292: How Erica Neubert Campbell Turned a Double Mastectomy Into a Masterclass in Gratitude

Gratitude as a Daily Choice in Breast Cancer Recovery

Sometimes the hardest decision becomes the most life-saving one. When Erica Neubert Campbell received her breast cancer diagnosis, she didn’t just face a medical crossroads—she stood at the exact same fork in the road her mother had faced decades earlier. But this time, armed with painful hindsight and hard-won wisdom, Erica chose differently.

Originally aired: October 7, 2025.
This post has been updated and republished as part of rebuilding the Gratitude Geek podcast archive.

In this October breast cancer awareness episode, we dig into what it really means to practice gratitude as a daily choice in breast cancer recovery—not as toxic positivity, but as an intentional decision to reframe your hardest moments. Erica shares her transformative nightly gratitude practice, why vulnerability creates the deepest connections, and how writing just one sentence per day led to publishing a book that’s changing lives.

Key Takeaways

In this episode, you’ll learn:​​

• Why Erica chose a double mastectomy over a lumpectomy, learning from her mother’s path without regret
• The 5-5-5-3 nightly gratitude practice that’s profoundly changed Erica’s life over three and a half years
• How writing just one sentence per day (inspired by Atomic Habits) led to completing her book
• The workplace bathroom conversation with a near-stranger that transformed Erica’s fear into hope
• Why vulnerability is a superpower that gives others permission to be seen and heard
• How an 11-year-old’s wisdom about a broken refrigerator alarm teaches us to reframe annoyance into gratitude
• The difference between complementary therapies that help with symptoms versus alternatives that promise cures
• How curiosity—not just positivity—helps us move through life’s hardest challenges
• Why balance isn’t really balance, and how to give yourself grace for the two-steps-forward-one-back journey

The 5-5-5-3 Nightly Audit

Erica doesn’t just “feel” grateful; she’s organized about it. For over three and a half years, she has practiced a nightly audit that acts as a positive tether to the future. It’s so vital to her well-being that while she usually uses a journal, she’s been known to grab a paper towel or the back of an envelope if she’s traveling and forgets her notebook.

The key to this practice is that it’s “geeky” in its precision. She writes exactly 18 sentences total—one sentence for each of the following:

• 5 things she is grateful for: From a roof over her head to a delicious dinner.
• 5 things she felt: Acknowledging the full spectrum, like joy from a conversation or sadness over world events.
• 5 things she learned: Identifying daily growth, no matter how small.
• 3 things she looks forward to tomorrow: Creating a reason to wake up with hope.

As I often quote, “The more you appreciate, the more you find to appreciate.” It’s like throwing a rock in a pond; the gratitude just ripples and ripples.

The Power of the Single Sentence

When you’re recovering from surgery, the “hustle culture” we’re all used to feels impossible—and frankly, it’s exhausting. Erica embraced a beautifully “anti-hustle” philosophy inspired by James Clear’s Atomic Habits.

She shared a statistic that blew my mind: if you get just 1% better every day, you’ll be 365% better by the end of the year. Instead of trying to “marathon” her way through a book while healing, Erica committed to writing just one sentence a day. Some days, she legitimately only wrote one sentence. By rejecting the pressure to do “all the things” and focusing on that 1% shift, she finished her book. It’s a reminder that consistency beats intensity every single time.

Radical Vulnerability in a Workplace Bathroom

Fear thrives in the dark, but vulnerability brings in the light. Erica shared a surprising story about a consultant at her office. After Erica shared her diagnosis with her team, this woman—a near-stranger—pulled Erica into a private bathroom, locked the door, and showed Erica her own reconstructed breasts.

That moment of “vulnerable superpower” was a turning point. Erica saw a future she could handle—faint scars and real results. It gave her peace. To pay that forward, Erica decided to “scale” that vulnerability. Her book isn’t just words; it includes raw, real photos of her own surgical journey to give other women that same vision of a healed future.

The Horseshoe vs. The Circle

We talk a lot about community on the show, but Erica introduced me to a concept from Glennon Doyle that I just love: the Horseshoe Breasties.

A circle is closed and exclusive, but a horseshoe is open. Erica explains that the ends remain open so you can “reach behind you” and pull the newly diagnosed into the fold. It’s a community that provides the fundamental human need to be seen and heard without the barriers of a closed group. It’s about leaving room for the next person who needs a hand to hold.

Reframing the “Broken Alarm”

Erica’s 11-year-old son gave her one of the most profound lessons in the “Power of Choice.” Her refrigerator had a broken seal and would emit a loud, maddening beep at random intervals. It was driving her crazy until her son asked: “What if every time the alarm goes off, it’s a reminder that someone in the world loves you?”

The noise didn’t change, but Erica’s experience did. She started thinking, “Oh, that’s nice,” every time it beeped.

I use a similar strategy for mood management. I hate doing dishes, so I created a “Dishwashing Mixtape” on Spotify full of early 80s New Wave like The Flirts and the Go-Go’s. Now, I’m dancing through the chores. Whether it’s a beeping fridge or a sink full of plates, we have the choice to reframe the “noise” of our lives into something groovy.

Meet Erica Neubert Campbell

Erica Neubert Campbell is an award-winning writer and breast cancer survivor who watched her mother battle—and ultimately lose—her fight with breast cancer. Those experiences shaped Erica’s own journey when she was diagnosed, leading her to make different choices and ultimately write a deeply vulnerable book complete with actual photos of her surgical journey.

Today, Erica works in nonprofit fundraising at Second Harvest Heartland, a Minneapolis food bank, after spending 20 years in the corporate world. She’s the founder of the “Horseshoe Breasties,” a community of women supporting each other through breast cancer that stays intentionally open to welcome newly diagnosed women. Her book offers practical guidance for women facing mastectomies, paired with raw journal entries that validate the emotional roller coaster of cancer treatment.

“I think gratitude can change your life and so can vulnerability.” – Erica Neubert Campbell

Connect with Erica Neubert Campbell

• Erica’s Website
• Erica’s Breast Cancer Resources
• Erica on LinkedIn
• The Mastectomy I Always Wanted

Resources Mentioned

Disclaimer: Some links may be affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase. No added cost to you.

• Podmatch
• White Tillamook Cheese
• Squats & Situps Challenge
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Josh Sundquist
• I am Light by India Arie
• Angelina Jolie’s Double Mastectomy
• Annunciation Catholic Church Shooting
• Radical Remission by Kelly A. Turner
• Dishwashing Music Spotify Playlist
• Glennon Doyle

The Curiosity Challenge

At the end of the day, gratitude isn’t about wearing rose-colored glasses; it’s about staying curious. Erica and I talked about how curiosity is the ultimate tool to move past being “adamant” or “stuck” in our suffering. After all, the only reason we have modern cancer treatments is because researchers stayed curious about root causes.

When we stop being adamant about how hard things are and start being curious about what else is possible, the energy shifts.

The Curiosity Challenge: What “alarm” is beeping in your life today? Instead of getting frustrated, I want you to get curious. Ask “what if?” and see if you can reframe that noise into a reminder of gratitude.

Stay Groovy!

PS – Erica’s gratitude practice is one of many powerful tools covered in my guide on building emotional resilience during breast cancer. If this conversation resonated with you, that guide is your next stop.

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