Cancer Cured Me

This is an encore episode of Cancer Cured Me with the incredible Lisa Johnson - global business strategist, public speaker, Sunday Times bestselling author and host of a number one podcast.

Lisa has built a hugely successful multi-million pound business, but her self-belief did not begin there. In this powerful conversation, she shares how she grew up in poverty, was chronically bullied throughout her childhood for being poor and spent years believing the cruel things other people had said about her.

What makes Lisa’s story so moving is not just the success she has created, but the inner work it took to get there. She talks openly about bullying, low self-esteem, domestic violence, money mindset, entrepreneurship, online trolling and the moment she decided to ask herself: “What if they’re wrong?”

This episode is a beautiful reminder that self-belief is not always something we magically wake up with. Sometimes it is something we rebuild, piece by piece, through action, evidence, purpose and learning to know who we are - even when the world has tried to tell us otherwise.

Lisa also shares the practices that helped her build what she calls a rock-solid core of self-belief, including the importance of understanding your money story, finding proof that people like you can succeed and learning to love all parts of yourself - not just the neat, polished, socially acceptable bits.

We also talk about why money should be a by-product of impact, why the online business world needs more integrity and why Lisa’s work is now deeply rooted in service, purpose and changing the industry for the better.

This is an episode for anyone who has ever felt knocked down by other people’s opinions, held back by old stories or unsure whether they are really capable of the life they secretly want.
Because sometimes the most powerful question we can ask is: what if they were wrong?

In this episode, we talk about:

Lisa Johnson’s childhood experience of being bullied for being poor
How bullying can shape self-esteem and self-belief
The moment Lisa decided to prove to herself that the bullies were wrong
Building confidence through action and evidence
Money mindset and the hidden beliefs that can limit our income
Why Lisa talks openly about money and business success
How she built a multi-million pound business
The emotional reality of entrepreneurship
Dealing with online trolling and criticism
Lisa’s practice for building inner confidence and self-acceptance
Why external validation can never be the foundation of self-belief
Turning pain into purpose
Why money is a by-product of impact
Bringing more integrity into the online business space
Lisa’s advice to her younger self: live as if you are already cancelled

Find Lisa Johnson at www.lisajohnson.com

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This week’s episode is a very special encore with the brilliant Georgie Shears, nervous system strategist and ICF accredited neurosomatics practitioner.

I wanted to bring this conversation back because nervous system regulation is one of those things I genuinely believe we all need to understand. Not in a complicated, “add another thing to your already overflowing to-do list” kind of way, but in a deeply human, practical, life-changing way.

In this episode, Georgie explains what nervous system regulation actually means, why we are not meant to feel calm all the time and how our bodies learn survival patterns that can keep us stuck in anxiety, panic, people pleasing, overwhelm or shutdown.

We talk about fight or flight, rest and digest, the vagus nerve, why mindset alone is not always enough and how simple body-based practices can help us feel safer, calmer and more connected to ourselves.

Georgie also shares her own powerful story of anxiety, panic attacks, postnatal depression, health anxiety and the moment she realised she needed to understand what was happening in her body - not just her mind.

This is such a useful episode if you have ever felt like you are constantly bracing, overthinking, reacting, people pleasing or living with that low-level hum of anxiety in the background.

And as always, this is not about fixing yourself. It is about understanding yourself.

In this episode, we talk about:
What nervous system regulation really means
Why you are not meant to be regulated all the time
Fight, flight, freeze and shutdown
The difference between the thinking brain and the body’s survival system
Why anxiety can become a learned survival pattern
How stress affects digestion, immunity, sleep and energy
Why nervous system tools need to meet you where you are
The power of nature, grounding and simple sensory practices
The vagus nerve and why it matters
How people pleasing can be a nervous system response
Simple practices you can use straight away to come back into the present moment

A simple takeaway from the episode
Your body is not working against you. It is trying to protect you.
Nervous system work is about gently showing your body that you are safe now, one small moment at a time.

Georgie’s simple nervous system tools
In the episode, Georgie shares two beautifully simple practices you can try:
The 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 presence practice
A grounding tool using your senses to bring your body back into the present moment.
A gentle ear massage to support the vagus nerve
A calming practice that can help send signals of safety through the body.
As Georgie says, even a 1% shift matters.

Connect with Georgie
You can find Georgie on Instagram: @georgieshearsstrategist
Georgie also shares free resources, tools and ways to work with her through the link in her Instagram bio.

Listen if you are searching for:
nervous system regulation, anxiety support, fight or flight, vagus nerve, somatic healing, trauma-informed wellbeing, emotional regulation, nervous system tools, burnout recovery, people pleasing, stress relief, rest and digest, grounding practices, women’s wellness, midlife wellbeing, holistic health podcast.
Based on the transcript you shared for the Georgie Shears encore episode.

If you like what you hear... buymeacoffee.com/alexsimms
Insta:@cancercuredme
Retreats: @lalalovesretreats
www.lalaloves.com

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This week I’m sharing a very special encore episode with the wonderful Adele Wimsett (ignore the early days production values!). I wanted to bring this conversation back because the content is still so valid, so important and so needed. Adele is a women’s health practitioner and cyclical living guide who specialises in perimenopause, ADHD and hormone health, and she has been a hugely important part of my own healing journey. I’m also absolutely thrilled that Adele will be joining us at the Held Retreat in the Cotswolds from 25-28 September, where she’ll be running one of her fantastic workshops for the women attending. For more information www.lalaloves.com

In this episode, we talk about why hormones are not just about periods or fertility. They affect your mood, energy, brain, nervous system, sleep, joints, skin, immunity and so much more. Adele explains why progesterone is so important for emotional regulation, why stress can have such an impact on hormone balance and why so many women reach midlife feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, anxious or not quite themselves.
We also explore why perimenopause can feel especially intense for women with ADHD, how cyclical living can help us stop expecting ourselves to feel the same every day, and why simple things like morning light, protein at breakfast, blood sugar balance and nervous system tools can make such a difference.
This conversation is full of those “oh my goodness, that’s me” moments. It is not about perfection or another impossible wellness routine. It is about understanding your body, working with yourself rather than against yourself and realising that you are not broken.

The HELD Retreat 25-28 September 2026

Held is a luxury retreat for women who are ready to pause, reset, reconnect and feel deeply supported. Adele’s workshop is such an important part of the retreat because this work is exactly what so many women need - clear, grounded education about their bodies, hormones, nervous systems and how to start feeling more like themselves again.
In this episode we talk about:
Perimenopause and ADHD
Women’s hormone health
Progesterone, mood and nervous system regulation
Stress, cortisol and adrenal health
Blood sugar and midlife wellbeing
Cyclical living
PMDD and PCOS
Morning light and protein at breakfast
Why women need to stop pushing through

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Insta:@cancercuredme
Retreats: @lalalovesretreats
www.lalaloves.com

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In this encore episode of Cancer Cured Me, I’m joined by Kristen Carder, host of the I Have ADHD podcast, for a brutally honest and deeply validating conversation about ADHD in women, rejection sensitive dysphoria, emotional regulation, masking, parenting and learning to trust yourself again. We talk about why rejection can feel so painful, why ADHD mothers can be triggered by seeing their own struggles mirrored in their children and why you are not broken, lazy or “too sensitive”. A must-listen for women with ADHD, anyone exploring a late ADHD diagnosis and anyone who wants to understand RSD, nervous system regulation and self-compassion more deeply.

In this episode, we talk about:
ADHD in women and why so many are diagnosed later in life
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, also known as RSD
Why rejection sensitivity can feel so painful and physical
The link between childhood criticism, masking and adult ADHD shame
Why ADHD parenting can be so triggering
Repairing after you’ve snapped at your child
The difference between ADHD symptoms and everyday struggles
Why “everyone gets distracted” is not the same as having ADHD
Emotional regulation and nervous system support
Therapy, coaching and medication for ADHD
Self-soothing tools for rejection spirals
Why the first sting of rejection may still happen, even when you’ve done a lot of healing
ADHD, perfectionism and the pressure to be palatable
Why women with ADHD often lose their voice, their “no” and their sense of self
How to start building self-trust again

Kristen’s simple tool for rejection sensitivity
Kristen suggests:
First, honour the sting.
Don’t shame yourself for feeling hurt. Don’t tell yourself you’re being ridiculous. Don’t try to bulldoze the feeling away with “positive thinking” or any other nonsense that makes you want to throw a cushion across the room.
Let yourself acknowledge it.
Then soothe your body.
That might be breathing, placing a hand on your chest, asking someone safe for a hug, stepping outside or doing something that helps your nervous system settle.
Then, once your body has calmed down, check your thoughts.
Ask yourself:
Was this an actual rejection?
Or have I created a rejection story in my mind?
Because sometimes someone really has been unkind or dismissive. But very often, especially with ADHD and RSD, we are reacting to a scenario our brain has created to protect us.
It’s clever. It’s exhausting. And it is not always accurate.

About Kristen Carder
Kristen Carder is an ADHD coach, host of the I Have ADHD podcast and founder of Focused, a global coaching programme and community for adults with ADHD.
After being diagnosed with ADHD at 21, Kristen spent years learning how ADHD actually affects adult life, relationships, work, parenting, emotional regulation and self-trust. Through her podcast, coaching and community, she helps adults with ADHD feel less alone and learn practical ways to support themselves.
You can find Kristen here:
Podcast: I Have ADHD
Instagram: @i.have.adhd.podcast
Programme: Focused ADHD coaching programme

Listen if you’re looking for support with:
ADHD in women, adult ADHD, late ADHD diagnosis, rejection sensitive dysphoria, RSD, emotional regulation, nervous system regulation, ADHD parenting, ADHD mothers, ADHD and shame, ADHD and self-trust, masking in women, ADHD coaching, trauma-informed ADHD support, neurodivergence, ADHD relationships and feeling too sensitive.

Final words from me
This episode is such a gorgeous reminder that healing doesn’t mean never being triggered again.
It doesn’t mean never snapping, spiralling, overthinking or feeling that awful sting of rejection.
It means noticing sooner.
Repairing quicker.
Understanding yourself more gently.
And slowly, slowly learning that you are allowed to be human.
You are a human being, not a human doing.
And if this episode helps you feel even a tiny bit more understood, then I am so glad you’re here.
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Insta:@cancercuredme
Retreats: @lalalovesretreats
www.lalaloves.com

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I owe Fearne Cotton an apology.

Years ago, I judged her after seeing one tiny moment from the outside. But after hearing her speak so honestly about people pleasing, panic attacks, public scrutiny, losing jobs and the pressure of being liked, I saw her completely differently.

In this solo episode, I talk about what Fearne’s words brought up for me, why people pleasing is often a nervous system response, and why so many women reach a point in midlife where they realise they can’t keep saying yes at the expense of themselves.

I also share why I’m pausing Cancer Cured Me after 75 episodes, what I’ve learned from creating this first long season, and how I’m putting more energy into The Wellness Collection, my non-profit CIC providing funded retreats and support for people recovering after cancer.

A very honest episode about judgement, burnout, boundaries, rest, purpose and knowing when to pause.

Please keep messaging while we're on our break - I always love hearing from you and will get back to everyone personally.

Big love, La x
If you like what you hear... buymeacoffee.com/alexsimms
Insta:@cancercuredme
Retreats: @lalalovesretreats
www.lalaloves.com

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