Have you ever thought, I’m sweeping too much of who I am under the rug so that other people will like me or continue to like me? As a people pleaser through and through, you want to be loved, to be appreciated, to be needed. But at what cost? Join me as I sit down with motivational speaker, author and Live Out Loud founder Brooke Thomas.
 
In this episode, Brooke explains that in order to heal past wounds and live fully in your purpose, you’re going to have to bring something to the surface. We cover everything from Brooke’s cancer diagnosis and the changes she had to make to the life she lives now and how she shows up daily for her community.
 
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About Brooke Thomas
 
At 26 years old, newly married and in the first trimester of her first pregnancy, Brooke was diagnosed with stage-three melanoma. Doctors discovered the spot at an OB-GYN appointment and told Brooke the best option was to abort the baby and have chemotherapy.
 
That wasn’t an option for Brooke. Instead, she opted to have the melanoma surgically removed—without anesthesia. After the procedure, she ended up with 50 stitches and an awful scar that looked like she’d been attacked by a shark.
After her daughter was born, Brooke started to deal with her diagnosis and what it meant for her future. She knew she wanted to be a healthy mom and decided to dig into health and nutrition to really understand what “being healthy” meant.
 
For years, she became a student of healthy living—immersed in researching cancer, health and nutrition and the connection between them. Eventually, Brooke began doing monthly wellness segments for a local NBC affiliate, and began speaking at major schools, hospitals and Fortune 500 corporations.
 
“My cancer diagnosis shaped my heart into a more compassionate person and taught me how to manage stress effectively. As I grew stronger in following my purpose, I stepped into leading a team of women.” – Brooke Thomas
 
Now, a motivational speaker, author of the Thankful 30 recipe book series, and the CEO of Live Out Loud, Brooke helps women pursue their purpose with confidence. She runs a thriving online community with regular trainings on mindset, leadership and creating authentic relationships, and hosts high-level masterminds, live events and group coaching programs.
 
When the Questions Bubble Up
 
For many of us, something happens in our life—like it did for Brooke with her cancer diagnosis—where we start to ask ourselves, “Why am I doing this or that? What am I not paying attention to? What is my core purpose?”
 
The first pillar of wealth is all about becoming your best self and paying attention to your mental and physical well-being.
 
I know from Brooke’s story that she’d been scratching what she’d thought was a bug bite for months. She couldn’t see it because of where it was located on her body, but it continued to itch. After discovering that it was melanoma, she asked, “What else haven’t I been paying attention to?”
 
As women, we wear many hats and take on so much responsibility that it can actually be to our own detriment. We’re people pleasers and often the cog in the wheel that keeps everybody and everything going, but when we’re not taking care of ourselves or paying attention to the signs, the consequences are much bigger than we think.
 
“I feel like that’s what happened to me in all areas of my life. I remember thinking, ‘Hey, can we just deal with this after the baby is born?’” – Brooke Thomas
 
For Brooke, it was like a beach ball that she was trying to push under the water—and not just her cancer diagnosis—but parts of her childhood and relationships, too.