What does it really look like to be the caretaker when cancer comes into your home?
In this episode, I sit down with Melissa Coulier, wife of Full House's Dave Coulier, movement specialist, wellness educator, and founder of Recess Club. Over the last two years, Melissa walked alongside Dave through two completely different cancers, starting with a stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in October 2024. Today Dave is in remission from both.
Melissa opens up about the day Dave told her "I have cancer," what it felt like to hold it together for him, and the emotions that come up when you give everything you have to someone you love. We talk about why she'll probably never use the words "cancer-free" again, how movement became her lifeline, and why the smallest moments of self-care matter most when you're in the thick of it.
We also dive into the story behind Awear Market, the nontoxic wellness marketplace Dave dreamed up from their couch so people don't have to do all the ingredient research themselves, plus the simple swaps they made at home with water, air, cleaning products, and laundry. And Melissa shares how a 20-minute walk with a friend turned into Recess Club, a community helping women step away from screens, get outside, and move together.
If you're a caretaker, or you love someone who is, this one is for you.
In this episode:
00:00 Welcome and intro
01:25 The day they heard "lymphoma"
03:00 Early symptoms and listening to your body
05:00 Why Dave chose to share his story publicly
07:19 Being the caretaker and losing pieces of yourself
10:06 The second diagnosis and why "remission" feels different
13:10 Movement as a lifeline
14:35 How Recess Club started
18:32 The story behind Awear Market
24:13 Why community matters in clean living
26:14 Simple home swaps: water, air, cleaning, and laundry
27:37 You don't have to swap everything at once
29:26 Nature as a reset for your nervous system
33:28 Advice for someone who just became a caretaker
35:43 How Recess Club grew organically
37:57 Where to find Melissa
Connect with Melissa:
Instagram: @melissacoulier
Recess Club: recess-club.com
Awear Market: awearmarket.com
Awear Market on Instagram: @awear.market
Connect with Jen:
Website: https://jendelvaux.com
Instagram & TikTok: @jendelvaux
Not Today Cancer Inner Circle: weekly Thursday calls at 1pm ET, recorded, plus a group chat, just $19.99/month: jendelvaux.com/ntc
What I use every day:
Perga Core 4 supplements (CoreFlow, CoreBlue, CoreGreen, CoreRed) for gut health, cellular energy, and daily support: https://pergainc.com/jendelvaux/pages/select-your-pack
Want to learn more first? DM me CORE4 on Instagram.
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This podcast is for educational purposes only and is never medical advice. Always talk with your doctor or healthcare team about your own care.
