Episode Details

What happens when the things you thought defined you are suddenly taken away?

In this episode of Thought Atlas, I sit down with Christine Handy, an international model, author, keynote speaker, humanitarian, and breast cancer advocate.

Christine began modeling at 11 and built a career in an industry heavily focused on external beauty. But at 41, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and spent 15 months dealing with illness, including 28 rounds of chemotherapy, multiple surgeries, and complications from treatment.

That experience forced her to look beyond the external measures she had once used to define herself.

Christine describes how losing her breasts, her hair, her job, and relationships during that period led her to ask a deeper question: if those things aren’t what determine her value, then what does?

She credits the people who showed up for her during treatment with helping her recognize the importance of genuine presence and non-transactional friendship. That experience eventually became part of the message she now shares with others.

We explore why Christine describes herself as a “hope facilitator,” and how she learned to shift her focus from fear toward hope and courage during some of the darkest moments of her illness.

Christine also explains why she returned to modeling after her breast cancer treatment. She says her purpose wasn’t to return to the modeling industry for herself, but to show women that losing her breasts had not taken away her beauty or her value.

We discuss her desire to change the way cancer is portrayed in film. Christine believes audiences need stories that include survivorship and hope alongside the difficult realities of illness and treatment. Her book, Walk Beside Me, became the inspiration for the film Hello Beautiful, which she says aims to offer a different narrative around cancer.

The conversation also explores faith. Christine reflects on how her relationship with God became more central during chemotherapy and how the friends who showed up for her helped her recognize the faith tools she had previously neglected.

Ultimately, Christine’s message is about choice: while we cannot control every illness or difficult circumstance that enters our lives, we can choose how we respond, what we focus on, how we treat people, and whether we use our experiences to help others.

CONNECT WITH CHRISTINE HANDY

Christine says Hello Beautiful is expected to be released later this fall and encourages listeners to look for it in theaters.

Her book, Walk Beside Me, is sold through multiple retailers, including Amazon.

Christine says she is active on most social media platforms and can be found by searching her name online. She also says she is responsive to people who reach out.

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Food for thought from Christine:

“Grace.”

She encourages us to give ourselves the same grace we often give to other people, especially in a challenging world.