Still I Rise Podcast
Real stories. Raw truth. Unshakable hope.
Hosted by Lisa McKenzie, founder of You Night Empowering Events, The Still I Rise Podcast is a powerful, heartfelt series that shares the voices of women who have fought — or are still fighting — cancer, and the transformative journeys they’ve taken to reclaim joy, identity, and purpose.
Each episode highlights inspiring survivor stories, candid conversations with mental health experts, and uplifting insights for anyone facing life after diagnosis. We dive deep into the emotional, spiritual, and psychological layers of healing — reminding every woman that she’s not alone, and that her story matters.
Whether you're navigating cancer, supporting a loved one, or simply seeking inspiration and sisterhood, this podcast is for you.
Want to share your story, connect with our community, or support our mission?
Visit YouNightEmpoweringEvents.com to learn more about our cancer survivor empowerment programs and how you can get involved.
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Still I Rise Podcast
"Cracked Open" by Nicole Urbanek: A Breast Cancer Story of Loss, Resilience, and Becoming
Some moments in life change us quietly.
Others crack us open completely.
For Nicole Urbanek, that moment came at just thirty-three, when the life she knew split wide with a breast cancer diagnosis. It wasn’t just her body that changed — it was the way she understood loss, resilience, and who she truly was beneath it all.
Nicole is a teacher, a storyteller, and someone who has known grief long before cancer entered the picture — losing her father at twenty, and her brother just twelve years later. In the classroom, she found purpose and light. In her students, she found a reason to keep showing up, even on her darkest days.
In her Story Crafting piece, Cracked Open, Nicole invites us into a powerful metaphor — a life shaped like a set of nesting dolls. Each layer built from love, memory, heartbreak, and survival. Cancer didn’t destroy her. It revealed her — stripping away the noise and leaving only what truly matters.
This is a story about choosing not to orbit endlessly around what’s lost…
but reaching inward to find the next version of yourself waiting.
Because when life cracks you open, what you discover inside just might be stronger than you ever imagined.
Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY. To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories. Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story? Write to us at teamyounight@gmail.com