30. From Comedy to Cancer: A Story of Resilience and Reinvention with Chef AJ’s

Make sure to mention the code PODCAST when making your next reservation and enjoy 15% off on new bookings for 7-night stays in 2025.

Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2025.

Before she was a plant-based icon, Chef AJ was a teenage comedian playing her cheeks on The Tonight Show. Now, after writing bestselling cookbooks and transforming her health, she faces her toughest chapter yet: a cancer diagnosis.

We talk with AJ about her early career in showbiz, her transition to healthy eating after a pre-cancer scare, and how she built a thriving digital audience during the pandemic with Chef AJ Live. She opens up about learning she had stage three lung cancer despite a near-perfect lifestyle, the lessons it’s teaching her, and how she’s leaning into laughter, mindset, and daily joy to move forward.

Resources:

• Chef AJ’s YouTube: Chef AJ Live
• Read AJ’s latest cookbook: Sweet Indulgence
• Optimum Health Institute: optimumhealth.org
• Mentioned: Anatomy of an Illness by Norman Cousins

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA