Redefining Life After Cancer: Gina Martin on Healing, High Achievement, and Rebuilding Her Coaching Career
In this insightful episode of The Health and Wellness Coach Journal, Dr. Jessica Singh speaks with Gina Martin, PCC, an Executive Coach, Consultant, and Director of Executive Coaching & Leadership Development at Leap Academy. Her work has been recognized with the Gold Stevie Award for Mentor and Coach of the Year, and she is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council with advanced certifications in Hogan and DiSC. Gina is also the founder of Own Your Next, a nonprofit that supports high-achieving women as they rebuild confidence, identity, and their careers after cancer.
Gina shares her journey from corporate leadership to coaching, spanning more than 25 years of leading in high-pressure organizations such as Victoria’s Secret, GUESS, and Gap. She reflects on the transitions that shaped her life, from arriving in the United States at age 18 with $300, a toddler, and no English, to becoming a single mother, building a successful career, and later navigating a stage-three breast cancer diagnosis.
Gina speaks candidly about advocating for herself when her intuition told her something was wrong, even after two mammograms came back clear. She shares what treatment required of her physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, physical therapy, and the difficult but necessary decision to slow down.
Together, Dr. Singh and Gina explore what healing can ask of high achievers, why self-compassion becomes essential during profound change, and how coaching helped Gina stay present through uncertainty. Gina also shares how cancer reshaped her identity, values, confidence, and professional path as she rebuilt her coaching career with more alignment, presence, and purpose.
The conversation also offers meaningful guidance for coaches who are finding their way, building a business, or learning to value their lived experience. Gina reminds coaches that they are more than a certification and that their story, resilience, and voice are part of what they bring to the coaching relationship.
For detailed show notes, resources, and information to connect with Gina Martin, PCC, visit: https://www.centerforhealthandwellnesscoaches.com/blog/redefining-life-after-cancer-gina-martin-on-healing-high-achievement-and-rebuilding-her-coaching-career
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Timestamps:
Resources Mentioned In This Episode:
Timestamps
0 - Introduction
2:50 - Gina Martin’s Journey: From Corporate Leadership to Coaching and Life After Cancer
8:10 - The Courage to Pause as a High Achiever: Healing, Recovery, and Self-Compassion
19:38 - Rebuilding from the Inside Out: Reshaping Identity, Confidence, and Career
25:03 - Words of Wisdom for Coaches: Owning Your Worth and Sharing Your Voice
35:39 - Takeaways
