My Story. My Power. My Joy.

Choosing Joy: How My Soul Story Transformed My Life Beyond Breast Cancer

Three breast cancer diagnoses. Twenty-five years of discovering that while I cannot always choose what happens in my life, I can choose how I write my next chapter.

October has always held a special place in my heart.

Growing up on a farm in Southern Minnesota, I loved the crisp autumn air, brilliant colors of changing leaves, and familiar crunch beneath my feet. October is also my birthday month, making it a natural time for celebrating life and reflecting on the possibilities ahead.

But in October 2001, my birthday month took an unexpected turn.

Among the cheerful birthday cards arriving in my mailbox was a letter that would forever change my life.

My mammogram results showed an abnormality, identified by a simple red X.

That little red X marked the beginning of a journey I never would have chosen. Yet today, 25 years and three breast cancer diagnoses later, I recognize how those experiences have shaped the woman I've become.

Oddly enough, I view breast cancer was a gift because it has helped me discovered something extraordinary:

I cannot always choose what happens to me. However, I can choose how I respond, what meaning I give my experiences, and how I live my life.

That realization became the foundation of the three Soul Story Truths I now share as a Soul Story Mentor:

Awareness. Rewriting Your Story. Choosing Joy.

These aren't simply concepts I teach. They are practices I've embraced throughout my transformational Soul Story, helping me create a life filled with greater purpose, creativity, gratitude, and JOY.

Soul Story Truth #1: Awareness — Recognizing the Story I'm Living

When I opened that first form letter from the Women’s Clinic, I was frightened, confused, and overwhelmed.

The message felt cold and impersonal. How could something so life-altering be communicated with so little compassion?

I wanted a human voice. Someone to acknowledge my fear and reassure me that I wasn't simply another medical statistic.

Instead, I found myself staring at that red X, wondering what my future would hold.

Would I survive? What would happen to my family? How would my life change?

Those feelings were real, and I needed to acknowledge them.

Over time, I began understanding the importance of awareness—observing my thoughts, recognizing my emotions, and listening to what my body and soul were telling me.

I'd been journaling since I was 11 years old. Writing had already helped me navigate uncertainty, disappointment, grief, and life's unexpected detours.

Now it became my word sanctuary.

Within my journal, I could be frightened, angry, hopeful, and grateful—sometimes all on the same page.

I didn't have to pretend to be brave every moment. I simply needed to be honest with myself.

Awareness taught me that acknowledging fear doesn't mean surrendering to it. It means giving myself compassion and understanding so I can move forward.

I began noticing small moments that made me feel alive: heartfelt conversations, unexpected kindness, nature's beauty, and the simple pleasure of putting pen to paper.

Even amid uncertainty, there were moments worth celebrating.

The more I noticed them, the more joy I invited into my life.

Soul Story Truth #2: Rewriting Your Story — Discovering the Wisdom Within

A breast cancer diagnosis can easily become the defining headline of your life.

I could have allowed my story to become:

I'm a woman whose life has been interrupted by cancer.

Or worse:

I'm a statistic, a victim of circumstances beyond my control.

But those descriptions never captured the whole truth of who I was.

Yes, I was facing breast cancer.

And I was also a wife, mother, writer, creative spirit, friend, and woman with dreams waiting to be realized.

Cancer was part of my story. It wasn't my identity.

As the years unfolded, I experienced additional diagnoses, surgeries, treatments, and uncertainty. I benefited from extraordinary medical professionals while also embracing creative practices that nourished my spirit.

Writing. Journaling. Exploring possibilities. Connecting with others. Listening to my intuition.

Through those experiences, I discovered the second Soul Story Truth:

Rewriting your story doesn't mean changing what happened. It means changing the meaning you give to what happened.

I couldn't erase a diagnosis or rewrite my mammogram results.

But I could challenge the belief that fear would define my future.

Instead of asking only, Why is this happening to me? I began asking:

What is this experience teaching me?

What matters most to me now?

How can I use my wisdom to encourage another woman?

Those questions opened possibilities I hadn't considered.

My experiences deepened my compassion for women silenced by fear, uncertainty, or the belief that their stories weren't important.

They reminded me that my voice mattered.

That realization helped shape my sacred mission as a Soul Story Mentor.

I stopped allowing cancer to be the headline of my life and began recognizing myself as the author of my next chapter.

Soul Story Truth #3: Choosing Joy — Living Fully, One Moment at a Time

Perhaps the most profound lesson of my breast cancer journey has been understanding that joy is a choice I can make again and again.

Not because every day is wonderful.

Not because I never experience fear, sadness, or uncertainty.

And certainly not because choosing joy makes life's challenges disappear.

Choosing joy means refusing to let difficult experiences steal every possibility for happiness, connection, creativity, and hope.

It means celebrating life even when life is imperfect.

I've learned that joy doesn't always arrive through extraordinary accomplishments.

Sometimes it's a warm cup of tea shared with a friend.

The satisfying flow of words onto a journal page.

A spontaneous creative adventure.

The laughter of someone I love.

Or discovering that a story I've shared has offered hope and given another woman courage to tell her own.

Choosing joy also requires intention.

It means recognizing when fear influences my decisions, allowing myself to rest without guilt, and saying yes to experiences that inspire me.

It means celebrating who I am today rather than waiting until everything is perfectly arranged.

Most importantly, it means remembering that my life is happening right now.

I don't want to postpone happiness until the next medical appointment, milestone, or chapter.

I want to experience the richness of the life I'm living.

Some days, choosing joy is difficult.

On those days, I return to my journal and the three Soul Story Truths.

I observe what I'm feeling.

I reconsider the story I'm telling myself.

And I look for one small opportunity to welcome joy into my day.

Joy isn't the absence of challenges. It's the presence of possibility, even in the midst of them.

Twenty-Five Years Later: Celebrating More Than Survival

As I celebrate another October birthday and recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I reflect on how much my understanding of life has changed.

Three breast cancer diagnoses have influenced the woman I've become.

And so have the books I've written, the women I've mentored, the friendships I've cherished, the creative adventures I've embraced, and the countless ordinary moments that have brought meaning to my days.

I'm more than a three-time breast cancer thriver.

I'm a woman who keeps growing, learning, creating, loving, and discovering possibilities.

My gratitude doesn't mean I'm thankful for cancer's pain or uncertainty.

It means I'm grateful those experiences didn't prevent me from discovering a fuller expression of myself.

You don't need a life-altering crisis to begin living a more joyful, meaningful, authentic life.

You can begin today.

Your Soul Story Is Still Being Written

Whatever circumstances have shaped your life, your Soul Story holds wisdom waiting to be discovered.

The three Soul Story Truths can help you uncover it.

Awareness: Notice what you're experiencing. Honor your feelings and recognize the stories you've been telling yourself.

Rewriting Your Story: Challenge beliefs that no longer serve you. Discover the wisdom and possibilities within your experiences.

Choosing Joy: Give yourself permission to live with greater intention, creativity, gratitude, and hope.

A Soul Story Writing Invitation

Pour yourself a cup of tea, open your journal, and consider:

• What experience changed how I see myself?

• What new meaning can I give that experience?

• What intentional choice can bring more joy into my life today?

Your next chapter is waiting for you to pick up your pen.

As a Soul Story Mentor, I help women discover the wisdom of their experiences, reclaim their voices, and transform their stories into messages of inspiration and hope.

If you're ready to explore the story beneath your story, I invite you to book an Inspired Soul Story Roadmap Session.

Your life is your Soul Story. You hold the pen. And you have the power to write your next chapter with JOY.