In this episode of The Cancer Liberation Project, Hayley sits down with cancer survivor, coach, researcher, and patient advocate Teresa Ferreiro to talk about navigating cancer with more agency, resilience, and self-trust. Teresa shares her deeply personal story of being diagnosed with breast cancer at just 36 years old after already enduring the heartbreak of losing a baby late in pregnancy. Her husband discovered the lump, and what followed was an intense journey through chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation — but also a powerful inner search for healing, balance, and empowerment.

Throughout the conversation, Teresa opens up about making informed choices in her treatment journey, including her decision to prioritize lifestyle, nutrition, exercise, and eventually pursuing pregnancy after cancer. Despite fear and criticism from others, she followed what felt aligned for her, later becoming involved in advocacy and international research helping prove that pregnancy after hormone-positive breast cancer can be safe. Her story is one of courage, self-advocacy, and using personal pain to create meaningful change for others.

Hayley and Teresa also explore the role of coaching during a cancer diagnosis and why helping people reconnect with their own inner wisdom can be transformational. Rather than simply giving advice, Teresa’s coaching approach focuses on asking empowering questions that help people make decisions from a place of clarity and confidence. She explains how cancer can often make people feel like they’ve lost control of their identity and how coaching can help restore a sense of leadership over one’s own life and healing journey.

She also shares insights from her PhD research and her upcoming book, Navigate Cancer: Coaching for Resilience, which offers practical tools and exercises to help people move through fear, uncertainty, relationships, work, and personal growth during cancer. The conversation is a hopeful reminder that while cancer changes you, it can also become a catalyst for deeper self-awareness, resilience, and purposeful living.

For more information, go to https://teresaferreiro.com/ & https://kimberlite.es/en/home/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/teresaferreiro

Instagram: @Teresa.Ferreiro

Book: http://www.navigatecancer.eu/

The Cancer Liberation Project is sponsored by thekarlfeldtcenter.com