We were lucky to catch up with Heather Hall recently and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

When I reflect on the actions of younger me, I realize that I was committed to being a positive change in the world from a young age. It seemed natural to write letters to the editor, raise money for special causes and volunteer in the community. And then I was diagnosed with bone cancer at 21 years old, three months shy of graduating from college. I endured 13 months of aggressive chemotherapy and a surgery to replace part of my femur and tibia with titanium. I was bald and learned to walk again. But I graduated on time (on crutches and wearing a wig)! A few years later, I experienced a melanoma diagnosis, and years after that, I cleared early stage breast cancer (please get your cancer screenings!). In the darkest moments of cancer treatment, I always knew one thing: I loved living. And I want to make a positive impact on the world by helping others.

While clearing cancer significantly impacted every part of my life, my dad’s diagnosis shattered my heart. He was diagnosed with late-stage multiple myeloma right before I finished bone cancer treatment. For six years, we stayed ahead of his cancer with new drugs, until there were no new drugs. From that moment, fighting cancer and helping others became my mission.

Over the years, I worked at various cancer-related nonprofits, volunteered at many organizations, mentored new cancer patients and more. I’ve been a cancer and health advocate for 20+ years, working with state and federal legislators, leading advocacy trainings at conferences and written numerous articles on the importance of using our voices for positive change.

I learned through my cancer diagnoses, my family’s challenges and other situations I’ve faced that we can’t always control what happens in life, but we can choose how we react and respond. So the power of choice became a guiding lesson and “Today I choose….” is one of my daily mantras. It keeps me focused on choosing a mindset that benefits me mentally, physically and emotionally. I believe that the power of choice is an impactful, empowering mindset that everyone can master.

Throughout the past 20+ years as a cancer survivor, I share my ups and downs, resources and tips, encouragement, and other strategies to help others learn to celebrate living in the everyday, simple moments. In time and with so many requests for assistance by others, I developed my companies – Three Oaks Media (strategic communications consulting) and Heather’s Hangout (helping individuals manage their mindset and overcome challenges to live their best life). While the services vary, both are grounded in being a positive impact by helping others improve their lives (and business).

I believe that we all have the ability to change the world for the better, through our actions and conversations. I’m committed to being a leader in this pursuit and help others find their passion and joy.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have always loved writing so in many ways it was a natural path to obtain a journalism degree and later graduate degree in communications. Being diagnosed my senior year of undergrad did influence my career path. I started in the nonprofit sector and worked at several cancer-related organizations (as well as other industries) until moving to healthcare.

In between that work, friends and acquaintances kept asking for help with their small business marketing. So I founded Three Oaks Media to help entrepreneurs and small businesses amplify their messages for success. I also am a keynote speaker and workshop presenter, focusing on topics such as overcoming challenges, personal branding, community engagement and advocacy, storytelling, living beyond cancer and more.

I also am regularly invited to share my cancer/resilience story at events, in the media and with other survivors. While I truly love what I do as a communications expert and public speaker, my heart and soul can be found in Heather’s Hangout (HeathersHangout.com). It is a testament of how far I’ve come in life, how much I’ve grown as a human and my commitment to being a positive change in our society. It started as a blog to help remind myself about staying focused on “living beyond cancer” – this has been my motto since my first cancer diagnosis. It motivates me throw my arms open to life and embrace the possibilities surrounding me. The audience started with other cancer survivors and then grew beyond that when I started sharing about mental health, active lifestyle, relationships and more.

Now Heather’s Hangout has morphed into a resource for people seeking positivity, encouragement and tips to improve their overall well-being and lives. Not just cancer survivors because I believe that we ALL deserve a life of ease and joy, no matter what we’re facing (there is of course special topics for cancer survivors because I’ve learned so much over the years and want to share with others). At Heather’s Hangout, people can find a blog full of varying topics, workshops, retreats, coaching, free guides and more. I also created affirmation card decks, journals, clothing, mugs and more to help motivate and inspire people. And there is much more in the works!

I believe what sets me apart from others is my vast experience, not just in marketing and communications, but life. It all gives me the ability to step back and view challenges and opportunities from varying angles. Whether it’s working with a communications client to market their product, giving a motivational speech to overworked teachers, career coaching a new college grad or helping a company launch a scholarship program, I offer unique perspectives and clarity to look at people’s needs and interests. And I always promise to bring creativity, empathy, passion, integrity and trust to every project I work on.

I’m proud of what I’ve created and am excited for what’s to come. It’s hard work – doing all of this while also juggling my own health struggles and overcoming other challenges. But at the end of the day, my heart is always overflowing with gratitude at being here. In a society that tends to lean in and celebrate negativity and judgement, I try to be a positive, grounded, authentic person. My voice is my own and my passion for helping others is genuine. That’s what people can count on from me.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe in being real with everyone in my life, whether business or personal. That means being authentic and willing to show all sides of my business and life. My audiences are invited to see ‘authentic me’ as I share the ups and downs of real life. This includes the more vulnerable, not so pretty and real side of going through cancer, life after cancer, balancing career and personal, struggling with the grief from my dad’s death, building a business, and other real-life challenges. Because this is real life. This is me. I’ve overcome a lot. So have my audiences. Many of them also face these types of challenges, and while our personal experiences are unique to us, we can relate and empathize with others. I’ve built solid connections through sharing of experiences, lessons and more.

But don’t worry, I’m also really professional, haha. I’m focused, detailed, organized and reliable when working on client projects. I get excited about the projects I work on, and LOVE seeing a client’s excitement or ‘a-ha’ moment during our collaboration. One of the most touching testimonials was when a client emotionally said, “You brought my vision to life. You made me feel seen and heard.” That’s the power of learning to listen and believing individuals and companies can work together for good.

I also take pride in being reliable, kind and committed to being a positive impact on my community and greater society. The people working with me, whether as colleagues or clients, will always get respect, integrity, curiosity, and trust from me.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth is hands-down the best source. Word of mouth referrals come from building a great reputation within your market and audiences. I believe the qualities that I shared above (authentic, reliable, kind, honest, etc.) truly help attract like-minded people. And that’s who I want to work with.

As a marketing and public relations professional for 20+ years, I’m used to being behind the scenes helping others create messaging and more that promote them/their business. So it admittedly is odd at times to talk about myself and what I offer to others! I’m grateful that people think highly of my work and they promote my business. But I believe in what I do and what I can offer to help others.

I also let my work speak for itself. I love what I do. Words matter and how we approach situations, especially challenges, makes a difference. I’m a big believer that what you give to others will come back so if we’re focused on helping others succeed in their lives and business, then we also win.

Being open to various opportunities has also been a great source of new business. I take pride in my ability to be flexible and open to possibilities so when an opportunity appears that will benefit my business and life, I consider it. And I think because people know that about me, they bring new clients and opportunities to my door. I’m really fortunate for this, but also know that I work hard to create these relationships.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ThreeOaksMedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathershangout
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/heatherhall3