Lauren Chiarello is the founder of the NYC-based Chi Chi Life, which melds her three passions: fitness, fundraising and events, and cancer advocacy. Lauren is truly a lover of life, health and wellness, and building community through connection of shared experiences.

Lauren is a force, truly inspirational and the definition of resilient. She’s also a beautiful storyteller, and the visual she paints describing the journey leading up to her cancer diagnosis, surviving cancer (twice!), entering recovery, and the ectopic pregnancy she experienced in 2018 will leave you both inspired and speechless.

At the age of 23, after discovering a mystery lump on her neck, Lauren was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Over the next couple of years she underwent two separate rounds of cancer treatments. She lost her hair and grew fatigued as the treatments continued, but she was determined to keep as much normalcy as possible. Once she entered remission, she decided to take on the challenge of training for a half marathon. Lauren, an athlete all her life, chose to turn her passion for fitness into a key part of her healing process. She crossed the finish line and felt on top of the world, but soon after the cancer returned. So did treatment, only this time it was more intense.

Lauren’s reflections on her recovery, spending 9 years in remission, and the role resiliency has played in her life will remind you of the inner courage, strength, and hope within you too. Her story describing the ectopic pregnancy she experienced this year, and her choice to continue to press forward will inspire you to do the same in your life, despite the challenges you’re facing. Resiliency isn’t just a trait, it’s an embodiment, it’s a way of being.

“No matter what your obstacles are, I invite you to approach life with the same resiliency as my rockstar cancer survivors. We are all fighting our own battles, and how you show up to deal with them is your choice. Choose resiliency, choose love.”

— Lauren Chiarello

Tune in on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7bZHrtjAzbksbLWNaak1NM

Tune in on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-of-inspiring-joy/id1510488632

To learn more about Lauren visit her website chichilifenyc.com and on you can connect with her on Instagram @chichilifenyc

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.