Summits Podcast

Epi 104: Thriving Through the Storm: Elissa Kalver on Living Fully with Stage 4 Cancer and Building We Got This

March 31st, 2026  |  55 mins 7 secs

apple, babsoncollege, beatcancer, boston, boxing, braincancer, breastcancer, bschool, businessschool, california, cancer, caregiver, clinicaltrial, collaboration, community, daughter, dothingstogether, family, fcancer, gofundme, hero, heroesfoundation, indiana, indianapolis, indy, inspiration, lesions, los angeles, metastatic, motivation, mtv, networking, nonprofit, prevention, research, rhoback, showursummits, speaker, stage4, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, summitspodcast, support, tech, terminal, ucla, unitinginagainstcancer, wegothis

What does it look like to not just survive cancer — but truly thrive through it? In this inspiring episode, cohosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah sit down with Elissa Kalver, a force of nature who is living with stage 4 breast cancer and channeling that experience into something extraordinary.

Elissa is the founder of We Got This, a nonprofit organization reimagining what support looks like for the cancer community. Through thoughtfully curated gift registries, trusted product and resource recommendations, and a growing library of essential tools, We Got This is helping patients and their loved ones feel seen, equipped, and empowered at every stage of the journey.

But Elissa didn't stop there. She's also the author of the We Got This book, the host of the We Got This podcast, and the creator of her personal podcast Live Like It Matters — a testament to her belief that every single day is worth showing up for.

In this conversation, Elissa shares the story behind the mission, what she's learned about resilience and purpose in the face of a stage 4 diagnosis, and how she's building a community that refuses to be defined by fear.

This is an episode about courage, impact, and living with intention. You don't want to miss it.

Learn more about We Got This at wegotthis.org.

Episode 102: James Golding - From Survivor to Ultra Cyclist

February 10th, 2026  |  1 hr 24 mins

accountability, beatcancer, cancer, cancersurvivor, caregiver, community, cycling, diagnosis, england, family, father, fcancer, fundraising, greatormond, guinessrecord, hero, heroesfoundation, impact, indiana, indianapolis, indy, inspiration, london, morganstanley, motivation, onestepatatime, peertopeer, podcast, portugal, prevention, raceacrossamerica, research, rugby, showursummits, speaker, stage4, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, support, surgery, triathlon, uk, unitedkingdom, unitinginagainstcancer, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes, worldrecord

Missed the 26th Annual An Evening With Heroes? Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered! In episode 102 of The Summits Podcast, cohosts Vince Todd Jr. and Daniel Abdallah sit down with the event’s keynote speaker, James Golding.

James is a two-time cancer survivor turned ultra-distance cyclist with an incredible story of resilience, determination, and triumph. From battling life-threatening illness to conquering some of the world’s toughest cycling challenges, James shares how he overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles—one step (or mile) at a time.

Get ready to be inspired by his journey of grit, gratitude, and the power of never giving up.

Epi 91: Volunteerism and raising the next generation of cancer fighters with Lori Wheeler

July 29th, 2025  |  30 mins 36 secs

austria, baseball, beatcancer, bishopchatard, cancer, caregiver, clinicaltrials, coach, coloncancer, community, dad, europe, fcancer, foundation, friend, germany, helpourselvesbyhelpingothers, hero, heroes, ihm, immaculateheart, indiana, indianapolis, industrious, inspiration, iu, nashville, neighbor, nephews, newpal, podcast, prevention, principal, purdue, reddevils, research, richmond, sales, showursummits, southernglasers, stage4, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, support, unitingindianaagainstcancer, volunteer, volunteerism, whatsurcancerstory

In episode 91 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah are joined by long-time Heroes Foundation volunteer Lori Wheeler. Tune in as Lori shares the cancer stories that have shaped her family and how she is raising her children to make a difference in their communities.

Epi 76: Facing your child’s cancer diagnosis with Sarah Beggs

September 4th, 2024  |  36 mins 21 secs

advancement, beatcancer, cancer, caregiver, community, cornell, curtsimic, dallas, daughter, depauw, eds, goldmansachs, havegrace, hero, heroes, heroesfoundation, indiana, indianapolis, indianauniversity, indianauniversityfoundation, inspiration, iu, iusf, jelloshots  , little500, livingtolive, lungcancer, morein24, newyorkcity, nyc, philanthropy, plano, podcast, sloankettering, stage4, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, summitspodcast, texas, westpoint, whyheroes

In episode 76 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah travel to Indiana University in Bloomington to visit Sarah Beggs, Senior Vice President at the Indiana University Foundation. Tune in as Sarah shares how cancer became personal for her family as her daughter faced a stage 4 ALK+ lung cancer diagnosis.

Epi 75: Living fully after cancer with survivor Kevin Bohn

July 23rd, 2024  |  46 mins

ambassador, athlete, beatcancer, blood cancer, california, cancer, caregiver, chicostate, chop, coma, community, cybersecurity, hero, heroesfoundation, indiana, indianapolis, inspiration, kevstrong, leukemia, lymphoma, marathon, nonhodgkins, podcast, resuscitated, runnerwithoutastomach, running, sacramento, santarosa, showursummits, stage4, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, summitspodcast, tahoe, teamheroes, universityofcalifornia, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes, willpower, yubico

In episode 75 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah are joined by California-native Kevin Bohn of Yubico. At just 25 years old, Kevin was blindsided with a stage 4 lymphoma diagnosis, resulting in removal of his stomach and spleen. Post-treatment, Kevin eventually committed himself to growth after cancer, focusing on his mental health and energy. Now five years post-treatment, Kevin has ran multiple half-marathons and will run the Santa Rosa Marathon in August 2024. Don’t miss Kevin’s story of strength and perseverance.

Epi 44: Andrew McMullan shares why he gives back to Hoosiers fighting cancer

December 27th, 2022  |  30 mins 23 secs

ballstate, beatcancer, biking, california, cancer, caregiver, chirpchirp, community, dad, entrepreneur, father, fit4heroes, foundation, hero, heroes, heroesfoundation, indiana, indianapolis, inspiration, islandofmisfittoys, lungcancer, mountainbiking, noblesville, outdoors, showursummits, socal, southerncalifornia, stage4, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, summitspodcast, teamheroes, tsienergysolutions, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes

In episode 44 of the Summits Podcast, Vince Todd, Jr. sits down with Andrew McMullan, President and Owner of TSI Energy Solutions. Tune in as Andrew shares his father’s stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis, how that diagnosis affected his entrance into his father’s business, and why TSI Energy Solutions supports the Heroes Foundation. “It’s incredible to see a local organization give back in the way that Heroes does and being able to feel like you actually can be part of that is incredibly meaningful.”

Epi 30: Amy Kirsh and her two-time Melanoma journey

May 31st, 2022  |  31 mins 33 secs

beatcancer, biopsy, braincancer, cancer, caregiver, carmel, carmelhs, chicago, community, hero, indiana, indianapolis, indianauniversity, indy, indy500, inspiration, iu, lungcancer, may, mdanderson, melanoma, memphis, metastasis, northcentralhs, northwestern, petscan, scanxiety, showursummits, skincancerawareness, spf, stage3, stage4, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, summitspodcast, vanderbilt, vandy, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes

In episode 30 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah are joined by Amy Kirsh. As we close out Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, tune in as Amy shares her two-time journey with Melanoma and what she learned through the experience.

As we head into summer months, protect yourself! When it comes to sunscreen – apply liberally and often. Let’s #beatcancer together.

Subscribe to the audio version of the Summits Podcast
https://summitspodcast.fireside.fm

Find out more about the Heroes Foundation
https://www.heroesfoundation.org

Find out more about The Brookfield Group
https://thebrookfieldgroup.com

Discover Platform 24 co-working
https://www.platform24.co

What’s your cancer story?

Hosted by cancer survivor and philanthropist Vince Todd, Jr., Chairman and Co-Founder of the Heroes Foundation, and Heroes Foundation Board Member Daniel Abdallah, the Summits Podcast is a place for people to share their stories.

Everyone has a cancer story.

From battling a deadly disease to caring for a loved one, when we rise up and face life’s greatest challenges, we see with a new vision, feel with a greater passion, and think with a deeper perspective.

Along the way, paths cross, journeys intersect, and missions converge.

For Vince Todd, it was his own cancer diagnosis that led him and his wife, Cindy, to launch the Heroes Foundation to provide meaningful support to cancer patients, education to promote cancer prevention, and resources to advance research for a cure.

What started with friends and family grew into a community. The Summits Podcast is an extension of that community.

Our stories are what bring us together.

Artists, athletes, doctors, business people - we’re all family members, community leaders, and activists.

Everyone has a story. Anyone can inspire. No one battles alone.

Join the conversation.