
Surrendering Is a Choice: Facing Stage 3 Breast Cancer at 19, Reframing Trauma, Choosing a Positive Mindset, Using Language to Reclaim Agency, & Reclaiming Our Power | Miranda McKeon
HOW I SEE ITShow Notes
#155: On today’s episode, Han sits down with actress, founder, and breast cancer survivor Miranda McKeon for a conversation around mental health, grief, identity, and what it means to surrender. At 19 years old, Miranda had just come off the Netflix series Anne with an E when she discovered a small lump in her breast. She quickly was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Miranda and Han explore how trauma changes your relationship with mental health, and how Miranda reclaimed a sense of agency. The girls get into: Being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and how she navigated eight rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and 25 rounds of radiation The mental, physical, and spiritual toll of cancer treatment The grief that comes when the future you imagined suddenly disappears Having to surrender when you are someone who craves control Learning to speak to yourself like someone who will always have your back navigating depression as someone who never struggled with mental health issues the problem with outsourcing comfort and validation how women tether themselves to our physical appearance The complicated relationship women have with beauty, value, and appearance Moving away from a “why me?” mentality and the art of reframing How changing your language can help you reclaim agency Why surrendering can still be an intentional choice How facing mortality changed the way Miranda values her time and her life Learning not to waste energy obsessing over things you cannot control Therapy, journaling, and returning to the tools that support your mental health The breast cancer signs and symptoms young women need to know The rise of breast cancer diagnoses among young women & MORE! This episode is for anyone navigating grief, depression, trauma, illness, or a season of life that has forced them to release control. If you're looking to feel inspired to move through your trauma, this episode is for you! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 – Introduction 05:21 – Coming off Anne with an E and believing her career was just beginning 05:40 – Being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at 19 06:00 – Finding a lump during a breast self-exam 07:55 – The immediate mental-health impact of a cancer diagnosis 08:25 – Surrendering control when your future feels uncertain 11:07 – Why your relationship with mental health changes over time 11:35 – Egg freezing, chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and radiation 11:50 – The mental, physical, and spiritual toll of cancer treatment 12:30 – Depression and losing hope for the future 15:00 – Grieving the life and future you thought you were going to have 16:20 – Why mental-health struggles can feel so isolating 18:04 – Outsourcing comfort and validation when you feel alone 19:40 – The wounds cancer brought to the surface 20:35 – Why women are taught to use beauty as an asset 21:58 – Why losing her hair did not feel empowering 22:30 – Moving away from a “why me?” mentality 25:00 – Reframing the way you speak about difficult experiences 25:15 – Changing “I have to” into “I get to” 25:39 – Using language to reclaim agency and control 27:13 – How surrendering can still be a choice 31:35 – Why Miranda no longer perseverates on everything that goes wrong 32:00 – How facing mortality changed the way she values her life 32:20 – What Lexapro and antidepressants actually changed 34:29 – Learning how to live with the unknown 35:07 – Struggling to release control 35:33 – Why obsessing over what you cannot change only wastes your energy 36:00 – Returning to the mental-health tools that support you 36:43 – Therapy as a tool for healing 40:22 – Creating resources for women navigating breast cancer 42:30 – The rise of breast cancer among young women CONNECT BELOW: follow Miranda here follow Fill Your Tank here CONNECT with HAN: follow Han here follow HOW I SEE IT here follow Han on Substack here watch HOW I SEE IT on YouTube here
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