For many years, Emma Griffis was intimidated by the gym and by lifting heavy weights.

“I never knew what to do when I stepped into a gym and saw barbells,” said the now 44-year-old from Denver, Colorado.

So, for years she turned to running, as it felt more familiar to her than lifting weights. But when she started experiencing knee pain and plantar fasciitis, she decided it was time to explore something new.

Emma joined a summer training program to learn how to lift weights, but something was still missing.

“I wasn’t quite sure where to go from there. I didn’t feel very confident just making my own training plan,” she said.

A year-and-a-half ago, Emma stumbled across Empower after hearing Dr. Stacy Sims talk about it on a podcast. It sounded perfect to her, so she signed up for the Take Off program.

And then came the diagnosis that changed everything.

It started with nipple dryness that her dermatologist wasn’t concerned about. But when it didn’t go away, Emma was sent for a biopsy.

On May 30, 2025, Emma was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early form of breast cancer.

She chose a single mastectomy and was hopeful “that would be it,” said Emma, a mother of three kids.

It was not. After the surgery, doctors discovered more invasive breast cancer, so Emma’s next step is to go through six cycles of chemotherapy, which she will begin this month and will continue for four months.

Emma admits the harder part of what she is going through right now is dealing with the unknown and the uncertainty.

“Once I got my treatment plan, I felt a lot better just knowing, ‘OK, this is what’s going to happen,’ but the uncertainty has been tough, and now the uncertainty of how my body is going to react to chemo,” she explained.

One thing that has really helped is working out.

Leading up to her mastectomy, Emma “upped my game” and began following Flight four, or even five days a week,.

“Once I knew I was going to have surgery, I prioritized my Empower workouts much more heavily to prepare my body for the surgery and get as strong as I could beforehand,” she said.

It helped a lot, not just physically but also mentally.

“After I got diagnosed, and especially once I found out I was going to need a mastectomy, I was definitely feeling a lot of anxiety about that, and I definitely could feel a difference once I would get my workout in each day, just feeling some of that anxiety slip away,” she said.

For six weeks after her surgery, however, Emma wasn’t allowed to workout. She continued walking, but she missed her Empower workouts.

Finally, last week, six weeks after her surgery, her restrictions were lifted and Emma returned to the gym.

“It was great to be back in the gym working out. I felt a little self-conscious about my new one-breasted look, but also felt strong to be lifting,” she said.

And although she is not out of the weeds, as she still has chemotherapy to get through, she still intends to prioritize the gym throughout her chemo treatments, because it makes such a big difference.

“As much as I can, as much as I have energy for throughout the chemo process, I know it’s going to be very beneficial for me to get back into the gym, both physically and maybe even more importantly, for that mental aspect."

The second thing that has helped Emma through her journey so far is letting others help her, something she felt difficult at first.

“It was a little bit awkward for me because I don’t like to be the center of attention, but it has been really beneficial. We have people bringing us meals, and because I don't have to worry about cooking, I am able to go for a walk or exercise and take care of myself,” she said.

Having the Empower community to lean on has also helped her mentally.

After she was diagnosed, Emma posted on the Empower Facebook page, and multiple women who had also gone through breast cancer reached out. Since then, Emma regularly connects with breast cancer survivors via message and