Definition: Constellation and Somatic Artistry
Melissa Stefano is a Creative Visionary and founder of The Cancer Confidence Movement and Cancer Confidence Matrix. Stefano is known particularly for her research on the war metaphor, wisdom in crisis and applying these findings through the principles underpinning her work. She has developed a blueprint of more than fifty principles in order to diffuse cancer trauma and unsolicited opinions from societal conversations.
Since the diagnosis of three conditions in 2014 including cancer, pelvic floor dyssynergia and Hashimoto’s disease followed by homelessness, then houselessness in 2018, Melissa finally stopped seeking a permanent roof over her head. She has been boho-ing around for four years while incubating a number of creative and commercial projects centered around two themes: Stopping the Cancer War and improving the quality of the lived cancer experience in 72 hours.
Melissa is drawing on her 30 years as a dancer and story dance creative director, and twelve years of professional coaching, to develop a system of personal growth especially for people in crisis, advocating a shift in just 72 hours.
MELISSA STEFANO
THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU IF:
You are fed up with cancer being talked about like it is a war
You are annoyed with how the media portrays cancer
You love someone who is experiencing cancer, and you don’t know what to say or do
You feel overwhelmed
You sometimes feel shame, embarrassment, fear, or guilt
You want to make the most of your cancer experience
You want to feel better each day but you don’t know how
and
You like the concept of reading something that is less about ‘story’ and more about joy, curiosity and love.
The Surprisingly Simple Truth About CASA, is it is mysterious, unexpected and has been starting at you in the face for years.
We are encouraged
'WHY'
The Practice of Confidence, Freedom, Wisdom, Consciousness — and Joy!
If we want to find the way back to ourselves and shake the cancer identity, we need the language and humble confidence to both tell our cancer stories ethically and build cancer businesses, coaches, therapists, healers and industry conduits by moral compass first. In Uncancering: Prepare to Love the Unlovable, we explore one topic a day for 33 days in three overarching themes.
Unlearning Systems: freeing yourself from old beliefs and values.
Going Beyond what you know.
Preparing to Love. You don’t have to love, you just have to prepare to love.
We can’t expect people just to give up on a 50 year habit of hating and fighting, we have to give them something else supporting a healthy moral compass.
Confidence — not chaos
Freedom — not fear
Wisdom — not war
Consciousness — not coping
CASA
Dirty Cancering The Musical
What, a musical? Cancer is no joke — and Stefano agrees, but the war, toxic positivity and the way thrivers and survivors own their labels — well, that’s a little bit funny. Stefano wrote the first draft of the musical in just 72 hours. She knew that the best way to get her message across, as well as reducing the fear and overwhelm, was by using humour and parody. After all, who doesn’t love to laugh? She had won more than 60 awards for Musical Theatre presentations and story dance performance and so she wrote a musical about the war, the trauma and all that jazz.
Stefano worked in the education system in Sydney for 20 years choreographing and teaching children from five to eighteen. More than 20,000 young people and too many first places to mention, she knows how to spread a message in a way that young people understand.
She says ‘it has to have ridiculous characters, be crazy enough that it is unbelievably believable and daggy enough for the cool kids.’
CASA
Come exactly as you are and do cancer your own way.
In Uncancering, Stefano shows you how to be your own coach and prepares you to love the unlovable. Holding space for you to process ALL your emotions, you will discover how to spark your mind health and go on a voyage and return to your true self.