The Pink Ribbon Roller Coaster

"Chemo brain." "Neuropathy." "Brain fog." Sometimes the hardest parts of treatment are the things no one prepared you for. In this episode of Pink Ribbon Roller Coaster, oncology nurse Lindsay Jackson shares practical insight, encouragement, and real ways to manage some of the most frustrating side effects of treatment.

The effects of cancer treatment on oral health isn't something that's often talked about, but it should be. In this episode, host Jennifer and her guests from Uncancer break down what patients need to know, sharing practical ways to feel better through every phase of care.

In this episode, host Jennifer sits down with breast cancer survivor and entrepreneur Jami Sullins to share how one of the hardest parts of treatment became the inspiration for Comfort Beanie - a brand bringing comfort, style, and dignity to women in chemo. From her deeply personal journey to building a purpose-driven business, Jami's story is a powerful reminder that even in pain, something meaningful can grow. BONUS: Listeners can use code P31 for 10% off a Comfort Beanie at comfortbeanie.com.

In this episode of Pink Ribbon Roller Coaster, host Jennifer Harrod sits down with Emmerman Angels' Jackie Harrogate to explore the life-changing impact of one-on-one peer support in the cancer journey. From the powerful story behind the organization's founding to the real, human need for connection, they unpack how being matched with someone who's truly "been there" can bring clarity, comfort, and hope. If you or someone you love is facing a diagnosis, this conversation is a reminder that no one has to walk it alone.

In this episode of the Pink Ribbon Roller Coaster, host Sarah sits down with oncology nurse Lindsey Jackson to break down what's really happening in your body during chemotherapy. From understanding blood counts to managing side effects, Lindsey offers clear, compassionate insight to help patients feel more informed, prepared, and in control of their journey. It's practical guidance every patient and caregiver needs to hear.

Host Jennifer Harrod of Project31 talks with Megan Scherer of Worth The Wait - a nonprofit dedicated to fertility and adoptions for cancer survivors. Megan is the co-founder of the organization, which provides financial support and educational resources for fertility treatments, adoption and surrogacy while advocating for onco-fertility. Tune in to learn more about this amazing service and how they help.

In this discussion, host Jennifer gets to know breast cancer survivor Jamie Vaughn as she shares her personal story and how it led her to start her nonprofit organization, Test Those Breasts. Their mission is to provide support, education, and resources for the entire breast cancer community whether you're newly diagnosed, a survivor thriving post-treatment, a caregiver, or someone seeking information to stay informed.

  Project31 host Jennifer talks with Amanda Medina. Amanda is an ambassador for Leslie's Week - a nonprofit that offers a Week Away (Retreat) from Cancer for Stage 4 breast cancer patients and their families. She shares her story, why she got involved with Leslie's Week, and what it's all about.

Host Jennifer Harrod of Project31 talks to Leslie Ferris Yerger, author of "Probably Benign" and founder of My Density Matters - empowering women to know their breast density and take control of their screenings.

Project31 host Jennifer Harrod talks with Maggie Bush, of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, about their work in advocating for breast cancer survivors and why women at any stage of treatment and recovery should know about this valuable resource.

Project31 host Jennifer Harrod talks with Mark Cope of Nerve Renewal Neuropathy Clinic about treatment options available for cancer patients experiencing pain and discomfort after treatment.

We're kicking things off October with Project31 founder Sarah McLean's conversation with former Olympian and world-class gymnast Shannon Miller. She shares about her personal cancer experience.

Project31 Breast Nurse Navigator Jennifer Harrod talks with licensed psychotherapist Natasha Langhans. Natasha specializes in sex therapy for women and couples who've been through the breast cancer journey together and are working through the many emotional and physical issues that affect intimacy.

Host Jennifer Harrod talks with Tracy Tadlock of Georgia Hair Solutions & Salon about options available to women facing hair loss during breast cancer treatment.

Have you explored proton therapy as a treatment option for breast cancer? Today our host Sarah talks to David Raubach, Chief Development Officer at Oklahoma Proton Center and Premier Breast Health Institute, about proton therapy, how it works, and the benefits for different types of cancer.

Your DNA plays a large part in how you react to medications and, ultimately, how your body reacts during treatment and beyond. Today, host Sarah talks with Samantha Socco, Medical Science Liaison at GeneSight, about pharmacogenomics  - and what all breast cancer patients should know.

Host Sarah McLean continues the conversation with Traci Owen of Intimate Pathways Center for Sexual Health, covering issues that many women face during and after breast cancer treatment.

Host Sarah talks with oncology nurse and certified sexual counselor Traci Owen about the astounding percentage of women (80%!) who experience intimacy issues during and after breast cancer treatment. It's a topic people don't often talk about - but Traci is out to change that and help women get back to a healthy relationship with themselves and their partners.

If you experienced dental issues during or after breast cancer treatment, or are just starting down the road to treatment and would like to educate yourself about potential problems, this is for you. We talk with dental professional Kaylee about how she treats patients who have experienced breast cancer treatment and some of the things you should know.

You may have heard the term "HER2-Positive" in your own diagnosis or a family members'. But what does it mean in terms you can actually understand? Project31 breast nurse navigator Jennifer Harrod explains.

Project31 Breast Nurse Navigator Jennifer Harrod talks with co-host Jane Wilson about which risks are modifiable and which are not. Tune in for some great information and tips on what you can do and what you should be thinking about. To see the original video, visit the Project31 YouTube channel.

So you've been diagnosed with breast cancer. Now how do you talk to your kids about it? Hosts Jane and Jennifer share a little about their experiences and offer some tips for others facing what can be a very difficult conversation. Breast cancer or any kind of cancer ... it helps to be prepared.

We all know we should be diligent about screenings and prevention, but are there other things you should be thinking about? Breast nurse navigator Jennifer talks with host Jane about some important tips and facts that all women, high-risk or not, should know.  

No doubt about it. It's a real fear and "scan-xiety" is no joke. So how do you move forward without letting every routine doctor visit and every yearly check-up send you into panic mode? Let's talk about it.  

Listen in as host Jane Wilson talks with breast nurse navigator Jennifer Harrod about some of the questions she gets most often from women going through treatment or who have just been diagnosed.  

Host Sarah talks with Amanda, who was 8 months pregnant when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She shares about her feelings hearing the news, how it affected her as she began chemo just after giving birth, and now... what her perspective is five years later.  

Listen as hosts Sarah and Becki share some time with Norma Goff - a retired nurse, talented actress, speaker, breast cancer survivor, mother, wife, and woman of unrelenting faith. She shares her story and the many things she learned and experienced along the way.  

It's easy to say those vows, but it gets a lot more complicated a few years - and a breast cancer diagnosis - down the road. In this episode, Project31 co-founders Steve and Sarah McLean continue their series on topics so relevant to couples struggling to make it through this roller coaster. Today's discussion on commitment is a big one for many of us. Listen in as they share their experience and offer encouragement!  

Hosts Becki and Sarah talk with the ever-joyful TerJuana about her diagnosis just two weeks after she married her husband, and her perspective throughout the journey.  

Hosts Becki and Sarah talk with Dr. Nicole Sharp Cottrell, a board-certified and fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist at INTEGRIS Breast Surgery in Oklahoma City. Listen in as she covers many of the FAQs breast cancer patients have - and pick up important information if you are just starting down the road to surgery.

Project31 co-founders Sarah and Steve McLean dive into episode 2 in their series on the issues surrounding marriage and intimacy during and after breast cancer. This week, they talk about expectations and how they can be very different for each partner throughout this experience, often leading to major difficulties if not confronted.  

Project31 founders Sarah and Steve McLean have been through 2 bouts with breast cancer - the first one when they were barely one year into their marriage and in their 20s. Now, more than 20 years later they have a unique perspective on how breast cancer can affect a marriage and both love to talk with and encourage others, sharing some of the things they've learned along the way. Steve has a heart for working with husbands of breast cancer patients and helping them navigate their way through their unique challenges and feelings as well. Tune in for some insightful discussion!    

Host Becki of Project31 talks to her friend Cynthia about the importance of having "that" friend when you're going through the breast cancer journey.  

Hosts Sarah and Becki share a conversation with survivor and professional musician Julie Clifford, who reflects on how she was able to find comfort and healing throughout her diagnosis and treatment.  

This week, Sarah shares some time with guest Lindsay - who was diagnosed at 35 with breast cancer and is now living with metastatic cancer, as it has spread to her bones and brain. She shares how she's found purpose in the experience, a peace with the reality, and a way to continue to have open, honest conversations with her 10-year-old son.  

Trauma is a word we hear a lot - but do we really know what it means and how it occurs? And can a cancer diagnosis cause a trauma response? Today, hosts Jane and Sarah talk with guest Angie Ridings, who is a breast cancer survivor as well as a licensed professional counselor with a special focus on trauma. She shares her story and tells us a little about some of the ways a medical diagnosis can lead to trauma and how therapies such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help.  

Beth, a captain for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, has spent her life being the strong one in every situation. The one people lean on for help. So when she was hit with a sudden breast cancer diagnosis at 40, she had to learn what it meant to let people help her for a change. She shares her story of continuing to work as an officer throughout treatment and the inspiration she's found now that she's on the other side of things.  

Join us as Sarah talks with Krista and Ryan Price, who found out they were having their first baby....and then found out Krista had breast cancer. They share their story of the feelings, the treatment, the surgeries, the tears, and how they came through it all together, now with a healthy baby boy in the family.  

Hosts Becki and Sarah talk with fellow survivor Necy about the not-often-talked-about feelings that come with making it through the diagnosis and treatment and still not feeling like you're "ok". Hear a little about what they found to be the keys to healing the emotional and spiritual wounds that leave scars, too.

In this episode, we hand the mics over to the guys and let them talk about their experiences throughout their wives' battles with breast cancer. We hear from four men, all at different stages in the experience - two who are many years out, onee going through it now, and one whose wife was diagonsed while pregnant. It's a side of the story we don't often hear, and one that we are very focused on at Project31.

Hosts Becki and Sarah speak with the founders of Fahrenheit Mentoring and discuss the value of mentors in our lives.  

Pelvic floor physical therapist Christina Wright has spent many years helping women deal with pelvic floor issues - and there are many! Especially after cancer treatment, women experience difficulties and often run into frustration trying to find any sort of help. But it doesn't have to be that way! Tune in as hosts Sarah and Jane learn all kinds of great information from Christina.  

Physical therapist Paige Sims specializes in working with breast cancer patients. In this episode, she shares with hosts Sarah and Becki some of the many ways physical therapy can be targeted specifically for women before, during and after treatment to help reduce and even eliminate many of the difficulties patients face, including lymphedema.

Christina Wright is a physical therapy specialist with a heart for breast cancer patients. In this episode, she talks with hosts Sarah and Jane about the reality of pain, what it's all about, and how we can deal with it. Join the conversation for some very interesting insights on this very real and sometimes very mysterious part of life.  

Sarah, Jane, and Becki continue the conversation on the things they wish they'd known when they were first diagnosed. Listen in for great insights and personal stories of the big and small decisions that can have lasting effects you may not think about until years down the road.

In the middle of everything else that happened in 2020, Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer and jumped on the roller coaster of trying to figure out life with treatments and surgery and medical bills along with everything else that comes along with life for her, her husband and two small children.

Hindsight is always 20/20.... but when you're dealing with your health, body image, sexuality, intimacy, and confidence as a woman ... there's a lot at stake. In this, the first in a series of things you need to know, we hear from three different women who offer three different perspectives on surgery decisions and what they wish they had known before making decisions at the beginning of their breast cancer journeys.  

Jane and Sarah are back after a break due to Covid restrictions and are talking prepping for the holidays when there's family, travel, meals, breast cancer, and more to deal with! Believe it or not, this can still be a time of peace and thanksgiving. Tune in for some encouraging words.  

Wellness advocate Nicole Hatten joins hosts Sarah and Jane to discuss the many toxins in the products we use every day and how they can affect our health and livelihood - and yes, even contribute to cancer rates. She shares helpful tips on clean products as well as the benefits of essential oils. Great information for all of us, cancer or not!  

There's no way around the financial impact of breast cancer treatment. It can affect families in so many ways. But there IS help - and sometimes it's just a matter of knowing who and what to ask. Our guest, Ellen Wardlaw, is a nurse navigator and helps lots of patients through the process. She shares some insightful tips and encouragement with hosts Sarah and Jane. Music by Seth Wright: sethwrightmusic.com