Cancer, Fear, Rejection, Hardships, and The Fight for Success
Today, you are going to hear a compelling story about a cancer comeback, combatting fear, navigating rejection, daily habits to take action, and the secret to success.
Fitz Koehler is the author of multiple books, a keynote speaker, a professional race announcer, and a fitness expert. With her company Fitzness, she’s on a mission to help people live better and longer.
In this episode you’ll discover:
- Her latest book: My Noisy Cancer Comeback
- A cancer diagnosis and combatting fear
- The fear of rejection
- Daily habits and tools to take action
- Defining success
Prefer video? Watch here:
Connect with Fitz:
https://www.instagram.com/fitzness/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fitz-koehler/
Today we are going to talk about a topic that I think we don’t talk about enough. We seem to kind of hide it in, keep it behind the scenes, behind the curtain. But today we’re going to bring it full force up front with my amazing guest today, Fitz Kohler.
When I read her bio, most of the time (and we were talking about this before I hit record,) but a lot of times when we read people’s bios, we see the accolades and we see all the accomplishments and we’re so impressed and we always wonder, “how did these amazing people come so far and have so much success?” I think we need to take a step back and realize that they’re people just like you and I, every day people who have the setbacks, who have fear, and who struggle on a day-to-day basis.
My guest today Fitz, she is here, and she’s going to discuss that, and how she combat fear in her life and in her business.
A Cancer diagnosis
When it comes to fear, I’ve faced it throughout my whole life like everybody else has. And thankfully I’ve been able to talk my way out of it and, not externally, but in my head. I’ve been a really good coach and a pragmatic person, which has helped a lot. But in 2019, 7 weeks after a sparkling clean mammogram, I got out of the shower at a race weekend and I rubbed my under boob and I found a lump.
Instantly, I picked up my phone, which was on the bathroom counter. I did not wait or Google it, nor did I cry to my mom or my friends. I called the doctor, which I want everybody to know and learn from. That’s the appropriate action to take.
Then within about a week or so, I had the mammograms and the ultrasounds and the biopsies that told me, “Fitz Kohler, you have breast cancer and it’s running through like wildfire. You already have a size tumor and it’s already infected, multiple lymph nodes. So we need to get this show on the road and start treating you.” It was so terrifying.
My treatment was 15 months of chemotherapy, which was God awful. And I had 33 rounds of radiation and I had some surgeries. Thankfully I did not have to have a full mastectomy.
How Fitz used her diagnosis to combat fear
I used the same tools that I’d used all my life. When I was 21 I started competitive kickboxing and was fortunate to be featured in magazines. But the magazines would butcher my information and make me look like a moron. That’s when I decided to be brave and call my contact at the magazine. I asked to write the next article and they said, “yes,” and “how much do you want to be paid?”
Why have I been holding back? What have I been so afraid of? The worst thing he could have said is, “sorry, we’re not interested.”
So from then on my rule was if it does not cause bleeding, bruising, or broken bones, I’m going for it!
Fear of rejection
Early in my career, more people told me no. And so I decided to think, “what can I do to make myself more appealing, more accomplished, more experienced, so they’ll give me a yes?”
Ready for more? Listen to the whole interview here:
