What happens when a lifelong healer becomes the patient?
Dr. Antonia Balfour - a non-smoker, a mother, and a holistic doctor for 25 years - was diagnosed with Stage 1 lung cancer at 52. A year later, it had spread. Stage 4. Metastatic.
It felt surreal. Cruel. But it also became something else: an invitation to live with more clarity, courage, and depth than ever before.
Welcome to
Healthier Than Ever - a podcast about healing that goes beyond prescriptions and protocols. Here, we talk about what it really means to reclaim your body, your spirit, and your purpose - even in the face of the unthinkable.
Each week, you’ll hear real conversations with doctors, patients, survivors, and seekers. We’ll explore how to manage treatment, calm the nervous system, prevent recurrence, and rediscover joy in the most unexpected places.
If you're living with illness, loving someone who is, or simply wondering how to care for yourself on a deeper level... you're in the right place.
One step at a time. One day at a time. Let’s begin.
Insurance Denied: How I Used AI to Advocate for Myself
I was on my way to the hospital when I learned that insurance had denied a procedure my surgeon considered important before major surgery. A week later, the appeal was denied too. What followed involved tears, swearing at an AI chatbot, an email I regretted sending, and a surprisingly useful lesson in advocating for myself. Download the Free AI Advocacy Guide Practical prompts and steps to help you understand insurance paperwork, organize your questions, and communicate with your care team: h...
7 Sept 2026
Turning Down the Volume on Fear: Hypnosis and the Cancer Journey with Dr. Marc Schoen
What if the goal isn't to get rid of fear, but to turn down its volume? In this episode of Healthier Than Ever, Toni sits down with Dr. Marc Schoen, a clinical psychologist, author, and resilience expert who has been studying hypnosis since he found a book on his mother's shelf at age 13. He also happens to be her neighbor, and his work has helped her tremendously over the past few years, including in preparing for two surgeries. Together they get specific about what hypnosis can and can't do...
29 Aug 2026
Lung Cancer & Personalized Cancer Vaccines: What I Learned at City of Hope
Cancer vaccines have been making headlines - and during a recent oncology appointment at City of Hope, I unexpectedly got the chance to spend about 20 minutes talking with Dr. Turja Chakrabarti, a physician and cancer-vaccine researcher. I had asked my oncologist, Dr. Ravi Salgia, about the encouraging melanoma research combining a personalized cancer vaccine with Keytruda - the same immunotherapy drug I’m currently taking for Stage 4 lung cancer. By complete coincidence, Dr. Chakrabarti happ...
23 Aug 2026
Karla Mans Giroux: Radical Remission, Hope & Living With Stage 4 Cancer
When Karla Mans Giroux learned that her breast cancer had returned and spread to her bones eleven years after her original diagnosis, her mind went immediately to the worst-case scenario. Then her oncologist told her something she wasn't expecting: “This is a chronic disease we can manage.” Karla decided she was going to “manage the hell out of” her diagnosis. That decision eventually led her to cancer coaching, integrative approaches to health, and the work of Dr. Kelly Turner and the Radica...
8 Aug 2026
Meline Nadeau: When Your Mind Won’t Sleep | Insomnia, Anxiety & Finding Rest
What happens when the rest of the world is asleep - but your mind is still racing? In this episode of Healthier Than Ever, Dr. Toni Balfour sits down with writer, meditation teacher, former insomniac, and longtime friend Meline Nadeau for an honest conversation about insomnia, anxiety, meditation, and the strange vulnerability of being awake in the middle of the night. Meline began struggling with sleep when she was only 11 or 12 years old. For years, insomnia was treated as something she sim...
23 Jul 2026
Keith Ayers: The Obligation of the Cured | Finding Meaning After Cancer
Keith Ayers: The Obligation of the Cured | Finding Meaning After Cancer When Keith Ayers was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma at just 22 years old, his life changed overnight. A law student with his future carefully mapped out, he suddenly found himself facing chemotherapy, uncertainty, and questions no one expects to ask at such a young age. In this conversation, Keith shares how conventional cancer treatment, integrative therapies, meditation, acupuncture, and an unexpected passion for storyt...
20 Jul 2026
Mini Episode: A Personal Message For Friends, Family & Patients
This isn't one of my usual episodes. It's a short, personal message for my friends, family, and patients - especially those who may be surprised to discover that I'm now hosting a podcast that includes conversations about living with Stage 4 lung cancer. For a long time, I chose to keep my own health journey separate from my work. When I was with patients, my focus was always on them. And with friends and family... well, I've never liked making people worry. In this mini episode, I share why ...
16 Jul 2026
Larry Miller: At 21, He Built His Own Integrative Approach to Cancer
Larry Miller built his own integrative cancer treatment before integrative oncology was a field anyone talked about. He's a licensed acupuncturist in Los Angeles now, an ultramarathoner, and someone I met in Chinese medicine school in the mid-90s. At 21, he was on a summer program in Washington, DC, when a cold that wouldn't clear turned into daily nosebleeds, then polyps, then a biopsy he wasn't awake for. He came out of surgery to find out it was cancer before anyone told him directly: stag...
9 Jul 2026
Stage 4 Lung Cancer: My Origin Story | Dr. Toni Balfour & Libby Silverman
There is a mac and cheese ball at the center of this story. I did not see that coming either. In this first episode of Healthier Than Ever, my longtime friend Libby Silverman - television writer, producer, and co-host of the Do Over Divas podcast - sits down with me to help me tell the story of how I got here. How a healthy, non-smoking doctor of Chinese medicine ended up with a Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. And how I found my way from that moment to this podcast. We go through all of it. Th...
3 Dec 2025
Welcome to Healthier Than Ever
This is the official trailer for Healthier Than Ever - a podcast about healing beyond the diagnosis. Dr. Antonia Balfour is a holistic doctor, a mother, and a non-smoker who was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer at 53. In this short intro, she shares the story behind the show and the heart behind the journey. If you're navigating illness, caring for someone who is, or simply seeking a deeper kind of wellness... you're in the right place. New episodes coming soon.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
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