Jan. 7, 2026

When Your Own Body Throws a Plot Twist: A Survival Comedy with Best Selling Author Cara Lockwood

Fear is not the enemy, until it starts running the show. In this episode, we sit down with USA Today bestselling author Cara Lockwood (aka Cara Tanamachi) to discuss her book, There Is No Good Book for This But I Wrote One Anyway: An Irreverent and Brutally Honest Guide to Crushing Breast Cancer, a refreshingly honest and laugh-out-loud take on navigating cancer.

A mom of five in a blended family and a survivor of stage 1 HER2+ invasive breast cancer, to unpack how medicine, humor, and unapologetic self-advocacy helped her get through sixteen months of treatment.

Cara Lockwood brings the same sharp wit and tender honesty from her book into this conversation as we talk double mastectomy decisions, reconstruction realities, naming the fear, picking out new boobs with her husband, and why laughter can steady your hands without ever replacing chemo.

This is not a story about pretending cancer is funny. It is about refusing to let fear have the final word. Cara shares what it looks like to sit with terror, tell the truth about your body, advocate fiercely in exam rooms, and still find moments of levity that make the unbearable survivable.

We talk about the emotional whiplash of diagnosis, the pressure to “stay positive,” the exhaustion of being brave, and the power of saying what you actually feel instead of what makes other people comfortable. This conversation is for anyone walking through cancer, caregiving, chronic illness, or any season where survival feels heavy and laughter feels risky but necessary.

If you have ever needed permission to laugh through tears, to ask better questions, to trust your instincts, or to take up space in your own healing, this episode will meet you right where you are.

Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more listeners find honest conversations like this. What question about cancer, fear, or healing do you want us to tackle next?

If you are a survivor or knows someone who is or if you just know someone who is going through a very difficult time, this episode will lighten your load and help you to find a smile.

You can reach Cara and her books at Tanamachi: Rom-Com Author & Your Next Great Read!

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Chapters

00:08 - Welcome And Guest Introduction

00:54 - Kara’s Diagnosis And Treatment Overview

02:37 - Humor As A Superpower

06:32 - Facing Fear And Turbulence

10:57 - Identity, Body Betrayal, And Breasts

14:51 - Permission To Feel Everything

20:24 - Self‑Advocacy And Second Opinions

25:19 - Telling Loved Ones And Navigating Reactions