Post Reports – "How far can a sense of purpose take us?"

Published: November 8, 2025
Host: Maggie Penman
Featured Guests: Dr. Jordi Ponce, Pat Mercado, Dr. Jennifer Gregg

Overview

This episode of Post Reports explores the transformative power of finding purpose during life's most challenging moments. Through the journey of Dr. Jordi Ponce—a clinical psychologist diagnosed with aggressive cancer just as he began his dream job counseling cancer patients—the episode delves into how giving back and staying connected to what matters most can profoundly shape our well-being, even in the face of mortality. The episode also weaves in research and personal anecdotes to illustrate how anyone, healthy or ill, can cultivate meaning in their lives.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Jordi Ponce’s Diagnosis and Shift in Perspective

• Early Career and Diagnosis:
  • Jordi Ponce earned a PhD in psychology, then was set to begin his dream role at the Moffitt Cancer Center counseling patients. Just a week before starting, he received his own cancer diagnosis.
  • Quote:

    "And then about a week before I started, I went to an ER and got my own diagnosis and realized I was actually going to need to enter Moffitt as a patient." (Jordi Ponce, 00:18)

• Processing the News:
  • The diagnosis process was surreal and emotionally intense, but Jordi maintained his humor.

    "The doctor came back in and he looked really nervous… where's your family? How quickly could they get here?" (Jordi Ponce, 00:52)

  • Upon hearing the news, his psychologist instincts kicked in:

    "Being a psychologist, of course, I said, I thought you did great. How do you feel about it?" (Jordi Ponce, 01:16)

2. Confronting Mortality and Rediscovering Life

• Adapting to Illness:
  • Jordi’s cancer, neuroendocrine carcinoma, had a grim prognosis—two years. He was 39.
  • The initial period was described as a "blur of scary information."

    "It feels like everything in your world flips directly upside down." (Jordi Ponce, 01:48)

• Returning to Life:
  • After treatment stabilized his cancer, Jordi realized the importance of living outside of his illness:

    "I want to do things like go to a restaurant again or go to the beach… It doesn't have to be all cancer." (Jordi Ponce, 02:28)

• Professional Doubts:
  • Jordi wondered if he could still help other cancer patients in his new circumstances:

    "Are you the right person at this time for these people?" (Jordi Ponce, 03:08)

3. Embracing Dual Roles: Counselor and Patient

• Transparency with Patients:
  • Jordi now opens every session by sharing that he is both a psychologist and a cancer patient.

    “I start every new patient appointment by sharing that… that gives me some insight into what the patient experience is like.” (Jordi Ponce, 04:29)

• Connection and Empathy:
  • His openness has broken down barriers, making patients feel understood:

    “She said they were tears of relief because she felt like she could finally talk to someone who understood what she was going through.” (Maggie Penman, 04:52)

  • Jordi discusses how shared experiences of treatment side effects and existential dread make counseling more candid and supportive (05:08).

4. The Patient Perspective: Pat Mercado’s Story

• Finding Comfort:
  • Pat Mercado, a 72-year-old with stage four breast cancer, feels Jordi's dual perspective is invaluable:

    "I just feel like he truly understands what's going on. And that's such a, you know, a comforting feeling for a patient like me who has a terminal disease." (Pat Mercado, 05:38)

• Living with Ambiguity:
  • Both Pat and Jordi reflect on the uncertainty and ambiguity of living with cancer—there is rarely a clear line between sickness and health:

    “People tell me why you look great. You must be, you know, getting better. And I'm never going to get better.” (Pat Mercado, 06:21) "You live in this space of kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop... And so I've gained a huge respect for people going through that and still making a lot of meaning out of the lives that they're living." (Jordi Ponce, 06:28)

5. The Science and Practice of Purpose

• Purpose and Health:

  • Research shows that having a sense of purpose offers real health benefits, especially for those with life-limiting illness.

    "A really big part of the mental game of cancer is to feel like there's a reason I'm around and want to keep fighting so hard." (Jordi Ponce, 07:20)

• Expert Perspective: Dr. Jennifer Gregg

  • Clinical psychologist Jennifer Gregg explains that, when facing illness, it's easy to lose touch with what is meaningful:

    "We get so focused on those things that we stop living in all of the ways that we would most want to be living." (Jennifer Gregg, 07:38)

  • She emphasizes that helping others is just one example—connecting to anything meaningful helps counter the mental and emotional toll.

    "It's really all the things that are most meaningful for you… social connection and doing things that matter to you help in all kinds of different ways, both physical and emotional." (Jennifer Gregg, 12:20)

6. Small, Intentional Actions Matter

• Integrating Purpose into Everyday Life:
  • Finding meaning does not have to be grand; even small actions, when intentionally aligned with one’s values, can spark vitality.

    "Small things that matter that you can do with some consistency or tiny steps that you can take towards your own personal values… my life has more vitality and meaning." (Jennifer Gregg, 14:53)

  • Host Maggie Penman shares a personal example of baking bread for her neighbor, reflecting on how these actions benefit the giver, too.

    "It was a small thing that I did, but I felt so good. I was like, wow, I should do this more often." (Maggie Penman, 15:35) "Generosity is always for us." (Jennifer Gregg, 16:16)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On processing difficult news with humor:
  “I thought you did great. How do you feel about it?”
  —Jordi Ponce (01:16)
• On returning to life after diagnosis:
  “I’m allowed to, like, live parts of life. It doesn't have to be all cancer.”
  —Jordi Ponce (02:28)
• On being both a patient and counselor:
  “I'm in it with them in many ways… you can tell me all about your GI issues, because I've experienced them as well.”
  —Jordi Ponce (05:08)
• From the patient’s perspective:
  “When we talk about my bad days, he can relate, and he can give me great advice, and we can really talk things through, and he knows what I'm talking about.”
  —Pat Mercado (05:57)
• On the ambiguity of illness:
  "You're also not done with cancer... you kind of live in this space of kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop..."
  —Jordi Ponce (06:28)
• On the power of small actions:
  “Small things that matter that you can do with some consistency or tiny steps that you can take towards your own personal values…”
  —Jennifer Gregg (14:53)
• On giving as a form of self-care:
  “Generosity is always for us.”
  —Jennifer Gregg (16:16)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:02]–[03:08]: Jordi Ponce’s diagnosis and early experience as patient-psychologist
• [04:15]–[05:08]: Approaching counseling through a lens of shared experience
• [05:38]–[06:28]: Patient perspective – navigating ambiguity and finding comfort
• [06:28]–[07:30]: Psychological benefits of purpose for the seriously ill
• [10:19]–[12:20]: Insights from expert Jennifer Gregg on finding meaning amidst illness
• [14:38]–[15:35]: Practical advice on integrating purpose into daily life, for everyone

Key Takeaways and Recommendations

• Purpose is revitalizing even (especially) in adversity: Maintaining connections to meaningful work, relationships, or values can help sustain hope and mental health in the most difficult circumstances.
• Small, intentional acts count: Even modest gestures aligned with personal values—like helping a neighbor—bring a sense of meaning.
• Openness fosters deeper connection: Jordi’s willingness to share his patient status with those he counsels breaks barriers and enables authentic support.
• Applicable to all: Research and stories from the episode highlight that we all benefit from engaging in what matters most, whether sick or well.

This episode’s blend of personal narrative, empathetic reporting, and expert insight offers both inspiration and practical wisdom about living purposefully, no matter what challenges lie ahead.