"We talk around cancer a lot but we don't actually talk about it until it comes close to home." - Yael Cohen “Authenticity” is more than just a buzzword in the entrepreneurial space — It’s essential. As creatives working to grow our personal brands and build relationships with our audiences, we have to tap into those things that we have the deepest emotional connections to. We have to be raw and real and show the world what we’re really all about — even if that means ruffling a few feathers. My guest today is something of an expert in authenticity. When Yael’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, her family learned to cope. She made her mother — who she describes as “this adorable, polite blonde thing” — a t-shirt with the phrase “Fuck Cancer” on it, and the raw energy of those words empowered her mother to fight through recovery. From that experience, Yael founded the nonprofit charity called Fuck Cancer. And while you might think that building a charity for cancer around a swear word is vulgar or too irreverent, my friend Yael Cohen disagrees. She fundamentally believes in the power of talking about cancer in a way that is frank, honest, and encompassing of the whole range of emotions that accompanies the entire cancer process — from fear and sadness all the way to laughter and hope. “No one was focusing on the youth, focusing on early detection, [and] harnessing technology, and humor and all of the things that make cancer the rich experience it is. It’s not one dimensional, and we need to start treating it that way. We need to give people a different way to engage with it that’s not as scary. We need to give people a way to engage with cancer before they have it so they can learn about early detection.” - Yael Cohen Today, Yael wants to empower other families to deal with cancer with the same honesty that helped her family survive their darkest days. That’s the foundation of Fuck Cancer’s message, and that authenticity and vulnerability have been an essential part of their identity as a company since they were founded five years ago. If you’re someone who wants to build an authentic brand, you don’t want to miss this episode. Yael talks about how vulnerability can empower people and give them strength in the hardest moments of their lives, and her words are inspiring. Let’s dive in. Who Is Yael Cohen? Yael Cohen’s whole life changed when she was just 22 years old. Her mom received a breast cancer diagnosis, and with her brother out of the country, responsibility for her treatment and care fell to Yael and her dad. At that young age, Yael threw herself into research. In our interview, she described herself as “obsessed” with finding out everything she could about cancer — from the science of how the disease works to the best things to bring to the hospital on the day your loved one has cancer surgery. As I said before, it was during that time that Yael realized that a little bit of humor and irreverence could go a long way toward empowering someone in their fight against cancer. A simple t-shirt with the words “Fuck Cancer” on it empowered Yael’s mother to keep fighting and recovering every day. And the words went on to inspire Yael to create her nonprofit, also named, Fuck Cancer. Today, Fuck Cancer is a full-fledged movement. It’s a place for cancer patients and caregivers to meet and become each other’s “cancer family” — there, people offer each other love and support with a raw authenticity unseen anywhere else. Fuck Cancer also focuses a lot on raising both money and awareness around the early detection and prevention of cancer. They target a young audience in the digital space to give them the information they need to teach themselves and their parents how to detect cancer early. By the way, did you know that 90% of cancers are completely treatable if they’re detected at stage one? It’s a little known fact, but it’s true, and it’s just one of the things Yael and Fuck Cancer have been tea...