42. Kellie Finlayson: The NFL vs the AFL, and Thriving Despite Diagnosis

Send us Fan MailFind Kellie on Instagram & TikTokKellie Finlayson's Book: There Must Be More: Finding Purpose in a life with cancerKellie's Symptom TrackerGuest: Kellie Finlayson — AFL WAG, stage 4 colorectal cancer survivor, author, and advocate based in Australia.Episode Description: Kellie Finlayson flew from Australia to Dallas to catch a Cowboys Thanksgiving game — and ended up in the cheerleaders' locker room. That's the kind of woman she is. But Kellie's story goes so much deeper than football. She's the wife of 12-year AFL veteran Jeremy Finlayson, a mom to four-year-old Sophia, a published author, and a stage 4 colorectal cancer survivor who was told she had three years to live — three years ago.In this episode we get into the AFL vs NFL (chaos ball, anyone?), WAG culture in Australia vs the US, what it's really like to be a partner in pro sports, and then Kellie opens up about seven years of being dismissed by doctors, her diagnosis at 26, chemotherapy on her birthday, and how she's given her experience purpose through her book, There Must Be More.This one hits different. Don't miss it.Topics Covered:How a Cowboys Thanksgiving game converted an AFL girlBreaking down Australian rules football for NFL fansAFL vs NFL: pay, ownership, fan culture, and merchWAG culture in Australia vs the US — and why the NFL is changing the gameJeremy's 12-year AFL career and what delisting actually feels likeSeven years of being dismissed by doctors before a stage 4 diagnosisStarting chemo on her 26th birthdayHow Kellie and Jeremy's relationship survived it allWriting her book There Must Be More — and dropping it off to friends before running out the doorWhat NOT to ask someone who is seriously illWhy aging is a privilege, and how Kellie is living her 30s differentlyLinks:Follow Kellie on Instagram: @kellie_finlayson_Get her book, There Must Be More: Available on AmazonHer symptom tracker: https://www.trustyourgut.org.au/Support the showThanks for listening to The Game! We're happy you're here. If you enjoyed the episode, please send it to a friend, share it on social, or leave us a cute 5-star review. JOIN THE COMMUNITY of women in our Substack community for gameday chats, exclusive articles, and more NFL by the girls. Thegamehq.substack.comSEND US A HOT TAKE OR LISTENER QUESTION WE CAN SHARE ON THE SHOW: [email protected] or https://www.instagram.com/thegame.hq FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL:The Game: Instagram | TikTok Victoria Henderson: Instagram | TikTokLove you, bye! <3