How do you live a meaningful life when cancer overshadows everything? Do you just have to lie down and let the big C ruin it all? Glynn believes we often can still live lives with intent and meaning in them, amidst the pain, treatment, anxiety and unknowns. That’s what he is pushing for. He’s trying to go get his life.

In this episode we look at the notion of living a life directed by values; deciding the type of person we want to be, the qualities we want to embody, making choices on how to live these qualities out, and going for it. Glynn shares with us his top 8 values that matter to him, and walks us through some easy activities people can do to discover their own values for themselves.

We discuss some research in this episode about cancer patients re-appraising values. The link to this can be found here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375419289_Reappraising_personal_values_in_cancer_Meaning-in-life_adaptation_meaningfulness_and_quality_of_life

We would love to hear from you if this episode resonated with you, if you have questions, or if you just want to let us know you’re listening. You can email us at hello@chemotionalrollercoaster.com

New episodes of Chemotional Rollercoaster are published weekly, on Wednesdays, Australian Eastern Time.

Lastly, Chemotional Rollercoaster is not a substitute for seeking one’s own professional advice. The strategies and skills discussed in all Chemotional Rollercoaster episodes are either what has worked for Glynn or his guests, specifically, or are things discussed in a general way. Anyone who is dealing with their own health issues, mental or physical, should seek their own professional advice on what may help to support them, uniquely. If anyone is struggling, and needs to talk, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Thanks go out to Rory Chambers, as always, for his music featured in this episode (info@rorychambers.com).

Chemotional Rollercoaster is presented by Glynn Chambers

Production, sound and editing by Rose Paton

Music by Rory Chambers ©2024 info@rorychambers.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Humans hate uncertainty! How do we sit with all the unknowns that come with a cancer diagnosis? What’s the disease? What will treatment be like? How long have I got? Will the disease come back? What is that random pain I have? Why is my nose itchy? The mental game of this is incredibly challenging, and something some people find equally as hard as the physical challenges.

In this episode, Glynn shares his recent dance with uncertainty as he has faced the unknown length of his life and his mind giving him some truly intrusive thoughts. He goes full ‘psychologist mode’ on himself and gives us a glimpse into his recent mental challenges and how he stepped through it. There’s a fair bit of Chemotional Intelligence in this one, as we look at bits of two therapeutic approaches and how Glynn has used both at different times. We also discuss breast socks, a cheeky 70 year old woman, and emotional gorillas.

We would love to hear from you if this episode resonated with you, if you have questions, or if you just want to let us know you’re listening. You can email us at hello@chemotionalrollercoaster.com

New episodes of Chemotional Rollercoaster are published weekly, on Wednesdays, Australian Eastern Time.

Lastly, Chemotional Rollercoaster is not a substitute for seeking your own professional advice. The strategies and skills discussed in all Chemotional Rollercoaster episodes are either what has worked for Glynn or his guests, specifically, or are things discussed in a general way. Anyone who is dealing with their own health issues, mental or physical, should seek their own professional advice on what may help to support them, uniquely. If anyone is struggling, and needs to talk, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Thanks go out to Rory Chambers, as always, for his music featured in this episode.

Chemotional Rollercoaster is presented by Glynn Chambers

Production, sound and editing by Rose Paton

Music by Rory Chambers ©2024 info@rorychambers.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Accepting cancer isn't easy. How do you accept something that hurts? Something that you don’t like and didn’t ask for? What does acceptance even mean? As we dive into the topic, Glynn admits to some of his misunderstandings and faulty assumptions about acceptance.

We look at two different concepts of acceptance - as a stage one can be in, and the moment to moment acceptance of our emotional experiences and thoughts. We also discuss what acceptance is not. There’s some practical wisdom in here, too, regarding how support people can help and encourage the process and the better questions they can ask. The reality is that the acceptance process is often an ongoing one with twists and turns in it, and friends and family can help a lot.

As always, Glynn gives us an update on how he’s going with treatment. Specifically, how the steroids have kicked his mood around and some of the things he’s done to cope. He also talks about where his mental goal posts are set at the moment.

We would love to hear from you if this episode resonated with you, if you have questions, or if you just want to let us know you’re listening. You can email us at hello@chemotionalrollercoaster.com

New episodes of Chemotional Rollercoaster are published weekly, on Wednesdays, Australian Eastern Time.

Lastly, Chemotional Rollercoaster is not a substitute for seeking one’s own professional advice. The strategies and skills discussed in all Chemotional Rollercoaster episodes are either what has worked for Glynn or his guests, specifically, or are things discussed in a general way. Anyone who is dealing with their own health issues, mental or physical, should seek their own professional advice on what may help to support them, uniquely. If anyone is struggling, and needs to talk, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Thanks go out to Rory Chambers, as always, for his music featured in this episode.

Chemotional Rollercoaster is presented by Glynn Chambers

Production, sound and editing by Rose Paton

Music by Rory Chambers ©2024 info@rorychambers.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Found yourself not knowing what to say when someone has cancer? Us too! Is silence golden? Don’t wanna upset the vibe? Just come out and say what we think and feel? Should we check in again, or is that hounding? It can feel like a minefield. Now that Glynn is a man on the inside, he shares with us how he talks with others with cancer, and how he would like others to talk with him. It may not be simple, but it’s often simpler than we all think.

We hear Glynn’s proprietary formula for how we can show care for others and initiate conversations with those with cancer, when we are worried about upsetting them and want to respect their space. We look at how it feels to be on both sides of cancer conversations - the caring support person, and the cancer guy - and what we are both worried about (News flash: neither of us want to bring down the vibe). We look at the benefits of talking about cancer, and how it helps process our reality. We also share the thoughts of some other cancer patients about what kinds of responses help and what truly doesn’t. In truth, no two people are the same and want the exact same things, but maybe this episode will give some things to discuss and think about as we all seek to care for each other better.

Glynn updates us on his neutrophils and the results of his immune system fertilizer. He also shares his spoonful of sugar from the archives - a brave Lymphoma joke by a dear friend on diagnosis day, knowing it would make Glynn smile.

We would love to hear from you if this episode resonated with you, if you have questions, or if you just want to let us know you’re listening. You can email us at hello@chemotionalrollercoaster.com

New episodes of Chemotional Rollercoaster are published weekly, on Wednesdays, Australian Eastern Time.

Lastly, Chemotional Rollercoaster is not a substitute for seeking one’s own professional advice. The strategies and skills discussed in all Chemotional Rollercoaster episodes are either what has worked for Glynn or his guests, specifically, or are things discussed in a general way. Anyone who is dealing with their own health issues, mental or physical, should seek their own professional advice on what may help to support them, uniquely. If anyone is struggling, and needs to talk, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Thanks go out to Rory Chambers, as always, for his music featured in this episode.

Chemotional Rollercoaster is presented by Glynn Chambers

Production, sound and editing by Rose Paton

Music by Rory Chambers ©2024 info@rorychambers.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, right?! This may not be the case if you’re in the midst of a cancer battle. How do we still wring some goodness out of this season if we are having challenging physical and/or emotional battles? Maybe you’re waiting for diagnosis, in treatment, or missing loved ones. Glynn shares three bits of wisdom about how he will be doing Christmas differently this year, his first Christmas with cancer, as he stares down his next chemo infusion session on December 27th.

We talk about the need to be clear and compassionate regarding our expectations for ourselves on Christmas Day, so we don’t make any suffering worse. We discuss the need to keep up our self-care routines. We look at the power of truly connecting with the present moment to induce positive emotions to come alongside our hard feelings. We also muse on the notion of the perspective we can take on Christmas - do we view it through the lens of having cancer, or can Christmas be viewed as it is with cancer on the side.

As always, we dive into Glynn’s multiple spoons full of sugar - family and Christmas feasts.

We would love to hear from you if this episode resonated with you, if you have questions, or if you just want to let us know you’re listening. You can email us at hello@chemotionalrollercoaster.com

New episodes of Chemotional Rollercoaster are published weekly, on Wednesdays, Australian Eastern Time.

Lastly, Chemotional Rollercoaster is not a substitute for seeking one’s own professional advice. The strategies and skills discussed in all Chemotional Rollercoaster episodes are either what has worked for Glynn or his guests, specifically, or are things discussed in a general way. Anyone who is dealing with their own health issues, mental or physical, should seek their own professional advice on what may help to support them, uniquely. If anyone is struggling, and needs to talk, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Chemotional Rollercoaster is presented by Glynn Chambers

Production, sound and editing by Rose Paton

Music by Rory Chambers ©2024 info@rorychambers.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cancer, not in your body, so not your problem? Sadly, not when you’re the spouse. In this episode we hear from the very lovely Jaz, who is married to Glynn. We dive into what it is like to be on the sidelines, supporting, caring, and cheering him on.

In truth, cancer happens to individuals and it also happens to their families. It’s just that the paths through it look differently for each person. Jaz discusses with us her story of how this cancer journey has affected her so far. She talks of how hard it is to feel helpless and how she copes, sometimes, by rage cleaning, researching, and having sneaky shower cries. Jaz shared with us her wisdom of what she wished she had known way back at the start of the journey, in the hope that this makes things easier for the next spouse running alongside their own cancer warrior.

As always, you’ll hear Glynn’s update on how he’s travelling. Things got a bit wild in the last little while, with an immune system bottoming out and chemo being delayed. We’ll also look at the great things that are getting him through - his spoon full of sugar - which this week comes in the form of his own phone betraying him. Our Chemotional Intelligence this week is pretty much spread throughout the episode; looking at the power and benefits of sharing the burden and journey with one’s partner.

We would love to hear from you if this episode resonated with you, if you have questions, or if you just want to let us know you’re listening. You can email us at hello@chemotionalrollercoaster.com

New episodes of Chemotional Rollercoaster are published weekly, on Wednesdays, Australian Eastern Time.

Lastly, Chemotional Rollercoaster is not a substitute for seeking one’s own professional advice. The strategies and skills discussed in all Chemotional Rollercoaster episodes are either what has worked for Glynn or his guests, specifically, or are things discussed in a general way. Anyone who is dealing with their own health issues, mental or physical, should seek their own professional advice on what may help to support them, uniquely. If anyone is struggling, and needs to talk, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Chemotional Rollercoaster is presented by Glynn Chambers

Production, sound and editing by Rose Paton

Music by Rory Chambers ©2024 info@rorychambers.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode four is a little early for a bonus episode, don’t you think? Well, you could say that, but there’s no rules!

Rose was interested in talking through Glynn’s weird and wonderful career progression, and how it informs his current mindset. This is a career that has spanned four countries and has not followed a common trajectory for the average psychologist. Glynn’s career has seen him working in refugee camps, being in private practice, running summer camps for at-risk youth in the USA, overseeing a multi-million dollar building project, working to help rehabilitate offenders in prison, and now counselling teenagers in a school. This all adds up to a broad view of humanity, and the world, that sees just how amazing and resilient humans can be.

We would love to hear from you if this episode resonated with you, if you have questions, or if you just want to let us know you’re listening. You can email us at hello@chemotionalrollercoaster.com

New episodes of Chemotional Rollercoaster are published weekly, on Wednesdays, Australian Eastern Time

Lastly, Chemotional Rollercoaster is not a substitute for seeking one’s own professional advice. The strategies and skills discussed in all Chemotional Rollercoaster episodes are either what has worked for Glynn or his guests, specifically, or are things discussed in a general way. Anyone who is dealing with their own health issues, mental or physical, should seek their own professional advice on what may help to support them, uniquely. If anyone is struggling, and needs to talk, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Chemotional Rollercoaster is presented by Glynn Chambers

Production, sound and editing by Rose Paton

Music by Rory Chambers ©2024 info@rorychambers.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Radiation, who knew it was tricky? Glynn sure didn’t. This episode looks at Glynn’s radiation experiences; how he took it cheaply and thought it was an easy process, only to find it was more difficult than he expected.

We look back at the radiation process, and how thinking about Wayne’s World helped Glynn get through. We discuss the process of making Glynn’s radiation mask and the challenge of wearing it day in and day out for treatment. There was some panic to contend with, but things got easier with some experience, good skills and strategies from Glynn’s psychologist brain. We deep dive into what Glynn did to make this experience easier for himself to navigate.

As always, you’ll hear Glynn’s update on how he’s travelling - pretty darn well at this point. We’ll also look at the great things that are getting him through - his spoon full of sugar - which this week is in the form of some cheeky teenage behaviour, and his daughter expressing herself to the full. Lastly, we look at some Chemotional Intelligence - the power of our mindfulness practice.

We would love to hear from you if this episode resonated with you, if you have questions, or if you just want to let us know you’re listening. You can email us at hello@chemotionalrollercoaster.com

New episodes of Chemotional Rollercoaster are published weekly, on Wednesdays, Australian Eastern Time

Chemotional Rollercoaster is presented by Glynn Chambers

Production, sound and editing by Rose Paton

Music by Rory Chambers ©2024 info@rorychambers.com

Lastly, Chemotional Rollercoaster is not a substitute for seeking one’s own professional advice. The strategies and skills discussed in all Chemotional Rollercoaster episodes are either what has worked for Glynn or his guests, specifically, or are things discussed in a general way. Anyone who is dealing with their own health issues, mental or physical, should seek their own professional advice on what may help to support them, uniquely. If anyone is struggling, and needs to talk, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.