525: Why Did I Get Sick?

The Question That Changed Everything...and the Quiet Shift That Helped Me Start to Truly Heal

🚨 You didn’t cause your cancer. But you can change what comes next.

The Question I Was Afraid to Ask

After being diagnosed, people thought I was “doing great.” I smiled, I showed up, I answered texts with hearts and exclamation marks. But inside, I was running on fumes, scared and riding an emotional roller coaster!

I remember sitting on the edge of my bed one morning—still in pajamas, still drained—and whispering to myself, “Why did I get sick?”

I hadn’t said it out loud until that moment. Because the second you ask that question, the floodgates open:
Was it something I did? Something I didn’t do?
Was I too stressed? Not strong enough? Not doing enough green smoothies or yoga or… who even knows anymore?

And the scariest part of all?
I didn’t know where to go with that question. I didn’t even know if I was allowed to ask it.

But here's the thing...I got a piece of data that not everyone else gets. I also received a BRCA2 genetic mutation diagnosis. Something I've had my entire life, so I got to look at "Why Now?".

"I didn’t know where to go with that question. I didn’t even know if I was allowed to ask it."

I Always Secretly Hoped Someone Would Come Along…

Here’s something I hear from women in my community all the time:

“I always hoped someone would come along and help me, the way that I help so many others… but I didn’t even know what to look for.”

That was me too, as I was doing my own research...trying to solve the puzzle (like I'd done for many of my health coaching clients)...

I hoped for the right book, the right support group, the right moment when I’d find the answer that made sense...that connected all the dots.

The Turning Point: A List That Named My Pain

Everything changed the day I discovered Dr. W. Douglas Brodie’s work. He was a physician who had treated cancer patients for decades—and he’d identified a set of common personality traits he called “The Cancer Personality.”

Things like:

• Chronic people-pleasing
  
  
• Emotional suppression
  
  
• A deep need to be seen as “the strong one”
  
  
• Avoiding conflict, even at the cost of your peace
  
  
• Never asking for help
  
  

Reading that list felt like someone had been following me around for years.

I wasn’t broken. I wasn’t weak.
I was exhausted from being the dependable one, the peacekeeper, the yes-girl, the emotional sponge.

And no one had ever told me that those traits—those ways of being—could silently wear down my nervous system, drain my immune function, increase inflammation and keep me stuck in survival mode...even long after treatment ended.

“I wasn’t broken. I wasn’t weak. I was exhausted from being the strong one for too long.”

The Quiet Shift That Changed Everything

Here’s what I wish someone had told me sooner:

You don’t need to overhaul your entire life to start feeling better.

I thought I needed to try harder. Wake up earlier. Meditate longer. Go to the gym. Cut sugar. Push through. Smile more.

But the truth? Recovery didn’t start when I pushed myself to do more.
It started when I finally did less—took the pressure off myself, and did it with love for me.

It started with one boundary.

One tiny moment when I said: “Actually, no. I’m not available for that.”
And I didn’t explain. I didn’t apologize. I just… protected my peace.

That was the moment I exhaled. You know the kind of exhalation...when you get test results back and they're all good...😮‍💨 😮‍💨 😮‍💨 😮‍💨 😮‍💨...it goes on for some time, even days, right?

“Healing didn’t start when I did more. It started when I finally did less—and did it for me.”

 “Boundaries aren’t about keeping people out.

They’re about letting yourself in.”

Boundaries Are Not Walls—They’re Welcome Mats

When most women hear the word “boundaries,” they think of conflict. Pushback. Disappointing others. I used to too, until I learned what they really mean.

Because boundaries aren’t about keeping people out. They’re about letting yourself in.

They’re how we begin to unlearn the patterns that kept us overgiving, overfunctioning, and overwhelmed.

Boundaries are:

• Saying no without guilt
  
  
• Resting before you hit the wall
  
  
• Feeling your emotions instead of stuffing them down
  
  
• Giving up the need to explain yourself to everyone
  
  

And according to Dr. Brodie’s work, these shifts aren’t just emotionally freeing—they’re physically protective.
 

He believed that releasing those deeply ingrained patterns of emotional suppression and self-abandonment may help support the body’s long-term resilience and lower recurrence risk.

This isn’t just about feeling better.
It’s about staying well.

THIS IS WHAT CONNECTED THE DOTS FOR ME!

If You’ve Been Wondering Why You’re Still So Tired…

It’s not just the treatment.
It’s everything you’ve carried for years.

The pressure. The pretending. The pushing through.
And the quiet hope that someone would finally see how hard it’s been.

This exhaustion isn’t your fault. But it’s also not your forever.

There is a way to start feeling like you again—without needing to become someone else.

You don’t have to “fix” your personality.
You don’t have to be perfect.

You just need a way to gently unlearn what’s no longer serving you—and give yourself permission to matter again.

This Is Exactly What We Do Inside Thrivership School

When I created Thrivership School, I didn’t want it to be another program full of to-do’s. In fact, it's the only school of it's kind with no homework, grades, detention or mean girls!

I wanted it to be a soft landing for women like us—the strong ones, the smart ones, the tired ones.

The ones who survived cancer and are now wondering: What now?

Inside Thrivership School, I teach my proven K.A.R.I.N.S. Formula for Thriving:

• Know who you are
  
  
• Ask what’s working (and what isn’t)
  
  
• Respect your needs and wants
  
  
• Identify the thoughts inside
  
  
• No becomes an easy word to say
  
  
• Self-care is non-negotiable
  
  

It’s not about doing more.
It’s about choosing different—one small, aligned step at a time.

And it starts right here with boundaries.

“You don’t have to fix your personality. You just have to stop abandoning yourself.”

 

Your First Step: 7 Boundaries That Protect Your Peace

If you’ve made it this far, I want you to know: this isn’t just a blog post. This is your sign.

Your sign that you’re not lazy. Not making it up. And not alone.

You’re simply tired of living in patterns that were never meant to carry you this far.

I’ve put together a one-page cheat sheet with the 7 boundaries I teach all my clients to start with. They’re simple, powerful, and designed to protect your peace—even if you’ve never set a boundary before. I share the exact phrases with you...I've got you covered!

👉 Click here to download the 7 Boundaries to Safeguard Your Energy.

Start there. One shift at a time.
You’ve already done the hardest part.
Let’s make what comes next… easier.

With love,
xoxo Karin

P.S. If you'd like to dive deeper into the work of Dr. W. Douglas Brodie and his Cancer Personality Traits and how you can unlearn them...I've got you covered. CLICK HERE.