201. Flourish First: What Nine Years of Doing the Work Looks Like in an MRI Machine with Dr. Erin Hurley

Nine years ago, Dr. Erin Hurley learned she had breast cancer after finding a lump despite having had a preventive mastectomy years earlier. What followed was fear, uncertainty, and weeks of waiting, but also a turning point. She shares how the coaching she had started just three months earlier helped her approach the diagnosis with more calm, connection, and intention.

Those lessons have changed the way she approaches everything from yearly cancer follow-ups to moments of everyday stress. The conversation explores meditation, breathing, asking for help, and making space for joy, along with Dr. Erin’s “flourish first” approach she uses for herself and for her coaching clients: taking care of yourself so well that you flourish to support whatever may come your way. This includes acknowledging fear without letting it run the show.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

• A hard cry after a coaching call isn't a setback; it's often the release that lets a different state of mind arrive, one that says you've got this, whatever the results may be
• Service compounds. Volunteering on a medical society board and for a hereditary-cancer organization years earlier produced the exact surgeon, oncologist, and support network needed at diagnosis
• Waiting for test results can be a stress-laden ordeal, yet we can lessen the impact by reclaiming what's controllable and where and how you shape the days around the wait
• Practices like belly breathing, extended exhales, and adequate sleep can become automatic under pressure, especially when built during calm times, and even occasional use helps
• Turn a potentially dreaded medical trip into something meaningful: connection, friends, good food, a farmers market conversation. These associations rewire our reaction to the event, and each year can get easier

“When I can flourish first, when I do the best job at taking care of myself, that's going to give me the most resources to acknowledge the worry and keep it in its place.” - Dr. Erin Hurley

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