Kathleen never saw herself as a cancer patient — she was aprofessor, a mom to two daughters adopted from China, a cyclist climbingColorado's Rocky Mountains. Then thyroid cancer came at 45. Then colorectalcancer at 60, in the middle of a COVID lockdown, with zero symptoms except oneincident she almost ignored.

In this deeply moving episode, Kathleen takes us throughtwo very different cancer journeys — the calm of thyroid surgery at MDAnderson, and the brutal reality of 8 rounds of chemo, 15 days in a New Yorkhospital, and the 'cancer pinata party' she threw before surgery. She opens upabout toxic positivity, what to say (and not say) to someone with cancer, how acycling club became her lifeline, and why her fire inside comes straight fromher mom.

Whether you're navigating your own health crisis,supporting a loved one, or simply looking for a dose of honest, humanresilience — this episode is for you.

📌 Topics covered:

• Her first cancer: thyroid cancer diagnosed at 45 |Choosing MD Anderson over standard care

• COVID-era diagnosis: colorectal cancer discovered byaccident on a road trip

• Chemo reality: what accumulation feels like, why cryingcaused a searing headache

• 15-day hospital stay that was supposed to be 3 days —and Plan B that saved her

• Toxic positivity & cancer warrior language — whatthe community actually wants to hear

• How cycling, 'Partners in Climb,' and ColoTown becameher pillars of recovery

• Her book on renewable energy politics coming from OxfordUniversity Press in 2026

• The fire inside: a tribute to her late mother