Unconventional Mentor no. 36 - Lauren Mahon

“Fuck it”

One of the most helpful things when you are going through a tough time, is knowing that other people have experienced what you have and being able to connect with them, ask for advice and share your story with them. Knowing that you are not alone and there are other people who will listen and understand what you are going through can really help.

When Lauren Mahon was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 31, she couldn’t find anyone like her who was navigating the world of cancer, the effects of the treatment and how much it completely turns your life upside down. Having worked for a cancer charity I know that you are most likely to get cancer when you are over 55, and sadly a lot of the support is more relevant for some who is older too, something that definitely needs to change.

Frustrated about the lack of support and aware that there will be other people in the same situation, Lauren created an online community where people in their 20s and 30s could find support, share their stories, and so Girl vs Cancer was born.

Lauren has not only created a fantastic community of support for people with a cancer diagnosis, but she has also used her social media platform to raise awareness about the importance of checking your breasts and with her brilliant Tit Tees she has also raised a huge amount of money for charity. Her work has got even more reach as she is the co-host of the podcast You, Me and The Big C, which looks to break the taboo of talking about cancer.

I have been following Lauren on Instagram for some time now and I had the complete pleasure to hear her speak in person at Stylist Live in November 2019. In her talk, she spoke about how her cancer diagnosis, and the thought of the life that she might not be able to live, was a wakeup call to say “fuck it” to the fear and anxiety that had been holding her back in her career and life. It was such a powerful talk and I loved seeing Lauren in real life after following her online for so long. Lauren was well aware that we can get bogged down in our day to day lives and put off doing things because we are scared of failure, judgement or rejection. These are all valid feelings but when you are faced with losing the opportunity to do these at all, when you are faced with the possibility of losing your life, those fears become a little less scary.

Lauren spoke very candidly about needing to allow herself to be more vulnerable with other people and her feelings, and being open to love, which she did by going on First Dates Hotel. I really admire how Lauren has chosen to take a shit time in her life and so publicly reflect on the lessons she has learnt from it. What is really great about her story, is that her personal decision to say Fuck It to things that scare her has inspired so many other people to do the same. The comments from the other women in the room were all about how people feel more empowered to do something scary after following her work and her podcast is shifting the whole conversation about what it is like to experience cancer.

Mentor advice: Don’t wait to do something that scares you

The advice that I take from Lauren is to not wait to do something just because it scares you. None of us know how long we have left or what our health may be like, so putting things off for another day is such a risky strategy. We should all be living out fullest, best lives every day. And if you are anything like me, the chances are that most of the things that you thought were really scary don’t turn out to be quite as bad in the moment as you thought they might be. And even if they are, or you are rejected and things don’t work out how you had planned, we are usually ok, and we learn from these experiences. I can’t think of a time where I did something bold that scared me and I didn’t feel better for it in the long run, even if I had to get through some short term pain. To find out more about Lauren and her work check out her website here or listen to the You, Me and the Big C podcast here