Leslie Purchase MD, Cancer Coach, Journey Coach, Cacao Ceremonialist
I support people through the emotional and psychosocial impact of a major life turning point, including cancer, and the question of what comes next.
My message to every client is simple:
You already have everything you need to navigate this, and you are already whole.
I know this terrain from every side. I studied biology at Johns Hopkins University, philosophy at King’s College London, and medicine at Temple University School of Medicine.
I worked in general surgery before stepping away to have three children.
When my youngest was six months old, I was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer and went through multiple surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy.
When my daughter was two, she was diagnosed with brain cancer.
I became a caregiver through surgery, chemotherapy, and three bone marrow transplants.
Those years gave me an intimate understanding of cancer’s curves and contours. I would never call it a gift, but I believe there are gifts within it.
No one can walk the path for you, but no one has to walk it alone.
My work is guided by compassion, presence, honesty, and spaciousness. I hold a belief in my clients’ worthiness of love and belonging until they can hold it themselves. I show up with warmth and steadiness, never minimizing how hard and how beautiful the journey can be, and I leave room for feelings to be felt and meaning to take shape.
I would like to offer a free online webinar introducing my work as a cancer coach to everyone on Nancy’s List.
What Is Cancer Coaching, and Who Is It For?
Thursday, December 3, 2026
6 pm Pacific Time
Online via Zoom
Free
You have finished treatment.
Everyone wants to celebrate.
And you feel like a deer in headlights,
wrung out in your body,
up and down in your emotions,
and unsure who you are now.
Or you are in the middle of it,
caring for someone you love,
or living with a diagnosis that doesn’t have an end date.
Wherever you are, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Cancer coaching is a different kind of support
from your medical team and from therapy.
In this free session, I will explain what it is,
what a session looks like,
and how to tell if it is right for you.
Come if you are …
Facing a cancer diagnosis
Finishing treatment and feeling lost
A survivor ready to reflect on your experience
Caring for a loved one with cancer
Living with metastatic disease
An oncology provider, nurse, or social worker who wants to know when coaching might be a good fit for a patient.
What to expect …
a brief discussion about what coaching is,
how it differs from therapy and medical care,
and what working together looks like,
plus time for your questions.
No prep and no experience needed.
Providers welcome …
If you work with people facing cancer,
join us to learn what coaching offers your patients
and when to refer.
I offer one-on-one coaching,
heart-opening cacao ceremonies,
and a 12-day Ayurvedic retreat
on the Malabar Coast of Kerala, India.
Whether someone is newly diagnosed,
deep in treatment, or finding their footing afterward,
the aim is the same: to help them feel held as they ask, “What’s next?”
My approach is grounded, spacious, and deeply human,
built on the belief that
you already have everything you need inside of you.
Cancer coaching is a supportive, non-medical service. It doesn’t diagnose, treat, or replace
care from your oncology team or a licensed mental health professional.
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