I Survived Abuse and Cancer—Here's What Healed Me | Deb Davis

In episode 294, I chat with Deb Davis, breast cancer thriver and author of "The Faces of Transparency: What We Reveal," about healing, transparency, and self-advocacy. Deb shares her journey through abuse, breast cancer recovery, and the power of breaking silence. Together they explore three game-changing self-care practices, why transparency matters more than perfection, and how to truly support someone facing cancer—and what NOT to do. What You'll Learn: Three self-care practices that transform healing: saying no, listening to your body, and laughter as medicine Why transparency is the key to freedom and helping others How writing became Deb's breakthrough during breast cancer recovery The Goldilocks breast surgery procedure most women don't know exists Why unsolicited advice hurts and what to say instead How survivor's guilt shows up and how to navigate it What being your own medical advocate really means This is a conversation about becoming whole after trauma and cancer try to break you. RESOURCES & LINKS: The Faces of Transparency: What We Reveal (affiliate): https://amzn.to/42KXq7l Deb's Substack: https://substack.com/@empowermentthroughtransparency Connect with Deb on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/detroitcityheadshots/ Liberty by The Super Patch Co (reduces inflammation): https://grateful.superpatch.com Help Fund a New Microphone: https://kandasrodarte.com/support Full Show Notes: https://kandasrodarte.com/294  EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction to Breast Cancer Awareness Month 02:47 Self-Care Practices for Thrivers 05:17 The Faces of Transparency: Deb's Book Journey 11:02 Overcoming Abuse: A Personal Story 16:34 Life After Trauma: Building a New Future 21:57 The Publishing Process: From Manuscript to Book 27:19 Navigating Substack as an Author 29:43 The Power of Connection and Asking for Help 32:13 Living with Breast Cancer: A Daily Reality 35:55 Survivor's Guilt and Community Support 38:29 Navigating Advice and Misconceptions 43:12 Body Image and Choices After Mastectomy 49:31 Gratitude and Self-Identity Post-Cancer === About Gratitude Geek: Gratitude Geek is the podcast for female solopreneurs over 40 building genuine, lasting connections with clients, colleagues, and community. Each episode features conversations with women who've faced adversity—cancer, divorce, loss—and transformed it into wisdom and business growth. Host Kandas Rodarte is a growth coach and metastatic breast cancer thriver with 30+ years of marketing expertise. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, comment & share! Join the Gratitude Geek community and stay updated with exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, and more. Sign up for our email list here:  http://kandasrodarte.com/subscribe  Support Gratitude Geek Podcast  At Gratitude Geek, we aim to spread gratitude, sow seeds of appreciation, and harvest a bounty of generosity and kindness. As a listener, reader, and subscriber, you are part of this mission, and we are honored to have your support. If possible, please help finance the show: http://kandasrodarte.com/support Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in the show notes may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show! Gratitude Geek is part of the Podmatch Network.  Learn how Podmatch can help you grow your visibility:  http://kandasrodarte.com/podmatch  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices