From Cancer Survivor to Podcast Host + Health Coach: A Conversation with Holly Boyce About Reinvention, Mindset, and Healthy Habits
Hey friend! Welcome back to the Passports, Profits and Pixie Dust. I’m Lindsay Dollinger — high school Spanish teacher, dog mom, world traveler, direct seller, and someone who is deeply passionate about helping women build businesses (and lives!) that light them up.
Today’s blog is extra special because I’m sharing an inspiring conversation with my friend, health and wellness coach, and fellow podcaster, Holly Boyce. We met through a mastermind we were in together, hung out virtually for months, and finally met in person at a retreat earlier this year — and she truly is as incredible as she sounds.
She’s the host of The Surviving Life Podcast, a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, a former cancer patient turned advocate for living life fully, and someone who has mastered the art of pivoting with courage and intention.
Let’s dive into her story… you’re going to walk away with so many nuggets.
Listen in to this episode of the podcast.
🎗️ Holly’s Story Begins with a Life-Altering Moment
Ten years ago, Holly found a lump entirely by accident — the size of a ping-pong ball — on Thanksgiving Day. She was a young mom, just 30 years old with children ages two and five, and she never imagined the call she’d receive three days before Christmas.
It was breast cancer.
Her life flipped upside down in an instant.
There was chemo. Radiation. Surgeries. And the emotional rollercoaster only a cancer patient can fully understand.
But even in that season of fear and unknowns, she made a decision that changed her life:
👉 She chose to approach her journey with gratitude and intention.
(We’ll come back to this — because her gratitude practice is something everyone needs to hear.)
🔄 Rebuilding Life After Cancer — A New Direction
Before cancer, Holly worked in family services helping at-risk youth and families. She liked the work, but once her treatment ended, she felt dropped back into a life that didn’t fit her anymore — something many people can relate to post-COVID.
Her words:
“I was a different person returning to the same life — and it wasn’t working.”
So she pivoted into health and fitness, motivated by one simple desire:
✨ “I want to stay on this planet as long as possible.”
People doubted her. (Apparently some told her it was “just a hobby.” 🙄)
But she moved forward anyway.
She became a personal trainer.
She trained cancer patients.
She opened a fitness studio.
She built a business doing what she loved.
It was her dream.
Until COVID hit… and she had to close the studio.
Again, she was faced with reinvention — but this time she leaned into something new that had been tugging at her for a long time:
🎙️ Podcasting.
She started recording in her closet during quarantine.
She published episodes not knowing whether anyone would listen.
And people did listen — a lot of them.
She discovered a gift she didn’t even realize she had.
Today, Holly blends her passion for health, mindset, and storytelling through coaching and her podcast.
Pivoting with Courage (Even When You’re Scared)
One of the things I admire most about Holly is her willingness to pivot. Over and over again.
Not because she hasn’t experienced fear.
Not because it has always been easy.
But because she refuses to live a life that doesn’t align with the person she is becoming.
She says that experiencing so many forced transitions — from toxic relationships to cancer to losing jobs to business closures — taught her that:
✨ We can’t always choose what happens to us, but we can choose what we learn from it.
And we can choose whether we evolve or stay stuck.
This is powerful for any woman in business.
So many people stay in situations, jobs, and patterns purely because they’re afraid to change.
But as Holly says:
“Successful people don’t avoid mistakes — they just correct course faster.”
Small Habits = Big Change (Especially for Busy Women)
As a health coach, Holly coaches a lot of women who feel overwhelmed by life, work, business, and family. (Sound familiar? 😅)
Her advice?
Break “health” into three parts:
- Fitness
- Nutrition
- Mindset
Then rate yourself 1–10 in each category without judgment.
Wherever the gaps are — that’s where the growth lives.
Here are some of her practical tips:
✔️ 1. Move daily (in any way you can)
Not hours at the gym — just movement.
Three 10-minute bursts.
A walk.
Squats between client calls.
A mini dance party.
A cordless jump rope (her fave).
Something > nothing.
✔️ 2. Prep the snacks you want yourself to actually choose
The reason granola bars win?
They’re easy and ready to grab.
So make healthy snacks just as accessible:
- Pre-cut veggies in small baggies
- Protein balls
- Hummus cups
- Greek yogurt
- Fruit that’s washed and visible
She calls the produce drawer the “drawer of death” — because if food goes in there, we forget it exists. 😂
Move healthy food in sight and within reach.
✔️ 3. Reduce decision fatigue
Entrepreneurs have enough decisions to make.
Plan your:
- Meals
- Grocery list
- Snacks
- Workouts
Put workouts on your calendar like appointments with yourself.
Use pickup or delivery services if that helps you avoid impulse shopping or mental overwhelm.
Mindset: Your Most Important Health Indicator
Holly breaks mindset down beautifully.
She says:
“Your brain’s #1 job is to prove you right. Whatever you tell it is true — it will find evidence for.”
If you say:
- “I’m too busy.”
- “I’ll never lose weight.”
- “I’m not good at talking to people.”
- “I’m bad at consistency.”
Your brain will pull up examples instantly — like a Facebook algorithm designed to support your story.
But if you say:
- “I’m capable.”
- “I’m getting stronger.”
- “I show up for myself.”
- “I can create new habits.”
Your brain finds evidence for that too.
✔️ Her #1 mindset practice?
A daily gratitude journal — even during chemo.
Some days she wrote deep, meaningful reflections.
Other days she wrote sarcastic things like:
“I’m grateful the kids lungs work — they screamed at each other all day.”
The point wasn’t perfection.
It was consistency.
Over time, she realized:
✨ Her world didn’t change — but the way she saw the world did.
And that changed everything.
Why Her Story Matters
Holly’s journey is a reminder that:
- Life doesn’t always go as planned.
- You’re allowed to evolve.
- You’re allowed to pivot.
- Your past chapters don’t disqualify you — they prepare you.
- Health is not separate from business — it fuels it.
- Mindset isn’t fluff — it’s the foundation.
- Gratitude shifts everything.
And perhaps the biggest takeaway…
You are allowed to build a life that feels aligned — even if you’ve outgrown the one you’re in.
🔗 Connect with Holly Boyce
You’re going to want to follow her if you’re not already.
- Podcast: Surviving Life with Holly — https://survivinglifewithholly.com
- Website: https://hollyboyce.com
- Instagram & Facebook: @hollyboyce
- TikTok: She’s there too (and hilarious), though currently on “self-imposed moderation” so she stops forgetting to pick up her daughter from school. 😆
This conversation was fun, meaningful, and packed with insight — and I hope it gives you the permission and encouragement you need to pivot, grow, or recommit to your health and mindset.
If you loved this, share it with a friend, rate the Passports, Profits and Pixie Dust podcast, and come hang out with me on Instagram!
You’re capable of more than you realize, friend. Keep going. 💛