202. Nine Years of Survivorship: Dr. Erin Hurley on Living a Life with No Regrets

A breast cancer diagnosis arrived for Dr. Erin Hurley despite preventive surgeries after she learned she carried a BRCA2 mutation. What followed was a period of waiting and wondering whether the disease had spread, 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.

The experience reshaped how she approaches everything from how she spends her time to the relationships she refuses to put off. The conversation explores gratitude, boundaries, asking for help, and the sister and friend whose stories taught her that tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Drs. Hurley and Sotelo also discuss the arrival fallacy: the tendency to put life on hold until things calm down, rather than making room for what matters now. Through mentorship, community, and more intentional choices, Dr. Erin shares how she has built a life more aligned with her values.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

• Support and connection arrived as a form of protection long before the diagnosis did; the coach was hired about twelve weeks earlier, and that groundwork carried into the biopsy room
• Gratitude and fear can coexist in the same season; a stage one diagnosis with no chemotherapy is not the same as a late-stage diagnosis
• Don't keep postponing meaningful experiences: Dr. Erin's friendship and Costa Rica trip with Marty taught her to make plans while there's still time
• Women physicians can fall into the arrival fallacy, postponing the life they want until a calmer moment that may never come
• Change is possible, and getting support matters: find the community that believes in your goals and helps you create your desired outcomes

Resources Mentioned

• Chart Notes publication by the Marion-Polk County Medical Society (PAGE 14): https://www.mpmedsociety.org/resources/Documents/Q4%202024%20ChartNotes%20Web.pdf

“We have this appreciation for life, and tomorrow's not guaranteed. What am I going to do today, so that I can say when it's my time, I did live with no regrets.” - Dr. Erin Hurley

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