Send us a text Some stories are not about how strong we are — but about who carried us when we had no strength left. When we first met Catrina Sullivan, she carried herself with strength — and with walls. Walls built over years of heartache. Of people letting her down. Of being taken advantage of. Of learning the hard way that survival sometimes means staying guarded. Her life has been shaped by battles most people never see — childhood trauma, silence in the military, abuse,...

Send us a text What does it mean to survive when life never gives you time to rest? In this powerful episode of Still I Rise, Cat Black shares her extraordinary story of surviving breast cancer and leukemia — not once, but twice — while raising two young children. Diagnosed with breast cancer at 36 with a four-year-old and a five-month-old at home, Cat fought not just for herself, but for her family. Just as life began to stabilize, a second diagnosis — leukemia — burned everything down again...

Send us a text For more than twenty years, Tara Warner has stood at the bedside of people facing cancer. As an oncology nurse, she’s walked thousands of patients through diagnosis, treatment, fear, and hope — always reminding them that the mental battle is at least fifty percent of the fight. But everything shifted when Tara crossed the line from caregiver to patient… when she herself was diagnosed with breast cancer. In that moment, she saw what the system doesn’t have time to hold — the emo...

Send us a text Once upon a time, in a quiet land of shifting skies and whispering winds, lived a girl named Denise. In her village, children didn’t build houses from wood or stone — they built them from beliefs. Denise learned early how to build. Be small. Be silent. Keep the peace. Don’t shine too brightly. So she built carefully. Brick by brick. Approval by approval. A house that looked strong on the outside — but never quite felt like home. She grew, suc...

Send us a text Today on Still I Rise, you’re going to meet a woman who describes herself through the image of a firefly—small, steady, and lit from within, flickering even when everything around her feels dark. Our guest, Dawn Freret, was stepping into a new chapter: rebuilding after a painful divorce, raising her boys, and finding love again—ready to turn 50 and see it as the beginning of the second half of her story. But then a routine mammogram became a biopsy… and in February 2025, Dawn w...

Send us a text Welcome to Still I Rise, where we celebrate women who have walked through the darkest seasons and found a way to bloom again. Today, we step into the garden of Kathy Cole — a woman whose life has always been rooted in soil, color, and connection. From planting vegetables with her dad to creating Friendship Gardens in every home she’s lived in, Kathy has always believed that growth is something we share. But in 2020, Kathy’s world shifted into a harsh winter. For months, she cou...

Send us a text Some women survive storms. But Kelli Beckman has weathered entire skies. For much of her life, Kelli coped by imagining herself tethered to a hot-air balloon, floating safely above the clouds. When joy called—marriage, children, a career—she’d lower her lines and touch the ground. When life hurt, she drifted back up. But over time, her balloon developed a leak. Divorce, the death of a parent, the loss of a job, and the passing of her best friend all struck at once. And then, at...

Send us a text Welcome to the Still I Rise Podcast, where we share the stories of women who walk through the unthinkable and rise stronger on the other side. Today, we’re honored to welcome Michele Rokes—a mother, a school nurse, and a woman whose life changed in an instant. At thirty-six, a routine appointment led to a breast cancer diagnosis. Days later, she discovered she was pregnant. And then, in a heartbreaking turn, she miscarried. The cancer remained. What followed was a journey she n...

Send us a text Welcome back to Still I Rise — the podcast that reminds us healing isn’t just about surviving what happened to us, but about rediscovering who we are after. Today, we meet Kathy Burns, a woman whose story—The Fight of My Life—captures the quiet strength that follows the storm. Like so many survivors, Kathy believed the hardest part was behind her once chemo ended and surgery was over. Surrounded by love from family and friends, she thought she had everything she needed to move ...

Send us a text Welcome back to Still I Rise — the podcast where stories of resilience remind us that even when life throws us into the steepest drops, faith, courage, and connection can carry us through. Today’s guest is someone I affectionately call Miss Jackson — a woman whose story is as breathtaking as the ride she’s been on. Dawn Jackson has lived her life on what she calls “the rollercoaster” — a series of climbs, loops, and sudden plunges that tested her faith, her identity, and her st...

Send us a text Today on Still I Rise, we meet a woman whose story reminds us that sometimes, life’s most unexpected storms reveal the deepest strength within us. Before cancer, Alicia walked what she calls “a well-marked trail.” She planned her steps carefully, trusted in her faith, and believed that with enough preparation, she could stay safe and steady. But then came the flood — a sudden, life-altering diagnosis that swept away her sense of control and forced her to face her deepest fears....

Send us a text They say you should never judge a book by its cover—and that couldn’t be more true for Louise M. Parks. Like a beautiful rose with thorns, Louise came into the program with her guard up, protective of the strength she’s had to build through a lifetime of challenges. But as she learned to trust us, we began to see beyond that tough exterior—and discovered a woman full of grit and grace. When we did her photo shoot, Louise asked if she could hold her motorcycle helmet while weari...

Send us a text Today’s guest is one of the hardest-working women I’ve ever met — a strong, beautiful mother whose heart for others shines through everything she does. She’s the founder of a nonprofit that delivers care bags to cancer patients, a gesture of love that brings comfort and hope to people when they need it most. But what truly makes her extraordinary is not just what she does — it’s who she is. Verazonda Walker has faced life’s storms head-on: abuse, heartbreak, loss, and cancer — ...

Send us a text In this powerful episode, we sit down with Denise Poe — a woman who has faced breast cancer three times and continues to stand as a living testimony of faith and resilience. Once an introvert who buried her struggles, Denise found strength in sharing her story, releasing the pain she carried, and embracing the healing power of community. Through her journey, Denise discovered the truth of Scripture: “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to the one who...

Send us a text Today on Still I Rise, we welcome a woman who is the very definition of grit and grace. Ginger Swaggerty grew up learning resilience in the hardest of circumstances, built a career in the Army and cybersecurity, and faced life’s battles head-on with unwavering strength. But nothing tested her more than hearing the words: Stage 3C ovarian cancer—a disease often called “the silent killer.” Instead of being silenced, Ginger chose to fight, not only through the storm of chemo, scar...

Send us a text Today on Still I Rise I’m joined by Hlee Kue— a woman whose story is both heartbreaking and breathtaking. For years she lived by the mantra ‘Be strong all the time. Be a leader and lead, and others will follow.’ It became her armor as she showed up, smiling and producing, even through unimaginable loss. First came the death of her younger brother — one of her anchors — and before that wound could close, came another blow: a breast cancer diagnosis delivered not in an office, bu...

Send us a text Today on Still I Rise, I’m honored to welcome Jennifer. Jennifer is living with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, and she’ll be sharing her powerful journey with us. As a very private person, it wasn’t easy for her to enter into a program that requires so much openness and honesty. But through her experience with cancer, Jennifer has learned to look at life in a completely different way. She describes her journey like the unfolding of a flower — starting small, then gradually o...

Send us a text Welcome back to the Still I Rise Podcast. Today’s guest is someone very special to me—someone who truly embodies everything that You Night was created to be. When Jill Allender first came to us, she was carrying a lot of sadness, as so many women do when they first step into our programs. She bravely joined our summer SPARK program, and that’s where I first saw this tiny seed of hope take root in her life. And then something beautiful happened. Jill didn’t just participate—she ...

Send us a text In this special episode of Still I Rise, host Lisa McKenzie pulls back the curtain on You Night’s Runway Empowerment Program and the upcoming YOU NIGHT FIGHT CLUB event on Saturday, October 18th at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center on Airline Hwy in Metairie! Easy to get to, tons of free parking! It's going to be amazing! Way more than a fashion show, YOU NIGHT is a celebration where cancer survivors step into the spotlight to share their courage, their joy, and ...

Send us a text Facing Relapse Anxiety and Scanxiety with Dr. Jimmy Ellis” For many cancer survivors, finishing treatment doesn’t mean the fear is over. The worry about cancer returning—often called relapse anxiety—can cast a long shadow over daily life. Add in the stress of waiting for scans and test results, and it’s no wonder so many survivors talk about scanxiety. In this powerful conversation, host Lisa McKenzie sits down with oncologist Dr. Jimmy Ellis to explore: Where relapse anxiety c...