Breast Cancer, Body Image, and Reclaiming Yourself with Gina Lamanna of The Fondle Project

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month—but this episode of Roar goes beyond pink ribbons and into the real stories of recovery, self-advocacy, and strength.

In this powerful premiere episode of Season 3, host Danielle Davies sits down with Gina Lamanna, founder of The Fondle Project, a nonprofit redefining breast cancer awareness through unapologetic visibility, style, and self-advocacy.

Gina shares her personal journey—from losing confidence after her breast cancer diagnosis to creating a national photo campaign that celebrates survivors as bold, radiant, and whole. What began as her own healing process has become a thriving 501(c)(3) nonprofit, partnering with fashion brands and reshaping how we talk about breast health.

Together, Danielle and Gina dig into

🌟 Why awareness alone isn’t enough, and how The Fondle Project pushes back against “pink-washed” narratives.

💪 The power of vulnerability, visibility, and style in reclaiming confidence after illness.

🧭 Gina’s story of advocating for herself when screenings missed her cancer—and what it taught her about trusting intuition.

👩👧 How her experience shaped the way she parents her daughters, teaching them self-advocacy and body literacy.

🔥 The bigger cultural shift The Fondle Project is sparking: flipping the script on how we see survivors, sexuality, and strength. This conversation is raw, inspiring, and unforgettable—an empowering kickoff to Season 3.

✨ Key Takeaways from This Episode

Self-advocacy saves lives: Gina’s breast cancer was missed on both mammogram and ultrasound, but she trusted her intuition and pushed for an MRI.

Know your normal: The Fondle Project encourages women to take two minutes each week for self-exams—what Gina calls Fondle Fridays.

Beyond awareness: With stunning black-and-white photography and fashion collaborations, The Fondle Project redefines what survivorship looks like—unapologetic, sexy, and strong.

Community matters: From girlfriends on rotation during recovery to creative collaborators who donated time and talent, healing happens in community.

Life after diagnosis: Survivors don’t just want to survive; they want to thrive, feel seen, and reclaim joy, love, and possibility.

💖 If this episode moved you, share it with a woman you love or tag us at @RoarPodcast—your voice helps amplify theirs.

Listen to ROAR with Danielle Davies: Women, Culture & Impact on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. New conversations every Tuesday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSBvVegmtQg

Full Transcript

This transcript was generated automatically and lightly cleaned up. It may contain small errors.

House. Hi, I'm Danielle Davies and you're listening to Roar, a show that amplifies the voices of women breaking barriers, leading change, and making real impact. Keep listening for bold ideas and stories that inspire you to find your voice and make some noise. Hi, and welcome back to ROAR. I'm your host Danielle Davies.

Today's guest is Gina Lamanna, founder of the Fondle Project, a nonprofit that turns breast cancer awareness into something a lot more powerful. Action, agency, and unap unapologetic visibility. Gina launched the Fondle Project after her own diagnosis. And what started as a personal story has grown into a 501c3 organization, a national photo campaign, and a movement that pushes back on the pinkwash version of breast cancer we're all used to seeing. I've known Gina since kindergarten, and if there's one thing she's always had, it's style.

It's what made her a brilliant stylist and shop owner for years. And now she's using that same creative eye and sense of boldness to help women reclaim their bodies and their stories. We talk about why awareness isn't enough, how vulnerability and visibility overlap, and what it really means to take up space after your life has changed. Welcome, Gina. And I'm sorry for tripping over my words.

I'm so excited to start talking to you. just blasted through. So, hi. Welcome. Hi, love.

I'm so excited. I'm so excited, too. And I'm sorry, everybody. I This is truly like my one of my oldest friends. And if I can find it, I've got our kindergarten picture where we're standing next to each other.

And even then, Gina's got like great hair at five, five or six. we are very little, but she's she's been she is hands down my most stylish friend of all time. So, but she's much more than that as well. I'm so excited for us to catch up. It's way we're we're a long way overdue.

So, I'm excited and honored to be on your podcast. Thank you. Well, I'll get us started because otherwise I'll just take us down memory lane all day long. but let's just talk about what you did here. You've got the Fondle Project, but it's rooted in your personal story.

Can you tell us about the moment you had this idea and what made you act on this? I was diagnosed officially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. So what is that eight plus years ago? Yeah. And going through my own journey, being on my own journey and going through my own personal experience I lost my confidence.

I lost my self-esteem my self-esteem self-esteem excuse me. And I recognize that many women on this journey as well, we share that common theme. And because we go through so many transformations when you're diagnosed with cancer, we lose our hair, our body changes, I lost my breast, reconstruction. So, you know, fluctuation in weight, hormonal, there's various things that we go through. And being a fashion stylist and being on this journey again, I recognized this common theme amongst all these women that I was building community with post diagnosis that they wanted to be celebrated.

They wanted I they didn't feel celebrated. They didn't feel seen if that makes sense. Yeah. No, it makes a lot of sense. So a couple years ago when I was going through all this and healing myself, I was like, I want to spotlight these women.

So I was meeting so many incredible women and I really wanted to share their story and make them feel seen and beautiful and empowered. So I had this idea, put it on hold for a bit because life got in the way obviously pandemic and whatnot. And it wasn't until, see, we launched on June 2023, so about 2 and a half years ago. you know, my oldest daughter, Eva, she was 14 at the time. And she at the time she had found a lump in her breast, some redness and a lump.

Yes. Oh my gosh. Yes. and she we contacted her pediatrician who I love and adore and I said hey this is what's going on what's the protocol for this how can you guide me through this he told me not to worry obviously she was 14 and she had developing breasts and what not this is very normal but in the interim put warm compresses on her breast every 20 minutes so I told you know I helped Ava go through this whole process and she got in the shower and I got in the shower with her And I showed her how to apply a warm compress on the redness and the lump. " you know, and kind of walked her through and I, you know, my at the time my heart sank and went through that whole process with her for about 15 20 minutes and then I jetted out to my back studio because at the time I had my private studio.

I lost my [ __ ] of course. I was about to do myself. Okay. I caught up Stephen, who's my ex-husband, and you know, he and I are very, very close, and I said, our 14-year-old daughter is now officially concerned about breast cancer. and I started worrying about the age of 31 because my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 31.

So that put me on a higher risk and I started having my ultrasounds and mamograms every six months for 10 years because I had dense breasts and I had the higher risk of developing breast cancer. So for me it was like oh my goodness she's 14 years old. I need to do something. We that like I need to like it just kind of just jump started things and I went back and I revisited this idea of like the importance of knowing your body, knowing your normal because I know we'll we'll get to this, but my own breast cancer was misdiagnosed. It was not found on a mammogram.

It wasn't found on an ultrasound. It was through my own fondling my breast, performing my self- exams that found my lump. And so I was my own advocate. But so I revisited the idea and at the time, you know, I started, you know, like pitching it to my girlfriends and my friends and I said, I want to do this whatever. And Charlie, my partner, was like, you can do this, whatever, but there's no way you can do this by yourself.

you need like a whole like production team or whatever. I was like, "No, do this. I'll just get some snacks and get a table. I'll get my friend who's a local photographer like we'll do this. It's going to be great.

" And when I started putting things together, I realized, wow, I have there's something here, you know? So, I wanted to collaborate with all the fashion brands that I had connections with. And I created this amazing pitch deck and I locked down this incredible photographer from Brooklyn, New York, who is both a beauty and fashion photographer, Kate Powers, and she loved the idea. And I told her my vision. I went black and white.

I didn't want anything pink w like no pink. I really wanted to create a more modern, elevated campaign, awareness campaign because and I also didn't wanted to launch it in October because October is breast cancer awareness month, which I'm grateful for, but it's a saturated with all kinds of breast cancer content and everything. So, I was very, very specific and intentional about I want to do this campaign. I want to be beautiful and black and white. I want to get brands involved and they're going to have to donate a percentage of their sales to a handful of organizations that I choose and I want to launch it in June which is the month for cancer we honor cancer it's cancer survivor month for June.

so that's basically how it all kind of came together from, you know, recognizing the importance that women want to be seen and celebrated, you know, because we lose our confidence and self-esteem. I really wanted to remind women that cancer doesn't define who we are. It's just a chapter of our story, right? And so with that and then getting this incredible photographer involved we created this incredible campaign. You know, we launched it on June 1st of 2023.

And I have to be honest with you, Danielle, I had no idea what the impact how this was all going to unfold. The impact has been amazing. Well, and I want to ask you Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. Say what you're gonna say.

No, no, go ahead. I was going to say, well, first of all, I'm going to show pictures of what this is, so people I'll show a couple of pictures. and obviously I'll have links to this in the show notes, but if you guys look, if anybody else looks at the Fondle Projects website, you'll notice, first of all, it's stunning. So, it's visually stunning. The women, it's not what you normally would equate with, oh, there's a breast cancer survivor.

Not that there's anything wrong with the whole pink wash. That's that's great. We need all the movements we can, right? We can get. However, yours, people look like supermodels.

They look like they must and they've got to feel like supermodels. And that's the coolest part. Like you're capturing them looking like absolutely at their at the peak most gorgeousness. And all of these women have struggled with breast cancer. They've all So, it's not it's just really unique.

And I'm just curious what not only well you're telling me you're letting me know what you wanted women to feel but what have what has been some of the feedback like when they see these pictures themselves of themselves. First and foremost I think all of us there was 10 of us were on a high for six for like a year after that shoot. That photo shoot was epic. First and foremost, I want to give credit to every single creative that came forward because everyone donated their time, Danielle. From the photographer to Charlie DP, Milk Studios, we had the most incredible photo studio.

Everyone donated their time from the catering to the producer to everybody. It was mindblowing. And it went like it was just incredible. And each and every woman felt so alive and empowered and gorgeous and just seen and they felt celebrated. Now there was 10 of us.

The one the one of them being as young as 24 and then the other six were diagnosed under the age of 35. Now there's a I want to just throw in a little fact here just so you know and for your audience to know. 90% of breast cancer there is no gene and it's not hereditary meaning that what see I was the only one in that campaign one out of 10 of us had family history which was me because my mother the other nine zero family history and again let me repeat that again nine of them zero family history one as young as 24 who was misdiagnosed starting at the age of 23 and then the other six were under the age of 35. Okay. So, it was very important for me to not only spotlight different ages and different stages of their journey, but also look at those women.

They're raw, they're vulnerable, and they're resilient, and they just exuded strength and confidence, and they looked just sexy and gorgeous. And it was just a powerful day. And again, I credit a lot of it to even though I had the vision and the idea and wanted to pay it forward and whatnot or fond for it, I like to say, it was really about Kate Powers coming in and the creatives that really just, you know, made us all feel so safe and beautiful and it was amazing. I mean, I still get chills when I think about it. And we're working on our next one, you know, working on which I'm really excited about.

We're going to try and do one every year. but going back real quick about that campaign, I had seven fashion brands involved, seven female fashion brands. And when I was curating the brands, I was very intentional about what I was pulling to put in the style these women in. Okay. As a stylist, I've always shared with my friends and my clients that there's there's key pieces you should have in your wardrobe at any stage.

Classic pieces that will make you feel confident and sexy and beautiful no matter what. Instant mood booster. So, I was very intentional about like who doesn't love the perfect white tea, right? Goldie tees was part of it. Vintage Levis's are the best or a great fitting pair of denim is, you know, your must have in your wardrobe.

Beautiful jewelry when you're feeling down and if you want to wear like right now I'm in sweatpants and a tank top, but I have some of my fun pieces of jewelry and it's an instant mood booster. So, we had Jackie Aish who's an incredible female LA based designer. We had Flirt out of New York who's the most incredible sexy lingerie because I believe all women should be wearing lingerie not for anyone else but themselves. So I was very intentional about these pieces like the perfect fitted blazer. Do you know what I mean?

So when I was styling each and every woman like these are the key pieces that make women feel powerful or empowered and sexy and confident. So it was very you know intentional about the pieces I was pulling. So yeah I it's interesting too that you even brought up the lingerie because I feel first of all this I don't I've not had breast cancer. Thank goodness. And I'm very grateful.

And my only ex It's almost reminding me of when I first gave birth and you're and I was nursing and I was like I would and you're like in a nursing bra like the least attractive and you don't and you feel the least attractive. Like it goes you're wearing something unattractive. You're literally like you know it's not it's not your time to shine, right? You're you're feeding someone else. That's great.

But it's like it's so important to feel good all over. And I'm the first and you know before we start hit record, we were talking about not being not taking not making ourselves the most important person that we take care of ourselves in all these ways. But even the underwear, there's this book by Jen Sincerero. I don't know if you ever read it. It's called How to be a badass.

talks about one time like her friend had a French roommate and you know this French roommate was very stylish and she went to change. The girl wanted to change and she had like her regular granny panties on like cotton, you know, or cotton briefs. " And it always stuck with me because I'm like this is true. Like yes, there's all there is something to be said about being utilitarian sometimes. But when you want to feel good, when you want when you want your life to feel good, it's important.

Like you said, all these little things, they make a difference. There's not If I feel crappy and then I look crappy, I feel worse. If I feel crappy and I look good, it's a mood booster. And even not just your mood, but your positivity, I have to imagine your recovery. Yeah.

And you're putting yourself out in the world, right? Like for me, I've always told my clients even pre-diagnosis, like you feeling crappy, put on some red lipstick. Put on your favorite lipstick. Or you want to wear sweatpants on day, awesome. Make sure your t-shirt's not wrinkled and throw on a great fitting blazer or denim jacket and some cute sneakers and it pulls you together.

So, I really do believe that style and fashion is a big part of, you know, your identity. But for me and for many women on this journey that I'm trying to help, it really helped me heal on the other end. I'm sure it re I did struggle for, you know, look, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was just unplugged my marriage from Stephen. We weren't divorced yet, but if you remember, I was with Greg pursuing a we were in a long-distance relationship LA to New York. Totally remember.

and we were we were together for about a year at that point. And I was very lucky not only to catch my cancer early, but we'll talk about this. I was surrounded by love. I had not only a partner, Greg, who stood by my side. My former spouse, Stephen, was my rock, you know, like I was and I had the most incredible community of I called my fierce girl gang that really helped me showed up for me.

Like when I had my double massctomy, I was out of commission for seven weeks and they were on a rotation every couple six hours coming here, keeping me company, picking up my kids. Like it was it takes a village, you know. But once I started feeling like myself, which it took a long time, I leaned to getting dressed every day, you know, because that really helped me feel better and feel whole and heal. So, I talk about that a lot within fondle. I've kind of weaved in, you know, one of your questions is like, how do they kind of tie in together?

Yes. That was literally Yes. Yeah. So, fashion and style, I have weaved in some because it is it's about self-love. It's about confidence.

It's about reclaiming your body and reclaiming yourself, especially when you're diagnosed with cancer. I was going to say, and how did you, you know, and this is this is your career field, too, right? You're in style and fashion, so you're not, you know, this world. You're familiar with it. You know, like how to feel good, you know, even what it means to do this.

But for some of the women that were involved, how did you help them even? And I know you had a photographer there as well, but again, this is your vision. You put this all together. Obviously, you're talking to the women, you're guiding them through this. How did you help them feel like both or project their vulnerability and radiance?

How did they tap into that during these photo shoots? Honestly, they brought that with them. I just created the safe like loving collaborative like environment. They showed up and brought it with them. Were they nervous about it?

How did they feel? Honestly, first impress I didn't sleep all night. I literally did not sleep. I had one hour of sleep. They had to put I've never done visine in my eyes.

They had to put Visine because my eyes were red. I can't even believe when I look back at those photos because I mean look, it was a big deal for me to get in front of the camera half naked. I mean, you know, and Charlie, my partner, was the DP and then the Kate brought in Charlie for some of the shots, which was amazing. but they showed up ready, feeling great, so excited. They didn't even know what they were wearing yet, you know.

Oh, and I had a this woman, Kelly, who's a fashion size. She styled the campaign too with me because obviously I couldn't do all of that. Like I had to show up for the women, right? But they showed up ready, excited, music was loud. They chose their song, their favorite song, and they just they were alive.

They were raw. They were themselves. There was no And again, Kate, they showed up as themselves ready, but really Kate really pulled it out. I mean, Kate got me to like show my breasts and everything. Obviously, we're not we don't feature those, but like she got me like that comfortable.

Yeah, she was amazing. Are they Tell me something. I didn't I don't have this like we didn't talk about talking about this, but how do you even select these women? Like are they coming to you? How did it work?

And how does for people who don't know, can you tell us how you work with the brands so that they that money goes back to these organizations that you select? Okay. So at the time, you know, that was two. So I was six years out. So I've already started building a community of women on this journey, right?

Okay. So, I had I had a roster of women, but I also reached out to I just like slid into women's DMs here locally in Los Angeles like, "Hey, I'm doing this campaign and I'd love to feature hear your story. " I got everyone was down. You know, I actually had a wait list. I had a long list of women.

That's why I need to do more, you know, you know, every year because I have a long list of women and eventually we'll probably expand outside of Los Angeles and do like New York and other cities. But I have it was very it was everyone was ready and willing. They wanted to share their story because stories as you know are powerful. I mean, like, not only did we photograph them, we actually I actually interviewed them and Charlie filmed them, you know, because originally it was going to be like a short like docu style campaign, but we couldn't pull it together because we had so many other things going on within that within the project. But everyone was ready and willing and excited.

And I it was very important that I've had a range of women from age, diversity, like different ethnicities and different stages, you know. I mean yeah different treatments you know two of them is it I mean one woman I mean there's there's another there's another layer to this campaign empowering women and spotlighting the importance of breast health and breast cancer but it was also giving women hope and inspiration because for example there's a young woman that was diagnosed at 32 Rebecca who's fashion editor for C magazine here locally in California, she was told she couldn't have children because after all everything that she went through. Well, fast forward to a year later, she had her miracle baby. Oh my god. We, you know, if you look our campaign, we photographed her with her miracle baby, which was amazing.

And then there's another woman, Sabrina, who's stage four mastatic. I think she at the time, I think she was like five, six years in. She's now she's now getting married and but she's like crushing it like she's like a mountaineer like crushing it. She's this producer traveling the world like living her best life with meatic breast cancer you know. Then you have Dion who I think was in her early 50s when she was diagnosed.

Like her big dream was to open up her own lash studio. She was opening it right when we did the campaign. Like you know for me finding love again. I'm going to be honest. You're one of my dearest friends.

When Greg and I broke up in 2019, I was it was hard for me to get out there. I mean, like I went from being married and then being with Greg, who loved me as I was as a whole, loved me through all of it, and then finding myself, okay, I'm single now. Single, divorced, two kids, breast cancer, scars everywhere. Who's gonna honestly who's going to want me? And my confidence depleted like I was I was [ __ ] up like mentally emotion not mentally but like my self-esteem emotionally was just so like how am I going to get naked again?

What am I doing? So it was definitely a time of like okay how am I going to get through this? So, I found, I mean, after a bunch of frogs, I guess you could say, because there was a couple guys along the way before Charlie that were turned me away because they were not ready or not interested in being with a woman that was battling breast cancer or on the other end of breast cancer, which obviously those men were not for me. And because in the beginning when I first started dating, I know I might be derailing here for a second. I would tell men right away like, hey, this is my story because I just wanted to get it over with Danielle, you know, especially if I was getting naked like what are the scars like what I just wanted to, you know, and some, again, like I said, moved on and others were totally cool.

Some Googled me and found out before even me being able to share my story because I did some podcast interviews or blog posts, you know, during the time. You've always been very open about it. Exactly. So, and funny enough, I didn't tell Charlie. I met Charlie in August of 2020, and I didn't tell him for about six months.

He thought my scars were like from implants and from like having a baby, like cescareian like he didn't He's awesome. He was amazing. You know, when I told him, I was like, I got something to tell you, but I'm doing really well. And he's like he was lovely and he was like, thank you so much for telling me this book. He's like, I like you even more.

So he definitely just wrapped me up with so much love and it just was amazing and to his and I will say he is the one that came up with the name Fondal by the way. I can't take credit for he came up with the name. Well, he's he's a great he's a great guy. He's a great addition to our group of people. I we love Charlie.

So he brings me a lot of calm. But yeah, we were when we were pitching this and brainstorming various like names for this campaign, we were in the kitchen cooking and he was like, "How did you because we were together then. " I was fondling my breast. You know, Steven's fondest memory of me is of me always fondling my breasts, performing myself exams because I was constantly like, you know, feeling myself up to make sure I didn't have any lumps or bumps. " And I was chatting with my best friend, Lefty, at the time back and forth, and she was drinking a margarita on the other end, and she literally spit her drink out.

" Yeah, right. Because it's somewhat provocative, makes you kind of lean in. It's playful, you know? because look, cancer is a heavy conversation. It's a it's a heavy thing, right?

But I kind of I really wanted to lean into the younger generation because the younger generation, you know, people are being diagnosed with much younger in that like you I mean, and it's obviously right. You don't associate cancer with sexy. It's just not this is just not what you're talking about at the same just like you don't picture nursing with sexy, right? These are just that's what we say. There's different we have breasts for many reasons, right?

And it's not always going to be about being sexy, but it doesn't mean it can't be. And that's what I feel like you've really be sexy after a cancer diagnosis. Yes. And so I love that the name is a little sexy and provocative and that your pictures are too like that's what you've managed to I feel like you know for the women involved they've got to feel it's first of all anybody who has a great photo taken of themselves if you've had to get head shot taken for anything and they turn out well you're like I look like a million bucks. Like I had a picture taken years ago where people were like that's really good.

" I mean, it was it was such a good photo. I'll have to share it with you. But if you had that kind of photo after something like this, the women in the pictures have to feel so good, but also other women who are who are looking and maybe not feeling that yet or they know that they can. " And while that's just an awful thing for a 14-year-old to think and especially your 14-year-old who I know and adore. So, and now she's not 14 anymore, but that's besides the point.

She knowing that there's another side potentially and that, you know, there's this fierceness and ownership over it and telling your story gives you that power. It's just I think you've done something really empowering for a lot of people. thank you. But also I the reason I mentioned the whole thing about Charlie, Kate wanted to photograph the two of us together to show women you can find love again. You can be sexy.

So that's why we had Charlie, we had a baby. Like, you know, these are stories of resilience and strength and inspiration and hope that, you know, I meet a lot of women that are divorced or single that go through this and they're afraid that they'll never find love again. I've been there. I get it, you know, but you can you can find love again. You can still follow your dreams, you know.

And because for me well with Fondal is now that we're a 501c3 nonprofit, there's there's what I recognize there are so many incredible organizations out there that support research which I love BCRF. They're all about research. Research is very important and they have research has come a long way. and there's also a lot of local organizations that offer like chemrise or like meal trains and all those things are great and very important and we all welcome that. But there's a here at Fondo what I want to do because as I sit here in front of you my long my longtime childhood friend I can tell you I am living my best life.

I am thriving. I feel the even though I have all kinds of amlets of getting older, I feel the best that I ever have in my life because I am living an authentic life now with intention and but also I've had the resources and the community to get to this point. And what that means is there's a gap between treatment and healing amongst cancer survivors. When you are diagnosed with breast cancer and you are in it, all we all we're doing is trying to survive. That's it.

We are surviving day after day. Okay? So, when you ring that last chemo bell or when you're done that last reconstruction surgery or radiation, your journey is not over. This is a lifelong journey for us. And your healing doesn't start to begin until later.

I didn't heal I didn't start to heal for about a year and a half, two years later, okay? until I really kind of started leaning in what was most important, what I needed, you know, and there's a gap and there are so many people, women, that's our focus right now that need the support and the resources and the community. And that's where Fondal comes in. Like I know a woman right now that all she wants right now is acupuncture. She can't afford it.

Well, that's what we want to do. our funds are going to help provide these the resources, these community events and workshops and you know and maybe it's me styling them for the day and working with a brand just so a woman can feel alive because all we want to do is live and thrive. You know what I mean? Yes. And but take can we go back too for a minute?

Can you talk to us because speaking of this is a big picture [ __ ] you have to show us the you're like no can you take us back though to what you were saying even before you get to this point because you're talking about obviously in chemo and all this stuff it's to survive. Take me back to can you talk to us about how you basically were went back to your doctors and was like this there is something wrong. you self- advocated until the point where Oh yeah. Yeah. There's that's a whole that's a yeah that's a very important part of my story.

So rewinding normal screenings October of 2016 after a normal mammogram normal ultrasound 2016 I was with Greg felt a lump called my doctor and said I'm I'm feeling lump although my screenings were clear. Can you see me? I went in. She feels it. She agreed that it felt a little off and weird.

She does an on-site ultrasound again. " Fine. again I had the you know at the time I could afford that and many women don't have that luxury or that privilege. So I pursued an MRI and at the time fast forward had the MRI done and this is where it all started. My dad was visiting for Thanksgiving and they called me to let me know that they indeed found suspicious finding and whatnot and that is at the time where I literally almost went off the road with my dad and I was like, "Oh, great.

" So, we had a bi had to go in for another MRI guided biopsy and so now because they found something, does insurance cover that part? just out of curiosity like no. Okay. No. So I So I had to go back in for another M breast MRI guided biopsy which is not pleasant.

And the good news is at the time it came back benign from UCLA. Well, I'm a big believer as you know as being my own advocate in second and third opinion. And we pursued a second and third opinion from both MDerson in Texas and Sloan Cuttering in New York. sent them out and it was and I at the time I shared with all my whole all my doctors I said look when we get these results back good or bad you need to tell Stephen my ex-husband because he needs to tell me the news when I'm not driving or I'm like not with the girls because I don't want to risk the rate of driving off the road again like I did when they my doctor called me when she told me they found something suspicious. " Right.

So, I gave them permission to, you know, to tell Stephen. So, and they what you did is they sent those results that you got. I had to It was very easy back then, by the way. You go to the online portals, you say that you need like another opinion on pathology, whatever. I signed some documents and my doctor was great.

She signed it off and forwarded over. So, awesome. So, it was on New Year's Eve when I got the news and I just left Stephen and the girls in Chicago because we had spent Christmas together at the time with his mother and then I was joining Greg in Stow, Vermont for New Year's and it was on New Year's Eve day. Greg was skiing and I stayed behind and Stephen had called me to deliver the news that indeed it was. " any and I don't remember what the good news was to be honest with you.

He told me we got the results back from slung cuttering and MD Anderson and it's it's u it is indeed breast cancer. Okay, cool. So it was not benign even though at the time now had it changed? No, it was the same pathology. It hadn't changed.

They just saw something else. Wow. Yeah. So at that time, at that moment, you know, when you hear that you have cancer, the first question to me is, am I going to die? And all I could think about were my daughters.

And I ran outside. Remember, Greg wasn't home. It was snowing. It was beautiful. But I just like dove into the snow and did a bunch of snow angels and started crying and like just I lost my [ __ ] of course, you know, and all I wanted to do was get back to my daughters, you know.

so I took a couple hours to myself and then once Greg came home I told him and then the three of us, myself, Greg and Stephen went I went into fight orflight mode and we worked together as a team while Steve was in Chicago and I was in Stow Vermont with very shitty service. By the way, I remember Greg and I were in his car trying to get Wi-Fi like emailing and calling and doing all these things. And this is important for everyone that's listening. if you haven't done so when I went to my fight orflight mode and started like making calls right I called MD Anderson to get the first available appointment because I wanted to see a doctor you know or a breast surgeon or on a breath oncologist or whatever because I was already on the east coast called I called Sloan let them know that I got the report blah blah and I was back and forth with them remember this was New Year's Eve and they were getting ready to close I think it was like 2 o'clock at the time and they were closing at 5:30 at the end of the day. And I called them and they said, "We have an appointment for you for I think it was January 4th.

" I'm like, "Great. " And I was like, "How? " Well, Stephen to the rescue. Stephen had a I would say Stephen had 90% of all my medical records and doc documents and scans copied on his computer and he did some calls. Greg did cause like we were again working together as a team trying to get all this you know filling in the gaps what was missing from I was calling LA and whatnot call my OB/GYN and I think it was like 4:45 we were able to get everything together and like some stuff faxed some stuff emailed and I was able to secure that appointment.

So lesson here is have all of your medical records. No matter what they are, just your annual physical exams, any screenings, colonoscopy reports, ultrasounds, have those those copies in handy. Even though right now, I mean, currently there's a portal. Most hospitals and doctors have portals now that you get like your written reports, but like when you're getting scans and stuff, mammograms, ultrasounds, you should have copies of all that because you never know. You could be traveling somewhere abroad or you have no access to your medical records and if you need them right away, you have them at, you know, right?

You know, that very important. Yeah. So, I'm grateful for Stephen having all of those. He still keeps like every time I go to the doctor he's like can you scan everything so I can put it upload everything. He's amazing.

So everyone listening have all your stuff together organized and whatnot. So it was I was able to secure the appointment and then that's when So did anybody ever tell you I mean so obviously you had it we all know the end result here like this was but what had would have happened if you waited the six months? It would have gotten me. Yeah. So, if you didn't if you didn't advocate, if you didn't push for those things and talk to me about sometimes women are uncomfortable pushing, right?

Sometimes people like, well, my doctor knows best. Like, I'm just I'm just regular old me. I don't know. Look, no doc, I'm going to tell you this right now, and I have a handful of doctors on in my camp that will tell you this. They don't know your body best.

You know your body best. And I'm a very strong advocate for ask questions. Again, this is funnel is about empowering you, right? Not only just like reclaiming your body and knowing your n knowing your normal and becoming familiar with your body, but I want to empower women and give them the confidence to ask these questions. And if your questions are not being answered, you're being dismissed, you find a new doctor.

I feel so strongly about that. And yes, there are many people that don't like to go to the doctor. They don't like to ask questions that a lot of their doctors are very, you know, what do you mean or they're offended or it's their ego, you know, and that's look the end of the day, you know your body best. And I remember Stephen, I think he had a conversation with my surgeon at MD Anderson because I had a lumpctomy first before I had a double massctomy. And I turned down radiation tomoxifin, by the way.

That was my own choice and we're all on you know each of us have our we're on our own path and Stephen had told me when he was asking Dr. Sikini who was from Italy he was amazing said you know if she chooses not to do this lumpctomy or chooses not to do this or if she didn't what he's like this would have taken her down this would have his exact words were this would have gotten to her and would have taken her down so when I hear that it's like wow you know I'm so grateful not only because I caught it early I didn't have any lymph node involvement but Let's let me take a minute for a second and really lean into like I thank my body every day for just reminding me the importance of our intuition because Danielle as women our intuition is really powerful and I think when you slow down and we can talk about that too like you can lean into that when you really slow down and pay attention and take care of yourself. You're getting your body's your body's telling you things and I'm grateful for that. Like, wow. Like, if this wasn't a wakeup call from my body and my gut telling me like pay attention, follow your intuition, I don't know what is.

Tell me something. who you know I was going to ask you like that in terms of I was going to ask you in terms of agency but I will also say this in terms of your awareness or your or how you go about your day even how has your life changed compared to before your diagnosis like how has your outlook how has it all changed how has Gina changed from before to after right well before my especially Because you also said you're living your best life now. I am. I really am. I mean, I feel more confident than I ever have in my life.

I actually know myself better. Like, I really I'm so in tuned. but before my diagnosis, like many women, like we were talking about, we put our family, our businesses, whatever. I put my clients, my daughters, everything first. And I was constantly hustling, juggling clients, trying to be the best mom, trying to be a partner to Greg, who was long distance, which adds a whole new layer of stress, right?

But, you know, everything. And as I mentioned, like here, I'm thinking the occasional Pilates class, you know, and going to the beach to watch the sunset once in a while and eating, you know, eating some whatever, taking my supplements that I was healthy. And look, to be honest, I was healthy before I was diagnosed. I was a vibrant woman and I had a lot of energy, you know, and then, you know, again, we can talk about this too if we want, but I had implants. They made me very sick.

That's a whole another story, but pre-diagnosis, taking care of everyone else but myself. And then post diagnosis, in the beginning, I powered through it, to be honest. like I had to wake up every day to take care of my little girls because there was no way I was going to let them see me suffer. I had to show up for my clients. I still had to work.

I was a single mom. I had to do all the things. And full transparency, it was almost like I was putting it like I was sweeping under the rug until I think it was like I think it was right before I removed my implant. So that was about 12 months in after my mom was here and we were whatever and I reached up to the cabinet to grab something and I got this horrible like pain which is common when you have reconstruction surgery and double massctomy like you know I had some pain and I was like I was like [ __ ] whatever and she comes up to me and she like holds me and like looks at me remember she's a two-time breast cancer survivor and she looks at me and she's like, "Look, when are you going to recognize what you've been through? When are you going to grieve that you lost your breath?

When are you going to really lean into what you're going through right now or what you just went through? What when you were She didn't say powering through, but she was like you were showing up every day for work, your girls. What about you? do you realize what you've been through? Do you have any idea what your body's gone through?

And that's when I was like, my god, she's so right. Like, I didn't give myself the time to heal or to really lean into what was happening because I was too busy like trying to be with my boyfriend in New York or trying to be with my kids or trying to be a good friend, just doing all the things, right? Yeah. It was that moment where I was like, "Okay, I have to Yeah. I'm gonna, you know, and then I had a partner, Greg, who was like, "Every day, you're awesome.

You beat this. " Yeah. But you know what? Nobody at the time, to be honest, was giving me the space either to have those low moments. And I still to this present day, I tell everyone going through this, and it's okay to have those low moments.

It's okay. " that, you know, I'll get that reminder or pain or something what I've been through or whatever. But it took me probably about a year to start really healing. And my healing journey began as I started purging clients. I started purging friendships, recognizing what no longer serves me.

I was finding I was feeling leaning in leaning more into gratitude and how fortunate I was that I walked into my intuition to get me to this point. also feel in gratitude for the community, the women in my life and the incredible medical team that I had and the resources and the financial resources I had to do all of this because again many people do not and that I was my own boss. I could literally step back and take time for myself. I had a very supportive partner. So there's all these things right that really helped me but it took me some time to recognize all that.

That makes sense. Yeah. Well, yeah, because it's like a whole your life changed and you're trying to just keep going. " And then all of a sudden I was like, "Oh my god, this is going to affect my whole like it's going to actually have changed the way I view my life. It's going to change where I am in my life.

It's not just going to be, but it took a bit before I could be like, I'm over the grief or physically healing or this or that before I could be like, wait a second, I'm in my life differently than I even was before. And I feel like what you experience, it's your own body. It's it's a totally different, more pronounced thing. So, yeah, I Exactly. Yeah.

You get to a point where I was like, how can I reclaim myself? Reclaim that my body's gone through so many things, but not only that, but like I was going through a divorce. I kind of lost my sense of self, like my identity, you know, and just started working on myself, obviously heavy therapy, but also really work on I still I call them glimmers. glimmers in glimmers in life you know like it's so important to do the things that bring you joy and every day I take time for myself you know I started researching like infrared sauna like dry brushing all these holistic things have helped me you know look when I first was diagnosed I became a vegan well that didn't work out because I was like this is not a life for me like everyone there's other people that are doing it's great but for me I was nobody wanted to hang out with me because I was like I can't have this, I can't do this. So, I just kind of figured out like what really works for me or what is working for me.

And again, going back to getting dressed every day, like once I removed my implants, I finally started feeling like myself, I felt whole again. Like when I had the implants, I was sick and didn't, you know, took six months of convincing my doctors that I was sick, that they were Is this a thing that happens to a lot of women? Like, is it I think so. I mean, back then breast implant illness wasn't talked about. This was eight plus years ago.

And I remember my one doctor who always had my back. " I'm like, "No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm sick. " My one doctor who was very supportive said, "Look, it's going to be really hard to diagnose breast implant illness, but he was the one that said, "You know your body best and you know I you have not been wrong. " Because I couldn't even look at myself when I had those implants, Danielle.

Like, they were so not for me. They were beautiful and I'm grateful. My doctor was amazing, but they just were not me. And I just it was just a constant reminder of what I was going through. They hurt.

Like I just had a lot of issues and a lot of women don't. They have zero issues and that's amazing. But for me, my body I had swollen lip nodes. I had a low-grade fever every day. My hair was falling out.

I had all kinds of weird [ __ ] The moment I removed them, game changer. And that's when I that was yeah about 13 months later after my first diagnosis when I really started like, okay, you know, I feel I'm starting to feel like myself. Quick pause to invite you into the ROAR community. Roar is all about amplifying women's voices and you can be part of it. I share the messy, unfiltered, behindthe-scenes stuff in my emails, things you won't hear anywhere else.

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I feel like, you know, you're saying also, not just with breast cancer, but divorce and and I should point out, I don't think we even said this in the beginning, you're talking from California, you're in LA, you grew up in the East Coast, you grew up in New Jersey. you're a little small town girl like me, and here you are out in the world as a style icon, and that's awesome. But so basically you've got this you're not new to reinvention or kind of re-envisioning your role in the world. What's been a throughine for you? You've done all these things.

You co-parent. You run a business. You've navigated cancer. You've launched a nonprofit. Not to mention raising two beautiful girls, having friendships, etc.

All these things. What's been the throughine? like what's anchored you through even when you do feel like you are losing a sense of your identity? Wow. Yeah.

I think you know I'm a girls girl. I love community. I love my girlfriends and I love making women feel amazing. I think that's one of the that's why I think I've been successful with what I've been doing because it was never really about I shouldn't say it wasn't about success obviously I have to put food on my table and build something but it was always so rewarding for me Danielle to have a client or a friend to come in because you know my clients were going through various transitions like whether it's a new baby losing weight divorce new job whatever and it's a very intimate job because I'm like in their closet in their bedroom in like I've gone through all the different stages, right? But getting those text messages or calls or building that trust and loyalty with women.

Gina, you made me feel so sexy again. Like my husband just noticed my ass. It looks great. I would never like that to me fuels me. I love helping women.

I love building community. I mean, yes, style for sure. I love like you know we girls used to borrow my clothes like putting outfit together is it's fun and amazing but like I think just helping women feel more aligned in their skin. Does that make sense? Yes, absolutely.

Just kind of I just wanna I wanna I want to help women. I wanna you know bring women together because look fondal the Fondle Project is also about community, right? It's all about community here. not just breast cancer, but like I have so many incredible women and brands that are coming forward that want to help in any way, whether it's volunteering, opening their home. It's incredible and I'm so grateful.

But it's really community and just making women feel seen and beautiful because we all want to feel seen every day. No matter what, cancer diagnosis or not, we want to feel appreciated by our significant other, by our children, whatever. Like it's just it's Yeah. I don't know. And you know, it's I I don't know if you heard it, but I interviewed a woman from England last season and she's a stylist in the UK, but her specific thing is styling around she does something she styles to uplevel women who want to uplevel their career, but she does it through like I don't want to say their horoscope, but their sense of who they are in the I guess she's great and I told her about you.

I mentioned you, but I wanted to talk to you about the Fondle Project specifically, but also this, but it all comes together. " Like we, you know, we don't need to be so frivolous or blah blah. But it actually is so important. And I'll tell you what, I'm the first one to be like, "Oh, I'm not so, you know, I oh, I'm not that vain. Like, it's okay.

" But yeah, hi. Like, it feels good to feel good. You know, like it feels good to look good. And it I think it like it actually So, it's a form of self love. It's a form of love, but also it's like that kind of positivity.

It radiates positivity. And isn't there like a whole dive into cancer or wellness that talks about just even your outlook, right? Like just your outlook alone, mindset alone helps you heal. It's a it's you have to I mean look there. Yes.

positive mindset and surrounding yourself with good people that support you and love you and going back to like how I'm living now post creating boundaries you know that's so important you know creating those boundaries and letting go of what no longer serves you and you know cancer or not though you should take inventory of your life to see like where you are right now like again we talked about it like slowing down right slowing down in your life. Like what makes Danielle happy? What besides the chaos and the noise of your loving family and all that? That's all amazing and beautiful, but like slow down and really tune into what make brings those glimmers in your life and that really truly brings you joy. And if getting dressed, hey, look, if you want to wear sweatpants and a sweatshirt every day and that makes you feel good, awesome.

That's great. But for me was never really I mean look I am most comfortable in cute sweatpants but I always make sure I have a t-shirt on or like some cute fun jewelry and that you're not going to see me walk out of the house with like a wrinkly ratty t-shirt and oversized sweatpants. I won't do that like my kids. But you'll see I walk out with the ugly like I'll walk out with these shoes which is a funny joke. I'll walk out with these shoes, you know, Charlie teases me or whatever, the fashionista, you know, that's used to wearing like 4 inch heels.

Like, but I'm comfortable and I feel good and I'm taking care of my body because I have that's the thing. And it's like it's so easy to say, oh, you know, h that's what it was. " Because she's like, "If you're walking past and you're like, oh, I got Clorox up here. These are $10. You are not considering yourself.

" But it's such an easy thing to step into. It's so easy to make somebody else, especially if you have kids, your priority, and you It's a slow It's a slow fade into the background before you realize that you're there. And I think what you're doing is helping all these people be front and center in their lives and be aware of the fact that you have to you have to place your mask on yourself first to be able to take care of anybody else. For sure. Absolutely.

And again, it's, you know, I went off social media as of June 30th and I got to get back on August 1. So, what's up in like five, four, five weeks? And I have to say that it's been a game changer. But also like I've been enjoying slow mornings for over a year now, which has been like my like utopia moments in the mornings after I drop off the kids. But now I'm recognizing like I'm not a big I my skin care is very low maintenance.

I have like three products, but usually, which I'm sure you can you can relate to, like I'm just rushing around like washing my face, putting my serum on, I'm out the door. every morning now I am taking like five minutes to do my skin care meaning slow like actually massaging my face and my neck and like really like this is this is nice like I don't feel like I'm taking care you're taking care of yourself but remember we're role models for our kids Danielle that is very important you know so I'm very intentional about that like my children I which is funny. They're product crazy. They're product crazy because of you know their friends and whatnot. They're not getting that from me.

And there'll be times where they'll see me like go out in sweatpants and a t-shirt I'll be putting my jewelry on. And like actually Ava just said to me the other day she's like when I grow up I want to be like you mama. And I'm like what do you mean by that? And she was like you know I don't know you're confident and you just walk out like you're not f fiddling with your hair. And I'm like well my hair is just a hot mess.

It's a rat's mess every day. Like I've just given up. Like I don't I can't even I got you know knots in the back whatever. I don't even care. But I think it's I'm like when you get older though you do it's kind of didn't say this but it's like you get zero [ __ ] in some regard but at the same time I'm like a you just got to put on something that makes you feel good.

Like my little arm stack makes me feel good. You can I can jingle. You'll hear me walking you know I'm jingling you know in my my neck sack or whatever. Little lip gloss for me goes a long way or whatever. But it's these little these little self-care moments that are so important, I think, as moms, you know, and to show our children that, you know, this it's important to take care of yourself.

Sure, we're the mom, we're the wife, we're the girlfriend running the household, but you know, like for me, I saw my mom, I was I was ready seeing my mom work her ass off. She was in an unhappy marriage and she put herself through college and school just so she can get away from my father unfortunately and was working 12-hour nights in this ICU and stuff and she had no life whatsoever. She was just working to save money to leave an unhappy marriage and I was like there's no way I'm going to do that. Like we have one life. Let's let's enjoy it.

Let's like, you know, slow down. Like whatever that looks like for you. Like and going back to like how I live my life now. It's like I create the boundaries. I'm more present with my kids and I'm most importantly I'm present with myself every day.

I have me time. That's a non-negotiable. It's so important to have non-negotiable. Take those walks, whatever that looks like. Read your books.

Do you listen to a podcast, sit in the tub, scroll, doom scroll for an hour, whatever you want, because I think it's so important because we get caught up. But also, and I want to say this, and I feel like I'm taking up your whole day, and I don't want to do that, but I do want to say this, and this is not what we planned on, but you know, I noticed that a lot of times women in particular, and maybe men, but it I talk to only women, so who knows? But but really, I do notice this in all the women that I talk to. You see a problem, you see a hole, and you step in to fix it. It's not like you're like, I think I'm gonna grow up one day and I'm gonna do this thing.

Like, it's it's impacting it's impacting you and it's impacting the people that you love and you're stepping in to fix it. You're not waiting for somebody else. You stepped in and you did this. What does that mean for your daughters? And I mean, they may not always notice it.

Hope you know they'll notice it someday if they don't notice it now. But what do you think like what is that legacy that you're leaving to them? what I am teaching them more so Ava because she's older than Ally. Allie's going to be 13 in a month. number one, the importance of advocacy and knowing like I'm teaching her about her body because they're not learning this in school.

They're learning about sex education, STDs, and menstrual, you know, things like that. They are not learning about knowing their body and paying attention. So, I'm really giving her the tools and empowering her to not only know her body, but to also obviously be a kind human being, but also to stand up for herself. And I'm now giving her agency. Like, we have a pediatrician who's like a concier since they were babies.

And you can text him. And then she also like go gets like her eyebrows waxed or whatever. Like, I'm teaching her the independence. And if something's going wrong, like to text something's going on with her body or whatever, you know, or like we went to her wellness visit the other day. Like she I'm giving her that confidence to ask those questions to her doctor.

You know what I mean? It's like the greatest gift you can actually give her is she's learning. She's learning, you know, she wrote down some questions and they're nothing bad, but she's got some anxiety and you know, and we're talking about like social media and they're not on social media, but like the effects of social media and screen time. She had all these questions and he answered to them clearly for her and all of that. And I'm just trying to teach them the importance of knowing your body obviously having the confidence and to you know if this makes sense.

Yeah. It what they see on like social media. That's one reason why I got off of it, too. And I think it affects all of us, especially women, is it's filtered. It's they're just highlight reels, not to compare themselves like they're beautiful as they are.

Like I think, you know, I think that's so important as we're raising young daughters because they're so easily influenced and all these things they're seeing, they're they're that's impressionable, right? you know, so I'm just trying to show up for them, work, show them that I'm taking care of myself, which self-care is so important. They know that mommy had cancer, that they have an extremely high risk and they're seeing me every day. Like now they're doing yoga and AA's doing Tai Chi with me now. Like they are like doing it because they're active girls, you know?

They're in sports and dance and surf and all those things. like they're paying attention to diet because they see me doing I'm not like I do minimize like their sugar intake obviously but they are learning they have great eating habits but they're learning all these things that are going to take them into you know their adolescence into college and all of that so I think it's we're their role models that they see and especially like with their father like we don't fight in front of him in front of them we never have those are the little things I'm but I'm also thinking about my childhood and what I was exposed to as a young girl with my parents. They were fighting all the time. There was no love. There was no affection.

So, I'm making sure that they see Charlie and I in a loving and affectionate relationship to you know what I mean? Because as you know with the state of our country, I don't want to get into politics over but the man who serves our country like you remember when he was you can feel free. You can feel free. It's okay. was like a was like both of them were like this is a man who degrades women and who is you know everything that he was you know impeached and how we she's like this is our president so I'm trying to teach them too like this is this is not okay this is not the normal like you have respect for your body you know your body you are confident and you got to take care of yourself you need to speak up for yourself you know basically what I'm doing yeah and you're empowering them and I think that's I think that's like honestly the best thing any of us can do as moms or even just humans like living by example and showing you and that's why when you know we wanted to h I hopped on this call early with you to ask you my own personal questions about how you're doing things because it's important how you live your life and people see it and you know you've got a platform and you're using it for good.

It's it's great. But I'm also reminding them too though, I know we're talking about style and fashion a lot, Danielle. I'm also letting them know that does not define who they are. Like, you know, clothing and style does not like it helps. Yes.

It's a it's a form of self-expression of course, but also like I encourage him to be like Ava's still trying to figure out her style, right? She goes through her style phase like every like every month trying to figure out the baggie George or this whatever. Allie's got hers nailed down. But like it doesn't I mean these are teenagers right that are so influenced by all this stuff and you know they're insecure and you know again like I said earlier like zero [ __ ] like I still pay attention when I leave the door leave the house I'm still a little mangled but I'm still pulled together and I want them to see that like okay you know I do care it makes me feel good. It's not because of what, you know, somebody walking down the street.

I don't really I don't really care what they think, Danielle. It's how I and how and I'm teaching them that like you do you what makes you feel good regardless of what so and so they're not paying attention. Well, speaking of other women, and I know you're saying, you know, this isn't about other people in terms like it's how you feel, but you also are in a kind of a position of prominence with this with this nationwide c campaign. So, you are leading by example. You may not be trying to, but people are following your example because you're like a role model in this space, which is awesome.

Great to know you. So, let me ask you a question. If a woman listening to this is going through something hard on her own, whether it's illness, whether it's thinking she's never going to fall in love again, whether it's the middle of reinvention as a mom or someone who's going through this, what do you want her to know? that this version of you, this heartbreak, mess, diagnosis, this in between, you're not broken. You're not, you're not broken.

You're like becoming. And you don't have to rush your way back to yourself or rush back to light. Just let yourself be held and supported and softened and you'll blue when you're ready. Honestly, like it's just we can do hard things. I have two friends going through some pretty traumatic heavy stuff right now.

And I know when you're in it, when you're in it, you're in it. And it's really hard to see the light. I've been there. I never thought my life would Look, I thought I was going to be single for the rest of my life. I'm I mean full transparency, I'm constantly worried about my daughters and their future with breast cancer obviously because their risk is very high.

But I remember going through all this like how do I move forward? But like here I am eight years later. You just got to you got to be gentle. You got to trust your intuition. You have to have a positive mindset.

You will get through this. It'll take some time. And then eventually I believe this eventually it'll all make sense for me. My purpose I believe now I'm I'm entering a new chapter in my life. I don't know if you knew this.

I closed my business in December. I've moving on from styling. I still have you know like 10 or 12 clients I' I've retained. But I'm my main focus and purpose is the Fondle Project. I want to blow it out of the park because it's growing and expanding.

We're just getting started and I recognize I can't do both. I can no longer be a superwoman. And I tried for a year and a half. I'm like, wait, my self-care is so important. And this is my new purpose in life to help my daughters, help other women to really lead into, you know, breast literacy.

And again, I keep talking about knowing your normal and be it's so important. It can't be said too many times. And you can't wait once a year for your annual OB/GYN. You can't wait once a year for your screenings because look, as we know, screenings are not perfect. They are very important.

Mamograms and ultrasounds are very important but mine were missed and I know many women's cancers were missed from screenings. So, it is so important to feel your breasts, fondle your breasts every month or for me, I'm trying to do my fondle Fridays to make it part of a routine. Like I have women now text me like I now do fondle Fridays every week. They do they're doing whether you're getting dressed, carpool, taking a shower. Like just give yourself this loving massage and just pay attention.

Pay attention to any new changes. Make mark them down. Bring them to your doctor. But I do know going back. I'm sorry I just derailed.

When you're in it, it's it's hard. But you will find it'll all it'll all make sense. Whatever that heartbreak or hard time is, it you become more resilient, stronger. Like I'm the strongest I've ever been. And now I feel so good.

Like I was put on not only was I put on this world to be a mom because I love being a mother, but I've always want I love community and helping women. This is my purpose. If I save one life, which I have, and encourage women, and I'm like the boob lady now, like having these events now, Daniel, you'd get a kick out of it. I'm hosting these events, and we're having these amazing panels or movement classes or holistic events, whatever. And I'm showing women in their 30s and 40s and up, how to perform a proper self exam because a lot of women don't know.

I didn't know back in my 30s. I was just like I didn't know how to properly do it. It takes two minutes. Two minutes and it can save your life. So my purpose here is if I can save one woman's life or encourage a young girl to become more familiar and give her the confidence to speak up, ask questions, talk even talk to your parents or mother, you know, give a like my daughter like I want her to have that feel safe and secure and confident come to me like hey mama like what's going on with my body?

whatever body part it is like you want to instill and encourage our children our daughters men too it's look 1% of breast cancer are in men get breast cancer it's important for men to pay attention so you know I know I've met four men that I've interviewed and chatted with since I've launched Fondal but you know again it's self-love self- advocacy slowing down tuning in paying attention to your intuition you know, and just leaning into all the things and just taking care of yourself because at the end of the day, like how what good are you, Danielle, as a mother or a partner or me if we're not taking care of ourselves? Again, going back to like putting the oxygen mask on first, right? We really have to and we're getting older and things are going to break down and think that we got to do these things and you have to. I mean during the pandemic a lot of breast cancers there was I forget the number of percentage of breast cancers diagnosed during the pandemic because many of us put it off their screenings many people put off their screenings during the pandemic you can't don't skip your screenings stay on top of that and you know but be aware I feel like because of you I know to be more aware and to trust my own gut have to trust what you went through you know there's a lot of women through the years I Remember when I was first diagnosed and I finally shared on Facebook, there was two women that were in my baby group at the time that followed my story and went and had mammograms and unfortunately found out they had breast cancer. They were two years late from getting their mamograms or one was 42, one was 44 and they end up having breast cancer.

You know, I had Brit Taxin in my campaign. Yes. Yes. She looks gorgeous too. Yeah.

And anyway, what are they saying? Oh, so I just totally for I had a something the two women and sharing stories, but I forget there I have I said something about like it's you. It's the fact that you self- advocated that makes me now know how important that is. Oh, right, right, right. Yeah.

So, when I shared my story, a friend of ours in our group had shared with me that she had never gotten a mammogram. And I said, why? because she was what 40 41 42 she's like because I'm a she literally said to me because I'm afraid to find out what they'll find and there's a lot of women that were like that they're afraid there and not only that like let's talk about women's bodies and breasts there are a lot of women that don't touch themselves and I'm not talking sexually right like they're not comfortable they're not t they're not comfortable talking about their body parts, their breasts or anything. And I really want to change that narrative. Like I really want to flip the script.

Like it's okay. Especially when you're going through menopause. Our body's going through so many changes. We really should be in tune, right? But I've met so many women through the years that not only do they not know how to perform a self, which I'm not judging them, but it's like and they're leaning just to their once a year, but they don't know.

They're afraid. They're like, "I I don't I don't want to know. " Know your family history on everything, not just breast cancer. Pay attention because that's important intel as you move forward, as you take care of breath. And your kids should know those things.

But I want to flip the script and have these conversations. Breath. Why? Why can't we talk about breath? Why?

I know. And you don't. We don't. I mean a friend of mine's good friend who I just met recently I didn't realize she was the founder of free the nipple like what they're we all have them like specialize in but like come on I mean two of the women in our campaign it was our partners that found their love well and the thing is but you want to find it go for it have your husband or even fill you up once a month or every other whatever it may be whatever floats your But just pay attention. It'll save your life.

Save your life. And I mean like look, it's again mamograms and screenings are very important, but they're not perfect. So to me, it's like just again just forming those self-exams, paying attention, and a lot of women are lumpy and bumpy and normal. Again, I'm not trying to instill fear, but like our breasts change every month due to hormones, especially as we get older. So, like say you do your breast exam today and you're lumpy and bumpy, right?

Next week you could do it and it could be fine. And then 3 weeks later you can do and it be lumpy bumpy or it could it changes all the time. So if you find something that doesn't feel right or you do find a lump, just pay attention to it. Revisit again like weekly, monthly to so if it's still there in three months, you just get checked out, get an ultrasound done. It's nothing.

How long was your lump that you found? How long did you have it before you like you found it? Did you call the doctor like that day or did you wait a few days? In all honesty, I think I felt it for a little bit, but I paid more attention to it after I got my results back. I'm like something.

And I had I had Greg feel it. I was like, you feel this? It was so tiny, but I felt it. So I, you know, so tiny, but it could have killed you. Like so tiny, but you identified it when these screenings didn't.

So, and I did call UCLA after the fact. They redid the slides and they apologized and they redid it and they did they indeed confirmed again it was involved. They let them know. But, you know, I mean, look, I think with when it comes to second opinions, a lot of people think there's a lot of I mean, look, MD Anderson, when I p when I pursued my second opinion, to be fair, to be honest, they did the pathology, but then they wanted me to fly in for seven days to do all their own testing and scans and number one, I couldn't afford it, and nor could I take the time. So there are a lot of institutions out there that you can go online and go to their there's you know to their information site or there's various portals on their sites that you can just have your doctor if you want to get another eye on a lab report or pathology report you can do it.

Some it may be more entailed where again you may they may want to see you but it's pretty easy and doctors should be okay with like okay I get it you want another opinion on your pathology you want another opinion on your lab work I get it they should support you they should have your best interest at heart that's awesome to know though too is I didn't know it was so I would have assumed it's like you have to go there you have to get the s the biopsy the guided biopsy again no it's the pathology like they've already done the invasive part, now you can send it off, which I didn't realize. So, thank you. Of course, it's it's not a I mean, I haven't pursued a like an opinion. Here's an a perfect example of being your own advocate and I'm going to you know, I'm launching a Substack August 1, which I'm very excited about. Congratulations.

Oh, yeah. Exactly. But thank you. I'm excited. It's a lot of work and writing.

I'm not the writer. You're the writer. I went in for a scan not too long ago. I can't remember because I get scanned all the time. Went in for a scan and it was for an MRI, not an X-ray or a CAT scan.

Cat scan has more radiation. And my doctors will are very mindful and specific. I do not I no longer get anything with heavy radiation because I have my breast cancer diagnosis. So, they don't want to expose me anything. So, I get MRIs for everything.

" I'm like, "No, no, no. I am not getting a CAT scan. " They're like, "Oh, no. " I'm like, "Okay, I'm going to call my doctor because my doctor never orders CAT scans for me. " So, I called my doctor's office and sure enough, it was the imaging center that made the mistake or the order or whatever and it got worked out.

But if I did not speak up, I would have went into that exam room, right, and had a my CT scan. If I didn't like, you know, all the rooms are pretty much the same. " I mean, I probably when I'm laying there probably like, "Wait, this is a CAT scan. " And I would have said something. But this is a perfect example like when you go in like okay so my doctor ordered this and okay cool great we're on the same page kind of like when they check your make sure your age and everything.

Yeah. Just do make sure you just double check everything because again walked in thinking you know I'm getting I'm getting an MRI. They're saying oh no they're arguing with me and I'm like nope. And I had my doctor had to call and say no no we scheduled an MRI. The insurance is covering it.

So, it's just very important. You have to be your own advocate. Gina, thank you so much for being here. I can't tell you how much I'm excited for everybody to hear this. And we really appreciate your time.

Thank you so much for having me. org. Say hello. And ladies, fondle it forward and remind your friends and remind yourself to fondle your breasts. Fondle Fridays.

Thanks. Thank you. Big thanks to Gina Lamanna of the Fondle Project for today's conversation. Next week, I'll be joined by Maria Hgen, founder of Fox Health. And you won't want to miss it.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend or drop a comment. And don't forget to sign up for my email list in the show notes so you're always in the loop. See you next week.