Episode 12: Fighting Like a Man Doesn’t Mean Fighting Alone

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Why do men with cancer have lower survival rates than women? Paul Apodoca thought he knew what "fighting like a man" meant until stage four colorectal cancer taught him otherwise. When a routine colonoscopy turned into a death sentence conversation in a single afternoon, Paul discovered the most dangerous myth about masculinity and cancer.

Paul went from CEO managing teams to patient learning that accepting help wasn't weakness—it was strategy. He found Man Up to Cancer, a support group that redefined courage as "having the strength to accept help and knowing we're smarter and stronger as a pack than we are as lone wolves." Through surgical marathons, unexpected emotions, and the challenge of telling his kids, Paul learned that vulnerability became his superpower.

You'll hear how he challenged his medical team's initial plan, why he kept working through treatment, and the conversation technique that helped him guide his children through their fear. Plus, Paul shares his "cancer tourist detector" and the mindset shift that transformed his journey from survival mode to coaching his own recovery team.

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Joelle K

I'm a 54 year old former CMO/CRO and generational breast cancer survivor. My early cancer experiences shaped my personal and professional philosophy to continuously cultivate an approach that adjusts to whatever curveball shows up. And we know, curveballs are constant, especially in midlife with aging parents, maturing kids (if you have kids), and opportunities to focus on new goals for our next 50 years. I have a book being released in January - Crushing the Cancer Curveball, A Veteran's Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. While no one wants cancer, 1 in 2 Americans and 1 in 4 people worldwide will face cancer in their lifetimes. There's an alternative narrative to the terror, anger and fear that accompanies a diagnosis - a narrative that spawns compassion, confidence, and even joy. I'd love to talk about it with you and your audience.

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