Trailblazers
These episodes highlight non-profits and individuals making a difference in the MBC community.
Featured
These episodes highlight non-profits and individuals making a difference in the MBC community.
Senior Producer & Host Martha Carlson interviews Josh Newby, the founder of Theresa’s Research Foundation. Josh has been a leader in the world of metastatic breast cancer advocacy for over a decade, focusing energy on bringing MBC research scientists and patient advocates together in an effort to improve our lives. To paraphrase Josh, researchers need patients and patients need researchers—a synergy he recognized early and brought to the fore of advocacy. This year, Josh and Theresa’s Research Foundation is doubling down on a cure for MBC. In this episode, he talks about the work the Foundation is doing and what “cure” means to him. He also talks about the effects of current federal policy on research and what it may mean for the young MBC investigators he champions.
Roberta Lombardi wanted to do something for the Connecticut moms and kids with breast cancer, but that *something* quickly morphed into a nonprofit effort to help break through barriers in the lives of moms with MBC. Laser focused on single moms with kids under 19 living at home and financial need, Roberta took her nonprofit (she calls it her fourth child) nationwide in mid-2023 and is already serving women in 27 states. While providing 6 months of financial support to approved applicants remains the core of Infinite Strength, Roberta has added to the support through one-day local (Connecticut) mom-and-kid retreats, in-person and online panels with some of the best experts in cancer care, a 2024 MBC conference, and a groundbreaking effort to change the picture through the Connecticut Coalition of Oncologists. This is a woman who does not sit still and we are so lucky to have her as an ally for people living with MBC. This episode may inspire *you* to get out there and do something!
This season, we are bringing back our Trailblazer series. Our first trailblazer is Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), a national non-profit that has become synonymous with the word community. That’s because LBBC’s annual Conference on MBC is one of the largest gatherings for women and men living with MBC. In this episode we will speak with Jean Sachs, CEO of LBBC, and sprinkled throughout this episode are your voices, voices of patients sharing their LBBC experience.
The Season of Giving is upon us. Purely by chance, we may be starting a new tradition here on the Trailblazer series - guests bearing gifts. This gift will be symbolically unwrapped during this interview with this month’s Trailblazer - national nonprofit United for HER and Susan Weldon, Founder and CEO.
We begin the Season 3 Trailblazers with a twist. We’re taking Trailblazer on the Road! Our first stop will be the wonderfully, philanthropic city of Charlotte, NC. Join us as we speak with representatives of two truly grassroots organizations, dedicated to supporting the Charlotte breast cancer community in two very different ways. Interestingly enough, both organizations were started by women living with Metastatic Breast Cancer.
We are ending season 2 on a positive note with a dash of joy from Dar Finkelstein and a conversation with our Trailblazer of the Month Caroline Johnson, founder of Kentucky-based non-profit organization Twisted Pink whose sole mission is to raise funds for MBC. Even though there is still no cure, our odds of getting to a cure through better funded research and science are improving because of the contributions of allies like Caroline Johnson.
“It is very important for us who are living with MBC to be able to go to a place where we know it’s safe to just be who we are.” This month’s Trailblazer is Project Life, a virtual wellness house that recently set up residence in cyberspace. The co-hosts Victoria Goldberg and Dar Finkelstein speak with the founder and the CEO of Project Life Leslie Glenn and its COO Jackie Seiner about the origin of the project, MBC wellness and survivorship.
Welcome to the Episode 2 of the Trailblazer series. Have you ever asked yourself if Wonder Woman was real? Ask no more. She lives and her name is Jamil Rivers. She is also our Trailblazer of the Month. Jamil was diagnosed with MBC at age 39. She is a mother of three, a caregiver, a full-time CEO of a non-profit organization , the board president of METAvivor and if that’s not enough, she has recently embarked on a new venture—The Chrysalis Initiative, a project dedicated to eliminating disparities in outcomes for Black women with breast cancer. Also in this episode is a Dash of Joy from Our MBC Life’s own Dar Finkelstein. Dar is committed to living a life of joy and she shows us all how to do it. An episode full or hope, inspiration and joy.
Our first season 2 trailblazer focuses on the patient - providing them with free services that enable them to focus on healing and time with their families. Through their Thriver Fund, 305 Pink Pack also provides dedicated to support to those living with metastatic breast cancer. Meet Rosemary Carrera of 305 Pink Pack and come south with us to Miami. Also in this episode is a Dash of Joy from Our MBC Life’s own Dar Finkelstein. Dar is committed to living a life of joy and she shows us all how to do it. An episode full or hope, inspiration and joy.
Meet our season 1 Trailblazers. These amazing women are making a difference in their communities. Finding inspiration from their own cancer experiences they have created organizations to support others, close gaps, and give back.
On this bonus episode hear our entire conversation with Carol Evans, CEO and Exec Dir. at SHARE Cancer Support. Carol joined us on two episodes last season - Working while Living with MBC and our December episode on the #inclusionpledge. Our talk with her covered much more and we want to share that with all of you.
Co-host Natalia Green finds out how Christine Hodgdon and Julia Maués, co-founders of GRASP (Guiding Researchers and Advocates to Scientific Partnerships) saw an opportunity last year to bridge the gap between researchers and MBC advocates in the pursuit of better research connections.
Anne Loeser and Dr. Aditya Bardia join the podcast to talk about the importance of getting The Right Dose.
After her TNBC early stage diagnosis our October Trailblazer, Tiah Tomlin, wanted to be a part of the solution. Hear how she did that with her non-profit organization which is “dedicated to providing a cancer educational program and hands-on supportive services to build confidence in people of all ages, leading to a better quality of life.”
Ricki Fairley, founder of TOUCH, the Black Breast Cancer Alliance, shares her incredible story of how she upended and changed her life and ended her successful marketing career when she was diagnosed Stage 3A Triple Negative Breast Cancer . Ricki talks about the founding of her organization and her overall goal to address Black Breast Cancer as a unique and special disease state, with the overall goal of reducing the mortality rate for Black women.
Kicking off Breast Cancer Awareness Month is Katherine O’Brien, a leading force in MBC advocacy. In her interview with Lisa Laudico she talks about the continuing lack of MBC awareness and the MBCA’s new Here ALL Year initiative launching this month.
Join us for our new podcast highlighting the voices of you, our listeners, and guests of the podcast with Just Gotta SHARE moments. In addition, we feature two stand-alone segments: Jersi Baker’s Trailblazer of the Month and an interview with Lara MacNamara, founder of Hope Scarves
Jamil Rivers, the new President of Metavivor, joins the pod to talk about research, health disparities, self-care, and what she sees ahead for the organization. And Laura Inahara shares the story of her best friend Jess Moore and the #LightUpMBC campaign that honors her.
Tom Scalera talks about what motivates him to carry on the work his wife, Rebecca Timlin-Scalera, started at The Cancer Couch Foundation. He joins Lisa in this episode to talk about the need for research, new treatments, and how Covid has impacted the grief process.
Hear from listeners and guests with their Just Gotta Share moments and meet the Our MBC Life team.
3 Black Docs know how to keep it real and laugh and have fun. Come along for an incredible conversation.
In this episode, our conversation with two women, Jersi Baker and Maimah Karmo who are using their voice to ask questions, challenge norms, and demand a change to who is sitting at the table and striving to create racial equity in the MBC and BC community.
In this episode of Our MBC Life, we sit down with Dr. Kelly Shanahan, the president of METAvivor, a U.S. nonprofit solely dedicated to funding research for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) while also supporting patients through advocacy and community. Our guest shares METAvivor’s mission, their biggest milestones, and how their work is driving critical research that aims to extend lives and improve quality of life for those living with MBC.
We dive into how METAvivor prioritizes research funding, the importance of patient involvement in advocacy initiatives, and the Stage IV Stampede—a powerful advocacy event raising awareness and amplifying the voices of the MBC community.
Tune in to hear how METAvivor is shaping the future of MBC advocacy and how you can get involved to make an impact.