Being Your Own Best Advocate with Marissa Thomas, For the Breast of Us

Learn from Marissa Thomas, CEO and co-founder of For the Breast of Us, the first online platform for women of color and their families affected by breast cancer. The company’s beautiful mission is to uplift women of color affected by breast cancer by sharing stories to empower survivors and help make the rest of their lives the best through education, advocacy and community.

Show notes
 
Introduction to Marissa’s why (0:23)
Susan reintroduces Marissa Thomas to listeners. The discussion with Marissa starts with what drove her to create for the Breast of Us and how she advocates for women of color.

Advocating for everyone to be their own best advocate (4:10)
Through discussion of the Foundational Leadership Triad, Marissa shares her mission or purpose. She tells the story of a young woman who was diagnosed and eventually passed away and how she strives to continue her legacy. She encourages listeners to advocate for their bodies – “you are the only one who will know what it feels like.”
 
Values and living your best life as a leader (8:20)
Marissa talks about the value of connecting with people so you can support them better and how to be a better leader. She shares the growth of For the Breast of Us and the type of leader she strives to be.

How you can support others facing breast cancer (14:13)
Marissa gives practical advice on how you can support others on this journey – just do.
 
The power of sharing stories (28:50)
Marissa encourages listeners to go to the For the Breast of Us website and read and share stories there to help amplify voices. Debbie and Susan share fresh insights about the episode – being humble, allowing others to lead and teaching people how to support us.

Additional link:
https://breastofus.com/