Conquering Cancer: Demi's Inspiring Journey

In this conversation, Dr. Whitney West and Demi Howell discuss the journey of breast cancer, focusing on Demi's personal experience from diagnosis to treatment. They explore the emotional and physical challenges faced by women, particularly African-American women, in dealing with breast cancer. The discussion emphasizes the importance of self-care, advocacy, and understanding one's body, as well as the need for better representation in medical data and research. Demi shares her insights on healing, the significance of genetic testing, and her new brand aimed at empowering women to prioritize their health and well-being.

Takeaways

Demi's journey highlights the emotional impact of a breast cancer diagnosis.
The importance of regular screenings for high-risk individuals.
Unhealed emotions can manifest as physical illness.
Support systems are crucial but can also feel isolating.
Statistics show higher breast cancer mortality rates among African-American women.
Genetic testing is vital for understanding personal risk factors.
Chemotherapy and mastectomy are common treatments for breast cancer.
Demi's new brand focuses on women's health and emotional well-being.
Self-care is essential for recovery and mental health.
Advocacy for oneself in medical situations is crucial. 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Breast Cancer Awareness Month
01:41 Demi's Journey: From Diagnosis to Healing
05:46 The Emotional Impact of a Cancer Diagnosis
09:03 Understanding Treatment Options and Family Support
12:27 Statistics and Disparities in Breast Cancer
17:47 The Importance of Genetic Testing and Data Representation
19:34 Trusting Medical Trials and Personal Health
21:27 Cervical Cancer Screening and Patient Management
23:22 Navigating Mastectomy and Reconstruction
24:43 Mental Health and Cancer Treatment
26:45 Launching SoftBoss: A New Community for Women
28:32 Balancing Hustle and Self-Care
30:25 Advocating for Your Health
33:42 Empowerment Through Personal Experience

Connect with Demi Howell:

https://www.demihowell.com/style-suite-packages

instagram: @thesoftbossexperience and @thedemihowell

Connect with Dr. Whitney West:
Instagram: @docwhitneyw
Website: www.eh-wellnesspc.com

“You’ve been listening to The Integrative Gyn with Dr. Whitney West — because your health deserves more than fifteen minutes.”

The information shared in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice. This podcast does not establish a physician–patient relationship and should not be used as a substitute for individualized medical care. Always consult your own physician or qualified healthcare professional regarding medical decisions or concerns specific to your health.

Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for joining in and listening to what will be my initial interview with the Integrative GYN podcast. At the time of this recording, it is the end of October. And as everyone knows, is October. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, where we honor women's stories of courage and shine a light on prevention and healing.
 (00:32.343)
I'm Dr. Whitney West, and this is the Integrative GYN where we explore women's health with compassion and clarity. Tonight, I am joined by the formidable Demica Howell who I've had the pleasure of knowing for many years, who is sharing her journey with breast cancer. We're going to talk about diagnosis to healing, and then we're going to also discuss and explore what integrative GYN or gynecology brings to survivorship and care and wellness. So welcome to the show, Demi. And again, thank you for being my first interview with my podcast. And as I said before, we've known each other for a very long time.
And I was thankful that you agreed to discuss this very, very personal challenge that you've gone through or going through currently. So if you would introduce yourself to the listeners and then we'll get started.

Okay, well first of all, Dr. West, thank you for having me on the show. I'm super excited. Just to share my journey about breast cancer. Something I would have definitely never thought I would have been diagnosed with, but you know, here we are. Here we are. I have been an entrepreneur for the last 30 years. I started out very, very early in the beauty industry at the age of 14 years old, went on to have a very successful run in the industry. I retired about two years ago. And not because I wanted to, but because I had to. Because I was overworked, I was very, very stressed, and I was losing myself. So I felt like I had to put myself in position where I had to lose to win. So, you know, even after kind of retiring and like sitting with myself, sitting with my thoughts and you know, trying to figure out how to enjoy that and that this breast cancer diagnosis comes up, it was a big big shock. But here we are.

The Integrative Gyn (02:46.671)
Yeah, I can only imagine. How did you, like, did you know that there was something wrong or did you, when was the first time you felt something was wrong or was this found just on exam?

Demi (03:01.909)
Well, it really was on a whim, to be honest. I normally would be going to my breast doctor every six months anyway because of high risk. So I would alternate between mammograms, ultrasounds, know, breast MRIs. At the time, I was going through insurance change because I had moved away from my home state. So I had to kind of wait. Went to my family doctor who was actually in Tennessee. And he was like, well, have you had your mammogram? And I said, no.
He said, well, let's go ahead and schedule it. Well, if you would imagine getting bit by a mosquito and that you have that little raised feeling, I just had a little raised feeling. I didn't have any other symptoms. I didn't have any type of leakage. I didn't have any type of knot. I chopped it up to paramental pals or a coffee bender because I was drinking a lot of coffee and we coffee causes cystic breast and black women's breast are just denser. So I go to get the mammogram.
The mammogram comes back to my doctor in Huntsville where I'm going to have an appointment for him to kind of go over things. Well, it couldn't even get to the doctor. That was just a whole, I got really the run around. So that kind of put me back even two weeks until it got to my breast. And when he got the results, he said, well, they're inconclusive. And I said, huh. He said, so we probably need to just start over from the beginning. So We started over, he did the ultrasound December 31st of last year. Did the ultrasound and normally they come in, the radiologist comes in very, very quick. And that was kinda, it took a little minute and I was like, I was like, okay. I was like, okay, okay. So he came in, he said, well, we see something, it's very, very small, we're not sure. You know, normally we'll have somebody here to do a biopsy, but because it's the end of the year, no one's here.
(04:56.012)
You're going to have to wait till next week. So I had to, this is New Year's Eve. So I had to wait the weekend to, you know, go in. Um, they do the biopsy. I said, I'm going to call you, you know, two to three days after the biopsy. Um, it's still in my mind. I'm like, like, okay, you know, like really? Um, so they called and they said, you know, you have, um, intraductal invasive carcinoma.
 (05:23.799)
And HER2 positive Yeah, it's a doctor. Yeah. Yeah in in you know her two positive So was estrogen positive and then there and then it was her two positive so Yeah, it was It was a it was a shock. It was a shock but When I look at this my particular situation with this cancer and when you know, i'm
I'm deep, I'm really a spiritual person. To me, this was unhealed emotions, anger, rage, resentment that had manifested into sickness. And I know this to be true because I've dealt with so much for so long and there's even a story behind even coming to this point to finding out that I had the cancer. It's a long story. I'm not gonna say it's a long story. I mean, it would be great to tell on the podcast. I don't know how much time you have, but It's unhealed emotions. Your body keeps score. And a lot of us women don't understand that your body keeps score. And when you are holding on to those unhealed emotions, it will manifest in your body. It's sickness. I feel like sometimes when you see a lot of women, men that are like super healthy, you know, like I eat right, I, you know, do all things. And it's like, wow, they're sick. It's unhealed emotions. You gotta deal with them.

The Integrative Gyn (06:48.205)
Mm-hmm. Yep, there's a book called The Body Keep Score. Yeah, there's a book, yeah. Mm-hmm. So, so, well, you just said kinda how you felt when you heard the words. Like it was almost disbelief, maybe. Or.

Demi (07:05.867)
It was like an out of body experience. I felt like the camera people were gonna come out and say, cut.

The Integrative Gyn (07:10.405)
Mm-hmm.

Like you're being punked almost. Yeah.

Demi (07:15.339)
I huh? I was like, now, I was like, now, I was like, what? I was really, I was really shocked because the symptom that I had, which was the raised area on the right breast, it really wasn't nothing. You know what I'm saying? That was the only thing that was visible to me and it really wasn't even visible which is like a mosquito bite.

The Integrative Gyn (07:46.523)
But what they found was deeper. That wasn't actually what they found, The inside.

Demi (07:51.101)
No, but they found a tumor that was like, yeah, like a tumor at six o'clock. So they did the biopsy, they found the tumor, they kept the lymph nodes. So they saw that it had, you know, spread it to a lymph node, one, possibly two, you know, like you go through the breast MRI and then, you know, do all the things and they take you fast. So it was like, okay, we're here like January 13th, we're starting treatment.

The Integrative Gyn (08:17.199)
Gotcha. So you mentioned while you were telling the initial story that you were already high risk, right? So does that mean that you had family members?

Demi (08:29.458)
Well, I had a sister that supposedly had breast cancer. I she had her breast removed. She never got any treatment and she didn't go home on therapy. So I don't know. I feel like she's kind of like the yes person and she doesn't do her research. So I'm not for sure. We all have the same mom, but we don't have the same father. I don't know if that makes a difference. Then I had an aunt that had it. She didn't pass from it. But then I had a cousin that had it.

And she actually passed from it, but I had the genetic testing and I had no mutations at all

The Integrative Gyn (09:03.483)
Okay, so and we'll talk about that a little bit later about screening and who's high risk and what kind of genetic testing obviously that you should do. So what kind of treatment did you get?

Demi (09:20.915)
So I got, it's not the Red Devil, can't, True Trasimine? True Trasimine something. Chemo, okay, so chemotherapy. I did chemotherapy once every three weeks and I had to do six cycles of that. Then I went for surgery for the mastectomy and I was supposed to do radiation but I declined the radiation.

The Integrative Gyn (09:25.819)
So, so chemo therapy, chemo. Okay.  Just be generic. 

Demi (09:49.959)
So now I am on maintenance once every three weeks to May of next year.

The Integrative Gyn (09:56.367)
So keep, so still on chemo. Okay.

Demi (09:58.833)
Yeah, yeah, it's a, it's called Casila and what it does is a chemotherapy, but it's not like the traditional kind. It kind of goes in, finds the HER2 positive cells and it works from the inside out.



The Integrative Gyn (10:12.803)
Okay. And for our listeners,  HER2 means human epidermal growth factor receptor two. And that's one of the markers that they check for in addition to estrogen and progesterone to determine the aggressive nature or not, whether it be responsive to certain things or whether it be actually enhanced by certain things. So estrogen use and progesterone. So you said you were progesterone positive as well? Estrogen positive and then HER2 positive. Okay, gotcha, gotcha. So how did your family respond and what kind of support did they give you through this?


Demi (11:04.544)
Well, my girls was like, mom, queens don't cry. And if they did cry, I never saw them cry. I just never saw them cry. They're 16 and 17. Yeah, so they were just like, mom, we researched it. You're not gonna die. Everything's gonna be fine.

The Integrative Gyn (11:17.285)
How old are they now? How old are you? That's okay. That's what I thought. Okay.

Demi (11:28.456)
Randy, you know, I really couldn't tell. Randy's always been the fixer. He's always been the person that like if there's an issue, he could fix it for me. And this was the one thing he couldn't fix. And I think that tore him up because he couldn't give me any advice. You know, he's like, it's like playing Russian roulette. You know, I really can't give you any advice. And everybody was supportive. I really didn't, I really didn't announce it too much because I did not want the sympathy. didn't want the like, my God, like I just didn't want that. didn't want to subscribe to that. So the ones that did know in the beginning, they were very, very supportive, but you know, regardless of the support you get, is a very lonely journey. It's a very lonely journey. And especially if you're not the person that's going through it, you know, people can call, they can text, they can, you know, send you all the things, but it's lonely. It was very lonely. It was a very lonely journey.

The Integrative Gyn (12:25.188)
Hmm. Yeah, tell me what you mean by that.

Demi (12:31.016)
It's one of those things that you know it's always in the back of your mind. You know, regardless if you're a conqueror, I don't like to say survivor, if you're a cancer conqueror, there's always that little thing and it's always gonna be like nudging you. You know, it's not like getting your ovaries out or hey, I had a hip replacement, I had a knee replacement or a carpal tunnel.

Demi (12:58.312)
It's always that wonder of like, can it come back? And so you'll kind of sit with that and there's no conversation unless you're talking to another person that has cancer that can understand that. Sometimes you can kind of sit with your thoughts, but even if you do have a support of somebody that is in the same mind frame, it's still lonely because they're feeling the same thing. I mean...

The Integrative Gyn (13:02.554)
back, right?

The Integrative Gyn (13:11.706)
Right, right.


Demi (13:27.633)
So it was just, it was a very, and I mean, I have people with me every day, but it was just long.

The Integrative Gyn (13:35.963)
So let me throw out a couple of statistics so that the listeners can kind of understand, I guess, where they fall in all of this. So among African-American women, breast cancer is actually the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death. Black women are about 40 % more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, even with a similar situation.

Risk factors that include later stage diagnosis. So they found out later. And that's because some of us don't go to get care, get diagnosis or not doing, you know, screening and stuff like that. There are higher rates of what's called triple negative breast cancer, which is the estrogen progesterone that we talked about. And then that HER2 receptor, those are, and those are more aggressive.

And then obviously, you know, system wide inequity and inequality and lack of resources and access and all of those things that, you know, we go through on a daily basis with almost every situation that we ever come in contact with. know, Black women are, you know, kind of lowest on the totem pole when it comes to just about everything. And unfortunately, this is where we're on the top.

Demi (14:51.202)
Yeah.

The Integrative Gyn (15:01.647)
Yeah, here we are in the top. So we're more likely to die, more likely to get it, and that kind of thing. There's some other reasons why we get it too. things like you talked about how your nutrition was good, and you talk about unhealed trauma, basically, the emotional trauma that you've gone through your entire life. how many women, African-American women, do you know that are living?

You know, but that's same situation, right? And then we've got physical ailments that they are dealing with, right? They're unhealthy, eating processed foods and, you know, have other medical conditions that put them at higher risk like diabetes and hypertension and heart disease and that kind of obesity, that kind of thing. So all of those things, unhealthy lifestyle and then the mental health, trauma that a lot of us have endured that has gone unchecked, Because it causes chronic inflammation, and chronic inflammation causes chronic disease. And then so we got a lot of changes going on. So those are huge issues. And this is really why awareness is super critical. We got to know that this is out there. There's a thing we can actually do screening, and we can heal. We can heal from all the things that causes this. 

So screening guidelines. So American College of OB-GYN recommends that we start treatment around 40, and we do that until 75. And every one to two years, depending on what your risk factors are, what your history is, and what your comfort level is. So there's gotta be a discussion with your provider about what it is that you need and what you want to do. I actually have some patients who decline the mammogram, like just don't do it. They're choosing to do other things like ultrasound and thermography

Demi (17:04.456)
Okay.

The Integrative Gyn (17:19.227)
Even though we do ultrasound as an adjunct to a mammogram when it shows like dense tissue or you know other things And just again for the listeners dense tissue means that it's not fatty right.  mammograms are made to look through fatty tissue and When your breasts are dense they are not fatty and the mammogram can't see through it So we use adjunct, know additional testing like an ultrasound to you to to look at that breast to Make sure they haven't missed anything on a mammogram

Now somebody who's considered high risk, a sister, an aunt, a cousin who has had breast cancer and was getting the screening that you were getting, I think, I don't like to use the word lucky. It happened when it happened because you were getting your screening. Had you not been getting screening, this might've been found at a later stage for you, right? So you've been getting every six months, your MRI, your mammogram, ultrasound and alternating and that kind of thing, which is the standard screening for high risk individuals. So, but somebody who wasn't getting all of that would not have found it as early. Five to 10 % of breast cancers are hereditary. So you said you were negative, right? I'm assuming for the BRCA gene, BRCA.

Demi (18:47.503)
Mm-hmm.

The Integrative Gyn (18:47.607)
one and two, you were negative for that. There's a couple other genetic tests that can be done. And genetic testing is recommended if breast cancer is found early and if you are triple negative. you definitely, just again for the listeners, if you have a family member who has had genetic testing or are triple negative for their breast cancer and you're first degree relative, that means a child or a parent or a sister of the person who had breast cancer, then if they haven't gotten genetic testing, you want to definitely get that done. And you want to get it done too. The things you want to know what the testing is, because for you, if you had been positive, that would change the trajectory for your children, right? You have two daughters, two teenage daughters. So, you know, how they are being managed is going to be based off of what your testing is. you know, I'm assuming you're your mid, early 40s, early 40s? Okay, 40, 40, 45. Okay. So typically what we would recommend would be five to 10 years for your children's testing to start because you're 45. And I'll tell you, I do baseline screening at 35 if it's normal.

Demi (19:55.651)
45, mid 40s, yeah.

The Integrative Gyn (20:16.719)
then we do starting at 40, I recommend doing it every year. So I would definitely make sure that they get, they learn how to do their own breast cancer screening, their self breast exam, and then get their screening one, the first one at 35. So we talked about genetic testing. You said yours was negative. And so what would you tell, other women that are nervous about genetic screening.

Demi (20:51.863)
Mmm.

I wasn't nervous and I really just asked for it. My genetic testing was in 2016. I'm also the type of person that I'm like do all the tests to. You know what I mean? And I think it's needed. The one thing that I realized during my own journey is that we're really not in the data.
Demi (21:22.723)We're really not in the data. When it came to with the radiation and they were given the statistics, well, the statistics were from 2012, we're in 2025. You gave the statistics how many women were white, black, Hispanic, what are the real numbers? So when you say, well, 70 % are Caucasian and the rest of the 30 are split among other races, I'm not in the data. You want me to make a decision and I'm not even in the data and then the women that you did test, what were their diets? What were their lifestyles? Did they have access? So for me, and I know it might be difficult to get those numbers, it's bigger than that. But if we don't get the genetic testing, if we were not in these trials, when we come to the situation where we have to make decisions, we're nervous because we're not in the data. You know, we're not in the data. So it's very, very important that We begin to try to trust a little bit more. my radiologist was like, well, Black women typically don't do the trials, or they don't do the tests because of history. And I'm like, well, it's history, but it's still present. You know what I mean? So it's very important to get tested because we need those numbers. We need them.

The Integrative Gyn (22:24.581)
Ha ha ha.

The Integrative Gyn (22:32.859)
Mm-hmm.

The Integrative Gyn (22:37.849)
Right. Right. Yes.

The Integrative Gyn (22:46.341)
Mm-hmm.

Demi (22:47.778)
You know, we need them. Our DNA is different from, we're all built different. So yeah, I think it would definitely make decisions, make a little bit more sense, even though it is backed by science and it's medical. I think when you're able to see yourself, there's a little bit more trust there.

The Integrative Gyn (23:09.049)
Right, right. And I'm gonna tell you, this is obviously coming from a medical professional. When you're reading the journal articles and our governing body like the American College of OB-GYN makes decisions or gives us recommendations for how to manage certain patients is based on studies where we're not really in there. Or the population that I'm taking care of,

is not the population that was in the study, right? So, you know, I've had some conversations with other younger physicians who have done the textbook work, but haven't seen it in clinical action, right? So, you know, discussions where I said, I've got, you know, almost 30 years of background and I've seen the patients and I know like the patients I'm taking care of and what has worked.

Demi (23:40.971)
Yes.

The Integrative Gyn (24:06.075)
for certain things, right, in the patients that we take care of and what they're either increased risk for or not really risk for. But this particular article doesn't apply to the patients I take care of. And I'm uncomfortable changing my management because I'm going to lose some people. I'm going to, you know, yeah, or the, I'm going to, they say, cause right now the first, like we're going to talk cervical cancer real quick.
cervical cancer screening, we don't start till 21, right? And then they've got the HPV testing and the vaccinations and that kind of stuff. And there are some doctors who are saying, your HPV was negative. You, we don't need to see you again for three whole years, right? Don't come back for three years. And I'm like, this girl's, you know, she's single. She's, you say she's 31, you know, and she has two partners in two years, right? Then she's exposed herself to different stuff. She may not have gotten HPV vaccination, right? So when she comes back on that third year, her life could be very different. I've seen somebody go from a negative pap smear to a year later, they got cancer. So it's really disheartening when, like I we...

Demi (25:16.076)
Yeah.

The Integrative Gyn (25:29.083)
And like I said, I agree with the statement we're scared to do the trials because of the, know, hundreds of years of history of how we've been mistreated. But we've got to find some kind of way to make sure that we are included in the discussion. all right, so you said you had surgery and you did a mastectomy. did you do double mastectomy with reconstruction or just one? You did.

Demi (25:57.158)
Mm-hmm.
I did the double mastectomy and towards the end they said I really could have opted in for a lumpectomy. But they saw something in the left breast but they weren't for sure but when they didn't biopsy it wasn't a clip there for them to even see what it was. for the sake of like hey let's just get it all
let's just, you know, the advice was to do the mastectomy. So I had to do mastectomy. I'm not, well, I'm fully pumped up with my spacers, but I'm getting ready to go into the phase of the reconstruction. So I'm like, there's no feeling there ladies. Now I will tell you this, they're gonna look perfect, but you're not, there's no feeling. I'm so sorry. There's not.

The Integrative Gyn (26:30.139)
Mm-hmm.

The Integrative Gyn (26:40.933)
Gotcha. Gotcha.

The Integrative Gyn (26:50.181)
So they didn't save your nipples, they took your nipples.

Demi (26:54.196)
They took them, they said they could have saved them, but it was something about them possibly like drying up and rotting off or something like that, or maybe the cancer's coming. So they cut them off, but they do this little cute thing where they pinch the skin and then I'm gonna get this 3D tattoo and it's gone.

The Integrative Gyn (27:00.955)
Mmm. Yeah, because the blood supply, yeah. Yeah.

The Integrative Gyn (27:10.637)
makes it look like, okay, okay, okay. That's my next question, where you gonna get the tattoo to cover it up. And then so we said we did chemo, we're gonna do that for how long? How long did they say that you?

Demi (27:23.508)
So I'm on this maintenance till May. I thought it was going to be January. They said a year from when you started, which was January, but it's a year from when you actually finish the chemo treatment, which was in May of this year. So I'll have to go to May of next year.

The Integrative Gyn (27:40.409)
Okay, and you said that is once a week? every three weeks. all right. How you feeling?

Demi (27:43.55)
That's once every three weeks.

The Integrative Gyn (27:51.732)
Hahaha

Demi (27:53.856)
I Honestly, I'm just passing through. When I got this diagnosis, of course I had to break down, but I had to sit with my thoughts and just kind of look at everything, how everything was playing out. I hired a trauma therapist, a frequency therapist, I did a chakra alignment lady, I did a lady that helped me do some work on forgiveness. probably feel the lightest that I've ever felt in my life, honestly. And when I went through the treatment, I didn't have a lot of side effects. And that might be because my body was so healthy to begin with. You you lose the hair, maybe a little bit of, you know, having an upset stomach, but I was outside. I was outside. you know, I never subscribed to what the journey looks like to everybody else. When I went to treatment, nails, hair, makeup, acetone. I love the beanies that you offer the patients in the CCI. I don't want it because I didn't want to embody what people go through because when they hear that word cancer, it automatically is gonna, it's a mind thing.

The Integrative Gyn (28:58.381)
I believe you.

Demi (29:19.163)
I'm not saying that you can beat it with your mind, but what I am saying is that it's a huge role in your recovery. It's a huge role in your recovery. And so I just never subscribed to what the journey would normally look like for a typical cancer patient, a woman with breast cancer. I never did. And I still don't do it today.

The Integrative Gyn (29:26.071)
Absolutely. Absolutely.

The Integrative Gyn (29:43.013)
So what's your routine today? What are you up to?

Demi (29:46.686)
So my routine today, I launched a brand called SoftBoss. It is something that I was actually working on the last three years and it didn't really have the grit. had a little bit of meaning, but I feel like the cancer really, really helped me put things in perspective. So SoftBoss is a brand, it's a community for women. It's just really not about self-care. It's about regulating your nervous system. dealing with unhealed emotions, understanding what the triggers are, feeling safe within yourself. I think a lot of times we tend to look for safety outside of ourselves, whether it's from a job or whether it's from a partner or a husband, kids, just whatever they think, but we have to feel safe within ourselves first and then let everything else fall into place. And then we have to deal with those unhealed emotions.
Demi (30:42.886)
And so that's what I'm trying to teach women now, especially in a time where, you know, we're bosses and we're entrepreneurs and we're leadership roles. And I think that that's okay, but I think that we embody it to the point of our nervous system is not really built for that. It's not meant for that. So, okay, how are we gonna be in this role, but we still gonna live a soft life? You know, how are we gonna balance it? How are we gonna balance the feminine and the masculine energy. How are we gonna come off this, I call it the hustle, the hamster wheel of hustling because that's survival mode. How are we gonna come out of survival mode? So this brain is about teaching women that part because everything is changing so much and we're in these roles, but I don't think we truly understand what we're taking on. I don't think we truly understand. I think we kind of get wrapped up in the shiny.
Demi (31:40.318)
things, you know, all the things that comes with it, the cars, the homes, the wealth, the things that we get to clap for and the hits of dopamine and oh my God, girl, like you doing it, like you, I don't desire that anymore. I have hung up that cake. Y'all can have it. I do not, I don't want it. And I'm okay with that. You know, I had to, before the, even before the cancer journey, I had to kind of sit with that and like, girl, it's okay. Like you've done, you have done it.

The Integrative Gyn (31:48.963)
Ha ha ha ha.

The Integrative Gyn (32:08.795)
All right.

Demi (32:09.114)
It is not to say that it is a period at the end of that it because there's something else but you got to be able to like space things out. You know, I'm so sick of us women telling the next woman girl you got to push through. You need to prioritize. You need to prioritize. You're pushing through because you're not prioritizing. So I'm this that's what the brand is about.

The Integrative Gyn (32:27.835)
Hmm... Hmm...

Demi (32:37.341)
I'm excited about it. I am planning on watching December and it's been it's just been such a great journey just to kind of tell women and Kind of you have some that are like they want to they really want to be there, but they sit on the side They're living in this perception in the perception is what is giving them all the class, but they really dying in the inside Yeah so

The Integrative Gyn (33:00.291)
Right, Yep.

Demi (33:03.312)
The softballs ran, being a mom, know, the girls are homeschooling, you know, me and Ran, we're still doing the things, but it's just pace, I'm just pacing myself. I mean, there were times, there are times like I might just lay in the bed all day and watch Netflix.
Demi (33:18.842)
I might watch a whole series.

The Integrative Gyn (33:20.519)
Sometimes you got to do that. got to take time for yourself. self-care is not selfish. And I'm going tell you, it's taken me about 50 years to figure that out. Because the hustle is real. Mommy guilt is real. All of those things. So running a business is not for the faint of heart.

Demi (33:26.522)
Yes.

The Integrative Gyn (33:45.657)
You know, as you have done like pivoting and making some changes in your career and going a different direction and, you know, stopping what you're doing and moving to do something else. I've done a lot of the same thing, but I have conversations with women, you know, almost every single day, multiple times a day and ask them like, what's your self care routine? You know, and then I talked to one today and I said, I am not going to be able to fix

Demi (33:58.982)
Boom.

The Integrative Gyn (34:15.105)
what it is you have going on if we don't fix your stress level and your lack of sleep, right? You're not sleeping and then you're stressed out to the hilt, right? So we've got to find whatever the routine is or the support service resources or whatever that's going to help you because no matter how much medicine I throw at you, hormones, we talk about supplementation, nutritional supplementation, any of those things, it's not going to fix. if you don't sleep and if you're stressed out. So and like we just said a few minutes ago, chronic stress is chronic inflammation, chronic inflammation leads to chronic disease and then here we are. So that's pretty awesome. You have a new hair care product with this new launch. Yeah, tell me about that.

Demi (34:45.52)
Mm-hmm. I do, I do. So it's called Botani. but BotaniGlow and BotaniGrow One is more so for like shine, like dry ends, if you wanna add a little shine to your hair. And then the other one is actually a growth serum. I like to put them hand in hand. I like to put the growth serum on the areas that are kind of thin and inspired and then follow up with the oil. They're best used with combination together. that, I always want to do a hairline, but also too, I feel like going through the cancer of losing my hair and

Demi (35:41.465)
Like, okay, what products, you know, can I put on here to like help the hair grow? And I'm like, girl, you're on your hairstylist. Just do your own thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

The Integrative Gyn (35:48.453)
Yes. So I was good at writing say. So, you we didn't, you didn't talk about this in the beginning when you introduced yourself, but your, your journey is in, you know, cosmetology just does not seem like the right word to use for you. What, would you describe it as? Stylist?

Demi (36:07.067)
I would say that I'm a beauty concierge. I can do pretty much anything, which that's another business. I mean, that's another thing I didn't talk about, which is, so, you know, I love branding. So I do have another business, which is something that I've always done. I'm just monetizing it now. Demi Howell Co. It's just like a branding concierge agency. I have different divisions. I have the staff suite, which is basically where I style you do your hair, your makeup, your photo, your wardrobe, reputation rescue. If you're going through something like your brand is hit like a tough spot, if there's some type of negativity surrounding you, I'm going to turn your pain into monetization. Now that probably sounds horrible, but we're going to monetize your pain. Then I have a sanctuary reset. I come to your home. I can organize. I'm a very big organizer, very big organizer.

The Integrative Gyn (36:50.779)
Yes.

Demi (37:00.794)
Like I'm working with a client now. She is trying to find her capsule wardrobe. She has a lot of pieces, but she needs a personality pivot. So I'm going through her closet like color code and saying, hey girl, we need to get rid of this. This is part of your capsule wardrobe. Okay, we might need to go shop here. So that in 2026, when she starts her rebrand, she has a whole personality pivot. So that's Demi Howellco. I did incubator. If you're entrepreneur starting out or if you're a seasoned entrepreneur and you're needing to pivot, I can help you pivot and be able to monetize, not necessarily kind of starting something new, but it's in the same genre of what you're doing. I don't wanna take people and have them doing so many things that they're stressed, but how can I take what I'm doing and monetize it? But that's easy. I don't really look at that as like, you know stress or a lot. It's just something that I love to do.

The Integrative Gyn (38:01.986)
Right. Gotcha. Gotcha. So as we come to the end of our discussion here, what message do you want your listeners to take away today?

Demi (38:20.149)
Listen to, not even listen to your body, listen to your emotions. And get your screenings. Definitely, definitely get your screenings. know that sometimes it's difficult. We get online and we do know that there's a history of just our population in general not having the best care or you know, maybe it's a situation where they said there was going to do one thing, we're injected with something else, not to go there. But in order for us to be able to be in the data, we have to get our screenings. But the main thing is to listen to your body, listen to your emotions. If you are dealing with something that is traumatic, your body keeps score. And if you don't get that out, it is going to manifest into disease. I'm a living witness of this.
Demi (39:18.298)
So when I look at my cancer, it's cancer, but it's unhealed emotions. And in order for me to go to the next level where I needed to go, it had to manifest. And I'm okay with that. I'm okay. I'm okay. Cancer is not scary. And another thing I want people to understand is that cancer is scary, but there are so many people that conquer cancer. And regardless of what you're going through, I know there's these trigger words, especially I know like going with my oncologists of like, Death rate and like this their trigger words don't let it trigger you and With you are going through this advocate for yourself Advocate for yourself. I'm in a situation now where in my treatment plan where I'm having to advocate for myself and do your research No, I'm not a doctor but I can't do my own research and I can say hey, well What what's up with this, you know, so we can get, you know, so we can get some answers. So just advocate for yourselves, get your exams, don't be afraid, and just know that if you are going through this that you can conquer it because you can have a positive mindset.

The Integrative Gyn (40:31.457)
Awesome. Awesome. Well, thank you, Demi, for sharing your story. And for the listeners, if this conversation resonated with you or it sounds like somebody you know, then please share this podcast with them. Go schedule your appointment. Call your doctor. Take your friend with you. Do whatever it is you need to do so that you can get your screening done. And one other thing too, if you're not doing your routine mammogram, definitely got to get at least once a year clinical breast exam by your physician. And then you do your own self-breast exam. And there's different resources you can get to help show you how to do that. So you'll learn what you feel like.

Demi (41:22.553)
Okay. Okay.

The Integrative Gyn (41:27.535)
what your own breasts feel like so you get comfortable with what's normal so you'll know what is when something's wrong, right? I usually tell folks to, if you're still having a period, you're that age where you're having a period, then you wanna do your breast exam five days after your period ends, because that's when your breasts are the most normal. Any other time outside of that, your breasts are preparing for something. So, know, pregnancy that doesn't happen, whatever. So your breasts are going to feel lumpy and bumpy. If you are a heavy caffeine drinker, you are, you're going to get breast tenderness and you're going to get what they call fibrocystic breast disease. So you need to know what is normal for you so that you can reach out when it's not normal. So, but again, thank you so much for your time, your story, your words of strength and empowerment, encouragement for other women. It's definitely appreciated. So if you have any questions as we are listening to this, I'll put my information in the show notes. I'll get Demi's info, and I'll put that in the show notes as well. So anybody who's looking for a brand reset and of restyling, anything like that. She's awesome. Like I've known her for a long time. She's done makeup and hair and all kinds of stuff in addition to all the things that she said today. And in addition to the new hair product that is, are you selling that? Is that out on the market now?

Demi (42:53.957)It is it is online I haven't had an official launch for but it is on The softboss experience I come but I'll give you the information you can drop it in the chat

The Integrative Gyn (43:14.135)
Okay, awesome. Okay.

The Integrative Gyn (43:21.531)
Okay, I will absolutely do that. So thank you so much. Thank you for listening to the Integrative GYN. I'm Dr. Whitney West. Until next time, When we'll have different information and things that we're going to share with you because your health deserves more than 15 minutes.