Mindful Healing
Guest User
Elke Scholz

Loving Your Life: Art & Accessing Your True Potential

Registered Psychotherapist, Internationally Certified EMDR Therapist, Author, Speaker, Expressive Arts Educator and Speaker

Trust Your Heart
Guest User
Bonnie Barness

Experience The SHIFT — Meet Your True Self!

Owner of Barness Counseling and Coaching Services, Founder of SHIFT Actualization, and creator of Certified SHIFT Actualization Coach and Facilitator Training, Psychotherapist, Hypnotherapist, SHIFT Actualization Coach, Author, Speaker, Trainer

Tim McDonald

From Cancer Survivor to Advocate

Author, Healthcare Advocate, Speaker, and Community Builder

Healing Conversation #1384

— Today’s conversation explores a powerful question: What if the most difficult moment of your life became the beginning of your most meaningful work?

At the heart of this episode is From Patient to Advocate: Turning Survivorship into Impact, a book about what can happen after the shock of a life-changing diagnosis—when fear, uncertainty, and survival begin to transform into purpose, service, and hope.

This is not simply a cancer story. It is a roadmap for anyone who has ever wondered what to do with the wisdom gained through adversity. We’ll explore how lived experience can become a form of expertise, why our stories matter, and how people can move from feeling powerless to becoming active participants in their own healing and in the systems that shape their lives.

We’ll also talk about the emotional realities of serious illness, the role of mindfulness, therapy, community, and resilience, and the surprising ways advocacy itself can become part of the healing process.

Ultimately, this is a conversation about turning pain into purpose, finding meaning in what we never would have chosen, and discovering that even our hardest chapters can become a source of contribution, connection, and hope.

Valeria sits with Tim McDonald  — He is the author of  “From Patient to Advocate: Turning Survivorship into Impact: A Healthcare Advocate's Guide.”

Tim is also a healthcare advocate, speaker, and community builder who turned his stage IV colorectal cancer diagnosis into a mission for change. He translates patient experience into meaningful action for researchers, policymakers, and healthcare organizations through leadership roles with Fight Colorectal Cancer, Man Up To Cancer, HOPA, and the PAN Foundation. Now host of Advocacy at Work, Tim uses storytelling and advocacy to raise awareness and drive impact. He is the author of the brand-new book, From Patient to Advocate.

Learn more about Tim McDonald and his work!