Podcast Junkies - Storytelling Interviews & Conversations with Podcasters Podcasting Passionately · Harry Duran

372: Justine Finocchiaro-Doles: From Breast Cancer to Dragon Boats: A Journey of Resilience

·49 min·2 clips

Justine says she is a four-time cancer survivor and started the show because she lacked someone to talk to.

1. Podcast Junkies episode 372 centers on Justine Finocchiaro-Doles and her breast-cancer-focused show, Just Talk with Justine. 2. Harry Duran hosts the conversation, and Justine Finocchiaro-Doles joins as the host of a survivor interview show and a four-time cancer survivor. 3. The episode asks what it takes to turn a personal survival story into a podcast that serves other breast cancer survivors and thrivers. 4. Justine says she is on a breast cancer survivor dragon boat team and acts as the "voice" for the team while helping with fundraising for the nonprofit. 5. She explains that her first podcast recordings happened in a local studio across from the lake where she practiced with the team. 6. Justine says that studio later closed, which created a long hiatus before she resumed recording. 7. Harry notes that he met Justine at an indoor farming conference in Las Vegas and connects that meeting to her work at Indoor AgCon. 8. Justine describes 30 years in the trade-show and general service contractor world, including work that put her in front of exhibitors. 9. She says her husband has been in the business for about 50 years and that they later started their own company together. 10. Justine explains that she launched her show after deciding "I'm going to do it" even though she had never listened to a podcast before. 11. She says the original concept has not changed: she interviews breast cancer survivors and thrivers so listeners can hear how other people got through diagnosis and treatment. 12. Harry asks about her cancer history, and Justine says she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease at 18 after a bad cough led to an emergency room visit in Miami. 13. She says the radiation and chemotherapy from that treatment later contributed to her first breast cancer about 20 years later. 14. Justine says she then had another breast cancer in the other breast and later had a recurrence, which is why she describes herself as a four-time cancer survivor. 15. She repeatedly returns to the phrase "live life like you're dying" and gives examples such as jumping out of an airplane and wanting to see the Great Wall of China. 16. Justine also names Albuquerque's balloon festival, Antarctica, and an Africa safari as items on her bucket list. 17. The tone stays conversational and coaching-oriented, with Harry moving between personal biography, podcast strategy, and practical production advice. 18. The format sounds relaxed and informal, with both speakers using examples, follow-up questions, and on-air coaching rather than a rigid interview script. 19. Listeners interested in breast cancer stories and new podcasters will get the most from it. 20. Listeners looking for a tightly edited, highly structured interview may skip it.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Podcast Junkies - Storytelling Interviews & Conversations with Podcasters Podcasting Passionately