Still I Rise Podcast
Real stories. Raw truth. Unshakable hope.Hosted by Lisa McKenzie, founder of You Night Empowering Events, The Still I Rise Podcast is a powerful, heartfelt series that shares the voices of women who have fought — or are still fighting — cancer, and the transformative journeys they’ve taken to reclaim joy, identity, and purpose.Each episode highlights inspiring survivor stories, candid conversations with mental health experts, and uplifting insights for anyone facing life after diagnosis. We dive deep into the emotional, spiritual, and psychological layers of healing — reminding every woman that she’s not alone, and that her story matters.Whether you're nav...
Betty Milazzo: Through the Storm — Surviving Breast Cancer at 70 with Faith, Hope & Courage
Send us Fan Mail
There's an old saying that we can't always control the storms that come into our lives, but we can choose how we navigate through them.
And sometimes, those storms teach us things about ourselves that we might never have discovered otherwise.
When Betty Milazzo was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, she was 70 years old.
Now, by the time you've lived seven decades, you've probably weathered your share of life's challenges. You've experienced heartache, celebrated victories, learned some hard lessons, and hopefully discovered a thing or two about...
The Hidden Influences on Our Health: What Are We Exposed To Every Day? - featuring Courtney Carmadelle with Wholistic Fix
Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to another episode of Still I Rise, where we explore the many ways we can take charge of our health, our healing, and our lives.
Through my work with You Night, I've met so many women who, after receiving a cancer diagnosis, have said the same thing: "I did everything right. I ate healthy, I exercised, I took care of myself. How did this happen?"
And it raises an important question: What about the things we're exposed to every day that we may not even be thinking...
Finding My Way Back to Me: Reclaiming the Heart Cancer Couldn't Take - by Susan Bedard
Send us Fan Mail
What happens when life takes so much from you that you barely recognize the person you've become?
For Susan Bedard, a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma in 2024, followed by metastatic carcinoma, changed far more than her physical health. It changed the way she viewed her relationships, her priorities, and ultimately, herself.
For years, Susan was the woman who showed up for everyone else. The peacemaker. The people-pleaser. The one who put everyone else's needs before her own.
But cancer has a way of revealing things...
Kimberly Foley: Surviving Breast Cancer, Finding Healing & Becoming the Shore
Send us Fan Mail
Have you ever been so busy surviving life that you never stopped to heal from it?
You know what I mean. Life throws something devastating your way, and somehow you find the strength to get through it. You pick yourself up, put one foot in front of the other, and keep going. And before you know it, another storm comes along.
For Kimberly Foley, life has been a series of storms.
She endured years of infertility and five rounds of IVF before finally becoming the mother of...
Covered: Hearing God’s Voice, Finding Faith & Trusting His Protection by Lisa McKenzie
Send us Fan Mail
Have you ever heard the voice of God?
There have been moments in my life when I believe God has spoken to me so clearly that I couldn't ignore Him—during grief, heartbreak, fear, and moments when I questioned whether the work I was doing even mattered.
In this deeply personal episode of Still I Rise, I share three experiences that changed the way I understand faith and God's presence in my life: a vivid dream during the unraveling of my marriage that led me unexpectedly to Ps...
Tara Alviano: Breast Cancer, Motherhood & the Strength to Keep Fighting
Send us Fan Mail
There’s a difference between being bent and being broken.
Life can put so much weight on us that we barely recognize ourselves under it. It can change our bodies, shake our confidence, disrupt the future we thought we were going to have, and make us question just how much more we can carry.
But sometimes, it’s under that weight that we discover what we’re actually made of.
When Tara Alviano heard the words, “You have breast cancer,” her world changed in an inst...
Adelia Ramos: How Breast Cancer Taught a Lifelong Caregiver to Finally Choose Herself
Send us Fan Mail
Today’s guest is especially meaningful to me because I had the pleasure of getting to know Adelia Ramos in a very personal way. I was one of her coaches during this year's Story Crafting program, where our little group proudly called ourselves the Iron Rebels.
And over those weeks together, I had the privilege of watching Adelia begin to unpack a pattern that had shaped almost her entire life:
Taking care of everyone except herself.
Adelia was only eleven years ol...
Olivia Joly: Surviving Hodgkin Lymphoma, Overcoming Loss & Becoming the Mountain
Send us Fan Mail
Today’s episode is especially meaningful, and before I introduce my guest, I want to dedicate this conversation to someone very special.
My guest today is Olivia Joly, a cancer survivor whose story is rooted in family, sacrifice, resilience, and the belief that no matter how deep the valley, we somehow find the strength to keep climbing.
Cancer has touched Olivia’s family in a profound way. Two of her sisters have also gone through our program, making this journey one that their family has shar...
Jessica Palumbo: Facing Stage 4 Breast Cancer with Faith, Motherhood & Hope
Send us Fan Mail
Today’s guest has spent much of her life learning something the ocean eventually teaches all of us:
We cannot control the waves. But we can learn how to keep breathing when they come.
Jessica Palumbo dreamed of becoming a mother for as long as she can remember. But before that dream came true, she would face years of infertility, uncertainty, procedures, waiting, and the quiet grief of wondering whether the children she had always imagined would ever arrive.
Eventually, the tide turned, and Jessica be...
Amy Benoit: She Fought to Survive Cancer—Then Chose to Truly Live
Send us Fan Mail
Sometimes the thing that threatens to take your life is the very thing that teaches you how much your life is worth.
Today’s guest is Amy Benoit, and her story is about breast cancer—but it’s also about something much bigger. It’s about finding the courage to choose yourself after years of believing that keeping everyone else together was your responsibility.
Amy grew up surrounded by love, family, laughter, and a beautiful example of what home could feel like. But somewhere along the way, in a mar...
Lisa-Jo Mitchell: The Key She Carried All Along — Breast Cancer, Loss & Finding “I Am Enough”
Send us Fan Mail
Today’s guest has spent much of her life being the strong one—the woman who carried the weight, protected everyone else, and learned how to tuck her own pain away where no one could see it.
Lisa-Jo Mitchell describes herself as Pandora’s Box: a beautiful, battle-worn treasure chest where, for years, she locked away grief, fear, anger, loss, and the parts of herself she believed she had to hide in order to survive.
And Lisa-Jo has survived a lot.
She became a mother under...
Alisha Malloy: Finding Faith, Grace & Healing Through Breast Cancer and Unimaginable Loss
Send us Fan Mail
Today, I have the privilege of introducing you to a woman whose story reminds us that even when life changes the music, the song is not over.
My guest is Alisha Malloy, a member of the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation’s SheROSE Class of 2026.
Alisha’s story is one of extraordinary love, unimaginable loss, breast cancer, faith, and ultimately, grace.
In 2012, Alisha experienced what no mother should ever have to endure when her beautiful 17-year-old daughter, Ciara Charmayn Mall...
Lisa McKenzie: I Can Only Imagine — Healing from Abandonment, Divorce & Betrayal
Send us Fan Mail
Welcome back to our new season everyone! Before we post all of the amazing interviews lined up, I have been sitting on my fourth story and pondering if I should share it. Because Story Crafting allows participants to dive into traumatic experiences and find peace with what they have been through, well - it is only fitting that I took advantage of this platform and opportunity to do the same.
I Can Only Imagine
What happens when the life you thought you were building suddenly becomes the li...
We're taking a break! Season 5 launches in August! Have a great summer everyone!
Send us Fan Mail
Hi everyone!
We hope you have some fun summer plans! As we prepare for Season 5, with over 55 new interviews lined up, we wanted to let you know we are taking a small break over the summer until mid August, where we will start releasing all of the new interviews.
If you are new to this channel, please scroll through our past interviews and listen to the amazing interviews! With over 110 to choose from, we know you'll find stories that will inspire you!
Until we gather again in Aug...
Dr. Scott Sullivan with Center for Restorative Breast Surgery: The Microsurgery Pioneer Who Helped Revolutionize DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
Send us Fan Mail
Today’s guest is Dr. Scott Sullivan, a world-renowned reconstructive microsurgeon at the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery and one of the leading experts in DIEP flap breast reconstruction and microsurgical breast reconstruction after mastectomy.
Dr. Sullivan has helped advance and refine the groundbreaking DIEP flap procedure, a highly specialized form of breast reconstruction that uses a woman's own tissue to restore the breast after breast cancer surgery. His work has helped change the standard of care for women seeking natural breast reconstruction after mastectomy, giving thousands of breast cancer survivors th...
A Life in a New Key: How Ida Senerchia-Zecco Turned Cancer into a Symphony of Hope
Send us Fan Mail
Today’s guest is someone whose life reminds us that healing comes in many forms.
When Ida Senerchia-Zecco was just 40 years old, she found herself standing at the intersection of loss, exhaustion, single motherhood, divorce, and a breast cancer diagnosis. Having already lost her own mother to breast cancer, she was faced with difficult decisions and a future filled with uncertainty.
But rather than allowing cancer to define her story, Ida began a journey of rediscovering herself. She traded stress for creativity, fear for purpose, and isolation for connection. Al...
The Fire and Faith of Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer featuring Michelle Maloney
Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to the Still I Rise Podcast, where we share stories of resilience, hope, and the strength of the human spirit.
Today, I'm honored to introduce Michelle Maloney and her story, The Fire and Faith: Living with Metastatic Cancer.
Michelle has faced more than her share of loss and hardship throughout her life. After surviving breast cancer while pregnant with her son, she was later diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer that had spread to her lungs.
But this isn't just a story about cancer. It's...
"Rising from the Ashes" - Courtney Moore’s Journey Through Trauma, Breast Cancer, and Healing
Send us Fan Mail
Many of the women I interview enter the Story Crafting program believing they are there to address the pain and trauma of cancer. But it never fails—in those intimate small groups, another wave of emotions begins to surface. Stories of childhood wounds, broken relationships, abandonment, abuse, fear, grief, and years of buried pain quietly rise to the top. That’s what a cancer diagnosis often does. It forces you to revisit so much more than the disease itself. It cracks open old wounds that were never fully healed.
But Story Craf...
"Kaleidoscope of Strength": Burpees, Boundaries and Breast Cancer - Rochelle Ives Story
Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to the Still I Rise podcast…
where women turn pain into purpose and scars become stories of strength.
Today’s guest is Rochelle Ives, a member of the Gloria Gemma SheROSE Class of 2025, and let me just say… Rochelle sparkles.
When we did the SheROSE photo shoot and she placed that crown on her head, I honestly couldn’t tell which sparkled more—the crown or Rochelle herself.
But what makes Rochelle so special is that her sparkle doesn’t end when the cameras stop rolling...
A special Mother's Day message from Lisa McKenzie: "God's Ultimate To Do List"
Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to the Still I Rise podcast…
the place where stories heal,
where scars become art,
and where women rise again and again… no matter what life has tried to take from them.
Today’s episode is a special Mother’s Day message.
And whether you are a mother…
missing your mother…
longing to become a mother…
or simply a woman who has spent her life nurturing everyone around you…
this message is for you.
As I sat thinking about a...
Still I Rise Podcast: Courtney Trombka’s Leukemia Journey, Faith, Survival & Finding Strength Through Cancer
Send us Fan Mail
There are moments in life when everything changes with one phone call… one word… one sentence that splits your world in two.
For Courtney Trombka, that moment came on July 4th, 2019, when she heard the words, “You have a rare type of leukemia.” At just thirty years old, with two young children depending on her, her life suddenly became a storm she never asked to sail through.
But Courtney’s story is not just about cancer. It’s about survival. It’s about faith. It’s about what happens when a woman ref...
From the Beginning: The Voices That Built You Night (Part 4 of 4) with guests Ruth Avila and Julie Angelos
Send us Fan Mail
Welcome back to Still I Rise… and to Day 4—our final day—of this 100th episode celebration.
Over the last few days, we’ve been surrounded by the voices, the stories, and the people who have helped build this journey into what it is today.
And today, we close out this special series with two women who represent both heart and history—two voices that remind us just how personal and powerful this journey truly is.
You’ll hear from Ruth Avila and my sister, Julie Angelos—women whose co...
From the Beginning: The Voices That Built You Night (Part 3 of 4) with guests Angela Becnel and Deborah Tonguis
Send us Fan Mail
Welcome back to Still I Rise… and to Day 3 of our 100th episode celebration.
Over the past two days, we’ve been honoring the voices and the people who have helped shape this journey—and today, we continue with two women who have been steady, powerful forces behind the scenes and beyond.
One hundred episodes in, and what stands out most isn’t just what’s been created… but who has stood alongside it, helping to carry the mission forward every step of the way.
...From the Beginning: The Voices That Built You Night (Part 2 of 4) with guests Leslie Legania-Shelby and Tracie Morris Schaefer
Send us Fan Mail
Welcome back to Still I Rise… and to Day 2 of our 100th episode celebration.
If you joined us yesterday, you know this isn’t just one episode—it’s a four-part series honoring the voices, the moments, and the people who have helped shape this journey.
One hundred episodes in, and the stories just keep getting richer… the connections deeper… and the impact even more meaningful.
Today, we continue that celebration with two more incredible women who have played a powerful role in what we do.
You’ll hea...
From the Beginning: The Voices That Built You Night (Part 1 of 4) with guests Halle McKenzie and Jill Allender
Send us Fan Mail
“Welcome to Still I Rise… and today, this one feels different.
This is our 100th episode.
One hundred conversations. One hundred moments of truth, vulnerability, strength, and rising—again and again. This podcast has always been about connection… about the people who show up, who stay, and who lift each other when life gets heavy.
So today, instead of telling one story… I wanted to bring together the voices that helped shape this journey.
I’ve invited some of my favorite people—those who have been here sinc...
Forged in Toughness | Kati Cheek on Resilience, Cancer & Learning to Receive Life’s Blessings
Send us Fan Mail
In this episode of Still I Rise, Lisa sits down with Kati Cheek—an Allstate agency owner, breast cancer survivor, and a woman whose strength and generosity extend far beyond her profession.
What began as a desperate search for affordable homeowners insurance in the midst of Louisiana’s insurance crisis turned into an unexpected and life-changing connection. Kati not only helped Lisa save thousands of dollars on her home and auto policies, but she also became a trusted friend, a supporter of her nonprofit mission, and...
"My Wildfire Years: A Journey through Loss, Love and Healing" by Alexis Santoro
Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to the Still I Rise Podcast—where stories of resilience, healing, and the human spirit remind us that even in our darkest moments… we rise.
Today’s episode is one you won’t forget.
Our guest, Alexis Santoro, shares a journey she describes as living through years of wildfires—unexpected, relentless, and life-altering. From the unraveling of a marriage, to losing both of her parents to cancer within a short span, to navigating life as a single mother… Alexis became, in her own words, an untrained firefighter—constantly responding, co...
Finding Gold in the Shadows (and the quest to stop being so hard on ourselves!): "Daylight" by Rachel Giammolva
Send us Fan Mail
This episode… it hit hard.
Because today, Rachel Giammolva shares something so deeply personal, so honest… that it’s going to make a lot of women feel seen.
Rachel has lost over 100 pounds. By every standard, that’s a transformation the world celebrates.
But what she reveals is something we don’t talk about enough…
Her mind still sees someone she doesn’t love.
Rachel has lived with extreme body dysmorphia—something that didn’t disappear with the weight. And when you hear her story, you beg...
A River Never Ceasing: Healing Childhood Wounds, Breast Cancer, and Finding Strength Through It Al - by Helen Connorsl
Send us Fan Mail
Today’s story is called “A River Never Ceasing” by Helen Connors—and it is exactly that… a life that keeps moving, keeps flowing, no matter what it encounters.
Helen is someone who doesn’t sit still for long. She moves forward, pushes through, gets things done. But as you’ll hear, when she allowed herself to slow down and tell her story out loud, something unexpected happened.
There was a moment—one she didn’t anticipate—when emotion rose to the surface. It caught her off guard. It was tied t...
Breast Cancer Recurrence Warning: Cutaneous Metastases After Mastectomy – Kimberly Meyers-Turner's Story
Send us Fan Mail
When Kimberly Meyers-Turner sat down for this interview in September 2025, she believed she had survived breast cancer.
After undergoing a double mastectomy and reconstruction, she was celebrating what she thought was the end of a long and difficult journey. Full of faith, hope, and gratitude, Kimberly shared her story believing the battle was behind her.
But just months later, her life would be completely uprooted.
Kimberly began noticing something unusual on the skin near her reconstructed breast—small changes that didn’t seem urgent at first. Like many...
In the Hands of the Master Artist: Dina Buscher’s Story of Cancer, Faith, and Rising from the Ashes
Send us Fan Mail
What happens when life slowly wears away your sense of worth—and then cancer delivers what feels like the final blow?
In this powerful episode of the Still I Rise Podcast, Lisa sits down with Dina Buscher, who shares her deeply personal story of growing up in a loving Italian family, building a life rooted in strong values, and then slowly losing sight of her own worth through years of painful circumstances.
Dina describes her life using a powerful metaphor: a wooden post carved by...
Three Months from 10 Years Cancer-Free… Then the Words “You Have Cancer Again” | Jeannie Travalini
Send us Fan Mail
What happens when you are just three months away from celebrating ten years cancer-free… and you hear the words no survivor ever wants to hear again:
“You have cancer.”
In this powerful episode of the Still I Rise Podcast, Lisa sits down with cancer survivor Jeannie Travalini, whose life was turned upside down when cancer returned just before her long-awaited 10-year milestone.
Jeannie shares her deeply personal story of navigating a second diagnosis, the emotional toll of recurrence, and the une...
The "The Darkness and the Light": Healing Trauma, Breaking Generational Cycles, and Surviving Cancer featuring Alana Acereto
Send us Fan Mail
In this powerful episode of Still I Rise, Alana Acereto shares her story, “The Darkness and the Light,” a deeply moving reflection on childhood trauma, generational healing, and her journey as a cancer survivor.
For years, Alana sought healing through therapy, trying to untangle the chaos left by early trauma. She shares that participating in Story Crafting was the first process that truly allowed her to release the pain she had carried for decades. While some parts of her story remain sacred and were shared privately within her...
"Reaching the Peak": Maryann Fonseca’s Breast Cancer Survivor Story of Faith, Running, and Spiritual Awakening
Send us Fan Mail
Some journeys aren’t flat roads — they’re mountains.
Mountains with loose rocks beneath your feet.
Mountains that make your heart race.
Mountains that force you to stop, breathe, and pray before taking the next step.
Today’s guest, Maryann Fonseca, describes her life as climbing toward the highest peak — even though she’s afraid of heights. Along the way, she’s heard the echo of her sister’s encouragement, felt the steady love of family, endured abuse, navigated motherhood at nineteen, and leaned on the unwavering support of her hus...
"My Journey Through Darkness and Light": Surviving Childhood Leukemia Twice - by Maureen Fedge
Send us Fan Mail
In this powerful episode of Still I Rise, Maureen Fedge shares her remarkable story of surviving acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as a child — not once, but twice.
Diagnosed at just twelve years old with an aggressive form of leukemia typically seen in adults, Maureen’s carefree childhood quickly shifted from Saturday mornings at City Park to hospital rooms, chemotherapy, and a life-saving cord blood transplant at Duke Hospital. After months in isolation and years of treatment, she was declared cancer-free — only to face recurrence again during her teenag...
"One Ticket. All the Rides. All the Feels": Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer - by Lauren Micciantuono
Send us Fan Mail
Life doesn’t come with a single ride.
It comes with twists, drops, music, stillness — and sometimes, pure fear.
When we meet Lauren Micciantuono, she describes her life like an amusement park. Some days are gentle and steady. Some days spin too fast to breathe. And some days feel like walking through a House of Horrors — dark, unpredictable, and heavy with the fear of what might come next.
Lauren is a wife, a mother of two, and a woman who once believed she could manage the ride if she ju...
"Warrior Carrying a Boulder" by Crystal Walcott: Choosing Strength After Breast Cancer
Send us Fan Mail
In this empowering episode of Still I Rise, Crystal Walcott shares her journey through breast cancer, resilience, and the deliberate choice to reclaim joy. Diagnosed after her first mammogram, Crystal’s life shifted in an instant — from a celebration of family, faith, and milestones to navigating surgery, recovery, and life-altering change.
Using the metaphor of a warrior carrying a boulder, Crystal reflects on the emotional weight cancer brings — the fear, grief, and anger — and the strength required to keep moving forward. Through the love of her husband, the humo...
"The Weight I Carried, The Strength I Found: Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer" featuring Allison Spampinato
Send us Fan Mail
In this deeply moving episode of Still I Rise, Allison Spampinato shares her story of living with metastatic breast cancer while carrying unimaginable grief, fear, and responsibility. Diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Allison fought through chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery, and radiation — only to face a devastating turn when the cancer spread to her brain shortly after losing her father to metastatic pancreatic cancer.
As a mother of three, a wife, and a lifelong caregiver, Allison carried far more than illness. She carried grief, expectation, and the unspoken role of...
Scars Into Strength: A Breast Cancer Survivor’s Story of Resilience and Healing by Idun-Cara Byers
Send us Fan Mail
In this powerful episode of Still I Rise, Idun-Cara Byers shares a deeply moving story of resilience, caregiving, and healing after breast cancer. Diagnosed with Stage One Estrogen-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, Idun-Cara faced years of surgeries, body betrayal, and identity shifts — all while continuing to care for family, build a career, and live fully.
From a childhood shaped by love and resilience, to years of caregiving through ALS and stroke, to reclaiming her body through a transformative DIEP flap reconstruction, this episode explores how scars be...
"Cracked Open" by Nicole Urbanek: A Breast Cancer Story of Loss, Resilience, and Becoming
Send us Fan Mail
Some moments in life change us quietly.
Others crack us open completely.
For Nicole Urbanek, that moment came at just thirty-three, when the life she knew split wide with a breast cancer diagnosis. It wasn’t just her body that changed — it was the way she understood loss, resilience, and who she truly was beneath it all.
Nicole is a teacher, a storyteller, and someone who has known grief long before cancer entered the picture — losing her father at twenty, and her brother just twelve years later...
