Survivor’s guilt is a common and not often talked about emotional experience after cancer. Dr. Leah Sherman sits down with returning guest Natasha Ewa, licensed clinical social worker and founder of I Thrive Therapy and Wellness, for an honest conversation about what survivor’s guilt actually looks like, why body image after cancer is so personal, and what healing can feel like on the other side.

The conversation widens to cover grief over pre-cancer identity, hypervigilance, reconstruction decisions, and Natasha’s documentation of her own DIEP flap experience and complications.

Whether you’re navigating survivorship yourself or supporting someone who is, this one meets you where you are.

Visit the I Thrive Therapy and Wellness website

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Cancer Hope Network CEO Beth Blakey on Peer Mentorship, Caregiver Support, and Connection in Cancer Care

Beth Blakey, CEO of Cancer Hope Network, discusses the organization’s 46-year mission to ensure no one faces cancer alone. The unique model of free, confidential, one-on-one peer mentorship connecting patients and caregivers with trained cancer survivors or caregivers continues to touch lives. Blakey shares her personal story that led her to join the organization in 2019, and how she rose to become the CEO. She explains how, even in the midst of rapid technological advances, one thing has not changed: the need for personal connections. Cancer Hope Network facilitates these connections the old-fashioned way, through helping patients and their caregivers one on one. Blakey also outlines key initiatives: Cancer Hope Network en Español, the TACT (Talking About Clinical Trials) program, and Hopeful Hearts for parents of children and adolescents with cancer.

Learn more about the expert cancer care and support of Cancer Hope Network on their website.

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What happens to desire after a cancer diagnosis? In this episode, Dr. Leah Sherman speaks with intimacy coach and cancer survivor Claire Rumore about the often-overlooked intimacy challenges that come with cancer diagnosis and treatment. Claire shares how cancer may reshape desire, body image, and relationship dynamics—and why clinical care frequently misses these impacts. They explore practical approaches like redefining intimacy beyond intercourse, using nervous system regulation and consent-based touch to rebuild safety, and the Erotic Blueprints framework for understanding desire. Claire also introduces resources from her site cancerandintimacy.com designed to support patients, survivors, and their partners through this deeply personal aspect of cancer care.

Cancer and Intimacy website

Coupon Code: CAI20

Free resource kit: Reclaiming Intimacy During and After Cancer, The Sensual Wardrobe Reset

Claire's Bio and social media links

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Become a member of The Cancer Pod Community! Gain access to live Q&As, exclusive content, and so much more! Join us today on Buy Me a Coffee or on Patreon!

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