Acceptance is everything - Tory Archbold interviews Briony Benjamin

In this episode of the Powerful Stories Podcast, Tory sits down with Executive Producer of Video at Mamamia, Briony Benjamin. She has had a had a very busy life, some would say a 24/7 life, as a viral video producer. But, Briony’s world came crashing down into a million pieces. ‘I was working at Mamamia as a video producer but, throughout the first 12 months I just felt rotten’ says Briony. After a push from her parents, she saw a Hematologist who revealed that she had stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma at age 31. Briony has written a book about her experience - Life Is Tough (But So Are You). So, during her battles with cancer, how tough was it? ‘The first week was shattering’ says Briony, ‘the waves of shock and disbelief really hit you.’ The title of her booked summed it all up. ‘Yes, this is tough, but I also wanted to let people know – You have everything inside you that you need to fight this and get through it. And, you will.’ Although reluctantly, Briony started to record her thoughts throughout her treatment. ‘I am so glad that I did because one, it was therapeutic and two, it gave me a project and something else to think about.’ Once she had gotten through the worst of her treatment, she passed the content to Mamamia who edited it into a 3-minute short film. That video has connected with millions of people around the world. It became a tool for others going through treatment, to share with their own family and friends to explain the process and what cancer patients go through. ‘For me, it wasn’t the treatment that gave me strength – it was the stories of others who had been through something tough that gave me the most strength.’ Briony shares the most powerful step she took towards her recovery. Someone once said, “Some things don’t need to be understood – just accepted” Briony shares, ‘I really tried not to waste energy on the ‘why me’ ‘why is this happening’ type conversations and just focus on plan and go forward. So, acceptance was massive.’ The small steps are often the most powerful. For Briony, once the chemo had finished, the emotions became the hardest. ‘When you are in trauma, you cannot process trauma. But when you actually stop, that is when is gets hard.’ Briony also came to the realisation that everyone struggles through that stage, and this brought her comfort. Soulfulness and journaling have played a major role in processing for Briony. ‘Journaling is such an important super activity’ says Briony, ‘research even shows that those who journal through trauma, their wounds heal faster. You’re taking the churning of information and you are ordering, and making sense of it. Journaling was the single most helpful tool that got me through that time’ says Briony.  Briony is in a stage where she is learning to rest. ‘I’ve realised that the way I have been running my life, till now, is not a sustainable model.’ Briony hopes to move into mentoring and speaking, ‘But, I know that if I don’t protect my health and energy, then none of those things work’ says Briony, ‘We get this one precious body and so many of us really don’t look after them.’ So, sit back and enjoy this powerful story with the extraordinary Briony Benjamin.   Links: Sign up to the Powerful Steps #coffeechallenge to gain Tory’s proven formula for building a global network, with three coffee dates a week. It’s how she connected with the guests on this podcast. Each one is an authentic and trusted connection  Powerful Steps Follow @powerfulsteps on Instagram Powerful Steps on LinkedIn Get a copy of Life Is Tough (But So Are You) - How to rise to the challenge when things go pear-shaped by Briony Benjamin. Follow @briony_benjamin on Instagram     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.