This empowering book launches the new Cancer Compass; an essential
self-leadership resource for people facing cancer. It extends its reach to
caregivers, healthcare professionals, and organisations committed to offering
meaningful support to anyone in their workforce dealing with cancer. It
encourages us to see cancer not solely as a medical challenge, but as a
profound moment to honour the resilience of our human spirit, embrace growth,
and reclaim control of our lives for a brighter future.
Teresa Ferreiro-Vilariño challenges her readers to shift their perspective, prioritising personal empowerment, connection and purposeful living. Her insights about resilience coaching and each person’s human potential are uplifting. Her book is deeply rooted in practical application, including thoughtful exercises and tools that prompt us to access our inner resources, engage in self-discovery and cultivate our secure bases. These unique gifts guide us to align our decisions with our values and goals, helping us chart a path forward with choice, clarity and confidence.
Interview
What was your main drive to write this book?
My main drive was to help transform the way people experience cancer. Too often, a diagnosis can make people feel as though they are powerless of their lives or become defined by their illness.
I wanted to offer a different perspective—one that helps people reconnect with themselves, recognise their inner resources, and approach cancer from a place of agency, choice, and self-leadership. My hope is that readers feel empowered to speak their truth and navigate the experience on their own terms.
What do you hope readers will learn by reading this book?
I hope readers discover that they are more than their diagnosis and that they do not have to become hostages to cancer.
Cancer brings many things we cannot choose, but it also presents opportunities to make conscious choices about how we respond, what matters most, and how we want to live. I hope readers realise that they already possess many of the resources they need to navigate the journey with courage, awareness, and authenticity.
Did you do much research when planning this book?
Yes—many years' worth.
The journey that eventually became this book began with my own cancer diagnosis in 2009. The questions that emerged from that experience led me to train as a coach and later complete a PhD exploring how coaching can support people living with cancer.
Navigate Cancer combines lived experience, professional practice, and five years of academic research. In many ways, I had been researching and writing this book long before I sat down to draft the first chapter.
Did you have any main people who helped you in the process of this book or influenced you to write it?
I was fortunate to have the support of many people throughout the process.
Mark Lodge played a particularly important role as the book's transcreator. He helped shape the original manuscript through countless conversations and iterations, ensuring that the ideas were accessible, engaging, and easy to understand.
Wendy Yorke also made an invaluable contribution. She read the manuscript with a fresh and experienced eye and, as she beautifully put it, helped me "polish the diamond." Through her feedback and our many brainstorming conversations, she challenged me to refine ideas, strengthen the structure, and transform the manuscript into a book that was truly ready for publication.
I was also influenced by many of the people I have met throughout my cancer journey—patients, healthcare professionals, coaches, researchers, friends, and family members. Each of them contributed, in one way or another, to the thinking behind the book and the Cancer Compass framework.
How long did this book take you to write from initial thought to hitting publish?
That depends on where you start counting.
From the moment the first idea emerged, I would say around ten years. From the moment I actively started writing the manuscript, approximately three years.
The book is the result of a much longer journey that includes my cancer experience, years of coaching practice, and five years of doctoral research.
Do you have plans to write more about this topic or new topics?
I write and speak about these topics all the time, so the conversation certainly continues.
I don't know whether there will be another book yet, but I know there will be new content, new conversations, and new ways of helping people navigate life's most challenging moments. Whether through coaching, speaking, research, podcasts, or future writing projects, this work is far from finished.
About the Author
Teresa Ferreiro-Vilariño is the Founder and CEO of
Kimberlite
(
https://www.kimberlite.es), an innovative organisation dedicated to providing
comprehensive support to people navigating cancer—particularly within
corporate settings—through professional coaching. A
Master Certified
Coach (MCC) accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Teresa
brings
more than 20 years of experience working with leaders and organisations
worldwide.
At the age of 36, a breast cancer diagnosis marked a turning point in her
life, redirecting her focus toward empowering people living with cancer. In
the years that followed, she authored her first book, I Have Breast
Cancer–What Now?, recognised for its inspirational and practical
guidance, embraced motherhood, and founded a charitable initiative supporting
young women navigating motherhood after cancer. She later earned a PhD focused
on applying professional coaching methodologies to the specific needs of
people facing serious health challenges. In recognition of her commitment to
patient advocacy, she was honoured with the European Patient Champion Award by
EyeforPharma in 2019.
Teresa is also an executive coach and coaches across multiple programs at IMD
Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, including the flagship
High-Performance Leadership (HPL) Program, supporting leaders in developing
resilience, clarity, and sustainable performance.
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