Hi, I'm Natasha McGrath!
I give women who have had a breast cancer diagnosis the tools to navigate what follows because I know that life changes after a cancer diagnosis, whether recent or many years ago.
These tools not only protect against cancer progression but make a difference to feeling in control of life again, to experience improved relationships, to feel better able to cope with stress and live a more peaceful contented life regardless of prognosis.
Graduating as a social worker in 1988 from the University of Ulster N Ireland
How did I end up here?
Little did I know that in 1988, after completing my intensive social work practicum in the Regional Cancer Centre in Northern Ireland, that this was the beginning of the path to lead me to where I am today and to become the creator of the Beyond Breast Cancer Blueprint.
As an Oncology Social Worker with over 3 and a half decades I have had the privilege of working with hundreds of women navigating life after a breast cancer diagnosis. So I understand what women want and need.
Combined with my early life experiences that honed my ability to recognise and understand the needs of others easily, a strong motivation grew within me to support others facing life challenges.
Regional Cancer Centre for N Ireland Belvoir Park Hospital Belfast where I trained in 1988
What prompted the development of the Beyond Breast Cancer Blueprint...
After migrating from the UK to Australia in 2005 and working in various Cancer Centres for many years I realised something was missing.
I learnt that women wanted help that isn't available in mainstream medical services and cancer centers. Women wanted ways to cope with going through the rigors of treatment, they wanted to be able to manage stress, women told me that needed a guide to show them what to do after treatment ends, to learn how to comes to terms with their cancer, and how to live with the biggest fear of cancer recurrence.
I heard how they felt abandoned and alone unsure of how to navigate this uncharted territory ahead. Without a road map I saw women didn't know how to make the life changes they wanted.
I Knew I Had To Leave Mainstream Cancer Services...
I felt passionate and confident that having supported hundreds of women with cancer, I could provide that map to show women how to turn a cancer diagnosis into a life transforming opportunity. To do this I had to leave mainstream medicalised cancer services. What was needed was an integrative and holistic approach to recovery and healing from cancer, where women could take back control and be educated in how to activate their body's innate healing mechanisms. After all, cancer doesn't just affect your body.
And so began the birth of the Beyond Breast Cancer Blueprint. Over 4 years of intensive study and training in the latest neuroscience, cutting-edge psychotherapy and a deepening my knowledge of the mind – body connection, infused with decades of clinical cancer care experience I created the Beyond Breast Cancer Blueprint, the map for recovery and healing.
Very Quickly My Practice was Fully Booked!
I knew what women with breast cancer needed during treatment and post diagnosis, I had techniques, tools and strategies that worked but I didn't have enough time or capacity to meet the demand.
Plus... a vital piece was unaddressed – the need for connection, to belong to a community for women living with the aftermath of a cancer diagnosis whether recent or many years later. My natural abilities to connect people meant I could provide a solution to the isolation and feeling others don't understand.
This Prompted the Development of the Beyond Breast Cancer Blueprint...
It became my mission to reach as many women as possible; women living remotely, women juggling multiple caring and/or work commitments or managing health issues from side effects of treatment. It became imperative for me to offer an accessible and clear path with a structure to guide women through their recovery and offer them the tools that I knew worked to protect against progression and improve their quality of life.
This set the stage for the Beyond Breast Cancer Blueprint to become a path for recovery, transformation and to protect against cancer progression.
So I'll Tell You a Wee Bit More About Me...
I grew up in Northern Ireland and my parents were both teachers. This was the foundation for my love of learning and has made the journey of creating the Beyond Breast Cancer Blueprint a joy and a pleasure. I have an innate ability to translate complicated concepts, research and science into everyday language and tools that I can teach women to make lasting and transformative changes. My enthusiasm to share my knowledge and understanding about the science of the mind - body connection is contagious!
One of the gifts from my childhood is my ability to tune into others easily and my intuition has evolved to become second nature. I carry this into my work and women have often told me that they have felt understood and relieved that they are not being judged and are surprised they can feel safe and comfortable so quickly.
I appreciate that embarking upon the road to recovery from a cancer diagnosis is a life changing path. It can be terrifying yet with the right guidance that fear can be reduced and you can take control and engage in your recovery and healing.
To help you get to know me, to decide if I am the right fit for you, let me give you a bit more of a flavour of who I am.
Firstly, I can honestly say that my greatest teacher is my daughter, now a young adult. I have been open to the powerful lessons that have come my way through our relationship which has helped me grow and flourish on the inside.
My tendency towards introversion has bestowed me with gifts I can bring into the world, such as deep diving into topics
and looking at things in new ways. This is ideal for women wanting to work with the root cause of their cancer. It means that I place high value on meaningful relationships, and have qualities of thoughtfulness, contemplation, calmness, and wisdom that I can bring into my work with you.
Where I grew up in Northern Ireland
© Fran Kennedy Photography
A few random facts about me:
I have flown in a bi - plane doing loop the loops upside down – never again thank you!! My first job in my early teens was teaching children to play the piano. I can also write 4 part harmony in the style of Bach, I can speak several languages pretty well and native Germans are entertained to hear their language being spoken in an Irish lilt sing-song accent. Humour is a quality I bring to my work and finally I LOVE WHAT I DO!
I look forward with keen anticipation to meeting you if the time is right for you to take the step to make a change.
- Natasha
