BRCA & Beyond

About BRCA & Beyond

If you're a hereditary cancer previvor, in treatment, or a cancer survivor, this podcast is for you. BRCA & Beyond is a hereditary cancer podcast for previvors, survivors, and mutation carriers navigating a genetic mutation, including BRCA1, BRCA2, Lynch syndrome, PALB2, CHEK2, ATM, TP53, CDH1, PTEN, RAD51C, RAD51D, STK11, and beyond. Whether you're weighing genetic testing, navigating a family history of cancer, considering preventive surgery, in active treatment, living in survivorship, or supporting a loved one through a hereditary cancer diagnosis, you'll find real conversations here. Hosted by Marisa Stachelski, a stage 1 colon cancer survivor and BRCA2 previvor, each episode covers what genetic counseling and clinical care often leave out... identity, body image, intimacy, fertility, career, family planning, and survivor's guilt. You'll hear from previvors, survivors, mutation carriers, caregivers, genetic counselors, and oncology experts on the realities of hereditary cancer risk, prophylactic surgery, surveillance, hereditary cancer screening, and life after a mutation diagnosis. Topics include hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, inherited cancer risk, genetic testing, and living with a hereditary cancer syndrome. Because a positive genetic test result changes more than your medical chart. New episodes every week for the hereditary cancer community. BRCA & Beyond is written, recorded, and run independently by Marisa, a colon cancer survivor and BRCA2 previvor. If this podcast has helped you, you can support the mission here: www.ko-fi.com/brcabeyond (http://www.ko-fi.com/brcabeyond) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Marisa Stachelski, Cancer Survivor & BRCA2 Previvor

Category

education · health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Aug 2025

Latest episode

16 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

63 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Oct 2026

   When Prevention Becomes Survivorship: Gila Pfeffer on BRCA1 & Breast Cancer

   What happens when the steps you take to prevent cancer unexpectedly become part of your cancer story? In this episode of BRCA & Beyond, Marisa sits down with Gila Pfeffer, award-winning author, humorist, breast cancer prevention advocate, BRCA1 carrier, eighteen-year breast cancer previvor and survivor, and mom of four. Long before BRCA genetic testing and preventive mastectomy were widely discussed, Gila was paying close attention to her breast health. After learning she carried a BRCA1 mutation, she ultimately moved forward with a risk reducing double mastectomy. Six days after surgery, she received unexpected news: pathology had found an early but aggressive breast cancer. Suddenly, prevention and survivorship became part of the same story. Gila and Marisa talk about what it means to live with hereditary cancer risk, make major medical decisions with the information available to you, and have your understanding of your own experience change overnight. They discuss the complicated space between being a previvor and survivor, how BRCA awareness and genetic testing have evolved, and why knowing your risk can give you the opportunity to make informed decisions about your health. They also talk about something central to Gila's life and work: humor. For Gila, humor doesn't minimize cancer, surgery, loss, or inherited risk. It creates a way into conversations that can otherwise feel overwhelming. In this conversation: • Gila's experience with BRCA1 and hereditary cancer risk • How BRCA genetic testing and awareness have changed • Risk-reducing mastectomy and becoming a breast cancer survivor • The intersection of prevention and survivorship • Breast health, screening, and self-advocacy • Making informed decisions about hereditary cancer risk • Using humor to make difficult health conversations more approachable • Gila's breast cancer prevention advocacy and “Feel It on the First” campaign • Her memoir, Nearly Departed: Adventures in Loss, Cancer, and Other Inconveniences ABOUT GILA PFEFFER Gila Pfeffer is an award-winning author, humorist, breast cancer prevention advocate, and mom of four. Her memoir, Nearly Departed: Adventures in Loss, Cancer, and Other Inconveniences, brings her signature humor to cancer, prevention, survivorship, and life's unexpected turns. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Today.com, Oprah Daily, AARP, McSweeney's, and more. She speaks about women's health, prevention, empowerment, and humor and is the creator of “Feel It on the First,” a monthly campaign using tongue-in-cheek reminders to encourage women to prioritize breast health. She also writes the Feelin' It newsletter about women's health, middle age, and life through a humorous lens. GET THE BOOK Nearly Departed: Adventures in Loss, Cancer, and Other Inconveniences is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and other major booksellers. CONNECT WITH GILA Website: https://www.gilapfeffer.com/ (https://www.gilapfeffer.com/) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gilapfeffer/ (https://www.instagram.com/gilapfeffer/) Feel It on the First: https://www.gilapfeffer.com/feel-it-on-the-first (https://www.gilapfeffer.com/feel-it-on-the-first) Feelin' It Newsletter: https://gilapfeffer.substack.com/ (https://gilapfeffer.substack.com/) RESOURCE MENTIONED Sharsheret provides support and resources for women and families facing breast and ovarian cancer, including those navigating hereditary cancer risk. https://www.sharsheret.org/ (https://www.sharsheret.org/) If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating and review. This helps us reach more people navigating previvorship, survivorship, and life after a diagnosis. Medical Disclaimer This podcast is for informational and inspirational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or another qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions. The views and experiences shared by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host. Connect with BRCA & Beyond Instagram: 🧬 @BRCAandBeyond (https://instagram.com/BRCAandBeyond) 💛 @MarisStache (https://instagram.com/MarisStache) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   14 Oct 2026

   Meeting Yourself Again: Body Image After Mastectomy & Breast Surgery (Breast Cancer Awareness Month Series: Episode 4 of 6)

   What happens when the surgery is over, but you don’t recognize the body looking back at you? In Episode 4 of the BRCA & Beyond Breast Cancer Awareness Month series, Marisa talks about body image after mastectomy and breast surgery, including the first time you see your chest, the uncomfortable in between of recovery, and the emotional process of learning to feel at home in your body again. After her risk-reducing double mastectomy, Marisa avoided looking at her chest for weeks. Photos felt easier than the mirror because she could separate herself from what she was seeing. Then came tissue expanders, surgical drains, numbness, scars, implant exchange, changes in sensation, and the question underneath all of it: Will I ever feel like myself again? This episode explores the parts of mastectomy recovery and breast reconstruction that can be difficult to understand until you experience them. Marisa shares her experience with tissue expanders and implant reconstruction while recognizing that there is no single path after breast surgery. Reconstruction with implants or your own tissue, going flat, lumpectomy, radiation, and delayed reconstruction can all change the way someone sees and experiences their body. Nearly three years after her mastectomy, Marisa reflects on what making peace with her body actually looks like. Not one dramatic moment of acceptance, but small, ordinary moments mixed with days when the loss still feels heavy. Because physical healing and emotional healing do not always happen on the same timeline. There is no deadline for looking. There is no right way to feel about your scars. And having a hard day after you thought you had made peace with your body does not erase the healing that came before it. Resources: National Cancer Institute: Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstruction (https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstruction) National Cancer Institute: Mastectomy https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/treatment/surgery/mastectomy (https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/treatment/surgery/mastectomy) National Cancer Institute: Living with Breast Cancer & Survivorship https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/breast-cancer-survivorship (https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/breast-cancer-survivorship) American Cancer Society: Mastectomy for Breast Cancer https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/treatment/surgery-for-breast-cancer/mastectomy.html (https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/treatment/surgery-for-breast-cancer/mastectomy.html) American Cancer Society: Breast Reconstruction Surgery https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/reconstruction-surgery.html (https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/reconstruction-surgery.html) Breastcancer.org: Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy or Other Surgery https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstruction (https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstruction) American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Breast Reconstruction https://www.plasticsurgery.org/reconstructive-procedures/breast-reconstruction (https://www.plasticsurgery.org/reconstructive-procedures/breast-reconstruction) If looking in the mirror, getting dressed, showering, intimacy, or adjusting to your body after breast surgery continues to feel overwhelming, consider talking with your oncology team, an oncology social worker, or a mental health professional experienced in cancer and body image. BRCA & Beyond is a hereditary cancer podcast exploring BRCA1, BRCA2 and other inherited cancer risks through honest conversations about prevention, treatment, survivorship, surgery, mental health and life beyond a genetic test result. If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating and review. This helps us reach more people navigating previvorship, survivorship, and life after a diagnosis. Medical Disclaimer This podcast is for informational and inspirational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or another qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions. The views and experiences shared by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host. Connect with BRCA & Beyond Instagram: 🧬 @BRCAandBeyond (https://instagram.com/BRCAandBeyond) 💛 @MarisStache (https://instagram.com/MarisStache) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   12 Oct 2026

   Saying Goodbye to Your Breasts: The Grief Before a Mastectomy (Breast Cancer Awareness Month Series: Episode 3 of 6)

   Deciding to have a mastectomy and being emotionally ready to lose your breasts are two very different things. In Episode 3 of BRCA & Beyond’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month series, Marisa explores the grief that can come before and after a mastectomy, whether surgery follows a breast cancer diagnosis or is chosen preventively because of hereditary cancer risk. Breasts can be connected to motherhood, breastfeeding, femininity, sexuality, sensation, body image, intimacy, and simply recognizing your own body. Losing them can bring complicated emotions, even when you know the surgery is right for you. Marisa shares her experience preparing for a preventive double mastectomy, including the guilt she felt grieving healthy breasts, the unexpected “lasts” before surgery, and the night she stood in the shower realizing her body would never look or feel exactly the same again. The episode also explores disenfranchised grief, when a loss does not feel like something you are allowed to mourn. For survivors, that can sound like, “This surgery is saving my life, so how can I be sad?” For previvors, it can be, “I do not even have cancer, so what right do I have to grieve?” You can be grateful for surgery and still grieve what it costs you. You can want a mastectomy and still mourn your breasts. And that grief may come before surgery, immediately afterward, or much later. Whether you are preparing for a mastectomy after breast cancer, considering preventive mastectomy because of hereditary cancer risk, or recovering from breast surgery, this conversation makes space for a part of the experience that can be difficult to explain. RESOURCES National Cancer Institute: Surgery to Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/causes-risk-factors/prevention/preventive-breast-surgery (https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/causes-risk-factors/prevention/preventive-breast-surgery) National Cancer Institute: Mastectomy https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/treatment/surgery/mastectomy (https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/treatment/surgery/mastectomy) National Cancer Institute: Self Image, Sexuality and Cancer https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/self-image (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/self-image) American Cancer Society: Mastectomy for Breast Cancer https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/treatment/surgery-for-breast-cancer/mastectomy.html (https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/treatment/surgery-for-breast-cancer/mastectomy.html) BRCA & Beyond shares personal experiences and educational information and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating and review. This helps us reach more people navigating previvorship, survivorship, and life after a diagnosis. Medical Disclaimer This podcast is for informational and inspirational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or another qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions. The views and experiences shared by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host. Connect with BRCA & Beyond Instagram: 🧬 @BRCAandBeyond (https://instagram.com/BRCAandBeyond) 💛 @MarisStache (https://instagram.com/MarisStache) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

9 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Contact BRCA & Beyond

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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