When I called Mya Ludwig a few weeks ago, I expected a hard conversation. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer, undergone a double mastectomy, and was halfway through chemotherapy. Instead, I hung up feeling like Mya had somehow helped me.
So I knew I needed to bring her back to the podcast.
Mya opens up about the moment she discovered the lump, what treatment has really been like, and how losing her hair challenged the way she saw herself. But what impacted me most was her perspective. She refuses to let cancer become her identity or allow fear about tomorrow to steal the life she still gets to live today.
We talk about learning to put yourself first, finding joy in incredibly difficult seasons, and how a traumatic brain injury years earlier taught Mya lessons she never imagined she'd need again.
And making this conversation even more special, Mya's brother Adam joins us again, bringing the same joy and personality we loved the first time.
In this episode:
- The moment Mya discovered something was wrong
- Why she refuses to live in the "what ifs"
- What losing her hair taught her about identity
- How to support someone without making them feel helpless
- Finding one small reason to keep going on the hardest days
This conversation reminded me that we don't always get to choose what happens to us. But we do get to choose how we show up through it.
Key Moments:
00:00 The Lump Maya Knew Was Cancer
03:18 The Attitude Toward Cancer That Changed My Life
07:44 Why Cancer Forced Maya to Finally Put Herself First
11:02 Why Maya Refuses to Feel Sorry for Herself
14:44 Refusing to Let Cancer Take Over Her Life
18:02 What Someone With Cancer Actually Needs From You
21:04 Losing Her Hair Changed How Maya Saw Herself
25:40 The One Thing Maya Does on Her Darkest Days
29:26 Maya’s Brother Adam Returns to the Podcast
31:20 How Adam Reacted to Maya’s Cancer Diagnosis
34:01 The Joy Adam Brings Everywhere He Goes
38:19 Adam’s Unfiltered Take on the Raiders
41:29 Adam’s Message to Anyone Going Through a Hard Time
Connect with Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/
Connect with Mya:
IG: @minimamamya (https://www.instagram.com/minimamamya/)
