Resilience Without Toxic Positivity: How To Actually Get Through Hard Things with Cara Lockwood
What if the bravest thing you do isn’t “staying positive” … but staying honest?
In this episode, Betsy sits down with Cara Lockwood, romance author (38+ novels), USA Today bestseller, and the woman behind the brilliantly raw book There’s No Good Book for This. Cara shares what changed when a routine mammogram became a breast cancer diagnosis, and how she learned to hold fear and laughter in the same hand.
This is not a “look on the bright side” conversation. It’s real talk: the before-and-after moment of diagnosis, the strange loneliness of breaking the news to the people you love, and the quiet power of choosing what you can control when everything feels out of control.
You’ll hear why humor isn’t denial, it’s armor. Why asking for help is strength, not selfishness. And why your worth was never meant to be earned through caretaking, productivity, or perfection.
If you’re navigating illness, supporting someone who is, or just trying to live more intentionally (because life is fragile for all of us), this episode will meet you where you are… and remind you there’s more strength in you than you think.
In this episode, we talk about:
“Two things can be true”: fear and faith, grief and laughter
Dark humor as a way to reclaim power (and calm the nervous system)
The identity shift: “before cancer” vs “after cancer”
Learning to accept care when you’re used to being the caregiver
What to say (and not say) when someone tells you they have cancer
The pep talk Cara needed most: “You don’t want to, but you will… and you’ll be okay.”
Cara’s mission to turn pain into purpose (including how her book gives back)
Support Cara + find the book:
Cara shares where to get There’s No Good Book for This and how she’s donating proceeds to breast cancer causes, plus additional ways she’s supporting women in treatment.
If this episode touched you, share it with a friend. One simple “I’m thinking of you” can be the lifeline someone needs.