When Jo Stone invited me to her Balance & Beyond podcast, I knew the conversation might touch deep places. What I didn’t expect was how much of me would come into it — how storytelling would become a tool for healing, connection, and reframing success.
In Episode #117, titled “Beating the Odds: Taking on a 50% Survival Rate,” we dig into the parts of my cancer journey I’ve rarely shared publicly. But it wasn’t just about illness — it was about the pivot points, the relationships, and the internal shifts that changed everything.
Listen to the full episode: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast/2025/117
My story: more than a diagnosis
- Early on, during my treatment, my surgeon told me something that shocked me: “Stepping away from your business probably saved your life.”
- In that moment, I realized I could no longer compartmentalize my work and my body. My determination, my drive — they needed to be recalibrated.
- I could have succumbed to shame or tried to hide behind strength, but instead I chose vulnerability. I rejected isolation. In doing so, I discovered an “army of angels” — people who reached out, held space, sent meals, messages, healing presence.
- One of the lines that still haunts me (in a good way) from our conversation: “You are not defined by your statistics or by your circumstances.”
- In facing chronic stress, illness, and extreme uncertainty, I learned that “management” isn’t enough. You can’t just tweak your system — you need transformation.
What emerged in conversation with Jo
- The myth of control in crisis
We explored how our default is always to fix — to push harder, adjust more, master more. But when the stakes are life and death, that posture can collapse under its own weight. What if we instead leaned into receiving? - Vulnerability as connection
By naming fear, shame, doubt, and asking for help, we build bridges. In my darkest moments, it was not pride but humility that saved me. - Redefining what we call “survival”
Surviving isn’t just staying alive. It’s about the quality of the life we inhabit after the crisis — how we realign, reprioritize, and inhabit every day with intention. - Translating the lessons to IMS’s work
In our work with leaders and organizations, we often talk about performance, scale, innovation, growth. But none of that is sustainable if it doesn’t root in the inner soil of the person leading it. Resilience, presence, capacity for discomfort — these are not extras. They are the architecture without which systems crack.
Reflection for our IMS community (and for you)
- If you’re leading a team, a business, or even just your own life, you don’t have to hide your struggle. In fact, doing so diminishes your capacity to lead with empathy, insight, and connection.
- If you think strength is proving you’re unbreakable, I invite you to look deeper: sometimes strength is showing where we’ve been fractured.
- Adversity and uncertainty are not just obstacles — they’re invitations to recalibrate purpose, identity, and how we choose to show up.
Invitation & next steps
🎧 If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll listen to the full episode.
💬 I’d value your reflections: what line or moment resonated most deeply? What part of your story are you still afraid — or hopeful — to tell? Share in the comments or reach out.
Thank you, Jo Stone, for co-creating a space where stories, not just successes, get heard.
