EPISODE 254: What I Did Before Surgery to Make Recovery Easier
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Release Date: 10/29/2026
EPISODE 254: What I Did Before Surgery to Make Recovery Easier
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description Preparing for surgery can bring a lot of questions about what you’ll need and how much you can realistically plan for. I found myself thinking through just about every detail. In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m sharing some of the things I did before my preventive mastectomy that helped make recovery feel more manageable, along with a few things I realized I probably didn’t need to worry about quite so much. A big part of preparing was thinking about how everyday life would work while I recovered, what I could take off my plate ahead of...
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EPISODE 253: What to Do If You’re at High Risk for Breast Cancer
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description Hearing that you’re at high risk for breast cancer can be scary. But knowing you’re high risk doesn’t automatically tell you what to do next. In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m talking about where to start, based on both my years working in breast oncology and my own experience with high-risk screening. We’ll talk about understanding your individual risk, what to ask your healthcare team, whether your screening plan may need to change, and where lifestyle fits into the picture without making yourself crazy trying to do...
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EPISODE 252: Choosing Surgery When You’re Not Sick
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description: Choosing major surgery when you’re not technically sick comes with a strange mix of emotions. In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m talking about what that experience was like for me—the fear, gratitude, guilt, and the pressure I sometimes felt to explain or justify a decision that was deeply personal. I also get into something I’ve wrestled with for years: the idea that if we just eat the right things, manage our stress, think positively, and do wellness “correctly,” maybe we can somehow control what happens to our bodies. Spoiler:...
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Episode 250: Introducing Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording | Women’s Health & Wellness Podcast
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description: Welcome to Episode 250—and a new chapter of the podcast. Drama-Free Healthy Living is now Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording. In this episode, I’m sharing what inspired the evolution of the show and why this new name feels like the right fit for where I am now. As a registered dietitian, health coach, author, and speaker, I’ve spent years talking about nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress management, and healthy habits. But over time, I’ve come to see health in a much broader way—one that also includes the experiences, challenges, and changes that shape how...
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Episode 251: Why I Chose a Preventive Mastectomy | Breast Cancer Risk, Breast Health & My Personal Decision
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description: Choosing to have a preventive mastectomy was never something I imagined I would do. And it definitely wasn’t a decision I made overnight. In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m sharing the personal story behind that decision—what led me there, what years of breast screening and uncertainty were really like, and why something that once felt incredibly drastic eventually started to feel very different. I also talk about something I think gets missed in a lot of wellness conversations: you can take great care of yourself and still face health...
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Episode 249: Hitting Pause
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description: If you’ve been feeling a little… maxed out lately—and you can tell you’re still doing things out of momentum, not meaning—this episode is for you. In this solo episode, I’m sharing why I’m hitting pause on the podcast for now. Not because I don’t love it, and not because it didn’t matter. But because my life has changed so much since I started this show in 2019, and I’m realizing I need space. The kind of space where you can actually hear yourself again—without forcing the next step just to keep things moving. I talk about the fear of being seen as a...
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Episode 248: What to Let Go of in 2026
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description: If you’re heading into 2026 feeling a little stretched thin—like you’re carrying too much, trying too hard, or overthinking every next step—this episode is for you. Today’s conversation is all about release, not in a dramatic “new year, new you” way, but in a practical, gentle, real-life way. Because sometimes the most supportive thing you can do for your health, your energy, and your goals… is let go of the habits, beliefs, and pressures that quietly drain you. We’re talking about perfectionism, comparison, guilt around rest, the all-or-nothing mindset,...
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Episode 247: Harnessing the Power of the Unfocused Mind w/ Dr. Srini Pillay
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
📌Try the ReuLay app for mindset shifts (); email for a free 3-month subscription 👉In this episode of the Drama Free Healthy Living Podcast, host Jess Cording interviews Dr. Srini Pillay, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and executive coach, about harnessing brain science for better focus, overcoming fear, managing stress, and integrating creativity into daily life. They explore strategies like strategic unfocus (napping, doodling, daydreaming) to boost productivity, the CIRCA method (Chunking, Ignore mental chatter, Reality check, Control check, Attention shift) for...
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Episode 246: Empowering Women’s Sleep w/ Jackie Hutson from Piper & Mint PJS
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
📌Make sure to check out Piper & Mint PJs on 👉 Jackie Hutson is a wife, mom to two energetic, sports-loving boys, and a founder who seems to live life in motion—in all the best ways. She plays in a competitive tennis league, loves diving into business and entrepreneurship, and brings an easy, grounded optimism into everything she does. Her entrepreneurial spark lit up early: at age 11, she made $5,000 selling Beanie Babies. Since then, she’s launched several product-based businesses, including an accessory line created while studying abroad in Italy. After college, Jackie built...
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Episode 245: Holiday Metabolism
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description In this solo episode, we’re unpacking what really happens to your metabolism during the holidays and why it’s not as dramatic or disastrous as the internet makes it seem. Instead of stressing over travel, late nights, celebrations, and all the festive food, we’ll look at how small, doable habits can help you feel steady, nourished, and grounded through the season. You’ll get a clearer understanding of how sleep, stress, movement, and nutrition influence your energy, along with realistic ways to support yourself without giving up the joy of the holidays. No...
info_outlineEpisode Description
Preparing for surgery can bring a lot of questions about what you’ll need and how much you can realistically plan for. I found myself thinking through just about every detail.
In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m sharing some of the things I did before my preventive mastectomy that helped make recovery feel more manageable, along with a few things I realized I probably didn’t need to worry about quite so much.
A big part of preparing was thinking about how everyday life would work while I recovered, what I could take off my plate ahead of time, and where I needed to let other people step in.
Of course, even with a plan in place, life still had a few surprises for me. That experience reminded me that preparing for recovery isn’t about anticipating every possible scenario. It’s about creating enough support so you have more space to rest and heal when the unexpected happens.
If you’re preparing for surgery yourself or supporting someone who is, I hope this episode gives you a few ideas, a little reassurance, and permission to make recovery work for you.
Key Points
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What helped me feel more prepared before surgery
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Making daily life more manageable during recovery
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Figuring out where and how to ask for help
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Letting go of the need to plan for every possible scenario
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Creating more room for rest, support, and healing
🎙️ Listen to Episode 254: What I Did Before Surgery to Make Recovery Easier on Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording.
YouTube link 👉 https://youtu.be/7uXiU8SLbq4
If you like what you hear, leave a 5-star review on Apple podcasts HERE.
Stay connected with me on Instagram @jesscording and over on Substack at jessicacording.substack.com
You can also find my tarot work on Instagram at @tea_and_oranges_tarot and on Substack at substack.com/@teaandorangestarot
#HealthierAndHappierPodcast #PreventiveMastectomy #PreventiveSurgery #BreastHealth #WomensHealth