Resilience and Recovery: Working with a Cancer Diagnosis and returning to work when treatment ends

This week, I'm talking about working through and after a cancer diagnosis. I'll be sharing my personal journey of working during my treatment and what returning to work looked like for me after cancer.
Cancer treatment can often feel like a full-time job, with endless appointments and treatments that can take over your life.
I found that maintaining my work during treatment provided not just financial support but a mental escape, helping me to not feel defined solely by my cancer. I didn't want to be defined by my cancer diagnosis, although I felt very ill during chemotherapy, I didn't want to be a victim, a cancer patient with everyone feeling sorry for me. No judgement here, we all have our own paths to tread, but for me work was an important part of my life, and I wanted so much to feel valued and useful.
Join me as I offer not just my story, but also guidance and support for navigating the complex emotions and decisions around work during this intense part of life.
Here are the highlights:
(1:04) Working through cancer treatment and return to work.
(3:00) Returning to work after cancer treatment, including legal protections for employees.
(7:03) Work-life balance after cancer diagnosis.
(9:46) Prioritising your personal values.
I’m Gabrielle Mottershead, known as Gabby, wellness coach, author & cancer thriver & I show people how to take back their health & power. Let me tell you my story.
I believe that you can have a successful life and career after cancer without sacrificing your health.
For many years I was a stressed out senior manager at work, wife and mother (my husband and sons got what little was left of my energy) I had no time to get sick, or to look after my own health.
And then I got diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer and my world was turned upside down. I got through treatment, chemotherapy, multiple surgeries, radiotherapy. At the end of all that I expected to feel triumphant, I had 'won the battle' with cancer. Except I felt lower than ever, all the support I had through treatment melted away
Life when the cancer treatment ended and the Get Well cards came down was a shock.
I was alone. Lost. Afraid. Crippling anxiety. Living in fear of the cancer coming back. Confused about nutrition and how to care for myself. My corporate career that I had worked so hard to build - I felt nothing for it, I reflected a lot on how I had been running on empty for years- and I think it was stress that made me ill.
How could I move forward?
Well, I studied harder than I ever had before, nutritional healing, reiki, coaching and NLP, Feng Shui, breathwork, lots of different healing modalities. I saw so many doctors and therapists. I read so many books and attended countless seminars searching for the answers I needed. When I understood that my biggest challenge was FEAR, I knew I had to start to heal by changing my mindset. I had to rebuild my confidence in myself.
This is what made me create Confidence After Cancer, now I am happy, healthy and fulfilled doing what I love, using my experience to help others.
I help women to have a successful career without sacrificing their health after cancer treatment.
You can download my ebook here if you want some simple steps to improve your confidence today
www.confidence...
Information on keeping safe by managing your exposure to toxins - click here
Toxins information PDF - Gabrielle Mottershead (confidenceaftercancer.co.uk)
If you want to know more about a plan for healing mind, body and spirit when treatment ends - check out my online course - you can reclaim your health and happiness here: www.confidence...
To get help with Scanxiety - fear of hospital checkups - click here Overcoming Scanxiety - Confidence After Cancer
If you are ready to lose the fear and start living again - we need to talk - book a call with me here:
calendly.com/g...