 Tara Shuman's cancer-survivor journey began with a devastating triple-positive diagnosis 12 years ago. She fought and survived, and to this day she continues to fight and advocate for the breast cancer community. Now she's on a mission to teach and mentor others to find the courage and fortitude - and a let's-figure-it-out approach to learning - not only how to solve problems and bounce back from trauma - but to bounce back to even greater heights on the way back up. Fueled by a deep sense of gratitude, purpose and 'survivor's guilt' following her own harrowing fight against a rare type of breast cancer over a decade ago, Tara Shuman became a fierce and determined advocate and teacher for other people out there who find themselves along a challenging and lonely journey of their own. She even wrote a beautiful book about it which chronicles her cancer journey, called "Hope is a Good Breakfast". At her very core, Tara is a teacher by nature. In fact, it's the reason she left a cushy, high-paying job at a law firm (following law school) to pursue a career - an unquenchable passion, really - that would allow her to teach others to tackle similar life journeys and circumstances with a mindset of positivity, teamwork, critical thinking and teamwork. And Tara has an unwavering faith in human beings' ability to not only "bounce back" from trauma, but to bounce back even stronger and more resilient than where they were before. Tara grew up in Canton, Massachusetts (my hometown) - that's how we reconnected - and, come to find out, she and I actually shared many similar interests and activities while growing up in the town - including math team (don't laugh), team sports, study halls, etc. One could say that we "learned how to learn" the same way, and from the same education system and teachers. We chatted back in early June 2024 - video clips from our conversation are included below. I think you'll find it interesting and inspiring, just like I did. Lastly, the Sanfilippo Project is honored and grateful to Tara for not only her time and telling her story, but also for her eager willingness to lean into this project with us (per my request) to help drive greater understanding and knowledge about not only the Sanfilippo life but also "rare" journeys in general. We all have so much to learn from one another. To hear more from Tara, check out this Ted Talks speech that she delivered last year. It's a powerful message that will resonate with every viewer in one way or another. Tara Shuman is a teacher, business owner, and former attorney. She loves teaching a wide variety of subjects, and is most passionate about helping students of all ages and backgrounds improve their reading, writing, and speaking skills. Tara believes that strong communication is the foundation of all positive personal, professional, and community relationships. Tara’s 12 years of full-time teaching experience, as well as her 7 years of experience practicing health care and immigration law have taught her valuable methods for simplifying complex information and effectively sharing it. She spends her days creating, writing, and teaching at the learning centers she owns and operates south of Boston. As a cancer survivor, Tara is passionate about supporting those navigating a cancer diagnosis and she continues to dedicate her time to raising money for cancer research. She has shared her story with many large audiences and enjoys teaching others how to hone their public-speaking skills. She lives in Canton with her husband, two kids, and their dog, Hope. See below for video segments from our conversation... Hope you enjoy it! Below, Tara talks about her sudden and completely unexpected 'triple-positive' breast cancer diagnosis (at age 32) and then turning to writing and blogging to share her story. "It feels good to feel seen", she says. The one thing that rescued me (from despair) - every time - was the knowledge that at least it was me, and not one of my kids, going through it" In the following clip, Mike attempts to explain his overarching vision for the Sanfilippo Project, in the hopes that Tara will be willing to help pitch in if called upon to do so ('absolutely, I'd be happy to' was her response). Tara then asks some questions to try to make sense of what Mike just attempted to explain (and understandably so, because he was pretty vague). She then shares some of her own passions and interests as an educator - and how her own personal/medical journey have inspired her to help others "learn how to learn" to not only pick themselves up from trauma - but to then bounce back even stronger and more resilient than ever. Not only are we trying to help build resilience (to trauma/etc.), but we're also building anti-fragility too"
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