Soul Sustenance - Navigating Life's Roadblocks

 I recently had a chance to do an interview about navigating life’s roadblocks and raising resilient kids with Terry Healey.

Healey is an author, keynote speaker, and business strategist who faced a life-threatening cancer in his 20s that left him with a facial difference after 30 surgeries. He often speaks at schools and also to parents around his journey.

Can you share a little bit about your cancer and recovery? 

At just twenty years old, in my junior year at UC Berkeley, and seemingly on top of the world, I was diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening and facially disfiguring cancer. A fibrosarcoma of the right maxilla, this was not only a rare diagnosis, but one that almost never occurs in the head and neck area. I awoke from an eleven-hour surgery at UCSF Medical Center to find that my otolaryngologist had removed not only half of my nose but also half of my upper lip, muscle and bone from my right cheek, the shelf of my right eye, six teeth, and part of my hard palate. Suddenly, all I could think of was the elephant man. It was difficult. I lost self-confidence and my self-esteem began to disappear. But I eventually learned that reconstruction wasn’t going to solve my new insecurities. I had to rebuild myself from the inside out. I built my own survival kit. Faith was key to keeping hope, my support system was paramount, goal setting helped me begin to believe in myself again, and a positive mindset became my new superpower.

How did you find resilience and courage in the face of adversity? 

We all have the capacity to build resilience. We learn to adapt, we recover from setbacks, and we grow stronger from our experience. I was no exception. My religious faith gave me courage, strength and hope. My support system enveloped me with positive energy. I began to set goals – one at a time. As I achieved each goal, my self-belief helped me rebuild my confidence in ways I never imagined. I practiced gratitude, and when you start each day with that, a positive mindset starts to become real. I found work-life balance, and outlets to relieve my anxiety and daily stressors. Finding a support group allowed me to find courage to share my vulnerabilities, and that was liberating. Visualization of my future began to be less about imagination, and more about reality.

What are some tools that people can use if they're experiencing a crisis - health-related or otherwise?

Fortunately, there are a lot of choices and methods to turn to. Sometimes what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. For me it’s about starting with gratitude. There are always a million things to be grateful for, despite whatever hurdles and challenges we encounter. By practicing gratitude, we begin to build a positive mindset. We choose our attitude, and that is the most critical ingredient to move life forward in crisis. But we cannot overcome adversity alone, so building a supportive network of people that are supportive, positive, and nurturing are table stakes. Eliminate negative energy and focus on surrounding yourself with positive energy. Positive imaging and visualization can help focus your life on a better future, while calming nerves and helping put you at ease in times of crisis. Think of it as a form of meditation.

Can you share a little bit about the ReBAR Framework?

My resilience framework (ReBAR) was built for others to address their own life adversities, build confidence and find greater purpose. The idea behind it is to unlock your inner strength. ReBAR is designed to assist individuals in navigating change and adversity by outlining a range of effective strategies, or methods to incorporate into daily life.

ReBAR (Reflect, Build, Act, Renew) can be used in your personal and professional life. 

·       Reflect: Daily reflection is paramount – think about what you are grateful for, what happened during the course of your day, what can you learn from each day, and what might have inspired you to adapt going forward. Business angle: it helps you build a positive mindset and commit to taking risks with new ideas.

·       Build: Build a positive mindset and growth mindset as you learn to adapt to change. This is when you develop a strong support system, choose to have a positive outlook, and strive for work/life balance. These things allow you to navigate life’s challenges with positivity and optimism. Business angle: identify mentors, peer groups, and internal allies who bring perspective and encouragement.

·       Act: This is where the rubber meets the road – Act is when we begin to face challenges, take control, find the ability to focus and persevere toward our goals. Business angle: Steer clear of too many priorities so you can move closer toward achieving your goals.

·       Renew: This is the reinforcement of the process – a commitment to continually improve and build upon what you have learned from each adversity. This is where we find purpose in life. What did we learn that will change how we prioritize our lives to become the best versions of ourselves? Business angle: ensure that you continue growing and learning from mistakes – that’s a growth mindset.

Why is it important for people to have a theme song to get them through tough times? 

Everyone faces moments when fear threatens to take over – when life as we know it suddenly shifts. For me, it was the possibility of losing my right eye, along with the life I thought I knew. In that haze of fear and uncertainty, a song came on the radio as I contemplated my uncertain future. Corey Hart’s “Never Surrender.” The lyrics weren’t just background noise – they reached me. They reminded me that while I couldn’t control the diagnosis or what came next, I could choose how to respond. “Never Surrender” became my theme song. It gave me strength when I needed it most and helped me reclaim my hope. That’s why everyone needs a theme song. It’s more than music – it’s a reminder of who you are, and who you can be, when the world feels like it’s falling apart around you. Listen, be aware, be alert, be attentive, and be open to the people and events happening around you, because they can and they will impact you in ways you may never imagine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A survivor of a permanent facial difference and life-threatening cancer, Terry Healey is an author, keynote speaker, and business strategist. Healey challenges audiences to face their adversities and apply his framework of four key principles to gain confidence, build resilience, and find joy in their personal and professional lives.

 

Having endured more than thirty surgical procedures to reconstruct his face while in his early twenties, Healey discovered tools that could help him transform his changed life. He shares ways to take control, overcome challenges, build trust and teams, embrace change, and learn the value of acceptance and tolerance. He views the lessons he learned as gifts, and believes his greatest reward is being able to teach others how to overcome any kind of adversity and celebrate life.

 

His experience led him to a successful thirty-five-year career as a high-tech sales and marketing executive, including being on the founding team of a company that had a successful initial public offering. His popular programs are presented to healthcare organizations, corporations, educational institutions, associations, and nonprofits nationwide. They include Cisco Systems, Inc., Charles Schwab, the University of California Berkeley football team, Santa Clara University, Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Genomic Health, Perkin Elmer, Stanford University, UC San Francisco, Kaiser Permanente, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and many others.

 

A graduate of UC Berkeley, Healey is the author of The Resilience Mindset: How Adversity Can Strengthen Individuals, Teams, and Leaders [September 2025], and his previous title, At Face Value: My Triumph over a Disfiguring Cancer, and is a contributing author to Open My Eyes, Open My Soul: Celebrating Our Common Humanity; Make Your Own Miracle: Surviving Cancer, an Anthology; and Reading Lips and Other Ways to Overcome a Disability.

 

His work has appeared in Psychology Today, Metro UK, The San Francisco Chronicle, Guideposts, NurseWeek, U.S. News and World Report, Sales and Marketing Magazine, Coping and CURE Today. He has appeared on dozens of national and local TV networks and has been interviewed on more than seventy-five radio stations across the U.S. and Canada.