Episode 28 - How to tell your survival story with Jennifer Broxterman

Life can throw some pretty big stuff at us. If we’re lucky, we live to tell the tale. Then the question becomes: how do we tell that tale? 

How do we turn our most challenging experiences into meaningful stories that will help other people?

For some inspiration on this subject, look no further than Jennifer Broxterman, RD.

Jennifer Broxterman is a Registered Dietitian and founder of both NutritionRx (her private practice) and PROSPER Nutrition Coaching, a world-class nutrition certification for gym owners and coaches. 

She is also a stage 3 ovarian cancer survivor who was given less than an 8% chance of living to 5 years. 

Five years later, Jen is healthy, thriving, and actively sharing her story. Her journey—spanning years of undiagnosed symptoms, a terrifying prognosis, a difficult surgery, and a remarkable recovery—is emotional, challenging, and ultimately inspiring.

This episode is a bit of a departure from my usual format; as you’ll hear, most of this episode is Jen telling her own story. 

There’s lots to learn, simply by listening to Jen and hearing how she walks us through the chain of events that turned her life upside down. Her story is not only inspiring and powerful to listen to, it’s also a useful example of how to tell a personal story.

That said, we do dig into some details about the storytelling process including:

→ The importance of personally processing traumatic events before sharing your story publicly, and why this will make the whole storytelling process easier and less emotionally exhausting.

→ The mindset tools Jen used to not only make it through her most difficult moments but also to help her process and share them with others.

→ Why it’s worth considering the big idea you want to leave behind in the world.

→ The value of building your communications around the needs and interests of your audience. (Plus, a simple principle to ensure you’re communicating clearly and effectively for your audience.)

→ How to share the “messy guts” of your story while it’s still happening. (Here, Jen provides her thoughts on social media, why she chose to share the details of her journey publicly, and what happened as a result.)

→ And finally, how to use your story to help other people… and why podcasts might be a great place to start.

To access the free tools and materials Jen referenced on this call, check out https://www.prospernutritioncoaching.com/freebies, or find Jen on Instagram at @prosper_nc and @nutrition_rx