When English teacher Lesley Kaminski got the notification “invasive breast cancer” on her Apple Watch mid-class, her world stopped. But what happened next was more than treatment — it was transformation.

In this episode, Lesley shares how she went from collapse to control: reframing chemo from something she had to do into something she got to do. You’ll hear how a compassionate nurse navigator helped her find hope, how her husband lost 90 pounds alongside her healing, and how community and gratitude became her most powerful medicine.

If you’ve ever wondered how to face cancer without feeling crushed by it, this conversation will give you the mindset and tools to move from survival mode to truly living again.

🎙 Hosted by Joelle Kaufman, founder of Kicking Cancer’s Ass — the podcast where we trade whispers and fear for raw honesty, unexpected joy, and real strategies that help you reclaim your power.

Tags: cancer mindset, breast cancer survivor, cancer reframe, fear to power, cancer stories, emotional healing, gratitude, nurse navigator, cancer podcast

If your insurance denies your cancer treatment, it can feel terrifying — but a “no” is not the end.
Most people don’t know that 75% of insurance appeals win. You have more power than you think.

In this episode of Kicking Cancer’s Ass, health advocate and bestselling author Rebecca Bloom explains, in clear and simple steps, how to reverse an insurance denial and get the care you need.

Rebecca shares:

• Why cancer claims often get denied the first time
• How the insurance system works behind the scenes
• What to say (and what not to say) when you call your insurer
• How to write an appeal that gets noticed
• How to build a “care team” so you’re not fighting alone
• How to stay calm and focused during the process

This episode is here to help you feel less afraid, more supported, and more in control during cancer treatment.

Whether you’re facing a denial right now or want to be prepared for the future, this conversation gives you a clear path forward — and real hope.

Are you facing cancer treatment and wondering what you can do right now to improve your results?

This isn’t about being a warrior; it’s about being smart. I’m Joelle Kaufman, host of Kicking Cancer’s Ass, and I’m sharing the proven physical and psychological strategies—what I call “prehab”—that can actually improve your response to treatment by up to 30%.

Cancer is tough, but your battle is also against the side effects of chemotherapy, surgery, and recovery. You need to condition both your mind and body to absorb the shock and maximize your positive outcome.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The Power of Movement: Why being physically active is protective, maintains muscle, improves outcomes, and builds mental resilience.
• Proactive Defense: How to stay ahead of side effects like pain, nausea, and neuropathy by establishing a proactive defense before they become disabling. This includes using antiemetics and exploring cooling options like ice socks/mittens.
• The Hair/Intimacy Conversation: Why you need to proactively discuss sexual side effects, and if cold capping is right for you.
• Prepare Your Mind: Learn how to eliminate chaos and build your “All-Star Team” (not just medical!).
• Happiness Tripwires: Discover the neuroscience behind creating “Free Uppers”—small, consistent, joyful moments (like jokes, music, or routines) that boost dopamine, serotonin, and resilience, maximizing your steady dose of joy.
• The Power of Delegation: It’s okay to ask for practical help like meals and childcare. People want to help—give them the playbook.

Ready to shift your mindset from a defensive stance to an offensive strategy? Listen now to start your prehab and give yourself the best odds of kicking cancer’s ass!

Available on Spotify, Apple, and all audio platforms. Watch on YouTube @kickingcancersasspodcast.

Why does cancer recovery leave you so damn tired — even when your scans are clear?
Dr. Amy Morris, former cancer pharmacist, ovarian cancer survivor, and founder of Cancer Freedom Program, reveals what’s really behind post-cancer exhaustion — and how to get your energy (and your life) back.

In this episode of Kicking Cancer’s Ass, host Joelle Kaufman and Dr. Morris dig into:

• Why post-cancer fatigue isn’t “just in your head”
• The biggest mistake survivors make with nutrition (and how to fix it)
• The science-backed way to rebuild energy and strength
• How to create true freedom from cancer — not just freedom of cancer

Links:

KCAPodcast.com for articles, transcripts, and chat

www.joellekaufman.com for Crushing the Cancer Curveball, Resources, and all episodes

Find Dr. Amy Morris at:

• https://www.youtube.com/@dramycancerrecovery
• cancerfreedom.com
• https://www.instagram.com/dramymorris/

If you’re ready to stop feeling drained and start living fully again, this episode is your roadmap.🎙️ Kicking Cancer’s Ass delivers the stories, science, and strategies to help you go from powerless to powerful — even with cancer in the room.

Cancer makes you feel like everything is being taken from you — your routines, your certainty, your identity. But what if it didn’t have to take your hair?

In this episode of Kicking Cancer’s Ass, Roxanne shares the exact method she used to keep her hair through chemotherapy… twice. After losing her hair the first time, she approached her second diagnosis differently — and found one thing she could control.

You’ll hear:
• How cold caps actually work (science + practicality)
• What it really takes to use them during chemo
• The “cold cap brigade” of friends who helped swap caps every 25–30 minutes
• The emotional power of preserving your identity during treatment
• The advice she gives anyone newly diagnosed and overwhelmed

If you’re facing cancer, terrified of losing your hair, and desperate for even one point of control — this conversation will give you hope, clarity, and a real option to stay you.

You are not powerless. And you don’t have to go through cancer looking like your diagnosis.

When cancer crashes into your life right before a holiday, everything changes. Suddenly the day that’s “supposed” to be about gratitude, food, and connection becomes a minefield of pitying looks, whispered conversations, and emotional overwhelm.

I know this feeling deeply. My family has faced two cancer diagnoses right before Thanksgiving—first my mom, twenty years later my sister. At the time, my sister was preparing for chemo, terrified about fertility, and only 29 years old. I had a newborn who was five days old. We were scared, exhausted, and completely unsure of the future.

And yet… we made a choice.

We decided that Thanksgiving wasn’t going to be about cancer. Not because of denial or toxic positivity, but because we all needed one day of normalcy before the storm hit. We focused on noise, food, connection, and the small, chaotic moments that made us feel human. It worked—because we set the emotional temperature before we walked in the door.

In this episode, I share:
✨ How to take back control of your holiday experience
✨ Why your family needs a “roadmap” to support you without pity
✨ The exact 3-sentence script you can text, say, or repeat at the door
✨ How to create presence without pretending nothing’s wrong
✨ Why setting boundaries is an act of power—not selfishness

Your holidays can still hold meaning. Even when everything around you is uncertain, you can reclaim moments of connection and create emotional safety for yourself.

Here’s the script you can use:
“I want today to be about being together, not about cancer.
Please don’t treat me like I’m fragile.
If I need something, I promise I’ll tell you. I may tap out early or take a break—that’s just part of where I am right now.”

These words will help people love you the right way—without pity, without awkwardness, and without toxic positivity. They give you control when so much else feels out of reach.

Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with warmth, clarity, and the people who make you feel like YOU.

The FDA just removed a major warning label from hormone therapy — a sign that science around women’s hormones is changing fast. But what does this shift really mean for people who’ve faced cancer or want to protect their long-term health?

In this episode, Dr. Mary Ann Martin (“The Hormone Hacker”) joins us to unpack how hormones, food, and stress all shape your body’s internal environment — and what you can actually do to make it less welcoming to cancer.

You’ll learn:

• What the FDA’s hormone change really says (and why it matters)
• How hormone balance affects inflammation, metabolism, and healing
• The truth about sugar, food myths, and “feeding cancer”
• Simple tests that show if your body is in a healing or hostile state

This isn’t fear — it’s clarity.
Kicking Cancer’s Ass brings you the stories, science, and suggestions to take back control of your health and healing.

Why does waiting for scan results feel like your nervous system is vibrating? Because your brain hates uncertainty more than bad news—and it’s trying to protect you by preparing for every worst-case scenario. In this episode, Joelle shares what happened on January 3rd, 2023, when a routine imaging appointment turned into an MRI, then a biopsy, then surgery delay—all while the “what ifs” took over her brain. If you’re sitting in that space right now, waiting for results that feel like they hold your entire life, this is for you. You’ll learn why waiting activates your threat system (it’s biology, not a character flaw), why willpower won’t help but structure will, and the one simple tool that interrupts the spiral: name the fear, name the fact. Seven out of ten biopsies come back benign. Right now, in this moment, you’re okay. You don’t need certainty to be okay today—you just need a plan for the waiting. And whatever the answer is? You can handle it.Strategic Choice: Opens with the visceral feeling listeners recognize (“vibrating nervous system”), immediately validates their experience, then moves to Joelle’s specific story as proof she understands. The three concrete takeaways give immediate value, and ending with “you can handle it” delivers the confidence promise without empty platitudes.