Dorothy: [00:00:00] Welcome to a Special National Podcast Day episode of Let’s Talk About Your Breast. I’m Dorothy Gibbons, co-founder and CEO of The Rose here with our producer, Freddie Cruz who got this all started for us.
Let’s Talk About Your Breast, a different kind of podcast presented to you by The Rose, a breast center of excellence, and a Texas treasure. You’re gonna hear frank discussions about tough topics, and you’re gonna learn why knowing about your breast could save your life.
Freddy: Dorothy, I came to you in 2022 with the proposition, and I remember messaging, messaging you directly on Facebook and you’re like, well, if we’re gonna meet, it better be at my office.
Dorothy: Yes. You said, I’d love to have coffee one day and just talk to you about something. I said, Freddy, if you’re trying to sell me something then you’re gonna have to come to me. I [00:01:00] don’t go to you.
Freddy: And it was a podcast. And something that resonated with me was that this was on your, on your list of goals to do for quite some time longer than just a few months.
Dorothy: Right. Freddy, if you remember, I make a 104 goals every year. And so I had put that on my goal list and 2019 or so? And each year I never got it accomplished and I move it to the next year. The, the thing was, I wasn’t even listening to podcasts back then. I, I really didn’t know what it was, but I just knew that, that it would be a way for me to grow and a way to talk about The Rose in a very different way.
Freddy: So what I would like to know is. Why a podcast or where you got the idea from? So it was, oh, well I wanna have a podcast. So did, was it so a conversation that you had [00:02:00] with somebody, uh, at a networking event, or was it just, Hmm, I saw this on Facebook and now I wanna do it?
Dorothy: You know, pretty, when I do my goals, I’m usually alone. And it’s usually not at work. Never at work. And I take that time just to let things come to me. So I don’t know. I just knew it was another way to communicate. And I knew that we had so many stories of our patients that were never gonna get told. You know, we’d bring a patient in and do a video and that was, uh, there were great, great videos, but, you know, we were always limited. And I think that’s one of the first things you told me in, in your sales pitch was you get.
Freddy: Sales pitch.
Dorothy: You get 30. Well, it was, and and.
Freddy: Yeah, it, it really was. Yes.
Dorothy: You know how grateful I am to you.
Freddy: Uh, and I’m [00:03:00] a million times grateful to you too.
Dorothy: Because when you said. You know, this is where you get your, you can talk, you are not gonna have someone clip it out. And how many times have I been on TV or at a radio station? And I go, God, they didn’t catch anything I wanted. Or how many times have, has our folks sent them, you know, here’s the the key points we wanna make. And then you get in the interview and it’s totally different.
Freddy: And three minutes is like 30 seconds when you’re live on tv. I remember several years ago when we were promoting the shrimp boil together and you and I met at a local TV affiliate on a Saturday morning and it was like in the blink of an eye, you and I were already on our way walking out the building.
Dorothy: I know, I know. So, so I think that I knew about podcast in that way. I had no clue about what it took to make one.
Freddy: Oh, it’s easy.
Dorothy: Yeah. No it’s not. And and when you came along and said, look, Dorothy, The Rose needs a podcast. It was like, oh my gosh. [00:04:00] And I would never say this to you normally, but you were an answer to a prayer.
Freddy: Aw.
Dorothy: Truly.
Freddy: And likewise, I feel the same way.
Dorothy: I, it was, it was a really interesting time in my life. I had felt like I needed something new. I felt like I needed to stretch. It was a, I felt like I needed something and, and you reminded me of this. That was fun. You know, the world we live in is not always very much fun.
Freddy: Right. Well, and when you told me, um, I think this was going into the second year that we were working together and you told me in no uncertain terms, Freddy, this has to be fun for me. And there were conversations that you and I would have that, you know, this is some of the, and I’m paraphrasing, but this is some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time.
Dorothy: Oh, yeah.
Freddy: Um, and so when we were talking, going into year two, and I’m like, it’s gotta be fun. [00:05:00] It has to be fun. And so that is a, that is a North star for, for what we do as a company. The company that I own is like, it has to be fun for everybody.
Dorothy: Right.
Freddy: Like, if, if, if you cannot make it fun, then I, I don’t. I can’t help you and I haven’t done my job as a producer, you know?
Dorothy: And you know, I think that the other thing is, and this has always been true of my personality. I, I’m curious about people.
Freddy: Yes.
Dorothy: I, you know, I, I really, uh, I’m a very much an introvert, you know that. But when I’m sitting talking to someone one-on-one. You know, I go, how did they know that? How did they get there? What was it that led them to this? It’s just, I’m fascinated with the resilience of people. Fascinated with how they think. And I think one of the things that you’ve helped to create, along with the team, Roxann and, and Karina, [00:06:00] is a feeling of comfort in this area.
Freddy: Right.
Dorothy: And once our guests calm down. You know, then, then they just start talking.
Freddy: Right? Because you and I are used to all of this, you know, then, then you’re not, look, I’m looking at the camera right now. What the guest doesn’t see, who’s never been on a podcast or on TV or on radio, is that, they don’t see the three cameras and the two big menacing lights. Um, and so that could be very intimidating to somebody who’s not used to a career that you and I have had.
Dorothy: Right.
Freddy: Yeah. And you make everybody at ease.
Dorothy: Well, I. Maybe, but, uh, definitely and I appreciate that. I think the other thing is, you know, I have a great belief in that if you don’t tell your own story, someone else will.
Freddy: Oh, yes.
Dorothy: And it will not be the story you wanted.
Freddy: That is correct. A thousand times.
Dorothy: And, and I think every podcast that we do, we give that person a chance to tell their story In their own way. And it’s not, [00:07:00] it’s never, you know, they get to do it not anybody else where so many times when you’re on some of these interviews, you kind of feel a little manipulated or whatever. Just to get to some point. And you’re always worried, you know, you’re gonna say something.
Freddy: Right. But with the, um, I wouldn’t say lax, but it’s the first word to come to mind with the laxed sort of timeline that we have. You know, we, we’ve got what, between 20 and 35 minutes to play with.
Dorothy: Right.
Freddy: That you can talk about, you can talk to bear about the shrimp boil and being The Rose’s first auctioneer to talking about his wife’s experience of breast cancer. And then it can get real heavy. And then you go right back to, Hey, join us, the shrimp boil where you can see bear. And you can, and, and it’s this rollercoaster of emotions, but it, it encompasses what you all have built at The Rose. And also, hey, can you help us out? And oh, and by the way, we’re gonna have [00:08:00] fun on June, whatever.
Dorothy: Right.
Freddy: So come on out.
Dorothy: Yes.
Freddy: Yeah.
Dorothy: And we’ve got to really feature some of our, our employees.
Freddy: Yes.
Dorothy: Who have explained the process of mammography, it lay people’s terms and exactly as if they were talking to their patients. You know, and, and suddenly all that mystery and, and concern about having a mammogram doesn’t seem so scary anymore.
Freddy: Right.
Dorothy: And that has been a real pleasure. So what do you think about the patient interviews we’ve had?
Freddy: The patient interviews. Sometimes I will leave here and I’ll get in my car and just start weeping.
Dorothy: Yeah.
Freddy: Um, you and I both know Jennifer Parrish through another one of our podcast partners, the Lighthouse of Houston, and I had no idea she was going through breast cancer.
Dorothy: Right.
Freddy: Um, and that’s an episode that you all definitely wanna listen to because she lost her dad during that time too. And that was real because I’m a dad. And [00:09:00] that was heavy. And then there’s Montserrat, Montsey, the 18-year-old survivor. Um, and then a behind the scenes moment that really just, you know, I think we were all moved, was when Dr. Bonefas got to meet her. And that was off camera.
Dorothy: Right.
Freddy: Um, and I still have that moment on my phone and I’ll watch that.
Dorothy: So here is a young girl at 18 who, uh, didn’t have insurance. Who we sponsored. Took us through to biopsy and uh, referred around to Harris Health and there is where she met Dr. Bonefas. But the unique part was Dr. Bonefas took such a special interest in Montsey and did not want to leave her until we, she arranged and it truly was hers to, to find another doctor, to do the reconstruction, to do all those things and what was it, 10, [00:10:00] 12 years?
Freddy: About that.
Dorothy: Yeah. And, and they both got to meet. It was a very, very special moment. Another one that, that I always think about is Jo Joanne Patterson?
Freddy: Oh yes.
Dorothy: Did we not have fun with her?
Freddy: Yeah. She was so much fun and so positive when this is someone who, unbelievable. Yeah. This is someone who you would justify is like, I can see why you wouldn’t have a negative outlook on life, but she’s anything but that.
Dorothy: Anything.
Freddy: But so positive.
Dorothy: Of course. And then it was our, our yoga person. Nancy.
Freddy: Oh, Nancy. Yeah. Made me do the.
Dorothy: We got you to do some yoga.
Freddy: Was that the tiger po? No.
Dorothy: Uh, it, it was supposed to be the child’s pose.
Freddy: Child’s pose.
Dorothy: Freddy, that’s supposed to be the easiest pose, the easy one that anyone can ever do.
Freddy: I’m a little, I’m a little stiff.
Dorothy: Oh my gosh. But I think, I think the other thing that we’ve tried to do in this podcast is to [00:11:00] give solid examples. Well, we don’t do it. The patients do it or the guests do it about being your own advocate.
Freddy: Yes. That’s a big one.
Dorothy: That has been a big one.
Freddy: Yeah. So many times and you would think that for the most part, that we have evolved, that you would think that physicians would listen to their patients and that’s not the case.
Dorothy: Or that, uh, there’s so many rigid rules. I don’t know any other way. You know, you’re not supposed to have a mammogram till you’re 40.
Freddy: Right?
Dorothy: How many young women have we diagnosed? How many women have we diagnosed who had just had a baby? I mean, it, it, that was that series. Just amazed me. It was so eye-opening.
Freddy: And, and hearing the episodes, so what I envision is that there are, that there are women and their families out [00:12:00] there who might just happen to know of The Rose, who hear a podcast interview of someone that got diagnosed when they were pregnant, or someone who got, who’s physically fit and has no reason, objectively, has no reason to catch cancer, to get it. Although we all have cancer cells, but they hear them, they hear these stories, and they’re like, oh, wow, that’s important. I should get myself checked out.
Dorothy: Or they hear and and think, you know, I’ve had a feeling.
Freddy: Yeah.
Dorothy: That’s the one.
Freddy: Yes.
Dorothy: I, I think everyone has intuition. I think sometimes women can be a little more in tune with it.
Freddy: And maybe don’t wanna listen to it. I don’t know. No.
Dorothy: Yeah. I mean, all the things that we. We are afraid of, we are want to ignore, want to deny. You know, never any criticism from this, this chair, but that’s the way we are and we’re gonna find some other person to take care of [00:13:00] first. That came up a lot.
Freddy: While men get it, it’s overwhelmingly women who get breast cancer and it’s, oh, I found a lump. But you know what? I’ve gotta take care of the kids, right? I’ve gotta go to work.
Dorothy: Yeah.
Freddy: There’s a story of Jessica. I was actually, I was at a podcast networking event and we were talking about The Rose and the podcast, and I was talking about Jessica’s story because that one really hit, that one really hit home here. You have a mom here, she’s fit and is very active and works at a breast cancer nonprofit organization. And was putting others first before herself, right?
Dorothy: Yeah. She had an event to get through. She had a, had an organization to run.
Freddy: Yeah.
Dorothy: But what a [00:14:00] warrior she is now for breast cancer.
Freddy: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was a that was another one of the tougher ones to get through.
Dorothy: What about our community, uh, guests that have come in, the people have supported The Rose. Did you have any idea that we had that kind of community support from so many different organizations?
Freddy: So just recently, the Port of Houston. Which is, I mean, you would, you would not.
Dorothy: Where’s the connect there?
Freddy: Where’s the connect?
Dorothy: Yeah. Right.
Freddy: Yeah. Yeah. And I think that is awesome. You had the, the Crowder Foundation?
Dorothy: Yes. Well, the Crowder Foundation, you know, which Bill and Helen Crowder, uh, foundation were the ones that got the studio going for us.
Freddy: Right.
Dorothy: And we also had, uh, Celanese that came on.
Freddy: Yep.
Dorothy: Do you remember that one? Yeah. Now, when we think of, of the podcast that [00:15:00] truly moved us, I think Mike Hazelrigs.
Freddy: Yes.
Dorothy: And, uh, his ride, it, it was just for Kathy. Yeah. I mean, we did a series on that and it, it’s again, that what you do for love, what you’re willing to do for love.
Freddy: And he suffered. I mean, you would think, oh, it’s just a motorcycle ride. No, that was not a motorcycle ride.
Dorothy: No. And I remember when he said, uh, now I hope I don’t scare you when I come in. Then I then when I met him, I was going, wow, you are a big guy.
Freddy: So you had never met him in person?
Dorothy: I didn’t.
Freddy: Until he came in.
Dorothy: You know, if I had him Freddie it, it, it didn’t click.
Freddy: Gotcha.
Dorothy: But, uh, yeah, he, he was a very special guest. So why, why else are podcasts important?
Freddy: Everyone is interesting in my [00:16:00] eyes. There’s something interesting that is going on between the ears and so many times we either silence ourselves or allow others to, to influence.
Dorothy: Right.
Freddy: You know, us to silence ourselves. Right? And I think the arts of podcasting enables people who would otherwise not have the opportunity that if for some reason, that one young woman or young man or middle age or elderly person who had something to say and now they’re embolden and now they’re empowered to do it, and now they can do it, and then they can transmit not just to a local radio frequency, but all over the world.
Dorothy: That has been an eyeopener. You know, when you bring your numbers in and go, do you know that [00:17:00] Let’s Talk About Your Breast as number two or 13 or whatever in a country, what, what was India one time?
Freddy: India. Um, I feel like, uh, one of the, one of the countries in the Uk, Like Ireland or something in Asia, I think y’all are number whatever in Singapore. Um, and. Does it help with fundraising, recruitment or whatnot? Okay. Maybe not. Also, the message of breast cancer awareness is getting out there and the education.
Dorothy: Right.
Freddy: And the stories are reaching people who obviously need to hear them and they’re not getting that service and their home country. And that is the, um, that is the magical thing about podcasting that one might not think that when they do, when they consider starting. They don’t really think about that.
Dorothy: Well, and there’s all different kind of pressure if you’re gonna get into podcast, but, you know, I think, I [00:18:00] think we can’t put a dollar sign on the joy of hearing another person’s story. I don’t think there’s, there’s any way we can do that. So, for National Podcast day, what’s a message you have?
Freddy: I used to think that everybody should have a podcast. But I no longer think that.
Dorothy: Oh, why?
Freddy: I think there’s so many zombie podcasts out there, you know, podcasts that just kind of give up after a few episodes for no good reason other than, oh, well, no one wanted, no one listened to me. So I’m just gonna give up now. I think that everyone should have a podcast as long as, and this is adding in the caveat, as long as you are willing to go the distance for at least 25 episodes or two years. It’s two years if you do two episodes per month, right? So that’s my, that’s, that’s my advice.
Dorothy: Boy, I’m so glad we were your first clients. ’cause you had us [00:19:00] doing 20 episodes before we ever even launched it.
Freddy: That’s correct. Yes.
Dorothy: You did.
Freddy: That is correct.
Dorothy: I thought, oh, this is the way it’s supposed to be done.
Freddy: No, but you, you know, I, I’ve got a friend and his name is George and he’s got George Blitch. His podcast is the Son of a Blitch podcast, and something he told me really resonates with me is that his whole first year, he didn’t even look at his analytics because he wanted to treat the year as a masterclass and learn every single week. Um, how he can improve and how he can be a better steward of his guest’s time and how he could be a better steward of his listeners’ time. And so he didn’t look at any of the, the data that we All look at that it is important to us. Um, so I would, I would.
Dorothy: That’s a great advice.
Freddy: It’s great advice, right? And so I would say that anybody who wants to launch a podcast and has the, the, the fortitude to stick it out. And [00:20:00] the means and the bandwidth to do it like that.
Dorothy: Well, we’re celebrating National Podcast Day. We’re celebrating over 250. How many episodes do we have now?
Freddy: It’s north of that.
Dorothy: North of that. We’re celebrating having more than 80,000 downloads, and we’re celebrating all of our guests.
Freddy: Yes.
Dorothy: That have given us one thing that you can never get back. And that’s a little bit of their time. And the other thing is their story.
Freddy: And they have no idea who was gonna listen to it, that needed to hear it at that time.
Dorothy: That’s it.
Freddy: Yeah.
Dorothy: Thank you Freddy again for getting us going.
Freddy: Thank you.
Dorothy: Hanging in there with
Freddy: us, and you are an answer to my prayers.
Dorothy: Oh, thank you, Freddy.
Freddy: Thank you.
Post-Credits: Thank you for joining us today on Let’s Talk About Your Breasts. This podcast is produced by Speke Podcasting and brought to you by The Rose. [00:21:00] Visit therose.org to learn more about our organization. Subscribe to our podcast. Share episodes with friends and join the conversation on social media using #LetsTalkAboutYourBreasts. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Consider supporting The Rose. Your gift can make the difference to a person in need. And remember, self-care is not selfish. It’s essential.
