Business After Breast Cancer | Deb Krier

What happens when cancer crashes your life and your livelihood? In episode 281 of the Gratitude Geek podcast, I sit down with entrepreneur and cancer thriver Deb Krier to talk candidly about living with Stage 4 breast cancer while still showing up for your clients, your business, and most importantly—yourself. Deb and I don’t sugarcoat anything. We’ve both walked through cancer diagnoses, nerve damage, port drama, chemo fog, and endless unsolicited “cures.” And yet—we kept going. Sometimes we paused. Sometimes we powered through. And we both learned how to run our businesses in radically new ways. This is the episode I wish existed when I was first diagnosed. It’s equal parts support group, strategy session, and a little redhead sass. In This Episode, We Talk About: What “working through cancer” really looks like Tools and therapies (traditional and woo) that actually help How to decide what business tasks to keep, delegate, or drop The mental game of staying visible while your body is falling apart Why we should stop apologizing for our boundaries Deb’s philosophy: “You’re the boss. Not cancer. Not your doctor. You.” Connect with Deb Krier Deb Krier’s Website: https://tryingnottodie.live Deb’s Facebook Group: Support Group on Facebook Deb on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deborahkrier Deb’s Podcast: The Business Power Hour Episode Show Notes: https://kandasrodarte.com/281  About Deb Krier: Deb Krier is the founder of TryingNotToDie.LIVE, a platform that empowers individuals navigating cancer to live boldly and on their own terms. A seasoned marketing and PR professional, Deb brings the same fearless spirit to her work as she does to her personal health journey. Diagnosed with Stage 4 triple positive breast cancer in 2015 and later thyroid cancer, Deb has refused to let illness define her. She now inspires others to take ownership of their journey, build resilient communities, and find purpose—no matter the diagnosis. Gratitude Shoutout: Deb’s moment of gratitude? This conversation. And I’m right there with her. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro: When business and cancer collide 02:30 Deb’s first diagnosis: Stage 0 to Stage 4 overnight 06:15 Chemo, septic shock, and working from a hospital bed 09:40 Why Kandas stopped her podcast—and what brought it back 13:10 Ports, Herceptin, insurance battles, and treatment evolution 19:30 Complementary therapies: What helped, what didn’t 24:00 Oncologists vs primary care: Why you need both 27:10 When to fire your doctor (and how to find a better one) 31:30 Humor as medicine: Princess Anastasia Beaverhousen enters 36:00 The real deal with medical marijuana and biosimilars 40:20 Cancer’s impact on business decisions and boundaries 44:10 Deb’s advice for newly diagnosed entrepreneurs 47:00 Kandas’ take: cancer doesn’t define your business 48:30 Moment of gratitude & wrap-up If you're living with cancer and still running your business—or supporting someone who is—this episode is for you. Cancer might change your schedule, your capacity, and your boundaries. But it doesn’t get to take your voice. Stay groovy, my friends. === Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, comment & share! Join the Gratitude Geek community and stay updated with exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, and more. Sign up for our email list here:  http://kandasrodarte.com/subscribe  Support Gratitude Geek Podcast  At Gratitude Geek, we aim to spread gratitude, sow seeds of appreciation, and harvest a bounty of generosity and kindness. As a listener, reader, and subscriber, you are part of this mission, and we are honored to have your support. If possible, please help finance the show: http://kandasrodarte.com/support Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in the show notes may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show! Gratitude Geek is part of the Podmatch Network.  Learn how Podmatch can help you grow your visibility:  http://kandasrodarte.com/podmatch