1. Cynthia Besteman: Shine Your Light to Inspire Others Through Difficult Times. Patrick Huey 45:05

“I can with almost 99.9 percent certainty that we’re looking at a malignancy.” Now what do you do? Fight. Survive. Win.

Cynthia Besteman straightforwardly recalls this highly personal moment in her life – when she knew she had breast cancer. She describes feeling all the blood in her body dropping into her stomach. Like she was suspended on a rollercoaster right before it plunges into its steep valleys and twisting turns. Even without a cancer diagnosis, we all know that loss of breath sensation when the news coming to us is not good, and instantly the world changes. Cynthia recounts the long walk home from her doctor’s office and feeling as if the “sky was not as blue.” In her hour of need, she reached out to a dear friend who was also fighting this disease. With great compassion, Cynthia’s friend offered to be her flashlight and guide through the complexities of how to fight, survive and win against a disease that kills 42,000 women and 500 men each year.

And fight is exactly what Cynthia did. She called upon her mom, those women closest in her life and her husband for emotional support. She called upon her life’s experiences in the tough worlds of acting and New York City real estate to formulate an action plan that would save her life and lead her to her true calling. During her own treatment and recovery, she began to create Violets Are Blue – a full range of skincare and body care products designed to address the specific needs of women going through treatment. The line is empathetically formulated with clean ingredients that can be healthily absorbed into the body through the skin.

With her work today, as the Founder and CEO of Violets Are Blue, Cynthia herself has become a flashlight for thousands of women battling for their lives. She eloquently and passionately calls for more education, more technology, more treatments and a cure so that Stage 4 women can stay alive for more than five to 10 years. 

As she reminds us with almost startling candor, “There is no Stage 5. Stage 4 is it.” The time for action is now.

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Violets Are Blue

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For more information contact Patrick at patrick@patrickhueyleadership.com

Patrick Huey Global Hospitality Executive, Creator & Host At the Podium Podcast

With over 20 years of experience in the global luxury hospitality and wellness industries, Patrick has built a dynamic career as an international leader within this elite field, running multimillion-dollar operations successfully by delivering the highest levels of performance and guest satisfaction.

Patrick has worked for such iconic brands as Four Seasons Hotels, Montage Resorts, Equinox and Sandals Resorts.Patrick serves as Chairman of the Board for the International Spa Association – the premier spa association with a presence in over 70 countries that fosters the development and professionalism of the global spa and wellness industries.

Patrick holds a Master of Fine Arts from Yale School of Drama in Acting and a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University in Creative/Nonfiction Writing, English Literature and Theatre.

He is also the Creator and Host of the podcast and video podcast “At the Podium with Patrick Huey” which has reached over 600,000 people since its inception in 2021. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, the show and its weekly newsletter focus on sharing the stories of people from a diverse background of lives, careers and experiences who have stepped boldly into saying “yes” to the unexpected and transformational detours of their lives.