Episode Menu

When you've faced a life-altering cancer diagnosis, the big questions become impossible to ignore: What's the meaning of all this? What happens after we die? Does any of it matter? In this episode, Beth and Jamie dive headfirst into the conversation that makes some people uncomfortable — faith. Not faith as a set of rules or Sunday performances, but faith as a living, breathing relationship with someone they believe is actively present today. They get honest about what it feels like when people...

Midlife can quietly pull couples apart—kids, careers, aging parents, health scares—until you’re roommates managing a life instead of partners living one. In this episode, Beth and Jes sit down with Chris and Jodi Gibbs of Still Hot After Kids, a couple married 30+ years who almost lost each other in that grind… and fought their way back. Chris’s body hit a wall after 40: anxiety, panic attacks, an ER/ICU scare, and a lifestyle built on 60–70-hour weeks and gas-station food. Jodi was raising fou...

In this episode of the Besties with Breasties podcast, hosts Beth Wilmes and Jes sit down with Lisa, a member of the Faith Through Fire community, for a raw conversation in their relationship series. Lisa shares the story of falling in love in college, building what looked like an idyllic marriage, and then facing breast cancer in 2007 — a diagnosis that, thirteen years later, she'd come to see as the moment that quietly exposed cracks in her relationship that had been there all along. She walk...

Hosts Beth Wilmes and Jamie dive into the surprisingly tricky topic of oversharing — both in everyday life and in the middle of a breast cancer journey. Beth (more traditional) and Jamie (a "recovering over-sharer") swap stories about where they each draw the line with their husbands, from farting etiquette to who gets to see medical drains and incisions, and debate whether keeping a little mystery in a marriage makes it stronger or just creates distance. The conversation turns more personal as...

What does it really mean to survive breast cancer? Beth sits down with Amy Brace and Jenna Sartorius — co-founders of the Pink Power Hour podcast — for an honest, unfiltered conversation about life after a diagnosis. Amy is navigating the long-term side effects of treatment, including reconstruction that failed and hormone-induced hair loss. Jenna has been living with stage IV metastatic breast cancer — including a brain tumor she had surgically removed — for over three years, carrying a weight...

Beth and Jamie get real about one of the loneliest feelings during breast cancer treatment — when the people around you just aren't showing up the way you hoped. But instead of writing them off, the duo explores a reframe that changes everything: what if it's not that people don't care, but that you're expecting the wrong kind of support from them? They break down five distinct types of support — social, emotional, informational, esteem, and tangible — and share personal stories about the frien...

Beth and Jamie tackle one of the most painful and seldom-talked-about sides of a breast cancer diagnosis: when your biggest expected supporter becomes your biggest source of stress. Inspired by a real anonymous scenario shared by a listener, they unpack what's really going on when a loved one's fear shows up as control — from fighting over wigs and GoFundMes to taking over medication routines. In this candid and deeply relatable episode, Beth and Jamie discuss: Why a cancer diagnosis doesn't c...

In this episode, Beth and Jamie sit down with Dr. Renata Sledge — who, for the record, thinks her own name sounds like a supervillain — an assistant professor of social work and licensed clinical social worker whose research focuses on the deeply human side of healthcare. Renata spent 15 years watching patients surrounded by doctors, family, and friends who all wanted to help — and yet still feeling profoundly alone. That gap between wanting to be supported and actually feeling it sent her back...

What happens when a breast cancer diagnosis isn't the worst thing that happens to you during treatment? In this episode, Beth and Jes sit down with Sarah, a mom of two who discovered her husband had been unfaithful at the very end of her radiation — revealed not by a confession, but by a doctor's visit. Sarah opens up about navigating that devastating double blow, the rage and grief that followed, and how she made the brave decision to walk away even at her most vulnerable. But this isn't just...

In this candid and eye-opening episode, Beth and Jess sit down with Kevin — the husband of Ally, a previous guest who shared her experience dating after a breast cancer diagnosis. Kevin offers a rare and refreshingly honest male perspective: what modern dating is actually like, what went through his mind when Ally disclosed her mastectomy just four dates in, and how he navigated attraction, vulnerability, and fear of recurrence in real time. Kevin opens up about the moment Allie told him she'd ...

In this heartfelt episode, the Besties dive into finding love after breast cancer. Guest Ally shares her incredible journey of being diagnosed with stage 1A breast cancer at just 31 years old, going through a grueling 10.5-hour double mastectomy with DIEP flap reconstruction, and remarkably getting back into the dating scene just months later. Ally opens up about the vulnerable moment of trying on bathing suits and realizing her future husband would never know her "real body," the courage it to...

This episode explores the often-overlooked topic of dating after breast cancer. Hosts Beth and Jes sit down with Michelle, a nine-year survivor who shares her candid experiences navigating the dating scene post-diagnosis. Michelle opens up about her journey from diagnosis at age 39 through treatment (double mastectomy and chemotherapy), and how she rebuilt her confidence and self-image afterward. The conversation tackles the real questions many survivors have: When do you tell someone about you...

Join Beth, Jess, and guest Meg for an honest and relatable conversation about the cringiest, most frustrating things people say to breast cancer patients—and how to handle them without losing your mind. Meg, a 30-year-old mom of two, shares her recent diagnosis journey: from finding a lump while pregnant to fighting for a mammogram when doctors dismissed her concerns due to her age. She opens up about the loneliness of treatment, the exhausting "you're so strong" comments, and the infuriating "...

Join Beth and Jess as they dive into one of the most emotionally complex parts of the breast cancer journey: how friendships change. In this candid conversation, the hosts explore why some relationships deepen while others fade after a cancer diagnosis. Beth and Jess share personal stories about discovering which friends could handle the weight of cancer and which couldn't. They discuss the "Midwest nice" culture of keeping struggles private, the surprising people who stepped up (and those who ...

Beth, Jess, and Jamie tackle one of the hardest parts of survivorship: looking in the mirror and recognizing the person staring back. This episode starts with a simple question—how do you feel about your body in one word?—and the answers reveal everything. "Accepting." "Strong." "Disappointed." From there, the conversation goes deep into the gap between who they were before cancer and who they are now. They dive into the power of positive thinking—not the toxic "just be happy" kind, but the int...

New season. New Besties. New Topics. When you're going through breast cancer treatment, finding voices that truly understand what you're experiencing can feel like discovering a lifeline. That's exactly what the Besties with Breasties podcast has been for so many patients and survivors—and this season, we're excited to introduce you to the new co-hosts who will be walking alongside you. Beth Wilmes, founder of Faith Through Fire, with co-hosts Jess and Jamie, both young breast cancer survivors...