Nerissa BallandEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

What happens when cancer enters your life at a time when you're supposed to be focused on growing your family and raising your children? Nerissa Balland was 38 years old, five months pregnant and already raising a toddler when she was diagnosed with melanoma. Suddenly, an ordinary workday became the beginning of a cancer journey that would challenge not only her health, but her beliefs about cancer, motherhood, identity and what her future might hold. In this episode of The Many Faces of Cancer, Nerissa shares the experience of being diagnosed while pregnant, why a devastating...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when you survive the thing that changed your life—but no longer recognize the woman on the other side? In this episode of It’s Hertime , Cody sits down with artist, author, and therapeutic arts practitioner Nerissa Balland , whose life changed when she was diagnosed with cancer while five months pregnant. During treatment, survival became the priority. But when treatment ended, another kind of healing began: figuring out who she was now. That experience eventually led Nerissa to speak with more than...

Send us Fan Mail It's Therapy Thursday!! Survival can be the loudest chapter, but the quiet that comes after is where so many of the real questions hit. We sit down with Nerissa Balland, a therapeutic arts practitioner, visual artist, and the author of Canvas of Courage, to talk about what it means to rebuild your identity after cancer, trauma, grief, or any life-altering change that leaves you feeling emotionally disoriented. Her story begins with a metastatic melanoma diagnosis while she’s five months pregnant, and it opens into something bigger: how we carry unprocessed emotion when there are no words for it. Nerissa shares the line that reframed healing for us: “Broken crayons still color.” We dig into why creativity is not about making “good art,” but about giving fear, grief, guilt, and survival mode somewhere to go. We talk presence over perfection, the pressure to look strong, and what it changes when our kids see us rest, cry, and recover instead of pretending we have it all together. We also get honest about survivorship, including the guilt of outliving others, the PTSD that can linger, and why “fake positivity” can backfire. Along the way, we challenge modern speed culture and quick-fix self-care, and we point toward tools that actually hold up: asking for help, building community, and using grounding practices like music, movement, breath work, and visual expression to reconnect with yourself. If this conversation gives you language for something you’ve been carrying, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more listeners can find it. What’s one emotion you wish you had a safer place to put down? Nerissa was diagnosed with cancer while five months pregnant. She didn't write a book about surviving. She wrote one about what happens after, and why so many people fall apart once the adrenaline stops. Her work gives your listeners a framework for processing what they've been through, whether they're currently in it or years out. Canvas of Courage The Art of Healing, Hope, and Gratitude for Young Mothers Facing Cancer Available on Amazon & Barnes & Noble Art Website IG: @nerissaballandart Support patient access to Canvas of Courage: GoFundMe Support the show Host Candace Patrice Co-host Janet Hale visit the website at https://www.essentialmotivation.com/ Instagram instagram.com/essentialmotivationllc visit Janet's website https://haleempowermentllc.com/ To be a guest on our show email me at candacefleming@essentialmotivation.com In the subject line put EMH Guest Suicide Prevention Lifeline 988 Music by Lukrembo: https://soundcloud.com/lukrembo Provided by Knowledge Base: https://bit.ly/2BdvqzN

In this episode, Steve sits down with artist Nerissa Balland, who also happens to be his niece, for one of the most honest and tender conversations you'll hear on this podcast. Nerissa opens up about her path from being a kid who loved to create, to working in the corporate art world, to receiving a cancer diagnosis while pregnant that changed everything. She talks about how for years, survival and achievement drove her choices and how illness forced her to slow down and finally ask deeper questions about who she was and what mattered. It's a conversation about courage, presence, and the messy, beautiful work of turning suffering into meaning and it leaves you with this: you don't need to be fixed to be whole. Broken crayons still color. She explains: ⬛ Creativity often begins as survival and becomes healing when intention changes. ⬛ Cancer and illness can radically disrupt identity and open new psychological and spiritual pathways. ⬛ The stories we tell ourselves are not always true and can be rewritten. ⬛ Intuition is quiet and must be cultivated through stillness and self trust. ⬛ Healing starts with the relationship you have with yourself. ⬛ Art can regulate the nervous system and support transformation without diagnosis. ⬛ Spirituality does not require certainty, only curiosity and engagement. ⬛ Trauma responses are adaptations, not character flaws. ⬛ You do not need to be fixed to be whole. ⬛ Broken crayons still color. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Nerissa's Journey 01:31 The Power of Art in Healing 07:17 Navigating Life Changes and Identity 15:01 The Cancer Diagnosis: A Turning Point 23:49 Spirituality and Personal Growth 30:21 Listening to Intuition and Self-Discovery 44:19 The Role of Spirituality in Healing 56:33 Understanding Relationships and Self-Expectations 57:30 The Journey of Self-Discovery 01:00:39 Navigating Relationships and Healing 01:03:00 The Importance of Silence and Self-Reflection 01:05:06 Transforming Trauma into Art 01:09:07 The Ongoing Nature of Healing 01:12:42 Finding Balance in Life and Art 01:15:32 The Power of Personal Stories in Art 01:18:14 Creating Art as a Healing Process About Steve Steve is a longtime entrepreneur and former finance professional who built significant external success while carrying the hidden impact of severe childhood trauma and addiction. Through years of deep healing work including somatic therapies, psychedelic assisted processes, and brain based interventions, he experienced a profound internal shift that reoriented his life toward service, storytelling, and mental health. Through The Neuro’s Journey, Steve shares his ongoing process and amplifies voices exploring honest, evidence informed, and heart led transformation. Follow Steve: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneurosjourney/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theneurosjourney About Nerissa Nerissa Balland is a visual artist, therapeutic arts practitioner, and two-time cancer survivor whose mixed-media works range from intimate to large-scale. As a visual storyteller, she draws on spiritual symbols, patterns, and natural elements to explore universal themes of self-love, acceptance, and protection. Nerissa holds an MFA in Painting from Pratt Institute, a BA in Studio Art from the University of Maryland, and studied Digital Design at the University of Copenhagen. Follow Nerissa: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerissaballandart Website: https://www.nerissaballand.com

You don't have to be a professional artist to reap the benefits of tapping into your creativity. Programs exist all over the country helping people cope with illness through art therapy. Nerissa Balland is no stranger to cancer, having first witnessed her grandmother go through breast cancer and then herself becoming a cancer patient later in life. She was finally able to use her formal art training background to heal herself. In addition to art therapy, Nerissa had a cancer coach who inspired her to become trained in Neurolinguistic Programming, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy which she now uses to help others heal from stress-related diseases like cancer. When Nerissa is not creating her unique art pieces, she is developing and facilitating art wellness workshops. If you're interested in tapping into your creative side, you can start small with coloring books, mandalas, or drawing. Or, you can go big with canvas, paint, and other materials. Either way, take the pressure off and just create to your heart's content! Show notes at reginatopelson.com

How comfortable are you with discomfort? Do you shun it like the plague or do you lean in and get cozy with it? Today’s episode we have a special guest, she is a badass contemporary artist who creates stunning paintings and drawings intended to make you feel and think in new ways beyond old stories. She is extremely fascinated with the many levels of communication between the viewer and the piece, the artist and the work, and the artist to the viewer. Let’s welcome Nerissa Balland, extensively trained at Pratt Institute , Nerissa received a Master of Fine Arts in painting and has spent the last 18 years working in marketing, branding, and design. In addition to being a full-time supamama to 2 little angels and a devoted wifey, Nerissa works full-time as a contemporary artist in Miami and is a resident artist at Yo Space . Nerissa was selected to exhibit in 2018 Miami Art Week during Art Basel at The Art Center of Wynwood, she has been selected for several juried exhibitions at ArtServe , Fort Lauderdale and she was featured in Salaan Magazine and Voyage MIA . You will discover in this episode, What you must to do as an artist to achieve your goals. How training yourself for discomfort elevates your Big DREAMS Nerissa’s heartfelt story that will resonate with you especially if you are facing big adversity and discomfort now. How your home dramatically affects your mood and how to fix it Enjoy! Time Stamped Bullet Points of Episode [12:52] Use your home as a vision board [14:08] Getting acquainted with the discomfort [18:07] Soul Selfie collection [22:39] Creativity takes courage [23:27] Why a lot of creatives are fearful [28:01] What does it mean to be living in the likeness of God [35:24] How to be able to sit in your discomfort [38:06] Join us in a simple daily practice in our 7-Day Experiment to Rock OUR DREAMS [54:08] Why do you need to keep on creating [55:07] What you need to do as an artist Song of the Week Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys Quote of the Week "I have to do my art. I MUST do my art” - Nerissa Balland The Experiment of the Week Sit with Discomfort Get your free DREAMSHEET and a buddy for this week’s experiment Join me LIVE at 11:11 am MST Every Manifesting Monday to Launch the 7-Day Rock OUR Dreams Experiment in Our https://www.facebook.com/djvalerieblove/ Join me LIVE at 11:11 am MST Every Thankful Thursday to chat about each week’s new episode https://www.facebook.com/djvalerieblove/ Join me LIVE for Q and A at 11:30 am MST Every Thankful Thursday BIG DREAM SCHOOL FB Tribe https://www.facebook.com/groups/bigdreamschool/ Resources: Fear-Setting: The Most Valuable Exercise I Do Every Month by Tim Ferriss You Might Like: Habits Episode of Big DREAM School Podcast Connect with Nerissa Balland <a href='https://nerissaballand.art/'