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In this episode of Still I Rise, Lisa sits down with Kati Cheek—an Allstate agency owner, breast cancer survivor, and a woman whose strength and generosity extend far beyond her profession.

What began as a desperate search for affordable homeowners insurance in the midst of Louisiana’s insurance crisis turned into an unexpected and life-changing connection. Kati not only helped Lisa save thousands of dollars on her home and auto policies, but she also became a trusted friend, a supporter of her nonprofit mission, and a powerful example of resilience in action.

Through her journey with cancer and her experience in the Fight Club program, Kati reached a place of deep personal growth—one that allowed her to begin sharing her story with honesty and courage. In this conversation, she opens up about navigating life’s hardest moments, finding strength in vulnerability, and stepping into a new chapter of purpose.

Since this recording, Kati has continued that journey and is now working on a book centered on resilience and rising through adversity.

This episode is more than a conversation—it’s a reminder that sometimes the people who enter our lives through the most ordinary circumstances become part of our most extraordinary stories.

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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

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Welcome to the Still I Rise Podcast—where stories of resilience, healing, and the human spirit remind us that even in our darkest moments… we rise.

Today’s episode is one you won’t forget.

Our guest, Alexis Santoro, shares a journey she describes as living through years of wildfires—unexpected, relentless, and life-altering. From the unraveling of a marriage, to losing both of her parents to cancer within a short span, to navigating life as a single mother… Alexis became, in her own words, an untrained firefighter—constantly responding, constantly surviving.

But the most personal fire came in 2020, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer during a routine mammogram. What followed was a double mastectomy, years of recovery, and the emotional weight of fighting for her life while raising two young children and holding everything together.

And yet—this is not just a story of survival.

It’s a story of what happens after the fires begin to quiet… when you realize the land beneath you needs healing too. Alexis opens up about reclaiming her life, rediscovering her strength, and learning that vulnerability is not weakness—it’s power.

This is a conversation about loss, love, resilience, and the courage to rebuild from the ashes.

So take a breath, lean in, and get ready to be inspired.

Because no matter what you’ve walked through… there is always a way forward.

And together, we rise.

Support the show

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

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This episode… it hit hard.

Because today, Rachel Giammolva shares something so deeply personal, so honest… that it’s going to make a lot of women feel seen.

Rachel has lost over 100 pounds. By every standard, that’s a transformation the world celebrates.

But what she reveals is something we don’t talk about enough…

Her mind still sees someone she doesn’t love.

Rachel has lived with extreme body dysmorphia—something that didn’t disappear with the weight. And when you hear her story, you begin to understand the depth of that struggle.

She grew up carrying a quiet but painful question: “Why can’t anybody see me?”
A question shaped by childhood trauma, abandonment, and a lifetime of searching for safety and worth.

Then, at 53, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

And suddenly, everything she had quietly feared about herself… felt real.

She opens up about the loss—not just of her body, but of identity, intimacy, and the parts of herself she’s had to grieve. She talks about being called “strong”… while feeling anything but.

And yet, in the middle of all that pain… she found something unexpected.

She found healing.

She found faith.

She found what she calls daylight—the gold that can only be discovered in the darkest places.

But this episode asks something bigger…

How many women are living like this right now?

How many of us are spending our days—our precious, limited, beautiful days—being hard on ourselves, criticizing the very bodies that have carried us through survival?

How much life are we missing?

Rachel’s story is raw. It’s courageous. And it’s a reminder…

that even when we struggle to see our own worth—

we are still rising.

Support the show

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