Bits and Boobs

What happens when the treatment keeping your cancer under control stops working? Dakota shares the news that her current metastatic breast cancer treatment has stopped working, what progression in her brain means, and the reality of preparing for radiation and a new treatment plan while living with metastatic breast cancer. But this conversation goes well beyond treatment. We talk about the fear of an uncertain future, the heartbreak of watching someone you love go through something you can't fix, survivor's guilt, friendship, grief and why sometimes you don't need someone to tell you everything will be okay. You just need someone to sit beside you and say, "Yeah, this is really effing shit." And because it's us, there are tears, plenty of inappropriate jokes and a whole lot of oversharing along the way. We also share some really special moments from the past few weeks, including our work with Sussan, Breast Cancer Network Australia and LSKD, and why creating memories together has taken on a whole new meaning. Plus, a little update on what's next for Bits & Boobs, why you'll be hearing more of the two of us together and how we want YOU to help shape the conversations we have moving forward. This one is raw, emotional, a little chaotic and probably one of the most personal conversations we've shared. Come sit with us. x Sussan Fashion Exclusive Pink For Good Collection Since 2005, Sussan has proudly partnered with Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) to ensure every woman affected by breast cancer receives the care and support they deserve. Together, with the help of our customers, we’ve contributed over $3.6 million to BCNA’s vital initiatives. Today, 58 Australians will be told they have breast cancer. As a brand for women, by women, we’re more committed than ever to supporting BCNA’s mission. SHOWER LAMP!!! 💄 Our October Partner: Eye of Horus Cosmetics This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Bits & Boobs is proud to partner with Australian-owned beauty brand Eye of Horus Cosmetics. As part of our October collaboration, Eye of Horus is offering our community $25 off sitewide throughout the month of October. ✨ Use code: bits+boobs Explore the brand and its community initiatives: Eye of Horus x Cancer Chicks Eye of Horus Instagram Offer valid during October 2026. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Bits & Boobs and the conversations we're so passionate about having. 🎀 Follow along: @bitsandboobs.podcast New episodes available wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

This week is a little different for episode 3 of our BCAM. Dakota and Bianca sit down with Dakota’s mum Carolyn, to hear the story from the other side - the person standing beside you through the diagnosis, the treatment, the scans, the good news and the news nobody wants to hear. We talk about what it’s really like to be a parent watching your child go through something traumatic, while trying to stay strong for them when you’re terrified yourself. What do you say? How do you help? Where do you put your own fear and grief when the person going through it needs you to be their safe place? Dakota’s mum shares what the last 18 months have looked like from her perspective, from Dakota’s original breast cancer diagnosis to finding out it had become metastatic and the parts of being a support person that often happen quietly behind the scenes. Bianca also shares her perspective, and together we talk about how cancer doesn’t just happen to the person diagnosed. It ripples through partners, parents, siblings, friends and everyone who loves them. A really honest conversation about motherhood, helplessness, strength, anticipatory grief and what it means to keep showing up when you can’t fix what’s happening. Because sometimes we spend so much time asking how the person with cancer is doing, we forget to ask the people holding them up. 🩷 💄 Our October Partner: Eye of Horus Cosmetics This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Bits & Boobs is proud to partner with Australian-owned beauty brand Eye of Horus Cosmetics. As part of our October collaboration, Eye of Horus is offering our community $25 off sitewide throughout the month of October. ✨ Use code: bits+boobs | Offer valid during October 2026. Explore the brand and its community initiatives: Eye of Horus x Cancer Chicks Eye of Horus Instagram Thank you for supporting the brands that support Bits & Boobs and the conversations we're so passionate about having. 🎀 Follow along: @bitsandboobs.podcast New episodes available wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

BONUS EP for BCAM <3 Today I’m joined by the lovely Vicki from Breast Cancer Network Australia, an organisation that does some incredible work supporting and advocating for Australians affected by breast cancer. Vicki works in policy and advocacy, helping push for better care, better access to treatment and making sure the voices of people affected by breast cancer are actually being heard. We're getting everything from advocating for yourself, to metastatic breast cancer, treatment access and what really needs to change and what Breast Cancer Network Australia are doing. Because awareness is one thing, but turning that awareness into action is where we can make a difference. Breast Cancer Network Australia Follow along on Instagram Donate Here <3 💄 Our October Partner: Eye of Horus Cosmetics This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Bits & Boobs is proud to partner with Australian-owned beauty brand Eye of Horus Cosmetics. As part of our October collaboration, Eye of Horus is offering our community $25 off sitewide throughout the month of October. ✨ Use code: bits+boobs | Offer valid during October 2026. Explore the brand and its community initiatives: Eye of Horus x Cancer Chicks Eye of Horus Instagram Thank you for supporting the brands that support Bits & Boobs and the conversations we're so passionate about having 🎀 Follow along: @bitsandboobs.podcast New episodes available wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

Who takes care of Mum when she gets cancer? 🎀 Sarah Gale was used to being the strong one. A mum of two, a women's and pelvic health physiotherapist, and someone who had just taken the leap into starting her own business. Then, in November 2025, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This week on Bits & Boobs, Bianca sits down with Sarah for an honest conversation about what happens when the person who has always looked after everyone else suddenly needs looking after herself. From navigating motherhood through chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy and radiation to putting her career plans on hold, Sarah shares the realities of a diagnosis that changed far more than her health. Together, they explore the emotional weight of being the strong one, the impact of cancer on identity and body image, and the uncomfortable but important lesson of learning to ask for help. As part of our Breast Cancer Awareness Month series, this episode is a reminder that behind every diagnosis is an entire life already in motion. Children to raise, careers to build and plans for a future that suddenly looks very different. 💗 🎧 Mentioned in this episode Cold Therapy Mittens & Socks for Chemotherapy — The hand and foot cooling products Sarah referenced during the episode. Cold therapy may help reduce chemotherapy-related peripheral neuropathy for some patients. Always check with your oncology team before using cooling products during treatment. 💄 Our October Partner: Eye of Horus Cosmetics This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Bits & Boobs is proud to partner with Australian-owned beauty brand Eye of Horus Cosmetics. As part of our October collaboration, Eye of Horus is offering our community $25 off sitewide throughout the month of October. ✨ Use code: bits+boobs Explore the brand and its community initiatives: Eye of Horus x Cancer Chicks Eye of Horus Instagram Offer valid during October 2026. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Bits & Boobs and the conversations we're so passionate about having. 🎀 Follow along: @bitsandboobs.podcast New episodes available wherever you get your podcasts. 💗 Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

What happens when you know something isn’t right with your body… but you keep being told you’re fine? This week, Dakota sits down with Liz (@breastlizzismore), who was just 30 and three months postpartum when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, after almost a year of pushing for answers. Liz shares how her diagnosis went from being told she was overreacting to Stage 0, and eventually Stage 2B breast cancer. We talk about advocating for yourself when something doesn’t feel right, navigating chemo while caring for a new baby, fertility and the mum guilt that came with treatment. We also get into Liz’s decision to have a double mastectomy and stay flat and why she ultimately realised reconstruction would have been a decision she was making for everyone else... not herself. And then there’s what comes after cancer: scan anxiety, losing your “medical innocence”, survivorship, identity and the strange expectation to simply go back to normal when you don’t feel like the person you were before. Liz Instagram Eye of Horus x Cancer Chicks Eye of Horus Instagram $25 off sitewide - Eye of Horus for the month of October use the code word: bits+boobs Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

What does struggling actually look like when, from the outside, everything seems fine? This week, Dakota sits down with Elliott Hagen for a really honest conversation about men’s mental health and the things that can be incredibly hard to say out loud. We talk about what struggling looked like for him and the role drugs and alcohol played during some of the darker periods of his life. Elliott is on a mission to change suicide numbers, he explains that everyone has awareness, but what type of action needs to happen to lower these stats. Elliot talks about what actually helped him start getting himself into a better place, and why so many men wait until things feel “bad enough” before admitting they’re not okay. We also talk about suicide, vulnerability, substance use and what he’s learnt through his own journey. This one is heavier than some of our usual chats, but it’s an important one. Because you don’t have to wait until you’re at breaking point to ask for help. Content warning: This episode discusses suicide, mental health, drugs, alcohol. Please take care while listening and skip this episode if these topics feel difficult for you right now. If this conversation brings anything up for you, please reach out to someone you trust or seek professional support. Australian support resources are included below: Lifeline: 13 11 14 ---- Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 Mind Your Head Instagram Mind Your Head Podcast Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

What if knowing your risk could change the course of your life? 🧬💗 This week on Bits & Boobs, Bianca sits down with health activist, author and Humanise Health founder Krystal Barter for a conversation that feels particularly full circle. After growing up in a family profoundly impacted by breast and ovarian cancer, Krystal discovered in her early twenties that she carried a BRCA1 gene mutation. At just 25, she made the decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy and publicly shared her experience with Australia on 60 Minutes. But what followed became much bigger than her own story. From founding Pink Hope from her hospital bed to becoming one of Australia's leading voices in preventative health and patient-led advocacy, Krystal has spent more than two decades challenging the way we think about risk, prevention and the role patients should have in shaping healthcare. Together, Bianca and Krystal unpack what it really means to know your genetic risk, the reality of preventative surgery and the grief that can exist alongside empowerment. They talk surgical menopause, genomics, genetic discrimination, motherhood, identity and why lived experience deserves a genuine seat at the table. For Bianca, this conversation is also deeply personal. In 2017, at 20 years old and in the middle of breast cancer treatment, she appeared in Pink Hope's Know Your Risk campaign. Almost nine years later, she sits across from the woman who backed her early in her advocacy work to talk about just how far that ripple effect can travel. 💗 This episode is about prevention, purpose and knowing your own body. But more than anything, it's about agency and what can happen when women are given the information, support and confidence to advocate for their own health. 🎧 Hit play for a conversation we hope leaves you feeling informed, empowered and a little more confident in asking questions about your own health. ✨ CONNECT WITH KRYSTAL 📱 Krystal Barter on Instagram 🌐 Krystal Barter — Official Website 💗 HUMANISE HEALTH 📱 Humanise Health on Instagram 🌐 Humanise Health — Official Website 📖 READ KRYSTAL'S BOOK The Lucky One — Krystal Barter Krystal's memoir explores her family history, discovering her BRCA1 mutation, preventative surgery and the beginnings of Pink Hope. 📺 KRYSTAL'S 60 MINUTES STORY Krystal publicly documented her preventative double mastectomy with 60 Minutes, helping bring conversations around BRCA, hereditary cancer risk and preventative surgery into Australian homes. 🎥 Explore Krystal's media and story 🧬 KNOW YOUR RISK If you're concerned about your family history or hereditary cancer risk, speak with your GP or a qualified genetic counsellor about what may be appropriate for you. 🎙️ BITS & BOOBS 📱 Instagram — @bitsandboobs.podcast 📱 TikTok — @bitsandboobs.podcast Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

What actually is naturopathy? And are all those things we’ve been told are “normal” actually… normal? This week, Dakota sits down with degree-qualified naturopath Kenzie from Naturally Vibrant to talk all things hormones, periods, gut health and understanding what our bodies are trying to tell us. We get into what a naturopath actually does, finding the root cause and the symptoms women might be brushing off. Plus, we talk about nervous system regulation and Kenzie’s viral “products I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole” series, including skincare, body wash and how “natural” on a label can be NOT so natural. Basically, a big chat about knowing your body, asking more questions and understanding your health a little better. Come sit with us. x Mackenzie - BHSc Naturopath - https://www.instagram.com/naturallyvibrant_/ Mackenzie - Naturally Vibrant Naturopathy - https://bio.site/naturallyvibrant Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

Why can your best friend drink three coffees and feel fine, while one has you questioning your entire existence? And how much of your future health is actually written in your DNA? This week, Bianca sits down with Genetic Health Strategist and Epigenetic Coach Chris Barnes to unpack the fascinating world of genetics, epigenetics and why there really is no one-size-fits-all approach to health. They get into stress, sleep, anxiety, women’s health, inherited disease risk and longevity, plus what your genes can actually tell you about your body and what they can’t. Chris also helps us cut through the wellness noise. From supplements and biohacking to the expensive tests and health trends we’re constantly being sold, what actually moves the needle when it comes to living a longer, healthier life? If you’ve ever wondered why your body responds the way it does, this one might make you look at yourself a little differently. Find Chris: Instagram: @chrisbarneswellness https://www.instagram.com/chrisbarneswellness/ Website: https://chrisbarneswellness.com.au Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

What does being “healthy” actually look like when the internet is constantly telling us we need to be smaller, fitter, more productive and somehow doing more? This week, Dakota sits down with women’s health and fitness coach Liv Rose for a very real conversation about health beyond the before-and-after photos. Liv opens up about her own ADHD diagnosis, the impact medication had on her appetite and training, and the injury that forced her to rethink everything she thought she knew about fuelling her body. They unpack the rise of “skinny” culture and weight-loss drugs, losing your period, PMDD, body image, overtraining and why eating less isn't always the answer. But, as always, the conversation goes well beyond where it started. From adult friendships and loneliness to dating, celibacy, sobriety, self-worth, social media addiction and the slightly terrifying amount of our lives we're spending staring at our phones, this one really is about all the bits in between. Because looking after yourself isn't just what you eat or how you train. Sometimes it's eating more. Putting your phone down. Finding the right healthcare professional. Letting go of people who don't feel right. Or simply asking yourself: is the life I'm chasing actually mine? An honest, funny and incredibly refreshing conversation about our bodies, our brains and learning to look after both. 🎧 Find Liv: @livrose - https://www.instagram.com/thelivrose_/?hl=en 🏋🏼‍♀️ Coaching: https://www.instagram.com/limitlesssociety.co/?hl=en Love, Bits & Boobs x Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

This week, we’re back together to chat about the next chapter of Bits & Boobs! Why we’re moving to weekly episodes, taking on our own guests, AND opening the pod up to bigger conversations beyond cancer and giving B&B a little glow-up along the way. But obviously, we couldn’t just stay on topic. We catch up on life lately, what’s been going on with both of us, our current skincare favourites, the products we’re loving and probably a few things nobody asked to know. Same D&B. Same oversharing. Just a whole lot more to talk about. Come sit with us. This next chapter is going to be a good one!! Products talked about on the episode: Fuca Repair Oil https://fucaorganic.com/products/the-power-of-ten-ceramide-repair-oil La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/122041/la-roche-posay-cicaplast-baume-b5-40ml Medicube Zero Pore Cream https://www.adorebeauty.com.au/p/medicube/medicube-zero-pore-cream.html SUNSCREENS Mecca https://www.mecca.com/en-au/mecca-cosmetica/to-save-face-spf50-superscreen-75ml-I-081591 Fuca https://fucaorganic.com/products/spf-50-mineral-sunscreen Airyday https://www.sephora.com.au/products/airyday-golden-glow-dreamscreen-spf-50-plus/v/75ml Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

This week, Dakota is joined by Isiah McKimmie, one of Australia's leading couples therapists and sexologists. With nearly 20 years of experience, Isiah has helped thousands of individuals and couples build stronger relationships, navigate intimacy, improve communication and better understand desire. In this episode, we dive into the conversations so many of us avoid from body confidence to intimacy after illness, communication, relationships and the myths we've all grown up believing. Whether you're single, partnered, navigating a health journey or simply curious, this is an honest, empowering conversation full of practical takeaways. You can find more of Isiah's work through her books, podcast, online courses and educational resources, where she's on a mission to make conversations about sex and relationships feel less awkward and a whole lot more human! Resources & Links https://isiah-mckimmie.com/ “Most couples therapists never ask about intimacy. Most sex therapists never address communication. We provide relationship counselling, couples therapy and sexology so your relationship can thrive. Welcome to Relationship Harmony by Isiah McKimmie.” https://isiah-mckimmie.com/ - Get a copy of the couples therapy playbook! https://www.instagram.com/isiahmckimmie.sexologist/?hl=en Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

More Than a Tattoo is a conversation about healing, confidence and the part of breast cancer recovery that isn't talked about nearly enough. This week, Bianca is joined by Ash from @medicaltattoobyash, who takes us inside the world of cosmetic and medical tattooing and explains why her work is about so much more than recreating a nipple. From scar camouflage and restorative tattooing to rebuilding confidence after breast cancer, Ash shares how these treatments can help women feel like themselves again. Together, they answer some of the biggest questions around medical tattooing: when it's appropriate, how to find the right practitioner, what to ask before booking, and why feeling safe and informed matters just as much as the final result. If you've ever wondered what happens after reconstruction, or you're navigating life after breast cancer yourself, this is an episode filled with practical advice, compassion and hope. Resources & Links 🌸 Pink Lotus Australia Realistic 3D temporary nipple tattoos designed for people after breast surgery. A non-permanent option for those who aren't ready for, or don't wish to have, permanent medical tattooing. https://www.pinklotusaustralia.com.au/ 💗 Pink Ink Australia Supporting Australian male and female breast cancer survivors through funding and assistance for medical, cosmetic and artistic mastectomy tattooing. https://www.pinkinkaustralia.org.au/ 🎀 Look Good Feel Better Australia A free national support program helping people manage the physical and emotional side effects of cancer treatment through practical workshops and confidence-building resources. https://lgfb.org.au/ 📲 Follow Ash Instagram: @medicaltattoobyash Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

Dakota is joined by a different Bianca today! Bianca, the founder of the Yellow Freesia Foundation 💛 Bianca shares her story of being diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer as a brand new mum, after her cancer was found completely by accident. We chat about the shock of a diagnosis, navigating treatment away from family and the friendships that can change when life gets really hard. But this episode is also about Elle 🤍 The beautiful friend Bianca met on her very first day of chemo, who just got it. A friendship that eventually sparked the idea for the Yellow Freesia Foundation and its mission to support young women through cancer and beyond. Check out YFF here for complete FREE support for women ages 18-44: https://yellowfreesiafoundation.org/ https://www.instagram.com/yellowfreesiafoundation/ Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

This week on Bits & Boobs we're back for a catch-up episode. Bianca shares her recent trip to Canberra and her time in Parliament House advocating for patients, including why this work continues to be so important to her. We also chat about our latest giveaway, Dakota recaps her trip to Tasmania and we look ahead to some exciting guests and conversations coming to the podcast. A shorter episode this week filled with life updates, plenty of laughs and a little glimpse at what's been keeping us busy lately. Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

This week, we’re having a good old-fashioned yap about everything that’s been going on lately. Bianca shares why she is heading to Parliament House in Canberra! We chat about the Zoladex news and what it means for so many women, and of course, we get into some of the little spiritual moments that have happened lately that have had us both going “wait… what?!” Plus, we’re celebrating a pretty special milestone - Bits & Boobs turning ONE!!! and a massive giveaway to go with 🥹 One whole year of conversations, laughs, tears, guests, and saying the things we wish someone had said to us. Grab a cup of tea, get comfy and come have a catch-up with us 🤍 Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

This week, Dakota jumps behind the mic solo for a very honest life update on what it's really like living with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer at 30. From scan anxiety and treatment every 21 days, to trying not to let cancer stop her from booking a trip/travel or living her life, this is a conversation about the messy middle that doesn't often get talked about. Dakota shares the mental load of waiting for results, learning to live alongside uncertainty, and the constant balance between planning for the future while navigating a diagnosis that can make everything feel fragile. This episode is for anyone living with uncertainty, health challenges, or simply trying not to put life on hold while waiting for the next thing. Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

Claire is back in your ears <3 If you’re new here we suggest that you go back to Episode 8 and listen to the first half of Claire’s story. This episode honestly just feels like three girls having a yap on a rainy Sunday afternoon. We chat about the reality of life after a double mastectomy, the emotional rollercoaster of recovery, body image, and the really hard feeling of not getting the pathology results Claire was hoping for after surgery. There’s laughter, honesty, a few deep moments, and lots of the stuff people don’t really talk about enough once the surgery is actually over. We always love having Claire on and we know so many of you are going to feel less alone listening to this one. Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

This week on Bits & Boobs , we’re doing something a little different; a proper catch up between the two of us. We talk about life lately, slowing down after chaos, creativity, motherhood, work, treatment updates, survivorship, the hidden costs of cancer, body confidence after surgery, and the strange little griefs that come with trying to live a “normal” life after diagnosis. A soft reminder that healing, surviving and living can all exist in the same breath. Listen now 🎧 Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

This week, Bianca takes on her first solo episode and opens up about her experience with grief across different chapters of her life. Losing her mum as a child. Being diagnosed with cancer at 20. And more recently, losing her brother. This isn’t a neat or tidy conversation. It’s an honest reflection on how grief actually feels, how it lingers, and how it can show up when you least expect it. If you’ve ever felt like you should be handling things better or moving on faster, this episode is a reminder that you’re not alone. Get in touch with us! 🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast ✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes