Life and Work with Julz Coda

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julz Coda.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Julz. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As a hairdresser for over a decade, I’ve been fortunate enough to take my career all over the world. From movie sets to lava fields in Iceland, from Fashion Week to the villages of Cambodia, I’ve been able to share my craft as an educator in the beauty industry. I’ve also been able to share the incredible stories of my students from all over the world by creating documentaries that shed light on what the beauty industry is doing to give back all across the globe. With a passion for social action and helping others, education and advocacy have become my passions and beauty has been the catalyst to guide me.

If you would have asked me ten years ago, I would have never guessed my life would look like this. I’m no stranger to facing adversity, but being diagnosed with breast cancer at the height of my professional career…this was a whole new type of challenge. I was determined not to let my cancer diagnosis define me, but I had no idea how it would affect every area of my life.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In July 2018, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Being Stage 2 and invasive meant I needed to move quickly and begin treatment. Within mere weeks of my diagnosis, the amazing doctors at Pink Lotus Foundation, Dr. Kristi Funk, breast surgeon and NY Times best-selling author of “Breast: The Owners Manual”, and innovative reconstructive plastic surgeon Dr. Ritu Chopra, prepared me for this battle and by August 2 018, I underwent a bilateral mastectomy and reconstructive breast surgery to remove the tumors and my breasts completely. As I recovered from the surgery, my doctors called and told me we weren’t out of the woods yet. Because my cancer was invasive, it had already begun to spread and I was going to need further treatment. Thats when it got real. Chemo. The other “C” word.

As a woman, the trauma of losing your breasts is devastating enough. But coupled with the hair loss from chemo… it was too much. Not only as a woman but as a hairdresser, the thought of enduring hair loss was so deeply saddening. It felt different than losing my breasts. My old breast had turned on me, they tried to kill me! So, having them and the cancerous tumor inside them removed, felt empowering. But losing my hair? It felt like an unnecessary punishment almost. Hair is my livelihood. It’s all I know. And to have that taken away from me? I didn’t think I could manage.

I started documenting and blogging about my journey with surgery, chemo, and beyond. And as I nervously started to share my story across my social media channels, a beautiful thing happened. A host of friends, support and community sprung up all around me to stand by my side while I walked this trying road. In previous years, I had been active in local fundraisers and volunteered time and resources pretty regularly to several organizations. One organization, The Jill Foundation, raises money and resources specifically for hairdressers with breast cancer. Having volunteered with them many times in the past, I’m so grateful that all the footwork I put in over the years created these beautiful bonds and connections that allowed this amazing community to reach out to me when I was diagnosed. Another divinely orchestrated event actually came years before my diagnosis when a dear friend was diagnosed with breast cancer and asked me to help her during chemo with her cold caps. Not even knowing what it was, I agreed to help anyway. That’s when I learned about cold capping to prevent hair loss. I helped my friend with her cold caps during her chemo infusions and I watched her strength as she endured this painful and uncomfortable but successful process of keeping her hair! Years later I would find myself in the same position. After my first round of chemo when I began to lose my hair, I immediately began researching the cold caps. And as the 17th recipient of an extremely generous grant from The Jill Foundation, I was able to afford the cost of the Digni Cap to preserve the rest of my hair during chemo. And along the way, I was greeted by beauty industry mavens, like Raye & Ivy Wigs, HairtalkUSA, and MadeTrue Hair, who all graciously reached out to me offering their products, like wigs and extensions, to help me feel like myself again during this time.

As I neared the end of my chemo and treatment, I was hit with another surprise. Depression. Anxiety. Fear. I didn’t know what was happening. Why did I feel this way? Shouldn’t I be happy because I’m “all better” or “back to normal”, as everyone would say. But the truth is, I wasn’t back to normal and I never will be. Cancer changes you. Forever. And being in a new unfamiliar space post-treatment, I didn’t know who I was anymore. I felt disconnected from the beauty industry and disconnected from my clients. I couldn’t go to work because I had horrible anxiety attacks as I relived my story over and over whenever someone asked me how I was. Ultimately, being diagnosed with PTSD and survivorship depression, I made the choice for my mental and neurological health to take a hiatus from the salon life. But as I did this, these remarkable companies that had always supported me and my journey, not only offered support by giving me beautiful wigs and extensions, but even following through with work opportunities so that I could stay connected and learn a new avenue of the beauty industry. I connected with the beauty industry’s leading professional publication, Estetica Magazine, after I started blogging, and have joined their team as a contributing copywriter, editor, and photographer. Another example of the astounding community of support I have received while enduring this trying time.

Now, while learning new crafts, like wig coloring and wig making, I’ve also continued to document and blog about my experience so that I can share with other women like so many kind, caring and selfless people shared with me. Me and my friend, Mary Lewis, also a breast cancer survivor, realized that as young women in our 30s, there wasn’t a lot of resources that were relatable to help us with all the questions we had during our cancer journeys. It became clear right away that this was our purpose; to be the voice of our generation of women with breast cancer. We knew we had to create a community where other breast cancer thrivers, survivors and previvors could access better information and ask the real questions. And that’s how our podcast “My Old Boobs Tried To Kill Me” was born.

Bringing our own slightly dark sense of humor to an otherwise morbid topic, Mary and I address everything related to breast cancer, from surgery to chemo, from telling friends, to managing relationships while going through cancer. We are determined to bring all the taboo topics to light with this podcast. Dating after breast cancer, health insurance problems, learning to love your new body, even things as silly as how to shave your armpits after surgery! By sharing our experiences with our fellow breast cancer fighters, we become more connected to our community and also more confident and comfortable with ourselves. By sharing our stories, we hope to give other women the strength to shine also. Breast Cancer does not have to define you, but it can shape who you become, and learning that I have control over how I respond to my diagnosis, that gives me all the power I need to keep fighting, keep helping, and to wear my scars proudly.

I am not a victim of breast cancer… breast cancer is a victim of ME!

Reinventing myself in the wake of my breast cancer treatments hasn’t been easy. But fortunately, my mom always taught me to watch for the “emails from God”, as she calls them. You know, when you get a sign from the universe giving you your next direction, or when something just falls into place even after it feels like everything had failed? Thats an email from God. As I get farther away from the date of my last treatment though, I face new struggles and challenges.

When I was recovering from surgery, I felt a little better every day. I was stronger each day, I had more mobility, and each day I felt physically better. But when chemo began, my neurological health started to decline. I hate the terms “mental health” and “emotional health” because it paints a very abstract picture, nothing tangible. But mental and emotional health IS PHYSICAL. It’s neurological. And that’s physical. And believe me, it had major effects on me.

The depression and anxiety that finally set in were crippling. It felt as if when I was diagnosed, I just jumped into action. I had to plan surgery, deal with insurance, arrange all my professional affairs, and get my personal life in order. I was nonstop. But once that was done… I finally started to actually process my diagnosis. For the first time, I was emotionally responding to the physical trauma on my body and the neurological trauma of my circumstance.

After all I had gone through, I was diagnosed with PTSD. This affected everything. I couldn’t work in the salon because I was having anxiety attacks when anyone asked how I was doing. There were so many situations my PTSD prohibited me from participating in my regular life, so I started working with a cancer trauma therapist. Not only was this an integral part of working through the depression and anxiety, but it also created a safe space for me to calmly and gently get to the some of the core issues, just even being diagnosed with a life threatening illness.   

This also gave me the tools and the confidence to share my story with other women. Thats when I got another one of those emails from God. As I began to get more and more comfortable talking about my journey, I learned that THIS was the big moment, NOT getting cancer! Sharing my story, helping other women, THATS what the email from God was about! Being diagnosed with cancer was merely something I had to go through to prepare myself for the REAL email from God, the one that says I’m strong enough. The one that says I have a bigger purpose. The one that says cancer will not define you! The one that says my purpose is to help other women navigate their journey. And what a beautiful feeling finally, to feel like I belonged again, like I have a place here. 

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Reinventing myself after breast cancer has been a lot of work.

When I made the decision not to go back to the salon, I was excited about starting something new. A clean slate meant endless opportunities for me. I’ve been writing a lot more, both professionally in the beauty industry and also personally through my blogging and advocacy. And believe me, I had a lot to learn! I still do! Just starting a podcast was a full-time job! And I don’t mean recording it, I mean actually figuring out HOW to do it! I had to learn how to build a website, find a file hosting site, learn what a file hosting site even is! But I figured it out. And now, I have another marketable skill and that is so valuable. The same way I had to figure out how to make a documentary! I just dove in. When I heard a message that needed to be shared, a story that needed to be told, I found a way to do it. I learned how to use a camera, I taught myself how to edit, I did whatever it took to tell these stories and share these experiences because I knew the world needed to hear it. And I knew it was my purpose to be the voice so these stories could help other people. 

Now, I work doing freelance copywriting and photography while beginning to align myself with other advocacy groups, like The Breasties, who advocate for better resources and support for women who are affected by breast cancer. I’ve also become more involved with the Pink Lotus Foundation with fundraising efforts, community outreach and mentoring other patients.

I’m still figuring out what my path will be personally and professionally. But ever since I was introduced to the production side of media, I’ve been obsessed. So, whether it’s documentary film making or podcasts or blogging, I’m definitely excited to see where it leads me.

What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
A long time ago, a mentor I worked with, gave me some very specific direction. She told me whenever I’m done grocery shopping, put away the cart. That’s it. Just put it away where it belongs. It took me years, but one day it clicked; I’m getting it ready for the next person. I began to see how that principal could manifest into a beautiful feeling and community of support. It also taught me about integrity, doing the right thing even no one is watching. And while I’m certainly full of faults, I’ve learned to ask for help. Help, when I don’t know where the “cart” goes, help when the “cart” is too heavy for me alone, help when I can’t find a “cart”, help to unload the “cart”. And learning to get comfortable asking for help did not come easy for me! But it also taught me how to recognize the signs in someone else when they need help and maybe don’t know how to ask.

So, share your story, share your experience. You never know when you might be helping someone. And have the courage to ask for help. Give someone else the opportunity to help you with their experience. By shining our light, or showing our darkness, we create a community of enlightened, empathetic, and empowered people all around us. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://myoldboobstriedtokillme.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @julzcoda
• Other: @myoldboobstriedtokillme

Image Credit:
all images are owned by Julz Coda

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.