What happens when one of television's most beloved doctors gets a cancer diagnosis of his own?

In the premiere episode of Big C Energy, Alison Haislip sits down with actor James Pickens Jr. (Grey's Anatomy) to talk about joining what he calls "the club nobody wants to be in."

James opens up about his prostate cancer diagnosis, the family history that made him vigilant about screenings, and the phone call that changed everything. Together, he and Alison swap stories about awkward medical procedures, scanxiety, compression socks, surgery, side effects, and the strange reality that sometimes cancer is less terrifying than your imagination makes it out to be.

They also discuss how James used his own diagnosis to inspire a prostate cancer storyline on Grey's Anatomy, helping encourage thousands of people to get screened and take charge of their health.

It's honest. It's emotional. It's surprisingly funny. And it's exactly the kind of conversation Big C Energy was created to have.

Topics discussed:

• James Pickens Jr.'s prostate cancer diagnosis

• Why family history matters

• PSA testing and early detection

• Scanxiety and life after treatment

• Surgery, recovery, and survivorship

• Bringing prostate cancer awareness to Grey's Anatomy

• Alison's breast cancer journey

• The importance of advocating for your own health

Subscribe for new episodes of Big C Energy, hosted by Alison Haislip, featuring candid conversations with patients, survivors, caregivers, advocates, and experts who understand what it's really like to hear the words: "You have cancer."

▶️ Watch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/hNXPiUS9-4M

Featured music: "Lived to Tell the Story" by Coby Brown. Support the artist and purchase the track here: https://cobybrown.bandcamp.com/track/lived-to-tell-the-story

#BigCEnergy #JamesPickensJr #ProstateCancer #CancerSurvivor #GreysAnatomy

Stars! They're just like us...

They get cancer too.

Welcome to Big C Energy, the new podcast hosted by Alison Haislip.

Actor, host, and very current breast cancer patient, Alison sits down with celebrities and notable guests to have the conversations most people don't hear about life after a cancer diagnosis. The good parts. The bad parts. The awkward parts. The emotional parts. And the downright rude parts.

From navigating doctor appointments and treatment decisions to managing side effects, recovery, survivorship, and everything in between, Big C Energy explores the realities of cancer through the people living it.

Think of it as a Reddit thread come to life. Honest, funny, emotional, and completely unfiltered.

Because while cancer absolutely sucks, sometimes the best medicine is hearing from someone who's been there and finding a reason to laugh along the way.

🎙️ Episode 1 featuring James Pickens Jr. is OUT NOW!

▶️ https://youtu.be/hNXPiUS9-4M

Big C Energy is part of the Community Health Media Podcast Network, where meaningful conversations help patients, caregivers, advocates, and healthcare professionals learn from one another, one story at a time.

▶️ Subscribe for new episodes and bring your own Big C Energy.

Featured music: "Lived to Tell the Story" by Coby Brown. Support the artist and purchase the track here: https://cobybrown.bandcamp.com/track/lived-to-tell-the-story

#BigCEnergy #CancerPodcast #CancerAwareness #JamesPickensJr