Nerissa Balland on Creativity, Resilience, and Canvas of Courage

Host Dr Russell Thackeray welcomes Fort Lauderdale–based visual artist, therapeutic arts practitioner, author, and two-time cancer survivor Nerissa Balland, who discusses her work at the intersection of creativity, resilience, and personal growth. After being diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in 2016 while pregnant and parenting a toddler, she navigated surgeries, immunotherapy, later recurrence, chemotherapy she stopped due to low odds and side effects, and advocacy challenges including being told to terminate a pregnancy; she is now 8.5 years NED. Balland distinguishes therapeutic arts from art therapy and reframes resilience as engaging with adversity and moving forward, focusing on process over product, identity, and what can be controlled. She describes interviewing 100+ young mothers with cancer and her book, "Canvas of Courage," featuring 19 stories with practical “grace notes,” addressing gratitude, creativity, and how to show up for others. 00:00 Heatwave Welcome 00:48 Meet Nerissa 01:47 Art and Resilience Mission 04:07 What Visual Artist Means 05:20 Redefining Resilience 07:24 Therapeutic Arts Explained 10:24 Identity and Honest Expression 12:12 Corporate Toxicity Lessons 17:51 Control and Moving Forward 19:38 Creative Coping Stories 21:48 Melanoma Diagnosis Journey 30:14 Advocacy and Treatment Choices 32:28 Canvas of Courage Book 38:14 Where to Find Nerissa 38:57 Final Thanks and Goodbye You can contact us at [email protected] Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com