You Can Do Everything Right and Still Get Breast Cancer with Clare Dougherty

You can eat well, exercise, and do everything right—and still get breast cancer. So how do you understand your risk, ask better questions, and make sure your concerns are heard? In this episode of Building the Noise, Matt Toresco sits down with Clare Dougherty, CEO of the Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer, to discuss breast cancer risk, early detection, and the power of patient self-advocacy. ABOUT THE GUEST Clare brings decades of experience in public policy, nonprofit leadership, and advocacy for women’s and children’s health. At the Brem Foundation, she leads work focused on early detection education, access, and policy change. She shares her personal experience navigating breast cancer risk, why negative genetic testing wasn’t the whole picture, and how the foundation helps women prepare for conversations with their healthcare providers. KEY TAKEAWAYS • Why the conversation about breast cancer risk goes beyond family history. • How screening guidance can leave patients with unanswered questions. • Why additional diagnostic tests can create financial barriers. • How the B Fund and Wheels for Women help address access challenges. • Why speaking up—and seeking another opinion when you feel unheard—matters. • How patient stories and coalitions can help drive policy change. WHY THIS MATTERS Knowing what to ask is only part of the challenge. Women also need access to appointments, diagnostic testing, and providers who listen. This conversation explores how education, practical support, and advocacy can help close those gaps. LEARN MORE ABOUT CLARE & THE BREM FOUNDATION • Clare Dougherty’s bio: https://www.bremfoundation.org/team • Brem Foundation: https://www.bremfoundation.org/ • CheckMate breast health quiz: https://breastquiz.bremfoundation.org/ • Breast health and early detection resources: https://www.bremfoundation.org/breast... JOIN THE CONVERSATION What needs to change most: clearer screening information, affordable testing, or making sure women are heard? Tell us in the comments. Subscribe to Building the Noise for more conversations about patient advocacy and healthcare. Like this video, share it with someone who would value the conversation, and watch another Building the Noise episode for more patient and advocacy perspectives. #BreastCancer #EarlyDetection #PatientAdvocacy #BreastHealth #BremFoundation #BuildingTheNoise