself. After decades of diagnosing breast cancer in Rotorua, Barbara has also experienced the journey firsthand.

Together, they explore what truly helps women navigate life after diagnosis and beyond treatment, not the clinical pathway, but the human one.

In this episode:

Barbara shares why many people discover the Aratika Cancer Trust later in their cancer journey and why earlier access to support could make a significant difference. She and Katherine explore the loneliness that often accompanies cancer, the power of art therapy and community, and Barbara’s inspiring “bus ticket” dream.

The conversation also offers practical advice for anyone newly diagnosed: slow down, understand your options, and build a support team you trust.

Key takeaways:

• Loneliness after cancer is not about lacking love. Finding others who truly understand changes everything.

• Complementary approaches like meditation, nutrition, movement, and art therapy are not alternatives to medical treatment. They are the parts of healing the medical system does not have time to deliver.

• You have more control over your cancer experience. Taking that control back starts with asking questions and building your own team.

• Art therapy is not about being artistic. It is about getting out of your own head long enough to feel something shift.

• Barbara’s advice for a newly diagnosed woman: don’t rush. You have time to understand your options, get a second opinion, and make decisions that are actually yours.

About Dr. Barbara Hochstein:

Barbara is a consultant radiologist at Rotorua Hospital, former Clinical Director of BreastScreen Aotearoa Bay of Plenty, a founding trustee of the Aratika Cancer Trust, and a breast cancer survivor. She trained under Professor Laszlo Tabbar, one of the world's leading mammography experts, and teaches at the University of Auckland Medical School.

Barbara would like to acknowledge that while she was one of the founders of the Aratika Cancer Trust, she was only one of an extraordinary group of women who came together 14 years ago with a shared vision. The energy, compassion, and commitment behind the Trust have always been a collective effort, carried forward by a dedicated team, with some of the original trustees still actively involved today. She is deeply grateful that an idea born all those years ago has grown into an organisation that continues to help, support, and guide so many people.

Resources mentioned:

• Aratika Cancer Trust

• Resilient Remission Assessment: breastwise.co.nz/resilient-remission-assessment

• Free Clarity Call: breastwise.co.nz/clarity-call

If this episode resonated, share it with a woman who needs to hear it.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your healthcare team.

Breast Wise: Unafraid. Confidence, calm and hope after breast cancer.
breastwise.co.nz