Young Tongues

The three amigos are back! Barbara, Stef and Jamie reunite for a long-overdue catch-up, and as always, there's plenty of laughter, a little chaos and some brutally honest conversations.

Following a particularly difficult few weeks for the Young Tongues community, the trio reflect on the emotional toll of losing friends to cancer, navigating anticipatory grief and learning how to hold space for both sadness and happiness. But how do you allow yourself to feel joy when you've experienced so much loss? And why, even years after treatment, can feeling happy and healthy sometimes trigger a fear that something terrible is just around the corner?

From survivor's guilt and health anxiety to the frustrations of living with fatigue and a body that doesn't always cooperate, the conversation explores the complicated realities of life after cancer.

And because this is Young Tongues, there's also plenty of silliness involving Halloween horrors, questionable hairstyles, salsa dancing and the joys of getting older.

At the heart of it all is a simple message: Grief and joy can coexist. And sometimes, the best way to honour those we've lost is to make the absolute most of the life we still have.

Welcome to the art of Joy Maxing.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to run an ultramarathon just months after cancer treatment?

In this episode, Barbara is joined by Danielle Welsh from Melbourne, Australia, who shares her experience of being diagnosed with tongue cancer at 43, undergoing surgery and radiotherapy, and navigating the challenges of recovery while raising two young children.

A lifelong endurance athlete, Danielle was determined to keep moving throughout treatment, adapting her exercise routine even as the side effects became increasingly difficult. But her story goes far beyond physical fitness.

Together, Barbara and Danielle explore the importance of self-advocacy, the difficult decisions patients face around treatment, and the gaps in care that often emerge once treatment ends. They discuss why survivorship needs a more holistic approach, the value of finding the right healthcare professionals, and the emotional challenges of explaining cancer to young children.

An insightful and thought-provoking conversation about resilience, patient-centred care, and finding ways to regain control when cancer turns your world upside down.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when tongue cancer threatens not just your health, but your ability to communicate, work and live life on your own terms?

In this episode, Barbara is joined by Kylie Young from New Zealand, who shares her remarkable journey from a persistent tongue ulcer and delayed diagnosis to major surgery, radiotherapy and life beyond treatment.

Kylie speaks candidly about the challenges she faced, including complications with feeding, feeling unheard by healthcare professionals, and navigating the emotional and physical impact of losing her tongue.
But this is also a story of resilience, humour and rediscovering what's possible. Despite initially being told her teaching career might be over, Kylie has gone on to become a General Manager, demonstrating that a speech impairment doesn't have to stand in the way of leadership.

Together, Barbara and Kylie explore the importance of individualised care, supportive employers, finding your voice after cancer, and learning to embrace life with its new challenges.
An honest, uplifting and thought-provoking conversation about being heard, challenging expectations and refusing to let cancer define your future.

💬 Need Support?
If you’ve been diagnosed with tongue cancer (or are supporting someone who has), you can find help here:
🌍 Website
🤝 Join support groups & mailing list: via the website
💌 Contact us: podcast@youngtonguesglobal.com

📢 Get Involved
We’re building this with our community — and you can be part of it:
✨ Volunteer & share your experience
🎙️ Apply to appear on the podcast
🧠 Take part in research opportunities

💛 Support Our Work
We’re a small charity with a big mission — and we rely on community support to keep going.
👉 Find out more how to make a donation or fundraise for us here

📲 Follow & Connect
Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Mailing List
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tara Hanley was used to being the nurse — not the patient.

In this episode, Tara joins Barbara to share her journey from a persistent tongue ulcer and repeated biopsies to eventually hearing the words: “It’s cancer.”
As a public health nurse and mum of two young children, Tara talks candidly about trying to stay positive for everyone around her while privately confronting her own fears. She shares how she prepared her children for surgery, why she recorded herself reading their favourite stories before treatment, and what it was like returning to work and everyday life afterwards.

They also explore the parts of recovery that others don’t always see: scanxiety, lymphoedema, changes to eating and speech, survivor guilt, and the strange experience of everyone else moving on while you’re only beginning to process what happened.

Warm, funny and deeply relatable, this is a conversation about becoming the patient, finding your new normal and recognising that you don’t have to have had the “worst” cancer experience for it to have changed your life.

💬 Need Support?
If you’ve been diagnosed with tongue cancer (or are supporting someone who has), you can find help here:
🌍 Website
🤝 Join support groups & mailing list: via the website
💌 Contact us: podcast@youngtonguesglobal.com

📢 Get Involved
We’re building this with our community — and you can be part of it:
✨ Volunteer & share your experience
🎙️ Apply to appear on the podcast
🧠 Take part in research opportunities

💛 Support Our Work
We’re a small charity with a big mission — and we rely on community support to keep going.
👉 Find out more how to make a donation or fundraise for us here

📲 Follow & Connect
Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Mailing List
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when an everyday cold meets a body that’s been through tongue cancer treatment?

With Barbara away, Stef and Jamie have been left in charge of the podcast — which may or may not have been a terrible decision.

After Stef is struck down by a particularly nasty cold, they get talking about something that probably feels very familiar to many people in the Young Tongues community: being ill after treatment just isn’t the same as it was before.

Dry mouth gets drier. Swallowing becomes harder. Coughing, sneezing and clearing phlegm can suddenly become a logistical operation. Medication isn’t always easy to take. And when familiar pains return — particularly around the ear, jaw or neck — an innocent virus can also bring some very unwelcome thoughts about recurrence.
Stef and Jamie talk candidly about the long-term realities of treatment, invisible side effects, fatigue, learning to give yourself permission to rest, and why friends and family may not always understand just how much effort goes into appearing “normal.”

There are also saline sprays, emotional-support water bottles, disastrous food choices, humidifier experiments, “mouth lube” and considerably more discussion of bodily functions than Barbara would probably have authorised.

It’s honest, occasionally gross, surprisingly funny and ultimately a reminder of why we talk about this stuff in the first place.

Because however weird the side effect, however ridiculous the situation, and however many years it’s been since treatment — chances are, another Young Tongue gets it.

💬 Need Support?
If you’ve been diagnosed with tongue cancer (or are supporting someone who has), you can find help here:
🌍 Website
🤝 Join support groups & mailing list: via the website
💌 Contact us: podcast@youngtonguesglobal.com

📢 Get Involved
We’re building this with our community — and you can be part of it:
✨ Volunteer & share your experience
🎙️ Apply to appear on the podcast
🧠 Take part in research opportunities

💛 Support Our Work
We’re a small charity with a big mission — and we rely on community support to keep going.
👉 Find out more how to make a donation or fundraise for us here

📲 Follow & Connect
Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Mailing List
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.