Summits Podcast

Epi 90: Men’s mental health with @buildingarefuge and Brandon Leum

July 9th, 2025  |  40 mins 33 secs

avon, baldhead, barndominium, beatcancer, brother, buildingarefuge, cancer, caregiver, community, dairy, emotionintoaction, fcancer, fishers, foundation, golf, harleydavidson, hero, heroes, hoosier, indiana, indianapolis, inspiration, itsoktonotbeok, iu, kohler, lacrosse, listeningskills, lungcancer, mensmentalhealth, mentalhealth, newglarus, norwegian, patience, podcast, prevention, research, saladbar, sandvalley, showursummits, spottedcow, story, suicide, summit, summits, summits podcast, supperclub, support, swing4heroes, teamheroes, thebarpodcast, unitingindianaagainstcancer, vincennes, walleye, wisconsin

In episode 90 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah are joined by Brandon Leum, Founder of @buildingarefuge. Tune in as Brandon shares the organization’s mission to bring hope and encouragement to men through meetings, events, and the BAR Podcast.

You can connect with Building a Refuge at buildingarefuge.org.

Epi 53: Zak Keefer shares his family’s cancer story

May 23rd, 2023  |  27 mins 38 secs

athletic, beatcancer, braincancer, cancer, caregiver, colts, community, communityhealth, dad, dougboles, englishpaper, foundation, gbm, glioblastoma, golf, hero, heroes, hoosier, hse, ims, indiana, indianapolis, indianauniversity, indy500, inspiration, irsay, iu, jimirsay, journalism, journalist, lfgin23, memory, native, nfl, pacers, pga, podcast, showursummits, sports, sportswriter, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, theathletic, therapeutic, tonyhulman, whyheroes

In episode 53 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah are joined by Zak Keefer, NFL writer for The Athletic, Indianapolis Colts insider for WISH-TV, and adjunct professor of journalism at The Media School at Indiana University.  Tune in as Zac shares the inside of being a sports journalist and the cancer diagnosis that changed his family forever.  “You can’t change what happened, but you can live every day to make your dad proud.”

Epi 52: Dr. Nick Countryman shares skin cancer prevention tips

May 3rd, 2023  |  30 mins 8 secs

aad, americanacademyofdermatology, asymmetry, beatcancer, border, cancer, carcinoma, caregiver, coloncancer, color, community, dermatologist, dermatology, diameter, evolving, freeskincancerscreening, golf, hero, heroes, heroesfoundation, ihm, immaculateheart, indiana, indianapolis, indy500, inspiration, josefnewgarden, lfgin23, lungcancer, mba, md, melanoma, meridiankessler, notredame, penske, pickleball, podcast, selfexam, showursummits, skincancer, skincancerscreening, spf, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, summitspodcast, tanningbeds, tennis, tonykanaan, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes, yale

In episode 52 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah are joined by Dr. Nick Countryman, dermatologist at Dawes Fretzin Dermatology.  As we head into Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, you don’t want to miss Dr. Countryman’s top tips for protecting your skin from harmful sun exposure.

Epi 33: Dr. Andy Bullock details the cancer research happening at the University of Notre Dame

July 27th, 2022  |  26 mins 51 secs

beatcancer, cancer, caregiver, collaboration, community, cornell, earlydetection, golf, harpercancerresearchinstitute, hero, indiana, indianapolis, indianauniversity, inspiration, iu, mba, mexico, navy, notredame, phd, sandiego, showursummits, southbend, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, universityofnotredame, usnavy, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes

In episode 33 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah travel to the University of Notre Dame to talk with Dr. Andy Bullock, Associate Director of the Harper Cancer Research Institute. Tune in as Dr. Bullock shares his time at Indiana University, Cornell University and the U.S. Navy, as well as the incredible growth he’s seen over the past decade at the Harper Cancer Research Institute. “The things we’re doing now, in cancer health disparities initiatives and collaborations with universities…those were just ideas at the time. To build those has been a wonderful experience.”

For more on the Catherine Peachey Fund’s recent gift to the Harper Cancer Research Institute, read more here: https://www.heroesfoundation.org/the-catherine-peachey-fund-announces-100000-gift-to-university-of-notre-dame-cancer-researcher/

Epi 27: Dr. Erik Barrett on surviving testicular cancer, giving back to the cancer community

April 26th, 2022  |  38 mins 2 secs

15years, barretteyecare, beatcancer, cancer, caregiver, carmel, community, dallas, fiji, friends, golf, hero, hoosiers, indiana, indianapolis, indianauniversity, inspiration, iu, iuschoolofmedicine, lancearmstrong, northcentral, panthers, philmickelson, sigmachi, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, swing4heroes, tennis, tigerwoods, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes

In episode 27 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah are joined by Dr. Erik Barrett of Barrett Eyecare. Tune in as Erik shares his journey with testicular cancer, and the hand he played in helping the Heroes Foundation grow from the beginning. “What you guys do with Heroes is so amazing, because the more money we can generate in, maybe we can pump into research and development. We want our kids to not have the same fear that you and I did when we were diagnosed.”

Summits Podcast Episode 18: Brian Dancy On Surviving Stage 4 Cancer And The Silver Linings Along The Way  

December 1st, 2021  |  37 mins 19 secs

attitude, beat cancer, cancer, caregiver, charleston, colorectal cancer, community, duke, golf, greensboro, hero, indiana, indianapolis, inspiration, it takes a village, i’m not dead yet motherfuckers, north carolina, raleigh, silver linings, sloan kettering, starmount forest, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, swing 4 heroes, team dancy, united metal finishing, what’s ur cancer story

Diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer in 2020, Brian Dancy was initially given two years to live.

“I didn’t quite believe it. I didn’t want to believe it.”

From the diagnosis that left him dumbfounded to the support system that swooped in and surrounded him – how cancer has changed his outlook on life, the advice he’d give others, and how he plans to continue to beat the odds.

Summits Podcast Episode 17: Kristin Spodobalski’s Caregiver Journey

November 9th, 2021  |  54 mins 10 secs

appendicial cancer, beat cancer, cancer, caregiver, caregivers awareness month, caregivers concierge, community, connecticut, espn, golf, grace, halloween, healthcare, hero, hoosiers, indiana, indianapolis, inspiration, milk duds, new york giants, november, story, stuart scott, summit, summits, summits podcast, tarheels, wellthy

A caregiver by nature, Kristin Spodobalski’s cancer story is unique.

“I fell in love with a man that was battling cancer at the time that we met and his name was Stuart Scott.”

Her journey, his battle, their story, and the message she has for caregivers.