Episode 83: I Haven’t Disappeared — Here’s What’s Been Going On

April 21, 2026

If you've ever pushed through when your body was screaming at you to stop — this one's for you.

We live in a world that glorifies the hustle, the grind, the "I'm fine" even when you're absolutely not fine. And somewhere along the way, slowing down started to feel like giving up.

In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on what the last few months have really looked like for me — a stage three cervical cancer diagnosis, treatment that broke me in ways I didn't expect, and the uncomfortable, beautiful lesson I'm still learning: that limited capacity isn't laziness. It's your body asking you to soften.

This is a real-talk, no-filter update — and honestly? It might be the most important episode I've recorded.

WHAT YOU'LL TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE:

🤍 Why slowing down is not the same as giving up — and how to stop feeling guilty every time you need to rest, recover, or simply just be
💪 How to keep showing up for the people and things you love — even when you're running on empty and everything feels like too much
🔍 The mindset shift that changes everything — why "limited capacity" is not a character flaw, and what it actually means when your body forces you to pause
🌿 Permission to stop apologising for your pace — whether you're navigating illness, burnout, grief, parenting, money stress, or just life being a lot right now
✨ How to re-enter your life sustainably — without burning out all over again the moment you start to feel better

Told yourself you'll rest after you finish the to-do list. Apologised for needing more time. Wondered if you're just being weak. Felt guilty for not showing up the way you used to.

Yeah. This episode is for you.

If this episode hit home, I'd love for you to share it with someone who needs to hear it right now — you probably already have someone in mind. And if you're ready to have a real conversation about what's going on in your world and how I can support you, the links are right below. No pressure, no pitch — just a genuine chat. 🤍

You don't have to figure it all out alone.

Website: https://www.stacymunzenberger.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacymunzenberger
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heystacym

#TheStaceyMShow #CancerJourney #CervicalCancerAwareness #HealingJourney #PodcastForWomen #RealTalkPodcast #BurnoutRecovery #SelfCompassion #YouAreEnough #SlowDown #WomensWellness #MindsetShift #PermissionToRest

Episode Transcript

Hey beautiful humans, welcome back to the Stacey M Show. It is me, Stacey. I've been a little bit MIA, so I do apologise for that, sorry. And I've just realised my camera is a little bit crooked, so I feel like I've got to... do today's podcast over to the side but i'm not going to i'm not aiming for uh perfection so uh today's episode is just a personal one and an update and a thank you i suppose and a little reset of what you can expect from me going forward If you're new here and you've only just found me, welcome. I am really glad that you are here. And if you have been here for a while, thank you for your patience because I know things have been a bit more quieter of late. I know things have been a bit more quieter of late. I've had to rely on some replays as well. And obviously not performing where I was kind of, you know, maybe mid last year. And I've always said on this podcast, I'll be an open book. So here it is just a recap in case you're not aware. So in November slash December last year, I was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer. Treatment has been a lot. And the part that's honestly broken me is immunotherapy. So for the last couple of weeks, I have been very unwell, not just a bit tired, unwell, properly knocked around, struggling to function like And that's why I've had to rely on replays at times and it's not, sorry, it's going too quick for me. And that's why I've had to rely on replays because it's not that I don't care and I've disappeared, but I have chosen to recover and try to not push through. But the good news, it's going too quick for me. I've lost them. But the good news is the past few days have started to feel me human again and I want to be really transparent about that too because part of that is we've adjusted with things. That's fucking terrible, Stacey. Jim, get rid of that. And I want to be really transparent about that too, because part of why I'm feeling better is I've had to go back on the roids. I've got other meds, I've got supplements, and just being more open, I suppose, with my doctors. So I'm not coming to you with an everything's perfect vibe, but I'm coming to you with I'm improving, thank the Lord. I'm listening to my body and I'm taking this one step at a time type vibe and I just wanted to say thank you so thank you for your patience thank you for your messages thank you for being kind when I needed to slow down it means more than you probably realize and if you've messaged me and I haven't replied yet thank you I have seen so many of them and I am working through them slowly as I'm able and I also want to say this because I know someone listening needs it Limited capacity isn't laziness. It's not weakness. It's not failure. Sometimes it's your body demanding a new pace. Sometimes it's like asking you to soften. And if you're in your own version of this, whether it's a health thing, separation thing, burnout, grief, parenting, money, stress, whatever, you don't need to earn to rest. You're allowed to slow down without apologizing. So here's what you can expect from me moving forward. Hopefully I am still here. The podcast is still here. Everything I do is still here, but I'm going to keep healing. Then I put that as my priority. I'm going to take things slower than I had in the past, which is a learning journey in itself for me. So that might mean I need to get back on replays for a bit or short episodes. I'm not quite sure. But yeah, when my body says not today, I'm going to listen to that. um there is new content coming i'm just re-entering at a pace that is sustainable heaps of ideas i just need to do it so i don't go backwards because i can't go backwards again it's been absolute Like I was, yeah, I've been broken, very, very broken. So, and I have been doing some videos on socials as well. So if you're following me, you'd be probably a bit more up to date than what I've been sharing on the podcast. But yeah, so I just wanted to acknowledge you all and yeah, really appreciate the support that I've got. Next month, I have my PET scans and my MRIs and my x-rays and everything. So that will, um be a um i don't know what the word is i'm looking for but that is going to be the moment where we find out how the treatment's gone so it'll be i don't want to say stressful month it will be a month of clarity i suppose um but yeah so we'll see how we go with that um i need to go back down to where i was So, yeah, so again, just thank you for being here. Thank you for letting me be human. I think we all think that we are invincible and if anything I have learned is that we are not invincible and if your health is gone, your health is gone. So whether you're new here, you've still got all the other episodes. I think we're over like eight episodes now. And if you want more on my cancer story, there's more on the podcast, there's more on socials. You can find that. Everywhere, I'll hopefully be going back to my emails as well. Yeah, I feel like I've let you guys down, but at the same time, nobody has come to me complaining with anything. So I'm still here. I'm still showing up. I just need to work at a slower pace because I can't go back to what I was because I think This is just going to be a continual healing journey and I need to do what's right for me so I can take care of my kids and, you know, keep showing up for you guys. So, yeah, that was pretty well all of today's podcast. Hopefully I haven't gone on too much of a ramble, but obviously I appreciate you all and I will catch you next time. Bye, guys.