Erica White was lying in bed one evening, raised her arms, and when they came back down, she felt something that was not quite right. She almost talked herself out of it. Two weeks later, just after her 39th birthday, that quiet instinct turned out to be breast cancer, caught early.

What makes Erica's story different is that cancer was not her first fight. She had been living with Hashimoto's, an autoimmune thyroid condition, since she was 13. In this honest, grounding conversation with host Talaya Dendy, Erica talks about carrying a chronic illness and a cancer diagnosis at once, the surprise of having to rebuild her health after treatment, the fear of recurrence that lingers even nine years later, and the reframe that changed everything: that her body was never betraying her; it was trying to talk to her. Now a national board-certified health and wellness coach and the founder of Grace Wellness, Erica helps women cut through the noise, reconnect with their bodies, and find their way back to feeling well. If you have ever felt let down by your own body, this one is for you.

✨ Episode Highlights:

4:54 Finding the lump herself at 39, before she was even old enough for a mammogram.

9:38 Carrying Hashimoto's since age 13, and then a cancer diagnosis on top of it.

18:13 Why rebuilding your health after treatment is harder, and lonelier, than anyone warns you.

21:46 The reframe that changed everything: your body is not an “it,” and it is not your enemy.

33:51 Her advice to the newly diagnosed: it's okay to not be okay.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/podscript188

Connect & Engage with Erica

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracewellnesshealthcoaching/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericalwhite

Email: erica@gracewellness-coaching.com

Call to Action

If this conversation spoke to you, subscribe and follow Navigating Cancer TOGETHER so you never miss an episode, and share it with a woman who needs to hear it. It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Erica's story is a reminder to listen to your body and give yourself grace. New episodes on Wednesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube:

https://bit.ly/NCTpodcast

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by On the Other Side, a cancer doula and survivor strategist helping leaders redefine life after cancer. If you finished treatment and you are wondering what comes next, connect with an experienced cancer doula at ontheotherside.life.

Hosted, Produced, Written, and Edited by: Talaya Dendy

Video Editor: Shawn Smith

⚠️ Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is for general informational purposes only and SHOULD NOT be used as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, evaluation, or care from your physician or other qualified health care provider.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In April 2013, Roberta Albany was told her mammogram was clean. That December, she was diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer. It never showed on the mammogram because she has dense breasts. The reason it was caught while still early is that Roberta, training for a half-marathon, lay down on her dining room floor, did a self-exam, and felt a lump the scan had missed. An ultrasound confirmed it.

That experience turned Roberta into a force. A 13-year survivor, founder and CEO of Cancer in the Know, and a breast cancer coach with the Chrysalis Initiative, she fired the doctors who dismissed her, pushed her way into the clinical-trial spaces where Black patients are too often missing, and built a life around helping others advocate for themselves. In this honest conversation, she and host Talaya Dendy talk about dense breasts, self-advocacy, survivorship, grief, and the word she chose from the book she co-authored, Bruised, Broken, and Blessed. Blessed, she says, because she is still here.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[6:52] The self-exam that caught what a “clean” mammogram missed.

[14:28] What dense breasts are, and why they can hide cancer on a mammogram.

[17:43] Firing her medical team: what self-advocacy really looks like.

[33:58] What she tells a woman who is “the statistic”: give yourself grace.

[45:33] Her first step for the newly diagnosed: breathe.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/podscript187

Connect & Engage with Roberta

Website: https://www.cancerintheknow.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberta-a-albany-609a2735/

Call to Action

If this episode moved you, do two things: subscribe and follow Navigating Cancer TOGETHER, and share it with the women and men you love. And if you have dense breasts, ask your doctor about an ultrasound or MRI. New episodes on Wednesdays on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your preferred podcast app. https://bit.ly/NCTpodcast

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by On the Other Side, a cancer doula and survivor strategist helping leaders redefine life after cancer. If you finished treatment and you are wondering what comes next, connect with an experienced cancer doula at ontheotherside.life.

Hosted, Produced, Written, and Edited by: Talaya Dendy

Video Editor: Shawn Smith

⚠️ Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is for general informational purposes only and SHOULD NOT be used as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, evaluation, or care from your physician or other qualified health care provider.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

A cancer diagnosis or an end-of-life transition can be one of the heaviest moments a person ever faces. Most people go through it without knowing what support is out there for them.

This special episode of Navigating Cancer TOGETHER is a replay of the webinar Holding Space Through Life's Transitions: How Cancer and Death Doulas Can Support You. Host Talaya Dendy is a cancer doula, and she is joined by Reverend Shewon McGee, a death doula.

They share why they do this work and who they serve. They explain how cancer doulas and death doulas work with the medical team without replacing it, and they bust common myths about both roles.

✨ Episode Highlights:

06:12 "I had to become the person that I needed." Talaya was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma a year after her first doctor dismissed the lump on her neck. She explains how that experience gave birth to Talaya the advocate.

09:04 A father's wishes left unhonored. Reverend Shewon lost her father to cancer in 2020, and his end-of-life plan was never carried out. That loss led her to become a death doula who advocates for what each person wants.

20:01 "There is no manual on how to receive a cancer diagnosis." Talaya explains why survivors, especially leaders, often feel they can't show weakness once treatment ends.

29:10 "The hearing is one of the last things to go." Reverend Shewon encourages families not to step out of the room. Share memories, laugh, and let your loved one hear it.

Letter of Medical Necessity: https://www.metlife.com/stories/benefits/letter-of-medical-necessity/

The 2nd session in this series will be released on December 2, 2026.

Connect with our guest:
Reverend Shewon McGee, Death Doula
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alternativeevolution/

Connect with Talaya:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talayadendy

Transcript: https://bit.ly/podscript186

Call to Action

If this episode moved you, do two things: subscribe and follow Navigating Cancer TOGETHER so you never miss an episode, and forward this to someone who may need support during life's transitions. New episodes on Wednesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your preferred podcast app. https://bit.ly/NCTpodcast

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by On the Other Side, a cancer doula and survivor strategist helping leaders redefine life after cancer. If you finished treatment and you are wondering what comes next, connect with an experienced cancer doula at ontheotherside.life.

Hosted, Produced, Written, and Edited by: Talaya Dendy

⚠️ Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is for general informational purposes only and SHOULD NOT be used as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, evaluation, or care from your physician or other qualified health care provider.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.