Episodes

  • #454 Hope For Cancer with Chelsea Hassink

    #454 Hope For Cancer with Chelsea Hassink
    Mar 13 2026

    In this episode of the Better Than Before Breast Cancer podcast, Laura Lummer sits down with Chelsea Hassink to talk about her experience navigating a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis and the path that led her to explore integrative cancer care.

    Chelsea discovered a lump shortly after turning 40 and was quickly diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer that had metastasized to her liver. Within weeks, she began chemotherapy and entered the world that so many people with cancer know well.

    As she moved through treatment, Chelsea began researching other approaches that might support her body and improve how she felt during therapy. That curiosity eventually led her to the Hope For Cancer treatment centers, where she explored non-invasive therapies such as hyperbaric oxygen, hyperthermia, ozone therapy, and nutrient infusions as part of an integrative program.

    In this conversation, Laura and Chelsea discuss the fear many patients feel when considering integrative care, the importance of asking questions, and why finding a treatment path that aligns with your values and intuition can be an important part of the healing journey.

    This episode shares Chelsea's story and the insights she gained along the way.

    Resources Mentioned:

    Work with Laura:
    https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health

    Follow Chelsea:
    https://www.instagram.com/hassink_health_bites/

    Hope For Cancer Centers:
    https://hope4cancer.com/

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    50 mins
  • #453 The Truth About Ketosis - Breast Cancer and Nutrition, Just the Facts

    #453 The Truth About Ketosis - Breast Cancer and Nutrition, Just the Facts
    Mar 6 2026

    In this final episode of the Nutrition After Breast Cancer: Just the Facts series, we break down ketosis clearly and responsibly.

    Ketosis is not a cure for cancer.
    It is not a replacement for chemotherapy or radiation.

    But research, including the Keto-CARE trial at The Ohio State University and ongoing metabolic oncology work at Boston College, suggests that metabolic ketosis may influence insulin signaling, inflammation, and treatment response.

    This is a grounded, research-based conversation designed to help you understand your options without fear or hype.

    In this episode we cover:

    -What metabolic health really means
    -The Warburg Effect explained simply
    -Ketosis vs ketoacidosis
    -How ketones influence inflammation
    -How therapeutic ketosis is being studied
    -Genetic variants that may affect fat burning
    -When ketosis may help
    -When caution is needed

    Resources Mentioned:

    Work with Laura:
    https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    27 mins
  • #452 Fats And Breast Cancer - Breast Cancer and Nutrition, Just The Facts

    #452 Fats And Breast Cancer - Breast Cancer and Nutrition, Just The Facts
    Feb 27 2026
    In this week's podcast episode in the Nutrition After Breast Cancer: Just the Facts series, I bring up the study that sparked that concern. I don't ignore things like this. I don't pretend they don't exist. If there's research being talked about, I want you to know about it. But here are the actual facts. The study was done in mice. The mice were made to consume about 40% of their diet in olive oil. And the rest of their diet was an obesogenic, high-carbohydrate diet designed to promote weight gain and metabolic dysfunction. That is not a Mediterranean diet. That is not olive oil drizzled over vegetables and salmon. That is not real life. It was a laboratory model designed to stress metabolism. Context matters. Deeply. Resources Mentioned: Guide to Essential Fatty Acids: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/oil Episode #326 Simplifying Seed Oils and Fatty Acids After Breast Cancer https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/326 Work with Laura: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health REFERENCES: Obesity and Low-Fat Diet History Trends in Obesity Among Adults in the United States, 2005 to 2014 (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6001a15.htm Documents obesity prevalence: 15.0% (1976-1980), 23.3% (1988-1994) Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps (CDC) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9611578/ 30.9% obesity prevalence (1999-2000) Adult Obesity Prevalence, 2021-2023 (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db508.htm Current obesity prevalence: 40.3% How the Ideology of Low Fat Conquered America https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18296750/ Historical analysis of the low-fat movement Heart Disease Mortality Explaining the Decrease in U.S. Deaths from Coronary Disease, 1980–2000 (Ford et al., NEJM 2007) https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa053935 ~51% decline in men, ~49% decline in women47% from medical treatments, 44% from risk factor changesObesity and diabetes offset gains by 8% and 10% Heart Disease Mortality in the United States, 1970 to 2022 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.124.038644 89% decrease in heart attack deaths81% increase in heart failure and other heart disease deaths Omega-3s, Inflammation, and Cancer Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratios and Modern Diets Ancestral ratios: 1:1 to 4:1Modern Western diet: 15:1 to 20:1Impact on eicosanoid metabolism and cellular inflammation DHA and Triple Negative Breast Cancer (Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2019) DHA induced cell death in TNBC cellsMechanism: altered membrane composition, increased oxidative stress in cancer cells High-Fat Diets and TNBC Metastasis (Preclinical Studies) CD36-mediated fatty acid uptake in TNBCOleic acid-rich diets promoting metastasis in mouse modelsImportance of tumor phenotype and metabolic flexibility Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness. 💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching 💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community 👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach 👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach 🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    24 mins
  • #451 The Truth About Dairy - Breast Cancer and Nutrition, Just the Facts

    #451 The Truth About Dairy - Breast Cancer and Nutrition, Just the Facts
    Feb 20 2026

    Dairy is one of the most misunderstood foods in wellness.

    Is it inflammatory? Does it increase mucus? Does it raise IGF-1 and breast cancer risk? Or is that fear-based messaging?

    In Part 4 of the Nutrition Just the Facts series, Laura breaks down the science behind dairy and separates cultural belief from biological evidence.

    This episode covers:

    • Dairy and inflammatory biomarkers
    • The mucus myth
    • IGF-1 and growth signaling in breast cancer
    • Lactose intolerance versus milk allergy
    • A1 versus A2 milk
    • Grass-fed versus conventional dairy
    • The influence of marketing and dietary policy

    This is a calm, research-grounded conversation designed to help you make confident, personalized nutrition decisions.

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    56 mins
  • #450 Plant Based Vs. Animal Based Eating - Breast Cancer Nutrition Just The Facts

    #450 Plant Based Vs. Animal Based Eating - Breast Cancer Nutrition Just The Facts
    Feb 13 2026

    Why are so many women told to avoid animal foods after breast cancer? And what does the science behind that advice actually show?

    In this episode of Better Than Before Breast Cancer, Laura Lummer explores plant-based versus animal-based eating through a clear, grounded lens. She explains why large observational studies like the Nurses' Health Study became so influential, how The China Study was over-interpreted, and where correlation was treated as causation.

    This episode is not about choosing a diet. It is about understanding how nutrition messaging is formed, where its limitations lie, and how to apply science in a way that respects bioindividuality, metabolic health, digestion, and recovery after cancer.

    If you have ever felt confused, pressured, or fearful around food, this episode offers clarity without rules.

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    24 mins
  • #449 Carbohydrates After Breast Cancer - Breast Cancer Nutrition Just The Facts

    #449 Carbohydrates After Breast Cancer - Breast Cancer Nutrition Just The Facts
    Feb 6 2026

    Carbohydrates are often blamed, feared, or oversimplified, especially after breast cancer.

    In this episode, Laura continues her Nutrition Myths and Truths series with an evidence-based conversation about carbohydrates. This is not about food rules. It is about understanding how carbohydrates function in the body, how they interact with metabolism, inflammation, and genetics, and what lab markers can tell us about individual response.

    If you missed part one of this series on red meat and understanding scientific studies, that episode provides helpful context for today's discussion.

    Episode highlights:

    • Carbohydrates include vegetables, fruits, and legumes, not just bread and sugar

    • Why blood sugar numbers alone do not reflect metabolic health

    • How refined carbohydrates influence inflammation and gut health

    • What research suggests about carbohydrates and cancer

    • Why genetics and SNPs affect carbohydrate tolerance

    • The role of insulin, triglycerides, and inflammation markers

    • Whether grains are nutritionally essential

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    💌 Join the Living Well After Breast Cancer Community → The Living Well After Breast Cancer Community

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
    Show more Show less
    25 mins
  • #448 Red Meat After Breast Cancer - Breast Cancer Nutrition, Just The Facts

    #448 Red Meat After Breast Cancer - Breast Cancer Nutrition, Just The Facts
    Jan 30 2026

    What does the science actually say about red meat after breast cancer?

    In this episode, Laura Lummer begins a new series focused on separating nutrition myths from facts. The conversation was sparked by hearing a physician recommend a low-fat, high-fiber diet with no red meat to an entire room of cancer patients.

    Laura explains why that kind of advice ignores bio individuality and why nutrition science is far more nuanced than headlines suggest.

    This episode breaks down how observational studies work, what statistically significant means, and why one of the most cited red meat studies cannot be used to create universal food rules.

    Topics include:

    • Observational studies vs randomized trials

    • Self-reported diet recall and its limitations

    • What statistically significant really means

    • The Stanford SWAP-MEAT trial explained

    • Why one diet does not fit everybody

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    23 mins
  • #447 When Support Starts to Feel Like Noise After Breast Cancer

    #447 When Support Starts to Feel Like Noise After Breast Cancer
    Jan 23 2026

    Diet plans. Supplements. Protocols. Podcasts. Advice from well-meaning people. At some point, all of that support can stop feeling helpful and start feeling overwhelming.

    In this episode, Laura shares a real-life story that highlights how stress and unresolved trauma can impact metabolic health, even when diet and exercise look "right." She explains why consistency, tracking data, and self-honesty matter so much when making changes, and how constantly switching approaches can keep us stuck.

    This episode offers permission to slow down, turn down the noise, and focus on what truly supports healing after breast cancer.

    Let's Connect!
    If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

    💌 Join my email list for weekly wellness tips & podcast updates → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    💌 Join the Better Than Before Breast Cancer Life Coaching Membership → Life Coaching

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration → @thebreastcancerrecoverycoach

    👩‍💻 Follow me on Facebook → The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎙 Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts → Better Than Before Breast Cancer with The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach

    🎥 Watch on YouTube → @BetterThanBeforeBreastCancer
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    19 mins