Nerissa Balland was five months pregnant, working full-time, and had a 1-year-old at home when her dermatologist said the word malignant. Her first instinct was to keep going, but of course, cancer didn't care.

What happens when a life-changing diagnosis unravels your life and you don't have the words for any of it?

After two decades chasing corporate titles and pursuing nonprofit work, Nerissa had quietly set aside the one thing that had always made her feel free: art. A diagnosis of metastatic melanoma at 38 forced her to reckon not only with her health, but with the parts of herself she'd abandoned along the way.

Now, she's the author of Canvas of Courage and a therapeutic arts practitioner who reminds people that broken crayons still color.

What You Will Learn

• [00:09:00] Validating herself through every promotion and job change
• [00:12:30] Cancer diagnosis at 38, five months pregnant
• [00:16:30] Making the invisible visible without words
• [00:19:30] Why non-artists have the real advantage
• [00:39:00] Ranch visit that rewired Nerissa's mindset
• [00:43:00] Overthinking her return to art
• [00:47:00] Broken crayons still color
• [00:58:00] Shifting from "why me" to "what now"

Resources Mentioned

• Canvas of Courage by Nerissa Balland
• Byron Katie
• 
  

Let’s Connect!

Nerissa Balland

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube

Chandler Stroud

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

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