Normal 40: The Podcast #65: The Diagnosis: What Cancer Taught Steve Garraty About Regret, Resilience, and the Second Resume
Jun 6, 2025
01:04:29
Sometimes it takes a crash, literal and emotional, to finally wake up. For Steve Garraty, it was both.
Before the diagnosis, there was the drinking. The parties. The wrecked cars. The spiral most people didn’t see coming, not even him. But then came the mass on his neck. A cancer diagnosis at 18. And suddenly, the path he was speeding down came to a screeching halt.
In this episode, Lon sits down with Steve for a deeply personal conversation about the years that led to his diagnosis, and the transformation that followed. Steve doesn’t hold back about the chaos, the consequences, or the grace that found him in the darkest places.
This episode isn’t about cancer.
It’s about change.
And about choosing what you do with the life you get after it all falls apart.
Key Takeaways:
What's Next
You don’t need a diagnosis to decide to change. But you do need to decide.
Start by reading Steve Garraty's book Greatfruit now available on Amazon, then ask yourself: What’s in your Second Résumé™… and who might it help?
Buy Steve's book "Greatfruit" here: https://a.co/d/7GktD9M
🔗 Connect with Lon and Steve
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com/subscribe
Before the diagnosis, there was the drinking. The parties. The wrecked cars. The spiral most people didn’t see coming, not even him. But then came the mass on his neck. A cancer diagnosis at 18. And suddenly, the path he was speeding down came to a screeching halt.
In this episode, Lon sits down with Steve for a deeply personal conversation about the years that led to his diagnosis, and the transformation that followed. Steve doesn’t hold back about the chaos, the consequences, or the grace that found him in the darkest places.
This episode isn’t about cancer.
It’s about change.
And about choosing what you do with the life you get after it all falls apart.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s not a question of if adversity comes. It’s when. And how you use it.
- Most people avoid their past. Steve turned it into a book that might save someone else.
- True change rarely comes from comfort.
- Support doesn’t always come from where you expect.
- Real growth starts when you stop pretending everything’s fine.
- Gratitude, empathy, and faith are survival tools for the long game.
- You don’t need a perfect life to have an impact. You need a truthful one.
- Your “second resume,” the messy, painful stuff you usually hide, might be the most powerful thing you have to offer.
What's Next
You don’t need a diagnosis to decide to change. But you do need to decide.
Start by reading Steve Garraty's book Greatfruit now available on Amazon, then ask yourself: What’s in your Second Résumé™… and who might it help?
Buy Steve's book "Greatfruit" here: https://a.co/d/7GktD9M
🔗 Connect with Lon and Steve
- Lon Stroschein: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein
- Steve Garraty:
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com/subscribe