219. Baking it Down - C is for Cancer

Summary

Podcast Summary: Baking it Down with Sugar Cookie Marketing 🍪

Episode Title: 219. Baking it Down - C is for Cancer
Release Date: July 8, 2025
Hosts: Heather and Corrie (Corey) Miracle

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Introduction to the Episode

In this deeply personal and heartfelt episode, hosts Heather and Corrie (Corey) Miracle delve into a profoundly important topic: Corey's battle with cervical cancer. This candid conversation not only sheds light on the challenges of managing a serious health condition while running a business but also emphasizes the significance of early detection and self-advocacy in healthcare.

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Corey's Cancer Diagnosis Journey

Initial Diagnosis and Delay in Seeking Help

Corey shares the backstory of her cancer diagnosis, revealing that she has been battling cervical cancer for over a decade. She recounts her initial visits to the OB/GYN in 2014, motivated by severe cramps, which led to the discovery of abnormal pap smear results.

Corey [00:30]: "If you're not in the sugar cookie marketing group, go join it. There's a baking group out there. Go join that one too."

Despite early signs, Corey admits to delaying further medical action, attributing it to the emotional and financial burdens of seeking treatment.

Heather [01:08]: "And Corey's ability to put off medical assistance should be studied by a doctor who she will never see."

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Medical Procedures and Treatment

LEEP Procedure and Its Effectiveness

Corey discusses undergoing the Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP), a common treatment for cervical pre-cancer. She explains the procedure's purpose and its high success rate of approximately 95%.

Corey [15:16]: "It uses electrodes. It kind of burns off the entire lining where they see any of the cancerous high-grade cells."

However, Corey's cancer persisted, necessitating a second procedure—a cone biopsy—due to scar tissue inhibiting the effectiveness of the initial treatment.

Heather [18:07]: "Did you do a second late procedure?"

Corey [18:09]: "No, because there was so much burning."

Hysterectomy and Its Implications

Eventually, Corey faced the reality of needing a hysterectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the uterus and cervix, to halt the progression of her cancer. She discusses the emotional toll of this decision, especially concerning her fertility and the irreversible nature of the surgery.

Corey [21:32]: "She's taking out the uterus, the cervix, the fallopian tubes. But not the ovaries."

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Emotional and Mental Coping

Dealing with Diagnosis and Support Systems

Corey opens up about the emotional challenges of her diagnosis, including fear, denial, and the stigma associated with cancer. Heather provides a supportive counterbalance, emphasizing the importance of community and shared experiences.

Heather [29:21]: "But it's the only thing I hear. But I'm also probably gonna be real rude, because here's the thing that people are. Oh, that's what they say. You just don't know what somebody's going through."

Balancing Business and Health

Throughout the episode, Corey reflects on managing her business amid her health struggles. She discusses halting orders and relying on a support system within her Facebook group and family to maintain her business operations during her absence.

Corey [30:12]: "Get checked out. The OB GYN is not your enemy. The tests are there for a reason."

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Key Messages and Advice

Importance of Regular Health Check-ups

A central theme of the episode is the critical importance of regular health screenings. Corey urges listeners to prioritize their health and not delay necessary medical appointments, sharing her own experiences as a cautionary tale.

Heather [30:16]: "Only you can prevent forest fires. Only you can go in to get these checkups."

Self-Advocacy in Healthcare

Corey emphasizes the necessity of advocating for oneself in the healthcare system, especially in scenarios where medical providers may not prioritize patient concerns without persistent effort.

Corey [37:12]: "You are the only person that can prevent forest fires. Only you can go in to get these checkups."

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Conclusion and Future Outlook

Preparing for Surgery and Community Support

As the episode wraps up, Corey shares her upcoming surgery schedule and the support she will receive from family and the Sugar Cookie Marketing community. She expresses optimism and gratitude for the understanding and encouragement from her peers.

Corey [40:32]: "So if you're listening to this, next week I will be in the OR."

Encouraging Open Conversations

Heather and Corey conclude by highlighting the importance of open conversations about personal struggles, advocating for vulnerability as a means to foster community support and awareness.

Heather [54:03]: "But it's a really suffering process of sickness, illness, nausea, which nausea would just do me under."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Corey [00:30]: "If you're not in the sugar cookie marketing group, go join it."
• Heather [01:08]: "And Corey's ability to put off medical assistance should be studied by a doctor who she will never see."
• Corey [15:16]: "It uses electrodes. It kind of burns off the entire lining where they see any of the cancerous high-grade cells."
• Heather [18:07]: "Did you do a second late procedure?"
• Corey [21:32]: "She's taking out the uterus, the cervix, the fallopian tubes. But not the ovaries."
• Heather [29:21]: "But it's the only thing I hear. But I'm also probably gonna be real rude..."
• Heather [30:16]: "Only you can prevent forest fires. Only you can go in to get these checkups."
• Corey [37:12]: "You are the only person that can prevent forest fires. Only you can go in to get these checkups."
• Corey [40:32]: "So if you're listening to this, next week I will be in the OR."
• Heather [54:03]: "But it's a really suffering process of sickness, illness, nausea, which nausea would just do me under."

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Final Thoughts

This episode of "Baking it Down with Sugar Cookie Marketing" transcends the usual business-focused discussions to address a deeply personal and impactful journey. Corey’s openness about her cancer diagnosis and treatment serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of health, self-care, and the strength found within supportive communities. Heather and Corey's genuine conversation not only raises awareness but also offers solace and encouragement to listeners who may be facing similar challenges.

Transcript

[Corey]

Welcome to the Baking it down with Sugar Cookie Marketing podcast. We are your hosts, Corey, the best. And Heather, the worst.

[Heather]

She is the worst. How so?

[Corey]

You made that sound. Your cat's annoying.

[Heather]

Sometimes I can feel it bubbling. Yeah.

[Corey]

Do something before we jump into the.

[Heather]

Topic today, which I know is why you're listening. We have a collab coming up. Oh, we do. C is for collab as well. And it is the.

[Corey]

What is this cookie?

[Heather]

My logo.

[Corey]

Cookie. My logo. So I'm just gonna just run into what it is. First off, if you're not in the sugar cookie marketing group, go join it. There's a baking group out there. Go join that one too. Today there's some Prime Day deal posts that you can.

[Heather]

How many comments are in the prime day deals? No.126.126. My vanilla is carrying it on.

[Corey]

I want to say the vanilla that I use is on sale today. The same price you would get it for Black Friday.

[Heather]

Okay, quickly, because this podcast will go up today and they'll have three other days to check it out. What are three baking things you'll be buying from Prime Day Deals? That you're sure. Prime Day deals.

[Corey]

The Nielsen Massey. Either Vanilla extract. But they. I have both vanilla extract and the vanilla paste.

[Heather]

Two, one, two. Okay.

[Corey]

My little tiny spatulas are on sale that I like.

[Heather]

Why do you need so many spatulas?

[Corey]

Different icing colors. You don't got the time to clean them in between.

[Heather]

Okay, so we have the SEM cookie collab. It's called Cookie My Logo 2025. It will be on Friday, July 25th. This time is at 10am Next time I'll move them to 11. So we'll do another one next month. But this one is an interesting one because it demonstrates your capabilities. Now are saying, am I allowed to print my logo? Whatever you want, whatever ability, whatever feature. Because we always try to make the collabs. One, be an engagement type thing with other bakers, but also to demonstrate to your audience X, Y and Z.

[Corey]

And to work for business. So if you're like, I really want to up my corporate orders in the printed part of it. That's a fantastic way to do that.

[Heather]

And I'm sure we'll talk about this again, maybe closer up to it, but if not, three things. Four things we learned from the last collab to implement in this one. And I forget when you do these collabs so often, you kind of think people know what know what to do. And then you forget like, oh, you gotta explain it. Heads up One, as we learned in the last collab, you need to mix up your comments or you'll risk getting a slap on the old wrist. Now, I did provide people response comments. Ideally you write those yourself or that was a template. But I did give you four. Some folks just used one and they copy and pasted it. Did they follow the rules? Absolutely. Did Zuckerberg like it? He did not. Here's about like action.

[Corey]

Think about it as what would you want a baker to do to you by giving them something to comment back to ask a question on? It allows the conversation to keep going. They can get more juice out of it.

[Heather]

And I thought people did really fantastic on their captions. Very few didn't follow the protocol that allowed me to ask the questions back. Heads up number two, there is a registration. In that registration I remind you about the collab and give you copy templates. It's not required. It is highly encouraged to have.

[Corey]

The only reason that is there is to get reminders to get templates to get caption help.

[Heather]

A lot of times we see people forgetting about the collab. So this email triggers a week out and then the day out and then it includes all the information you need about the collaboration as well as those templates I talked about. And also created a spreadsheet of everyone who registered so you could go directly to their accounts if you wanted. Heads up number three. So many people posted after the 10 to 11am posting time. I know some of you guys probably woke up late, but you also have the ability to plan use Facebook Planner for this.

[Corey]

So the thing is you will lose most of the judge in the purpose of the collab if you wait. We only ask people to stay engaged for one hour because people have lives, they have things, they got to bake.

[Heather]

What I suppose happened is by the time I think we have around almost probably 100 or 200 people participated, which is phenomenal.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

By the time that reached so many feeds, people are like, well, I want to do it too. But they were already after.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

Was it still quality content to their page? Yes. Your audience loves to see your face. Could you have gotten so much more out of this if you had done it at the correct time? Yes. So I encourage you that. And the last one is, keep in mind the hashtag for each of these collab changes. That's how we're doing this moving forward. Because hashtags got weird. Yeah. So this is a different hashtag on this one. The hashtag for this one will be semi collab. They'll all start that way. And this one's will be logo. Last time was baker. And then I think so the collabs are getting progressively more involved.

[Corey]

They are.

[Heather]

Next one will be the Main Street Club.

[Corey]

Yeah. Which is even more involved.

[Heather]

And then an interesting one which we'll talk about later. An AI club.

[Corey]

And here's my idea because people are already. I know. Throwing spoons and forks at the mini spatula. The AI one is to. We'll have an image of AI and you recreate it whether you make cakes, whether you make cookies. And just to show your audience the difference from AI to what you can actually bake.

[Heather]

And I think because some bakers are, you know. And I can see why are demonizing it. Like it's creating these really complex designs that now setting the expectation of your client who can't tell the difference. This will help them tell the difference and will help with the copy to explain to your audience like, hey, a lot of times they get sent AI generated. While that's not always something. Here's as close as we can. Yeah. And I thought that was a pretty cool idea. So we'll do in August of Main street local clocks, still a slower month. And then in September we'll start stacking the problem. Yeah.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

Can't believe I just said the word September.

[Corey]

I am ready for cooler weather, so I'm welcoming it.

[Heather]

Cooler. Yeah. It's rainy, thundery and 100 degrees and 80% humidity every day this weekend here in the nation's capital. It is. It is swamp butt. I know.

[Corey]

I Woke up at 5:30 to take a walk today to get it out of the way. Yeah. I got every spider webb to the face.

[Heather]

There's a lot of spiders.

[Corey]

There is.

[Heather]

Listen, bugs and me cy a meme yesterday and said I hate bugs so much you could rob me with a centipede. And I gotta concur.

[Corey]

I do want to say what I learned today. Remember when we went to Aveda and you got me that oil? That is peppermint, that wards off mosquitoes.

[Heather]

Do you believe it works?

[Corey]

I tried it today. Not one Skeeto bite can give me it back. No, I'm taking it.

[Heather]

I don't know if my blood just tastes like nclair.

[Corey]

Also, the hotter you are, the warmer you make your body, the longer you walk. They are attracted to warm bodies.

[Heather]

I thought you meant like if you're like a hottie with a.

[Corey]

No, you're not a Hawaii.

[Heather]

Let's get a sa Would like some of that.

[Corey]

You're sweaty and gross.

[Heather]

Well, I'm Professionally sweaty. Oh, for sure. I'm always running.

[Corey]

Absolutely.

[Heather]

Jumping into today's topic because I know they're like, what could this possibly. Cory has cancer. I got it. But she'll actually be out of commission next week and the following week. If she can nurse her illness, then the week after that. I know.

[Corey]

No, I think it'll be two weeks.

[Heather]

That you won't hear from me.

[Corey]

So backstory is I do have cervical cancer. I'm getting a full hysterectomy.

[Heather]

Well, let's go way back, Max.

[Corey]

Let's go way back. Oh, yeah.

[Heather]

You're taking all my little.

[Corey]

Okay, sure, sure. Heather wanted to give you a little timeline.

[Heather]

I've lived through this for a shocking over a decade.

[Corey]

Yeah, yeah.

[Heather]

And Corey's ability. I'm going to drag her a little bit. Dragging a cancer baby. Yes, I am. Her ability to put off medical assistance should be studied by a doctor who she will never see. So, what, 10 or 12 years ago? I don't know. Was it 20, 24?

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

I'm sorry, 2014.

[Corey]

Yeah, something like that. Like a decade ago, I went into the ob. I. I don't know one person who says, yes, sign me up for the OBGYN.

[Heather]

Your 20s, the thought of going. I'm sorry. When you're in your. Any age, the thought of going to the doctor. Absolutely. You're in your 20s. Putting your health forward when you can hardly pay your bills is a rough idea.

[Corey]

That is so far from the day to day.

[Heather]

Yeah, because. I know. I guess I went with Courtney. Same thing. It was a sliding seat scale payment system for.

[Corey]

Well, what was crazy. We went there for a totally different thing. And I was. It was like cramps or whatever. And she was like, hey, when was your last fafsman that you've ever had? I said, I don't believe I can. I. I had Archer. So I said, I think when I was. When my child was born, you guys might have checked it or something. She's like, yeah, you're supposed to do those every year. We have. We can throw in a freebie today if you would like. A free passman. I was like. Like a lollipop.

[Heather]

And I was like, yeah, if it's.

[Corey]

Free, go ahead and do it. So that is where this whole thing started.

[Heather]

So she does the pap smear and.

[Corey]

They come back, Right? It was said, yeah. A couple weeks later. And she said, hey, those results are abnormal.

[Heather]

That's the phrase, the single word. That and squamous. Yes. Squamous have been two words following Corey over her shoulder. You know, there's some people, I say that. And Ruthanne, our grandmother, is this person. When the little problem voice sits on your shoulder, it's the only thing she can hear. It echoes. But there's people like you who just push.

[Corey]

I can flick it right off, like mosquito. Here's the thing with cervical cancer. If you had to catch a cancer, if I can say that, I think.

[Heather]

As a cancer patient, you have.

[Corey]

I think I did. I do think I have. If you had to get a cancer, the one that is one you'd want to get would be this cervical cancer.

[Heather]

Because it's what, the slowest progressing.

[Corey]

It's slower progressing and you can access it from outside of the body.

[Heather]

The key of this whole thing is that it's outside accessible. It's outside accessible, inside, outside. So if you guys are like, what does that mean you have cancer. Cancers that are internalized when they're like, okay, liver cancer. Yeah. Or lung cancer.

[Corey]

Oftentimes those ones you don't catch until there's a problem.

[Heather]

And I think that's where I was reading a thread on Reddit. It was like, you know, people who know somebody who died of cancer, when did it present itself? By the time cancer creates those massive amounts of pains or debility thing, it's very advanced. So this one, imagine like instead of cancer inside your hand, it's cancer on the outside of your face.

[Corey]

Exactly.

[Heather]

Not as easy as washing your hands, but essentially kind of the same concept with this one.

[Corey]

So over the last 10 years, this has been monitored because here's the thing, you don't want to remove an organ until something's wrong. Right. So you watch it. You watch and wait. There's some surgeries that we did in place to see if it would stop it. My body said, I love a challenge.

[Heather]

And I hate to do this to you. I hate to kick a girl when she's down with cancer. Can you also say you just ignored it?

[Corey]

Oh, I absolutely ignored it for a long time.

[Heather]

And I. I'm a recovering help. Somebody who didn't ask for an addict. Right?

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

And I went to. We are twins.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

It is hard to sell us apart, especially if you haven't seen us very often and you haven't heard this high pitched.

[Corey]

I want to say I'm the case of what not to do and I'm.

[Heather]

The case of what not to do and helping people who don't want to be helped. I went to the doctor as Corey. As Corey. I called off of work, I drove to that doctor in deep in Maryland. And I said, hey, I'm here to pick up. Which I'm sure this is admitting to something illegal. I'm sure. Pick up my medical records. Because I said, I'll get this girl healed. I come back, I gave Corey the medical. I said, here's everything you need to put this. I gave her a driver's license back, and she does nothing.

[Corey]

People who don't want to be helped can't help themselves. I am the case in point of. If I ignore it, it just might go away. And that is truly not how things are.

[Heather]

Yeah. For the past 10 years. And that's why you guys see me venting. Because finally I have an audience to listen to me. I said to Cory, like, your body's not talking.

[Corey]

I think I owe you an apology.

[Heather]

Don't repair themselves. Then, like, for one, my birthday and Cory's like, what are we doing for our bir? I was like, the only thing I would want.

[Corey]

What a crazy doctor. What a crazy birthday gift. Waste. But I felt the guilt.

[Heather]

You didn't go. And I never got my birthday. Sorry. How about Susan's? What did you. Well, she's not gonna go. Might as well eat. So.

[Corey]

You're right.

[Heather]

Okay. So you really kind of buckled in.

[Corey]

I buckled in a couple years ago.

[Heather]

I will hilariously add this part. Insurance, the one that I have. When you're self employed, insurance is a rough go.

[Corey]

It's a rough go.

[Heather]

Corey was also working at the time when this happened for a company that didn't offer health insurance because it was small enough that he didn't have to. So it was like, kind of find your own. Maybe we'll pay you more, but we're not going to offer yourself. So now you got the C word, which sounds like also the teaching word. C stands for cancer and Cha. Ching. Yeah.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

So Corey said, well, you know, she had been with her boyfriend at the time for years. He's a county police officer, which has just absolutely phenomenal. But now. So Cory's like, hey, why don't we get married? So two birds, one star. You had already been together for years, right? Yes, 20. 20. You did get married. And then you also put this off for more years.

[Corey]

I said, after this, okay, Mid Covid. I did put it off for a few years. Mid Covid. I said, well, there's nothing quite else to do.

[Heather]

So let's say, okay, 2014, 2015, the first. Like, hey, we should get this checked out. Absolutely. Head in the sand. Austrian maneuver for no.

[Corey]

Remember back there? I did do what's called a colposcopy. Even back then, I did do it.

[Heather]

Oh. Which is the next stage in this. And I'm gonna talk about the steps of this. Yeah.

[Corey]

So I did. And then got those bad results and still ignored it.

[Heather]

Okay, then 2020, she gets married for the benefits, also for true love, and does nothing. And then what kicked your butt in 2023?

[Corey]

I said, you know what? I wonder what that cancer's doing them.

[Heather]

Because I think you kept doing these little preliminary things along the way, and they would be like, hey, we need to take the dip.

[Corey]

There's so many steps to it that I felt like gung ho. And then I was like, wow, this is really just a hack.

[Heather]

Cory's one rescheduled call away from never.

[Corey]

Oh, absolutely.

[Heather]

And the doctors, you know, we live in a very, very populated area, and I guess his cancer is a lot more common than you realize. So the doctors are constantly rescheduling and canceling. But Corey's not somebody to pursue her or advocate for her own house. So she was like. That's the Lord saying. He put it a little.

[Corey]

Yeah. I was looking for signs and any cancellation.

[Heather]

So then in 2023.

[Corey]

In 2023, what clicked? I said, I'm only getting older, not getting any younger. So if I don't get it taken care of now, the last thing I want to do is to be where I am now. I said, what if it gets so far gone, then I get it checked out. And they're like, where have you been? And I'll be like, well, no, I.

[Heather]

Reckon that got this. Because the awkward part is every one of these doctors, of course, are different doctors every time. And they're like, why didn't you do anything? It's an instant guilt trip, but it' the right guilt trip. But it also. If they only knew your personality.

[Corey]

And the issue is my family. Every time I was like, hey, hello, happy birthday. Also, have you gotten that checked out? It was a constant in the back of my mind when I was around family.

[Heather]

I hate to say it. I think bullying people, cancer checkup is.

[Corey]

The way, you know, that is the way to go.

[Heather]

You know the problem with this one, it was such a non aggressive cancer. I think it made you think in.

[Corey]

My brain, it says, I have time.

[Heather]

I got.

[Corey]

I got some time.

[Heather]

Crazy. Yeah. How different we are in that regard.

[Corey]

I know, I know.

[Heather]

I mean, whatever I took in the womb. I know, I know. Okay, so then 2023. 2023. They did have great insurance.

[Corey]

Great insurance. So we went through the whole thing, the pap smear, the colposcopy, and it led to what's called a LEEP procedure. Elite procedure has about a 95% effective.

[Heather]

Rate because this cancer is slow growing. And on the outside, kind of think about this. Now that I've learned all this terminology, Dr. Heather, if you have, let's say you have dirt on the back of your hand, this is essentially scraping off the dirt on the back of your hand. And that's why it's just scraping it off. Since it's an outside inside cancer, it's allowed to do that.

[Corey]

Yeah. So the LEEP procedure uses electrodes. It kind of burns off the entire lining where they see any of the cancerous high grade cells.

[Heather]

And the point is, unfortunate thing about the human body is you burn anything and then you get scar tissue. Yeah, but they're like. But if you burn it, you also kill off the offending cells. Offending cells. It's like a do good, do bad. Hopefully it lands on the good side.

[Corey]

So in my brain, when she said it has a 95% success rate, I said, I will not be coming back after this procedure.

[Heather]

Okay, so you go to it, I.

[Corey]

Go to it, we get it done.

[Heather]

Here's the problem. Here's the problem with Corey is she gets a procedure, but there's constant checkups to see if it was effective. And Corey's ability to put those off. After that lady said 95% success rate, what are the odds it would be the 5%? You end up not going to the follow up?

[Corey]

I didn't. I've got lifey. I got busy. And I said, there ain't no chance my body didn't fall in the 95% success rate. There ain't no way.

[Heather]

So then you do go back. What makes you go back now a year later? So we're in 2020.

[Corey]

Yeah. It was funny. That same doctor who did LEEP procedure called me and I answered on accident.

[Heather]

Is this Miller?

[Corey]

No, this is another one. She said, cory, where have you been? She said, while it is 95% effective, that doesn't mean you are in the 95%.

[Heather]

Oh, she did a guilt trip.

[Corey]

Oh, she did. She said you had such high grade everywhere, high grade squamous cells everywhere, that she said, you can't trust that I got absolutely everything.

[Heather]

I said, shoot. So then you go with, why did we never see this lady again?

[Corey]

Because she recommended me to a camp. She was just my obgyn. And she said, no, you can't come back to me anymore.

[Heather]

Is she From Sentara.

[Corey]

No, she was just a local. No, you took Facebook group.

[Heather]

Yeah, I did. Well you know I did, I did, yeah.

[Corey]

Yeah. So she said here, I'm gonna recommend you to this cancer doctor. The one that will be doing this.

[Heather]

Mrs. Miller. Dr. Miller who you like.

[Corey]

Who I do like. And the reason why I like her is she knows who I am and that I was not going to call her back.

[Heather]

She seems to be working around that a lot. She when a doctor and wow. Impressive people when they get the humanity aspect of like this person doesn't want to come back and this person wants to come back too much.

[Corey]

Yeah. What's funny about Dr. Miller she's near our own age.

[Heather]

Yeah. Crazy. Yeah.

[Corey]

She's say fairly young. I want to call myself fairly young. But I think she understands that you know this is a different generation where it's more let me put it off. If it's not front of mind, it's back of mind.

[Heather]

Can you say every time you go to this cancer. Is it cancer clinics. That was uh huh. You that the average age is probably around over 60. It's it's.

[Corey]

She said up seven seventy. So now I'm pulling down the median age of the people in the waiting room.

[Heather]

Oh yeah.

[Corey]

I'm one of the. I'm always the youngest person that seems to be in the waiting room.

[Heather]

Which makes sense because time for sure on the planet.

[Corey]

Yeah. So she ended up doing another procedure and this is called a cone biopsy which is.

[Heather]

Did you do a second late procedure?

[Corey]

No, because there was so much burning. The next thing because there's so much scar tissue.

[Heather]

So that's the thing about the LEEP procedure. I think that in any human you can only get it done twice. And the second one is a hit or miss.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

So whether you're even allowed to do it.

[Corey]

She said, you know, because you have now the cancer cells were back in that LEEP procedure did not work.

[Heather]

The interesting thing is because this is cervical cancer. Dome one, if that's where the LEEP procedure happens. But it can inadvertently push it to.

[Corey]

Dome 2 which is the uterus, beginning of the uterus. So the cervix connects it to the uterus because.

[Heather]

But that becomes an internal cancer. It's too high in the body to be this inside outside cancer which is kind of easier to fix.

[Corey]

Right. So she did a cone biopsy because there was so much scar tissue. And this is way she said I can get deeper into the lining of your cervix to maybe by chance make sure it does it works? Okay, there was a 90 success rate for that. My body said, listen, girl, if Cory's.

[Heather]

Body wanted to pass a test, but.

[Corey]

You have to think that's been 10 years worth of growth.

[Heather]

So you can, woulda, coulda, shoulda this thing, right? Yeah. When you're. When you're in your 20s, no offense. If you're in your 20s, listening to this, as my dad would say, your brain hasn't fully developed and you just don't make the correct decisions at the time. Okay, so now we're 36.

[Corey]

36.

[Heather]

And she does the. The biopsy procedure, which is an interesting thing. If you guys didn't know about this. I didn't know about this. I have terrible health insurance as well. But you have to go in order of these. You can't skip around because insurance won't cover it if you skip any of these steps. So you could say, well, if the fix is a hysterectomy, you can't just jump to that one. Like the doctor said, which I thought was interesting. Should. I can't amputate your arm for a splinter. Yes. So gotta go on this progression. So we did a whole other thing.

[Corey]

A whole other colposcopy. You know, she did some exploratory why she was in there. And the cone biopsy didn't work. So now we are at stage one. So all those years gone by was.

[Heather]

Precise, technically called stage zero, which is pre cancer.

[Corey]

Yeah, pre cancer cancer. Even if they find just like 70% coverage of squamous cells all the way up to 100% coverage, you're still considered.

[Heather]

Pre cancer because it's just inside, outside cancer.

[Corey]

Right, but so my cancer just seems to find a happy, tiny little home in the cervix, which is very, very tiny thing itself.

[Heather]

Huh. I had no idea. I haven't. You know, you'd be surprised being a girl yourself, how little you. She actually, I would not know.

[Corey]

But she had a life size diagram model in the room.

[Heather]

Oh, really?

[Corey]

In the womb.

[Heather]

Which you won't have. So then now we got the. The cone biopsy comes back, and she was like, but here's the thing. I do seem to like this doctor. I've never.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

In my life. But she's like, hey, we're probably like, how many more kids would you want?

[Corey]

So she said, listen, I can't at your age, force you to have a hysterectomy. She said you could go through treatments if you wanted to, which are radiation, chemo, or if you feel like you do not Want children anymore. We can do a full blown hysterectomy.

[Heather]

Which is wild with this specific cancer. And while it's cancer, it's the best of the bad because you can still cut out an organ that is not detrimental to life. Yes. Yeah, right. Like liver cancer. Gotta have that.

[Corey]

I know.

[Heather]

Stomach cancer. Gotta have that. This one, they're like, hey, if you don't want kids anymore, which I don't think you did.

[Corey]

No, I didn't. I think mentally it was so crazy to me. And I was like, yeah, I don't want anyone. I'm just a boy mom, one single kid. But to have the option now taken, it's crazy. Mentally, I wasn't. I didn't think about it. But I think over the past few months, waiting for the surgery to come.

[Heather]

Up in my mind, and maybe this is just how differently we think. I couldn't stand the thought of my body attacking itself while being, I want.

[Corey]

To say mentally, that has messed me up as well.

[Heather]

It's a weird thing to be like, there's part of me that's not working the way it is actually working against me.

[Corey]

I want to say that's why I put it off so long. So I wouldn't know about it. I wouldn't know the next steps. I wouldn't have to come to the mental clarity that something in you does not like you crazy. You are the hostess with the mostest. And unfortunately, cancer loves us.

[Heather]

Cancer's like, why does that count? Why don't we stay over there? Yeah. So then now we're at. At this point. So you do. And I thought this was pretty interesting, a partial hysterectomy leaving the ovaries. Because the doctor says it creates so many more problems not having those hormones naturally than it would to risk the very. And I know Corey's body seems to impress us in ways than just leaving us. So she's taking out.

[Corey]

She's taking out the uterus, the cervix, the fallopian tubes.

[Heather]

But not the ovaries.

[Corey]

But not the ovaries.

[Heather]

So all really, the biggest side effect is no kidney kids.

[Corey]

No kids.

[Heather]

Which if you want kids, that would be a massive side effect. But for Corey, who says she don't want it. Yeah, Very, very low side effects. But there, other than the healing time, there's nothing.

[Corey]

So there's.

[Heather]

Are you meds.

[Corey]

No meds because they are leaving the ovaries. But I will go back and this is me proclaiming it.

[Heather]

Okay, you heard them.

[Corey]

Every three months. You go back three months.

[Heather]

Yeah, just go.

[Corey]

I know. She's very nice. I know. The layout.

[Heather]

Going back for. They have to check every three months. For how long?

[Corey]

She said three months for the first year. And if they come back, then it's once. Then it goes to six months, and then I can see it comes back.

[Heather]

Where there's nothing left for it to be.

[Corey]

She said, just because you remove it doesn't mean that cancer's technically just gone. Like, your body can have it somewhere.

[Heather]

Oh, and that would be metastasized.

[Corey]

You know, we never got that kind of crazy in the conversation. I'm just in my brain thinking, this will work.

[Heather]

I like you trusting the problem girl. You gotta trust the process. Sometimes this. Do you mind if we go into the whole surgery? Sure.

[Corey]

I don't. I don't know every technical term. I have the broad overview of it.

[Heather]

Me too. I've had 10 years of Detroit, but okay. The surgery is interesting. I thought this was a crazy caveat. They say, hey, we gotta intubate you because you had a C section.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

And a C section through your. To your uterus.

[Corey]

Right.

[Heather]

They said when you had a C section, which you had. Archer, in what year?

[Corey]

2010.

[Heather]

And when you had the C section, you create a wound, an internal wound into the uterus.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

And then they sew it back up. Right. But they said it can literally heal, as wounds do, and adhere to your bladder.

[Corey]

Your bladder sits in front of your uterus.

[Heather]

Dweck. Demilla says, I won't know if that happened until you're on the operating table. Pass out.

[Corey]

Yes.

[Heather]

So they reserve the room for a larger surgery. They intubate her because it could be longer. And they just hope in the tug and pull process that nothing else tugs with it.

[Corey]

So surgeries for hysterectomies used to be very invasive. It was almost like the same as having a C section where they cut you in so they could reach it. Since then, since technology has grown now they go in by way of a robot. So there's five small incisions. They will do across where my belly button is and one right above my rib cage.

[Heather]

What's the guy.

[Corey]

The rib cage one blows you up like a balloon with CO2.

[Heather]

This is the wildest thing. And it exits out your shoulder.

[Corey]

Shoulders.

[Heather]

So you get pain in your shoulders out of this. Yeah. So they.

[Corey]

In order for her to see where everything is, she needs you to be blown up like a balloon. So they pump you up with CO2 gas. One of the little hoses, they input it there. So while she's in there with these robotic arms. She can see where everything is.

[Heather]

Because Jen, our cousin, a nurse, that your internals are like a dark room squished together. There's no space.

[Corey]

There's no space. So she needs to see space. Because what she's going to do is cut away the uterus and the cervix and to stop its blood supply so she can cut it away and then she's going to yank it out. If it yanks out and doesn't come out, she's gonna be like, wow, it's attached to the bladdy. We're gonna have to get back to that.

[Heather]

I think that one are extremely low as well.

[Corey]

They're extremely low. But she said it's never zero. So I said, well, you gotta do what you gotta do. She said if in the case of that she would have to do a bladder reconstruction while she is dead. Bladder reconstruction to one, get it from the uterus and to reconstruct it so it doesn't have a hole in it.

[Heather]

Wild. The body is wild. A couple questions. What is the healing process like if the bladder is affected?

[Corey]

A lot more invasive. She said you would feel like you were back having a C section again.

[Heather]

Oh, well, you done that once.

[Corey]

I know, but I think the distraction of having a baby and trying to keep it alive to go apart.

[Heather]

But she says the odds are low, not zero.

[Corey]

The odds are low.

[Heather]

Let's just plan that. It's low, but we also have to plan.

[Corey]

She said, just keep in mind that you went to a military hospital and you know, back in the day, you never know. Oh, yeah.

[Heather]

Okay, this is my other question. Out of pocket cost for this, for you, for.

[Corey]

With the insurance that I had. Insurance, $200.

[Heather]

Do you know what would be without insurance?

[Corey]

Not a clue.

[Heather]

Crazy. For those wondering, I do not have good insurance. I have marketplace insurance. And literally the guy that I had to talk to to buy it was like this, don't get cancer insurance. He's like everything else you're paying out of pocket. He said when there are these bigger surgeries where they could financially decimate somebody having that not very great. Insurance is better than not having insurance. So what? Marry a police officer.

[Corey]

What?

[Heather]

Marry a police officer. Marry a police officer.

[Corey]

Yeah, great insurance.

[Heather]

Government insurance there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they can't just remove the cervix.

[Corey]

Because the cervix is a tube to the uterus. So they said it's a one or all. It's not just one or all.

[Heather]

No, you gotta take it you can't.

[Corey]

Have your uterus just floating in your body with no connection anywhere. So it can't be like the floating.

[Heather]

Tubes have to go too, you know?

[Corey]

She said they did not have to go, but she said, why even risk it and leave them in there if you truly don't?

[Heather]

Because the squamous cells who climbed up there, she said.

[Corey]

So Nate asked at the last point was like, what's the percentage rate that this cancer could go to the ovaries? Was only a 2% chance, I said. My body loves a challenge, she said.

[Heather]

But I would hate to put you.

[Corey]

Into what's called pre menopause when you don't have your ovaries and the hormones and then your.

[Heather]

So the three months checkup is to check.

[Corey]

That is to go in there, make sure there is no cancer cells.

[Heather]

Is there a day where they're like tinkering? No cancer? Yes.

[Corey]

She said after one year, then you're just in your normal. That she would think that you're pretty much.

[Heather]

I mean, worst case, the next step, if nothing works the way it's supposed to, take out the ovaries, and then that's the end of the line.

[Corey]

She would 100% do chemo and radiation.

[Heather]

Oh. Before she would take out the ovaries.

[Corey]

It depends if it was ovarian cancer. Yeah. The different stages mean different things.

[Heather]

Oh, okay.

[Corey]

Yeah. So like stage four from my understanding, means that it's metastasized, it's moved somewhere else.

[Heather]

Is that what stage four means across every cancer?

[Corey]

I actually believe so, but I'm not 100% positive. Stage one, where I'm at, has just gone into the lining of the place that it was birthed at. So the cervix has it in the lining.

[Heather]

Cancer signifies that cancer has spread from its original location to a distant part of the body.

[Corey]

Yeah. So mine's still in the spot where it was grown homegrown.

[Heather]

Basically grown, buddy. Okay, so then. Okay, so you have surgery next Wednesday.

[Corey]

Next Wednesday.

[Heather]

But Tuesday you're not eating. And I want to let you know, Cory not eating is a cranky. So we're actually having Amy on the podcast.

[Corey]

Yeah, Amy the admin. Amy.

[Heather]

Amy has been an admin of the sugar cookie market group since 2021.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

And we never met her.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

But so she's in town and she was like, what if I'm on the podcast? It's like, perfect timing because she will be Corey. She'll be Cory on Tuesday.

[Corey]

Next.

[Heather]

Yeah. And then Corey goes into surgery on Wednesday, and that will Put you out for the next Tuesday. Of which I've asked our older sister, Ashley. Yes. You guys get two. Stan, don't like them too much. Cora will be hurt.

[Corey]

Yeah, please.

[Heather]

And I'll be with you. So. Okay. Any comments and concerns? Well, if you could tell people listening to this podcast one thing, I would say there is a podcast and they should listen to it. Yeah.

[Corey]

Get checked out. The OB GYN is not your enemy. The test.

[Heather]

She's your friend of me.

[Corey]

Yeah, she's your friend of me. The tests are there for a reason. What you don't want to do is be such an asset to your family and that taken away. But only you can prevent forest fires. Only you can go in to get these checkups.

[Heather]

I think that if you're in Team Poirier, where you put off things, it's not like you're living a really healthy life and then you drop dead of cancer. It's a really suffering process of sickness, illness, nausea, which nausea would just do me under. So mitigating that, you know, mitigates this pain and suffering in the future. Here's the thing.

[Corey]

I'm only getting older. If I would have maybe gotten this taken care of in my 20s, maybe the LEEP procedure and the combiopsy would.

[Heather]

Have worked and that. And that would have been the other thing. So the other admonishment is when you know, see something, say something. Right? When you see. When someone brings up see something, do something. That does include going to seasons 52. Not thinking about it. My other question, are you. What are you worried about?

[Corey]

I think so I went and met with the anesthesiology. Ali. Ali, the anesthesia team. And it was like, crazy. They're like, do you want to sign a do not resuscitate?

[Heather]

I mean, okay, here's my only relation to this. When I went skydiving, they were like, lesson one, here's the 20 ways you can die. And I'm like, this is a wild thing to start us. And he was like, if you pull the shoe and it doesn't deploy, this is the only knowledge base you can pull from. We have to tell you the absolute worst case in the likelihood it never happens. But what if it did? Yeah.

[Corey]

Yeah. And I know that they're just checking the boxes.

[Heather]

You know, did you check the box?

[Corey]

I said, please resuscitate.

[Heather]

Please resuscitate. Call my sister that I made it. I will be haunting her tomorrow.

[Corey]

So that was kind of crazy. Just, you know, because they had to go over worst case scenario. Of course they do I 100% think, you know, Dr. Miller is totally capable. So I think the biggest thing in my brain is, didn't it help that.

[Heather]

You get paired up with a younger lady?

[Corey]

Yeah, I really like her. I do really like her.

[Heather]

Do you like that it was a woman, not a man?

[Corey]

Yeah. And I've only ever had a woman as a OB gyn. They have been way older than me, though. So this is the first person who's actually my age.

[Heather]

Okay.

[Corey]

So she seems very smart, very with it, very snappy, very preppy.

[Heather]

I like it.

[Corey]

So I said, wow, your outfit looks great. That has to count for points in the oa.

[Heather]

The doctor helps the process.

[Corey]

Here's the thing I said to Dr. Miller, I said, when I did my first colposcopy with you and you sent me a message, little email in my chart, I was never going to reach out. I said, but you had your scheduler actually call and schedule me. And I said, I appreciate that because you were never going to hear from me. I was going to be the sand between your fingers.

[Heather]

The interesting thing was, you know, even from a marketing perspective is of kind. This Dr. Miller is readily available because most senior patients see older doctors as more educated and more established. And she has more availability, she said, because she's still earning that book of business. Yeah. So it's crazy when she's younger, while you are just have the most freshest technology in your brain. I know. People don't trust.

[Corey]

I know.

[Heather]

Yeah.

[Corey]

So there's two doctors that I could.

[Heather]

Have gone to Yelp review on your.

[Corey]

Oh, I already left her the little review. My doctor thing. There's two doctors I get to choose from. One is probably in her, I want to say early 60s, and this Dr. Miller is probably in her late 30s like we are. And yeah, most people in that waiting room were waiting to see the older doctor. Maybe they had long skin in the game. They had grown old.

[Heather]

Maybe this is their dog.

[Corey]

Yeah, for sure. But I said, you know what? If I have to wait three months to see the older doctor, I won't be coming back.

[Heather]

Right.

[Corey]

So I said, Let me see Dr. Miller lady. Because I had not been tied to either one. That was just a recommendation. Like the.

[Heather]

She only does cancer. She only. Is she only do cervical cancer.

[Corey]

No, you. She does uterine, everything like that.

[Heather]

Female cancer.

[Corey]

Just female cancers. Yeah.

[Heather]

Interesting. What was. Okay, if you've never met Corey's husband, which he probably hasn't because he doesn't leave his house. He is 6 foot 5. He is massive in terms of you know, if you have one of those. What is it? What are the people from our. Those old Viking. If you have a Viking fetish, you.

[Corey]

Would love this one.

[Heather]

He's got broad shoulders, deadlifts, and big old beard. Big old beard. Police officer. You'd hate to see him coming.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

It's funny because he's so large that he gets called in by the more petite officers to handle business.

[Corey]

Yeah, he's the backup. The backup.

[Heather]

Yeah. So. But it's. Corey said it was fascinating because he got a little bit emotional.

[Corey]

He got emotional immediately.

[Heather]

Corey calls me. He'll never guess what happened. Yeah, I know.

[Corey]

So because he was emotional, it made me less emotional because I said I have to be strong for both of us.

[Heather]

So what did he say? What was his whole thing?

[Corey]

His thing was he has no kids.

[Heather]

This is. Archer's not his son. No. You are married.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

Did he care that he would not have the potential to have a kid? He.

[Corey]

No.

[Heather]

You.

[Corey]

When we actually got together. When we got together, he never wanted kids. And Archer's now 15 years old, so by the time if I were to have a kid, he'd be 16. That's such an age gap. And we're now so tired in the nights.

[Heather]

You're so tired.

[Corey]

I go to bed. I couldn't imagine.

[Heather]

I'm sorry. Back to the cancer question. Back to the cancer. Did you have any symptoms that hurts down there?

[Corey]

That's because so many years ago, 2014, it was a non thing. It was just cancer. Cancer was just hanging out in there.

[Heather]

And they just happened upon it. They just happened upon it and it wasn't even cancer there.

[Corey]

Yeah. The problem, the great thing about cervical cancer, if there is a great thing to have positives here, is you can catch it so early. So unlike women who say, you know, I was in the shower and I felt a lump in my breast, there's an issue that's been there that you.

[Heather]

Now found out it's increased in problematic behavior.

[Corey]

Yeah. And I think that's what shied me away from talking about this. It's because so many people have it so much worse than I do.

[Heather]

Right. That was the whole thing about this podcast, Corey. I was like, well, you're gonna be gone for two weeks. Like, how many lies can I make?

[Corey]

Yeah, I know. And it's because, you know, I am lucky in the scheme of people with cancer that they've caught it so early.

[Heather]

I think that whole, like, in the line of the worst. I think the categorization of suffering should.

[Corey]

Go out the Window I, you know, in. And I think this stigma where I'm like, well, it's not, it's not bad. I shouldn't go.

[Heather]

Some people have live on a billion dollar islands and some of us.

[Corey]

Burke, Virginia. Right.

[Heather]

You know, it's, it's just different cases and you know, someone could have a worse cancer but a better prognosis. It is kind of weird to ever like, well, you have it better.

[Corey]

I know. And I don't know why I was in my head about it. And that's why I've waited now till the day before surgery.

[Heather]

Let's talk about it. Because in my humble opinion, I think talking about it raises awareness because look at how benign the whole process.

[Corey]

I know. And I want to say for me to have the opportunity to tell however many people listen to this, you know, read the newsletter, are in the group to hey, go get it, go get it checked out. This could, if you resonate with who I am as a person. A putter offer.

[Heather]

A putter offer. A pap smear for a put or offer is a little bit of a hurdle. But the. Look at the massive amount of intensive hurdles now you have to jump.

[Corey]

I know. And it could have been small hurdles back in 2014.

[Heather]

Right, right, right. So if you're listening to this and.

[Corey]

You'Re like, you know what? I keep putting off that OB appointment because who wants to sit?

[Heather]

Yeah. Because let me just tell you, I don't know if it's this area only if you need to go to a girl doctor, you're looking at a three month wait time. And they try to do it online.

[Corey]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[Heather]

Yeah. Any kind of doctor, really. But really, you have to advocate for yourself despite all the hurdles that will naturally present themselves in life.

[Corey]

Yeah. And I want to say I had my family back in me. I had the doctors backing me. I was the only one like, like not backing myself. So just imagine if you didn't have that support. It is truly you are the only person that can.

[Heather]

But only you can prevent forest fires.

[Corey]

Right, Right. So.

[Heather]

So now, having talked about this, how do you feel?

[Corey]

I feel sweaty.

[Heather]

But you've done good. I did good. Here's the thing, and I don't know if you guys ever pick up on this. We don't talk. We talk. Like a surface area. Surface level. Yeah. You guys say, I know the twins, but do I know them? Probably not. You know, we make the jokes. Heather breaks up a lot and Corey.

[Corey]

Corey's been divorced once, I think maybe.

[Heather]

And it's all that kind of funny, floofy stuff because I don't know, what about our upbringing is like, hey, keep everyone at arm's length. I don't know, maybe revealing too much meant you got in trouble at one point. So you keep it.

[Corey]

I don't know.

[Heather]

It's made this real awkward thing.

[Corey]

It truly is so foreign to me to talk about my personal life.

[Heather]

And honestly, it's a personal part of a personal life.

[Corey]

Like, this is internal.

[Heather]

We've dove in deep. This is a. In as we. I think, in reality. And maybe in my 20s, you could not have gotten me to talk about girly parts. Yeah, probably. But as you age and then you realize, well, I realized, you know, every.

[Corey]

Girl I see has the girly parts.

[Heather]

So. So, yeah, I think kind of Talking about it, 1. I think a lot of people are very supportive.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

I think it's awkward to bring people in, especially, you know. And I'm joking. But, yeah, you drug your feet.

[Corey]

So I would say that's a little embarrassing. Embarrassing.

[Heather]

But on the flip side of that, many people are like, well, I'm dragging my feet, too.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

Yeah.

[Corey]

I don't think I'm alone in my foot drag to the OBGYN stirrups.

[Heather]

Yeah, it's super awkward. And then you read the reviews of the doctors, and they're not good. And everyone has opinions. Hard to book. There's a million reasons not to, but I think there might be that million and one reason, too.

[Corey]

Absolutely. And it's. I've gotten lucky that it is caught so early, you know, and that this probably is a good prognosis to have this hysterectomy. Might be the end all. Be all. And if it's not, that's okay, too. Because there's other things out there. What you don't want is to get so far and be like, you know, I feel really bad, so I'm going to go to the doctor now. And they find it and they can't do anything.

[Heather]

But these other chemos and these more invasive things. The one that, you know, because I was telling Corey, like, right now it's costing your time. Eventually it could cost you your hair, your health or. Absolutely. And I can't handle nausea. Oh, yeah.

[Corey]

Time with my family. Like, I'm like, oh, the little.

[Heather]

Okay, for sure.

[Corey]

Absolutely. So if you look at it, I know people are like, oh, poor Corey. Heather was a healthy twin in the womb.

[Heather]

She took all the. Really? Cory did get a lot of the names.

[Corey]

I did get all the names. I am lucky and I am truly excited for the surgery to get. Maybe this chapter closed.

[Heather]

Why? That's why I said, Cory, do this one last surgery and the next one will be a facelift. And then.

[Corey]

Yeah, I'll sign up for that one. That would be a good one.

[Heather]

I had a couple more questions, but let me just think of what they are.

[Corey]

My son is excited about this. He does not want a brother or sister.

[Heather]

Lock it in there, buddy. Okay, so Cory and I actually both have endometriosis. This essentially cures that for you.

[Corey]

Technically, it's not the cure all form. I know, I know, I know.

[Heather]

What do you mean it doesn't cure?

[Corey]

It can be. Endometriosis isn't like just. It can be. Outside of that, it can be.

[Heather]

I saw on Reddit a girl posted that she had endometrial surgery removal and it. And someone's like, wow, this looks chaotic. Like what isn't a lot of scraping and stuff. Oh, yeah. But it looked like an evil cavern. It wasn't like this clean, you know your organ.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

Look like it. Okay, so now I take birth control. Would you still need to take it?

[Corey]

No, I will not have a monthly period. Oh, yeah. I will not have those farts any longer.

[Heather]

I thought endometriosis was kind of weird.

[Corey]

They said it wasn't like a cure all thing for endometriosis. It is something that people do to help with their. And it has a high success. I think they don't want to say, like, everything's 100.

[Heather]

Like, I don't think you can. Because then you're like, nobody said it works. Yeah. Now I don't have a whole uterus.

[Corey]

Yeah. So no more kids in my future. Which truly, if we sat down probably I didn't want kids in my future. It's just hard to come to grips that that's no longer a decision.

[Heather]

That's what we have a cousin in law, a cousin's wife. And she was like, I'm not sure I can have kids. And she's like, but I'm afraid to ask a question because if it's no, would that be all consuming food? Yeah.

[Corey]

Would that just be right now?

[Heather]

It's my choice.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

But if it was told to me no. Would it be the only thing I thought. I know. That was an interesting perspective.

[Corey]

So I've had to come to grips knowing that I will be a single child mom.

[Heather]

Which we've all come to grips for. For the sake of this.

[Corey]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Heather]

How long is a recovery?

[Corey]

So they have two weeks and they said it depends person to person. Like, if you have a low pain.

[Heather]

Tolerance, you're gonna be like an exceptionally high pain.

[Corey]

I do have a super high pain tolerance, but because my husband is now taking two weeks off of work, Corey.

[Heather]

Said, this is adding to my stress. Yeah. He said, I can't wait for the next 15 days. I will be your caretaker.

[Corey]

He's been a great caretaker over these. Yeah, he's been very, very good. So they said for the first few days, you're, you're. There's. Because there's internal stitches.

[Heather]

Do they self dissolve?

[Corey]

They self dissolve and. But they said you might feel good enough to. You're like, I'm gonna go take a walk. But she's like, there can be tearing inside and can you just not go on the walk? No, I won't go on.

[Heather]

Okay.

[Corey]

She said, but if you want that pain to get out of your upper chest, the best way to do is walk it out.

[Heather]

Walk it out. Yeah. You laughed at, like, are you, like, gonna be like, me for me for lunch or are you gonna be like, pick me up for lunch? Or are you gonna, like, bring me lunch?

[Corey]

There is not gonna be a lunchal meeting.

[Heather]

I will make this Saturday because your surgery's on Wednesday.

[Corey]

It's a Wednesday.

[Heather]

Stop picking up Archer on Saturday with my mom on Tuesday is when they.

[Corey]

Tell me the time of the surgery. It doesn't release till the day before your surgery.

[Heather]

We have in a very crowded area. A very crowded area. Everyone's buying to it for these early appointments.

[Corey]

Yeah. So I truly did ask, can I get in there as early as possible? Because if I can get in and be the first person of the day, I will leave that day.

[Heather]

Okay.

[Corey]

If I get there after 12, that's the first one I will be in the early days.

[Heather]

Is that the worst case scenario?

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

I mean, why are you so worried about staying overnight?

[Corey]

I don't want to stay overnight.

[Heather]

Why?

[Corey]

They come in every hour to check your blood pressure.

[Heather]

Somebody cares. Yeah.

[Corey]

Sleep, wake, sleep, wake. It just to heal in your own. To heal in your own bed.

[Heather]

I agree that your own bed has a healing power no other bed can produce.

[Corey]

If it's a typical. Because this robotic surgery is so much less invasive than it used to be.

[Heather]

Interesting.

[Corey]

You can get. You can feel back to normal within three to four days. Face, you can feel it. So they said.

[Heather]

But like, really the caveat there is if it includes this bladder portion.

[Corey]

Oh, the bladder thing. They said you'll feel like you had a C section. She's like, but you're familiar with what that feels like.

[Heather]

Is that painful?

[Corey]

The thing with the bladder thing. She said they would put in a catheter, which I've had a catheter before, and it is not fun.

[Heather]

Do you have to put it in yourself? Because I've.

[Corey]

They would put it in, they said, and I'm sure they would take it out. Yeah, yeah, I've had that.

[Heather]

Kathy, the catheter.

[Corey]

I know. So I really. Fingers crossed. Trying to avoid that one. Yeah, Yeah.

[Heather]

I mean, it's not like you went to the middle of nowhere Military hospital. Was also still up here.

[Corey]

It still was up here in Port Belmore.

[Heather]

Yeah. Which is literally 10 minutes from me.

[Corey]

I know. But it seemed like when I told people, oh, yeah, I'm going to Port Belvoir Hospital, people were like, oh, man. But it was the only choice back in the day.

[Heather]

That was a while ago. It was 2010. Oh, so it was 16 years ago.

[Corey]

15 years ago. Because your health is 15.

[Heather]

15 and a half.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

15 and a half. 15, 25 years ago.

[Corey]

But I think they did probably a great job back then. So in my brain, I think it'll be just a normal.

[Heather]

Okay, I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be cryptic. Okay. Here's my thing. Dark humor.

[Corey]

I kind of like it.

[Heather]

Yeah. Okay. If you don't make it. If I don't make it would be your final podcast.

[Corey]

If I don't make it, I would like you to run an giveaway in the group. All of my cutters get to go to one person. That is a treasure trial. A different giveaway for the bosh. The bosh?

[Heather]

Yeah, the boys.

[Corey]

The bosh. Give that away.

[Heather]

I'm gonna do it in a grouping one because you don't have so much time of the day. I hate shipping. Doing the bosh. That thing that squishes a dough.

[Corey]

The dough sheeter.

[Heather]

Eduardo.

[Corey]

Who would get it? I guess I just put in a new encroachment.

[Heather]

A1 printer.

[Corey]

Oh, yeah, yeah, he's there. There's a. There's a dehydrator for the grass.

[Heather]

I'm doing all the. If it's made of a tin, like metal, it's going in this one.

[Corey]

That whoever wins that, by golly, you're ready to roll. You honestly could. Here's a good giveaway. A beginning baker to pro. They get everything. They get.

[Heather]

They get. I'm just saying, come to our cookie.

[Corey]

Room and they get outfitted with it all. Bring a truck.

[Heather]

Yeah.

[Corey]

And you will go from nothing to having absolutely everything you need. As a cookie.

[Heather]

Okay. That's a good one. Stay tuned.

[Corey]

My requirement is they must name their bakery Corey something.

[Heather]

Okay. I think that's a fair trade. Cookies.

[Corey]

Cookies for Cory.

[Heather]

Yeah.

[Corey]

Loving memories of Cory.

[Heather]

Cookies.

[Corey]

Cory the triple C. Cory struggle with cancer.

[Heather]

I thought it was chocolate chip cookies. Sorry about the reinterpret. You may make the newspaper. That's a good one. Anything else you'd like to add?

[Corey]

Prayers are appreciated. Not required. Just like a tip. I'm sure Heather will let you know how it goes on the next podcast.

[Heather]

You are glued to your phone. I'm glued to my foot.

[Corey]

But I will be under the anesthesia. Anesthesia. I don't think I should be typing things.

[Heather]

Nobody.

[Corey]

My fan every day.

[Heather]

Nobody. Nobody. Not even a doctor at the scalp book. Again. You're a bad girl.

[Corey]

All right.

[Heather]

Right. Chad. I'm. Hey, Chad.

[Corey]

How many guesses? How long does it take?

[Heather]

Chad? Well, you're getting on successful surgery. I have surgery. If it's the easy one.

[Corey]

True. I didn't ask. That would be a good question too.

[Heather]

I saw. Indeed. Aunt Indeed.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

She was like, really? Cory just closed her eyes and wakes up?

[Corey]

Absolutely.

[Heather]

It's unlike even falling asleep. It's instantaneous solution.

[Corey]

My favorite thing is when they're like. Because I've had quite a few surgeries in my life. Life, please start counting back 10.

[Heather]

I love it.

[Corey]

And they're like, ma', am, wake up. Wake up.

[Heather]

And I'm like, what? Is it over? It's over. It's fascinating. A blip on the radar. I know. Somebody is exercising a full doctor's degree for hours.

[Corey]

Yeah. Jenny, our nurse cousin told me on Sunday when she was asking about the surgery. So just be careful. They've been known to yank out the intubation tube and chip. A tube.

[Heather]

That would be gentle. The worst.

[Corey]

Honestly.

[Heather]

You got some big old honky teeth.

[Corey]

I had big ginormous teeth.

[Heather]

I feel like they're strong.

[Corey]

I hope they are strong.

[Heather]

What other surgeries have you had? You had a C section. So you had a kid. C section. Hernia surgery when you were. 0.

[Corey]

Hernia when I fell on this coffee table.

[Heather]

These are stitches. Yeah. Are these considered surgery and stitches the same thing?

[Corey]

They are. They are.

[Heather]

Okay. Is that it? You have a heart murmur, but that's still going strong.

[Corey]

I know. I truly don't tell anybody about it anymore. Part of that I actually think I should tell the medical. Medical theme. You should know about heart murmur.

[Heather]

Did you tell the medical theme?

[Corey]

I do believe I did.

[Heather]

Cory, Mention it as you're counting down. Okay.

[Corey]

Okay.

[Heather]

That's crazy.

[Corey]

I know.

[Heather]

But oddly, she never broken a bone.

[Corey]

Ne' er broken a bone. Ne' er. Did I air break a bone?

[Heather]

Crazy. I did not as many surgeries, but a broken bone, clavicle, fell out of bed.

[Corey]

Clap.

[Heather]

Yeah, you did, didn't you?

[Corey]

No wonder you're that feet always up higher than the other.

[Heather]

Okay, well, that takes us through that one. Interesting topic, but I think an important topic, because if we really bring it down, you're not going to be bacon.

[Corey]

I'm not. And I know people are going to be like, if I bring it back to marketing. It did not make a big post about it.

[Heather]

Okay. Why?

[Corey]

Because I am learning about this whole inviting people into your life thing.

[Heather]

It's so interesting. It's so easy for us to tell other people, you know, because you're not the first person Baker with cancer asking about it. Or people taking these have these big life trials and have to take off baking. And I always say the answer, do whatever is most comfortable for you. What you gotta understand, and this is what I've written a million times, is your audience is more forgiving and more caring than given credit.

[Corey]

For any customer who has reached out to me for the date of July 16, I have shared with them.

[Heather]

Hey. Yeah, I actually am gonna have, like, shoot. I just wanted a set of cookies. Yeah, I know.

[Corey]

I'm like, so sorry. But. Yeah, I won't be sorry.

[Heather]

Can't fit you in.

[Corey]

Because I've been knowing Cory has actually.

[Heather]

Stopped taking orders for this month back in January.

[Corey]

Cause I knew it was coming.

[Heather]

Yeah, I know. That's. Cause she had me disable her drop form.

[Corey]

Oh, did. Oh, he did.

[Heather]

And then the things that she did differently is like, she only started taking orders for one or two months in advance. Advance.

[Corey]

Yeah, Just to case by case. Because if they move the surgery, that was going to be difficult.

[Heather]

And then you have taken no orders for July. Well, you were working on order. You have taken no orders for the week of the surgery and pass that for a month.

[Corey]

Unfortunately, I did take one from a primary care customer. I know. Don't. Don't do what I do. Do what I say.

[Heather]

What if you're maimed? Do you have a backup baker you could give the lead to?

[Corey]

I told her, I said, hey, listen, Truly will be coming in. I don't know what this feels like. And she's been so understanding. She's like, absolutely. I have a cake already scheduled, so.

[Heather]

If you can, you can. If you can't, you can't amazing customer.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

Will you be making a post about it? Will you be letting people in on your personal care?

[Corey]

Here's what I thought I would do. Two weeks after the surgery, I do have to go back in where she's gonna check the incision and everything like that. I was gonna make some cookies for her.

[Heather]

Right. Oh, I love this idea.

[Corey]

Some histor sister, some funny ones, you.

[Heather]

Know, especially if I make it, we.

[Corey]

Can laugh about it. If I don't make it not touch on.

[Heather]

There was cookies if you would have done your job.

[Corey]

So I thought that would be a good time to make a post and.

[Heather]

Just share with people because you're right.

[Corey]

I do have an audience, a local audience that could be like me where they're not sharing.

[Heather]

Here's the thing about it specifically on your local page. It's one thing when you talk about on the podcast, but if I was a local and I was going through kids, I would love to know that you like this doctor. Really? Yeah. Right.

[Corey]

And you're right. I have the opportunity to be like, hey, this doctor was amazing. And maybe if they're a putter offer like me, they could go to Dr. Miller and it'd be the perfect.

[Heather]

I like that the review only comes after the survival. Yeah, you only get the cookies if.

[Corey]

You do a good job.

[Heather]

I'd be like, hello, this is Heather on Corey's page. She did not make it. I like to not recommend Dr. Miller as I don't think she's fully question promise.

[Corey]

So that's what I think I will do. So that is more revealing than I normally am because I usually surface area. Hahaheehee. But this will be like, hey, this is what I am going through.

[Heather]

If you have questions, you could always reach out.

[Corey]

But here's the doctor that I used in these cookies.

[Heather]

Now we have and you know, from what I've seen over these years, there's some bakers who bring you along to every check in and they're like, hey, you're gonna be in this with me. And I think there's an audience that would like that. And then you have people specifically the baker like Corey, who doesn't want to kind of feels weird. Not like I think you feel weird.

[Corey]

I do feel weird. I don't know how to digest it other than the word weird.

[Heather]

Yeah, Ashley, our older sister will be on the podcast in two weeks. She said we should bring people along. You know, we're talking about tiktoks and series and how TikTok does really well with the part one Part two. Part two. And, you know, it's so funny. So I was running through our numbers. We have a marketing meeting every Monday. I was like, wow, we didn't grow on Instagram at all this week. And quiz, like, gash got into my head. I feel like I can't talk about anything because I don't want to let people in. But also I should.

[Corey]

My brain right now is 100% thinking about that surgery. But then I was like, well, the content. I feel like, weird sharing about my personal life. Nobody wants to know about Corey's personal life. They want to know how to make wet on wet flowers.

[Heather]

What you're going to see, though, my perspective is that a lot of people are going to be like, we do want to know about your personal life. I know.

[Corey]

And maybe that will come. I don't know where that. I think I've been so rigid. And if you open up, you open yourself up to the ability to be laughed at, mocked. So if you don't share anything, no one can ever use it against you.

[Heather]

I kind of feel like. Well, because I talked to a therapist every week. Like, she's like, a lot of stuff. A lot of the things we do that are odd to other people are because we're protecting a fear.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

And she was like, but the fear is unrealized. The fear doesn't actually exist. It's actually formed when you're a kid and you nurse it your whole life. And now it's not functioning anymore. It's not doing. It's not protecting anything like it was. But we're still like, hold. We're white knuckling this fear. And I think you'll find that a lot of people are like, why had cervical cancer, too? I did the same thing. Or I know somebody who had it.

[Corey]

Or died from it. Absolutely.

[Heather]

A little bit of the whole. My outside perspective is like, to talk about cancer and then have it be successful shines a light on the many people who did not have successful cancer diagnosis and then passed away from it.

[Corey]

And then to say, and then that's sad.

[Heather]

Yeah, I'm lucky and you're not. Could be the inference. I know I'm fortunate and you're less fortunate. And I don't think that many people actually. Actually see it that way.

[Corey]

And I think I'm in my head about that.

[Heather]

Yeah. And I think we get in our own heads. And if you want to draw it back to marketing, I think a lot of people even to put that cookie up there, that's not the best. But it's your best.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

You know, and that's why you'll see.

[Corey]

You do you open yourself up for critique when you share anything about yourself.

[Heather]

And that's why in the sugar cookie marketing groups in Evan and Corey's, I banned somebody from your. I suspended somebody from your local group for giving unsolicited advice. Because when people have a question to say, hey, I know you have questions about packaging, but I don't, you know, what you did here is a mistake.

[Corey]

Cookie shouldn't be on tread.

[Heather]

Yeah. Or your icing too stiff. That's not the place. That's not what people who are opening, letting people in, they want to feel protected.

[Corey]

And I think maybe I'm so overprotective of myself. I don't want to put myself at risk that someone's like, oh, your cancer doesn't mean as much. I don't know. I have no idea.

[Heather]

You get on the Internet and everyone has a keyboard and nobody shows their face. And it makes people feel that they're.

[Corey]

At liberty to just really say, I know. Yeah.

[Heather]

And the problem is, and Cory and I were talking about this last week, you're. You feel these people feel like they can say whatever, face no repercussions. And the problem is they're getting support with the likes and the hearts and the. Then you have the laugh reacts, which is a form of bullying in my opinion. It is ban people from the group. The laugh react. Unless.

[Corey]

Yeah, like, because if I'm like, hey, listen, I have stage one cervical cancer and someone laugh reacts put me back in the hole that I came in, you know.

[Heather]

Yeah. And you know, I had read it an article once probably many years ago, so I can't remember it. They were like, when someone has. Who has cancer has a support system behind them, their odds of beating that cancer are so much higher. So on the flip side though, putting yourself out there, people have opinions.

[Corey]

People have opinions. They could look at me how. How dare you wait so long? You know, And I think in my brain those are the things that now.

[Heather]

Okay, now having done this podcast, which at this point, if you're listening to as it's been uploaded, what do you feel?

[Corey]

I feel like I feel good to get it off my chest. I feel like it's out there. I do think people are. Have compassion and empathy.

[Heather]

Most people have compassion and empathy. Yeah.

[Corey]

And I think mentally I prepared myself for this podcast. So if someone is mean all to.

[Heather]

Me, if you're meanle to my, you're gonna get banned. But I'm also probably Gonna be real rude, because here's the thing that people are. Oh, that's what they say. You just don't know what somebody's going through. So, you know, we live in high traffic area, and people are cutting you off constantly. Sometimes I like to think, like, I just. I just. You pro. What if you're rushing home because you.

[Corey]

You just got a cancer diagnosis?

[Heather]

Cut me off, man.

[Corey]

Yeah, yeah.

[Heather]

Saying kind of my own personal one, when somebody cuts me off, I'm like, what if they had diarrhea? Cut me off. Like, run me off the road. You have to. It's either you or the car, Fred. You are the car. When you can kind of reframe that. And I think that you'll find that most humans are gracious, and the ones who aren't, it's a reflection of them, not a reflection of you.

[Corey]

When I told Heather, like, I was giving her pushback, like, maybe I. Maybe I'm just gonna keep this one.

[Heather]

I'll let you guys know. This podcast has been in talks for.

[Corey]

Months, but Heather said, I want you to know that you think you have, like, no friends. And. But she said, the entire SDM group is your friend, and they do want the best for you. So sharing with your friends. Sharing is caring. To confide in them is what friends do.

[Heather]

Yeah. It was funny. I was down in Florida for the past. For the weekend, and we were at this restaurant. It was completely packed. Apparently, the speech had reached 90% capacity. And Brian was like, what are the odds? You think you know somebody in this room? And I was like, 50,000 people are in this Facebook group. I know the odds that one of them are in this room. One baker is standing in this room where a sister of a baker extremely exceptionally.

[Corey]

Yeah, I think it's good to know, even though being a solo baker, a solo business owner feels very isolated.

[Heather]

What am I missing?

[Corey]

I don't know who you are. It feels very isolating to have the SEM group. Whether it comes to trials and tribulations, you know, cancer diagnosis is your family's change or things like that. To know you have friends in bakers around you is. Is just takes almost like a pressure off your shoulders.

[Heather]

You kind of get a. What do I want to call it? When you have a panel of people willing to help you look at it from different perspectives in a tech. And I know that we kind of have a more business focused. Like, it's less emotional. It's more like, hey, you know, we don't let go fund me's in because they've been abused. And it's kind of. I think people could be like, what's a little sterile in here?

[Corey]

Yeah, I know.

[Heather]

A little bit of a doctor.

[Corey]

I know.

[Heather]

But on the flip side, it's very constructive. And the intention of this group and what I was thinking about is like, wow, we don't let a ton of emotion in here. Probably reflective of our personalities.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

But what we do allow is that when you have an issue, you have a bunch of people there to strategize how to get through it in the most effective way.

[Corey]

Is it a warm hug? No.

[Heather]

But maybe a moderately lukewarm hug. Yeah.

[Corey]

A side hug.

[Heather]

A side hug and a champ.

[Corey]

You got it, kid.

[Heather]

We'll get through this. And I think. And that's obviously our personalities, but that's why I do like the group because I feel like people are like, okay, I hate this for you. Here's what we can work on.

[Corey]

Yeah, yeah. And I think now I can bring the perspective of. Here's how I approached it with my clients. You know, I can't speak to every way, but someone out there who has gone through the cancer was like, I took them along every step of the.

[Heather]

Way to a case study should be, you know, I'm in it to win it. I'm gonna get cancer. So I can walk them through how I would deal with cancer in the event. I had a bakery. Yeah.

[Corey]

So if you're listening to this, next week I will be in the oi.

[Heather]

Technically, no. Cause it's Wednesday.

[Corey]

Oh, yeah. Next week when you're listening to Amy.

[Heather]

I'll be thinking of that. It's also on Tuesday. But you'll be prepping mentally.

[Corey]

Prepping mentally.

[Heather]

You'll be in New York.

[Corey]

Yeah. And they open at 6, so I'm hoping to be in there at 6.

[Heather]

I hadn't seen 6 o' clock in a while.

[Corey]

Get me in there, get me in there. But you do have a two hour wait regardless of what time they give you.

[Heather]

Why?

[Corey]

Every team member comes and talks to you individually.

[Heather]

Do they, what do they do that? What's your name? What's your age? To make sure. Yeah.

[Corey]

Do you have this? Do you have that? And then the next person would be like, do you have any questions for me? I'm this person. I. I'm the nurse.

[Heather]

Do you have any questions for me?

[Corey]

And then they checked it off on the boards.

[Heather]

It's crazy. That cousin that's a nurse, she's actually code enforcement, internal code enforcement for a hospital.

[Corey]

I know.

[Heather]

So when the external code Enforcement comes, they've already checked it. It's amazing the strict regime.

[Corey]

I told her if I don't make it, I want you to be on my case.

[Heather]

I want you to get your bed over. So on a scale of 1 to 10, what is your outlook? A 10 being great, 1 being 10.

[Corey]

10. 10.

[Heather]

10,010. Well, you know you can call me. I'll pick up Archer. I'll take your bit to Pete.

[Corey]

You will take pain.

[Heather]

It's a hop.

[Corey]

Skipping a jump.

[Heather]

You don't. I'm sorry, was there a question? I know.

[Corey]

I guess I don't want to like set it up. I don't know. I've never gone through this, so I don't know what the feeling is.

[Heather]

So. You know another side effect, if you're wondering why we're so our personality are freaks of nature is our family does not ask for help from anybody.

[Corey]

No, we do not.

[Heather]

They don't. But it'll be a million people offering it.

[Corey]

Nobody. Nobody takes it up on Let me.

[Heather]

Know, let me know do you want. And then nobody ever.

[Corey]

It's almost like you just give the words and you know no one's going to partake in.

[Heather]

Nobody's going to ask for help. Sometimes I'll be like dad will be like do you need help? And Cory's will be like you need to give dad some yeses on the help.

[Corey]

So he feels got to give him a few yeses. Cuz dad truly is trying to break whatever that is where we don't accept. Yeah, I know. Yeah. But he's actually getting my son before the surgery because he's with his dad. So that'll help take one thing off my brain as I mention Cory go get her son.

[Heather]

Yes. Does she want to see her ex husband? No.

[Corey]

I would tell you when I the first person I confided in it. Maybe this is why I social it back into my little heart was I told my ex husband that I had cancer and he was like that sucks for you. I said we shall exemplify anybody else.

[Heather]

Unfortunately, Cor's ex husband is kind of like I want my problems to be the worst and if yours are worse than mine then I can't acknowledge them.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

If you're listening to this podcast Rick.

[Corey]

A little bit. So that's good.

[Heather]

So that's good. Okay. Good job. You did it.

[Corey]

We did it profusely.

[Heather]

You know it's also cuz this house is.

[Corey]

Yep, yep, yep.

[Heather]

Moving on. We actually have. Sorry, this is Rose membership sale. Speaking of keep Cory going. The midsummer Membership sale is the last week of July, which takes us into the first two days of August. This is a fun little sale because we have never run it before.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

These are Vendy Blendy prices and not Vendy Blendy times.

[Corey]

The reason why we are running this during July, even though you said you knew about core cancer. The thing is, is July is pretty much slower. August is slower. That's when we start ramping up. We got back to school. A lot of people who bought during the Vendy Blendy were so busy with like November and December that they weren't able to partake in what the college is to offer. So this is a great time to be able to join and to really get the most out of it.

[Heather]

Yeah. We don't run these sales. I, I love price manipulation, but I. It is complex in memberships and it's not something I want to because the memberships are constantly added to. Yeah. So it's kind of weird to add more and then take away the cost outside of sales. So I think, think I said to Corey, these two big sales, one in the winter and one in the summer, are fair to everybody. Yes. And if you're only there for a month, let's say you sign up the July was it. It starts on July. Hold on, let me give you them dates. July 20th, 27th, let's say. And you stay for one month. You have a dry July and a dry August to really just kind of get.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

This stuff downloaded.

[Corey]

One thing me and Heather will always do as we preach, is we got to make it worth it to you.

[Heather]

Yeah.

[Corey]

So when you get in there, you're gonna. We are gonna make sure that you had the best time ever.

[Heather]

Yeah. I suffer from performance based acceptance. You do. So when you say I didn't like what I got, it's the only thing I hear. Yeah. So yeah, I say accordingly. I can't have someone sign up and be like, this is it.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

I need them to sign up and be like, whoa, it's too much. That's a compliment to me. When you guys are overwhelmed, I'm throwing. So what we did. Cor, Cory, you know, Facebook lives are really depreciated. Unfortunately they don't push out as far. But Cory's like, well, do a Facebook live and make it interesting. So yeah, I thought this would be a fun one.

[Corey]

I thought this was such a, you know, talking about the mid summer membership sale. Boring. But this, now this was a roast.

[Heather]

So we had this thing, it's called the Roast. Then toast And I needed five bakers for three different of these. So I'll do the first one this Thursday, which is the. What is this Thursday? It didn't give me the. If today's the 10th, it's the 10th, so I'm doing it on the 10th. The 17th and 24th, they're each of a Thursday. The first one I'm doing at 4. The second one I'm doing at 2pm These are Eastern standard Time. And the third one I'm doing at six. They're only 30 minutes long. I'm taking five bakers. Social media, website. So Facebook, Instagram or website, depending on what. And for five minutes for each one of those I'm running through, here's what I like. Here's what I would change. Having seen thousands of websites. Here's what your. Your blind spot is on this. Or here's what we got a tweak. And I'm going through each one for five minutes. Now, each of these bakers, each of these sets of bakers. So I'll do five. Five, five. We had 30 of you sign up, which is great. I only needed 15. Thank you so much. I'll do a random drawing of who gets paid.

[Corey]

Heather made me sign up. Scary.

[Heather]

Thank you guys for signing up. That was great. I was like, who wants to sign up for this? But to pay them back, the ro.

[Corey]

That's the roast. Yeah, the toast side.

[Heather]

And I'm not going to roast people. I'm just gonna say, here's what I like. The toast side is each of them has a chance, a one in five chance to win a month, which is so nice. Right. So I'll put the bill for that.

[Corey]

So if anything, you're gonna learn something. Oh, and have a chance to win.

[Heather]

Yeah. So again, that's this Thursday. Yeah. If you're listening to this today, it's two days. It's at 4pm Eastern. The next one is next Thursday at 2pm Eastern. And then the third one will be July 24th at 6pm Eastern. Then July 25th at 10am we have the cookie collab. We do. And then that. That membership sale starts on that. That Sunday. Yeah. 27th to the second.

[Corey]

That'll be so fun.

[Heather]

And I have to build the sales pitch, but everything is on sale. Sale. So, you know, here's a one. Like here I was thinking today, like, truly, the cookie class kits at half price. I don't run a sale on that ever. So I don't even run that. The Vinnie Blendy. Yeah, I do do it in the Last hour, doo doo. But we're mostly sleep because you've been shopping all day. But I have to stay awake so it's my funny. Clear the shelf. We never run the sale in waking hours. Now you have a whole week to get the cookie class kit. So each month's $31.50. And each month you get a class kit of which I'll put a picture of it. I'm working on the one which will drop today. The school back to school.

[Corey]

Very, very cute. People are very excited about it.

[Heather]

Right? Someone said, you know, I'm not ready for the cookie college and I don't teach classes. I wish there was something cheaper. That's the baker's business basics courses. It'll only be $18 on this. I posted a graph on the sugar cookie marketing page where I'll post it in the group.

[Corey]

The great thing about the basics course, it's 13 foundational courses. But the price, there's a little coupon code at the end. Once you go through those courses and it's very foundational, they build off of each other. The little coupon code at the end gives you the college for what it will be on sale for that week.

[Heather]

So you could get it. I'm not ready for the college right now. I do want that price. I'm going to miss it in that week. If you sign up for the Bakers of Business Basics, you can still get that price. And remember, the Bakers of Business Basics is half price. It also includes a two hour transfer club. The digital downloads half price. It's usually ten, it'll be five. Also includes a two dollar transfer club. So if you look at it, it's only three bucks.

[Corey]

Two dollar transfer club half price.

[Heather]

Could be done like it's a dollar. Yeah. And if. And then like I said, the cookie code is $68. It was 76. So you'll be able to get all of that. That's all of our memberships. But then make it a little bit more interesting. Some of you guys are like, I just want one or two cookie class kits. I don't want to sign up for the cookie college. Then we'll have all the 2023 and all the 2024 classes. Optional a la carte for $10 each.

[Corey]

Which those technically it doesn't make sense to buy those outside of the college in these past years that we've gone. So they've been priced at what technically $97, $96.

[Heather]

Yeah. That's insane. If you do a payment plan, you'd say who would ever do that? And surprisingly people do pay that $96 in a three time payment plan. If that is something you've even thought of. This would be. By and large, that's $10.

[Corey]

That's right.

[Heather]

If you think I want to seven classes, just sign up for the cookie college. I'm gonna actually encourage you to get the cookie college anyways because you get all of those classes. Every $10 class you get.

[Corey]

Yeah. You get the digital down downloads, the basics. They get a two dollar transfer club and the class gets all in the college.

[Heather]

Yeah, the transfer club. So if you think of all the classes that we have, which I think will be 33 after this class drops, that's $330. With the sale, it's only 68.

[Corey]

If that's crazy.

[Heather]

You can always cancel or. And then, and then my final thing is if you really do like the concept of it and you think you want to stick around, you can save even more money by signing up for the the year in the cookie college. And the class kits and the digital downloads. I offer a yearly membership that gives you two months free. Our way of thanking you for sticking around. And then that is how that hands. So again we got a countdown on that. I'll be building out the website to kind of spell it out for you more. I'll be recording some videos and then we have these Facebook lives so you'll know exactly what you'll be getting. Can't wait.

[Corey]

Can't wait. Love Heather's Facebook Live.

[Heather]

Corey is the only person who sticks around for that. I love it. Let me go to my texting questions. We actually only have one.

[Corey]

You know, it was automatic, it was busy. But congratulations.

[Heather]

This person's gonna be wildly disappointed too. Why I'm texting in a stupid question for a chance to win a stupid card trick, which you didn't win as a stupid card trick, but what you did win. Crown Point, Indiana. Huh? My thing died. Shoot. Yeah, it just charged him, so I, I gotta figure out what's wrong with him. I also have him set to 4k, so that's my problem. But I use it so I can zoom in on you. Okay, you guys are stuck with me on YouTube. What Corey's saying is we do post this to YouTube of which bonus, every Facebook Live that's been taught in the past five years in the sugar cookie marketing group that hasn't been deleted by the host has been transposed to our YouTube channel.

[Corey]

And you're like, why is it Facebook Live people have done things that I Learned what to do at a farmer's market, how I make pre sales work for me, how I do Avery labels.

[Heather]

How I navigate Canva. The first one taught was in 01-19-2021.

[Corey]

How to make videos on Instagram.

[Heather]

How to make decorating videos with Sugar Bolt Bakery. We went so far back time to organization with Asana, with Alondra Mercado. Yeah, there's just so many of these. And I was working with a virtual assistant on this. I'm a huge proponent of virtual assistants. This kid, he did love him.

[Corey]

Phenom, right?

[Heather]

So what you're going to do, I'm so sorry to text in the question back to me, back to focus girl. Yeah, sorry, sorry, sorry. Crown Point, Indiana, you actually won a month of the cookie design Lab. Now the cookie design lab is an STL software. We call this segment now instead of stupid questions the STL me about.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

So this, this was the question that, that they asked. Do you have a list of favorite vendors with promo codes for baking related items that you're willing to share? And you're going to love my answer.

[Corey]

You are.

[Heather]

You go to sugar cookies cookiemarketing.com scroll down just a little bit. You're going to see these squares and one of them says the group discounts for baking related products. Click on that bad boy. It is going to take you to a spreadsheet. And that spreadsheet you're going to see all the discount codes. And I got to add one of our sponsors right there. And then we have also these other ones. So we have 24 shops. And if you're a shop, if you're a vendor and you're like, oh, I.

[Corey]

Would love to absolutely love you to be on there.

[Heather]

It costs nothing, nothing to be. Unless you just have to run a discount that's 10 or more. If you go to the exact same place Items go to sugarcookiemarket.com scroll down to the baking discount codes at the top.

[Corey]

I think the only other requirement that doesn't expire.

[Heather]

Yeah, because I, I, yeah, I don't want to have to do it. So at the top I'm going to insert the link to maybe even keep resharing them. The group here. Yeah, I'll do that. I actually have it on the website, but I'll add it back to the spreadsheet. So here's some example. Lollibee, did she sell in business?

[Corey]

You know she went to STL's only.

[Heather]

Okay. I like it, I like it. Yes. Y' all's only Chua Mat she added hers. Cookie Design Lab added theirs and Christine's molds. So we have a bunch and you guys can add. Yes. Nice. That's a great question. Indiana, you won the STL membership with the Cookie Design Lab. Email me heather sugarcookiemarketing.com in the next week and I'll get you set up with.

[Corey]

If you didn't win, which no one did because only one person texted in, you could text in at 571-556-5644. Literally you can text in words of encouragement to Corey.

[Heather]

I will be tuning into the podcast to listen to what you guys say about me. Yeah, I'll read those on the podcast to you next week so I can hear.

[Corey]

You can text in questions. If you saw something in the sugar cookie marketing group and you wanted to expounded, that's a great thing. If you're going through something in your life and you're like how would I explain this to my clients and customers? What would be a good marketing avenue to?

[Heather]

There's nothing really off limits when it comes to texting. Unless you if you didn't win but you would like to learn how to make STLs, this is the easiest website to do in the cookie college. I do teach people how to use this one, but I also did a Fusion one. I'm like wow, Fusion360. I know Cookie Design Lab use code twins and save 15% off.

[Corey]

If I don't make it next week.

[Heather]

Will you have to cut the S.

[Corey]

Off of there and just use code.

[Heather]

Twin one remaining one is the loneliest for 15 off. But speaking of just jumping into our sponsors, we have Cookie Design lab again code twins 15 off. Baking me crazy Code favorite twin which I would be the only one.

[Corey]

Oh yeah, that's true, that's true.

[Heather]

You could keep that discount code. Watch them be like we're still my favorite who I like to do twin. That's code favorite twin for 10% off. Royal batch code twins again to save 10% off. A lot of twins out here. A lot of twins really break up the branding. Yeah, really, really would. I will have to stick around just for the ratting Daisy makes. I have to onboard her. I'm sure she might offer discount code See at Eddie the edible printer. Corey was complaining about him yesterday but he pulled all he pulled through.

[Corey]

I actually got to show you the set. It's very Eddie edified.

[Heather]

What is the set?

[Corey]

It's Nerf for a five year old birthday.

[Heather]

Do you want Nerf?

[Corey]

Little Nerf bullets for the cat for the Cat. Yeah. I'm going to borrow money them for fun, for props.

[Heather]

Yeah. Yeah. Munch doesn't like him at all. No code for Eddie the edible food printer. He knows his worth, but he is worth the concept. It's one of the few products I'm okay with buying in payment plans.

[Corey]

Yes.

[Heather]

I'm not a big debt, girly, but. But this one would pay for himself. Again, you got to market it. So if only there's a Facebook group, we could learn marketing.

[Corey]

I know.

[Heather]

And then Bosch Nutri Meal is not a sponsor, but if you use code sugar cookies, you save $20 with that affiliate.

[Corey]

Listen, I'm a Bosch girl.

[Heather]

Bosch girl Wish Cory really does like her balls.

[Corey]

My twin trust is I. Are we on the twin twist part? Twin twist is I did for the 4th of July, use Daisy makes circle mold.

[Heather]

Oh, I saw those pictures. Yeah, they turned out great big old.

[Corey]

So I actually have an order coming up, and it's like, you know, that little. I can't remember. It's this little mouse that holds cookies. It's a whole branding.

[Heather]

It's for a kid's book. Okay.

[Corey]

But she wanted cake pops in the shape of cookies. And Daisy makes. It's called a donut cutter, but it actually. Actually looks like a cookie with a bite taken out of it.

[Heather]

Oh, cute.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

Because it could be a donut.

[Corey]

So I was on our website when I was ordering it, and they all come in different sizes. So you can get small, medium, large, extra large. So you can choose what path of.

[Heather]

I felt like that was a big one.

[Corey]

You know, I can't honestly remember it. I think that was a large.

[Heather]

I got large vibes. Yeah.

[Corey]

I couldn't imagine what the extra large looked like.

[Heather]

Yeah.

[Corey]

But the great thing about it was it comes with this tray. So you cut out these and, you know, if you've ever done attempted cake pops before, the balls are tricky to stay on the sticks. That's where most people feel. Because it falls right off. These actually give you just a little bit more of an edge, because they do have an edge. It's not a ball. It's not this giant, heavy circle hanging off it, but it has this tray that you can actually line them up on there and put the sticks in so it maintains its shape when you're.

[Heather]

Putting the stick in. Very, very smart. Yes. And everybody.

[Corey]

Everyone seemed to love it when I was here. They thought they look great.

[Heather]

I saw no leftovers.

[Corey]

No, there was zero leftovers.

[Heather]

Sorry. What was my twin dress. I was out of town this week. I went To Panama City Beach. It was. You did pass just about everything. White sand.

[Corey]

White sand and clear water.

[Heather]

There was places where you could get to clear water which I don't know how that works. How we were close to one shell.

[Corey]

Dirty water.

[Heather]

I the Virginia beach water. It was so hot down there. The water was warm.

[Corey]

Oh really?

[Heather]

I was like wow. If my eyes weren't on fire from.

[Corey]

The sun, you'd be in the water. Were there people in the water?

[Heather]

Like just so we went to Virginia Beach.

[Corey]

It was frigid.

[Heather]

The beach water was cold. We went in June. But also this so I'm sorry I'm 36. I love to drive but the you know as you age I at least as I can't drive as long. This is a 15 hour. You're wild. Yeah. I said can I do this and.

[Corey]

Would you do that again or would you flip fly?

[Heather]

As I was driving and I saw planes overhead. I did think that I would have been a little yearning. Here's my Twitter. If you search for a flight on Google it pulls into the rich. What do they used to call? Rich edits.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

The top part. It pulls in all these flights. You can track the flight. So if you're willing to gamble.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Heather]

I think that's my twin trist is what I said is here's the flight that I want. And it said would you like to track it Every morning it sounds send me an email with the price adjustments and it's crazy. It was. I didn't like the. Each flight had two layovers. The labors were hours long. I would be in an airport for.

[Corey]

Roughly that would I because I do have a fear of airports. I couldn't to navigate that on my own. A layover.

[Heather]

Layovers are fine. You're not really doing much.

[Corey]

But where's your luggage?

[Heather]

That's the thing. If there's any delay. So sorry. Your luggage is getting there. Your bun's getting somewhere else. At one point when I was was dating the last guy he had let me do these jump seat flights. Didn't realize the hell that was booted because I was not a paid member. Yeah. So then I had to like pay extortionary fees to get on a plane.

[Corey]

That's crazy.

[Heather]

Yeah. So my thing was like it was crazy though. You think as you get closer to the takeoff date that the price would increase? No, it actually because they need people.

[Corey]

To get in the seats.

[Heather]

But it. It was up the flight I'm so It was almost $600.

[Corey]

Wow.

[Heather]

Round trip, multiple layovers. Miserable thing and then that wasn't including. It was a holiday weekend and my.

[Corey]

Car would have cost a ton to.

[Heather]

Park or not had a spot.

[Corey]

True.

[Heather]

Because God forbid, we asked for help. No. So it went up from when I started tracking it. Then it went down by a hundred dollars. Yeah, right, right. Or like 500. 5 or something. And then as we got closer to the flight, it shot back up and then.

[Corey]

Oh, really?

[Heather]

Yeah, yeah.

[Corey]

So would you have gotten a ticket or.

[Heather]

No, not with those ones. I really didn't like them at all.

[Corey]

Interesting. I need a mom to tell me where to go. That's why you're my mom.

[Heather]

I get invited ships cuz I tell where to go.

[Corey]

Heather's willing to Navi.

[Heather]

I'll make a plan. I'll make a reservation. Yeah, one thing. Oh, one thing. I. You know Panama City Beach? We're not really close there. It's about an hour from Pensacola to a place called Seaside. It's where the Gabillionaires live. Okay. And with. They were like, this is our favorite restaurant. And then we go up and they put their name in. It was so crowded. I dropped them off to go hunt for a parking spot. And they come back and they're like, yeah, the wait's three and a half hours. And I was like, oh, shucks. You know? And they're like, yeah, and so we'll just kill time. And I said, oh, my goodness.

[Corey]

Other families were the miracle. That's what our last name is, the miracle family.

[Heather]

It's time.

[Corey]

If it's over 20 minutes.

[Heather]

Brian's like, what you would have done? I said, we would all been like, yeah, don't put our name down. Tell them sorry. Yeah, we're.

[Corey]

We're not a waiter family.

[Heather]

No, no. But granted, it was a town center of the houses were phenomenal.

[Corey]

I'll never.

[Heather]

No, wait for three. Food is very good, but three and a half hours. I had to get an appetizer for the wait. Oh, did you just sit and wait? Oh, that's wild. Which was great, but it was kind of hot. It was, you know, beautiful people, for sure. So the people watching, just. Prime, prime, prime grade a beef cut steak, tender, medium rare. Where are we going for lunch? What are you feeling? Oh, I don't know if this is your last Olive Garden. Olive Garden. We'll go in front. I know. Yeah.

[Corey]

I don't know where she would go.

[Heather]

I don't know. Let us guess off camera.

[Corey]

Guys, thank you so much for listening.