Behind The Scenes with Patty Ivey

How a visionary yoga teacher is using a bout with breast cancer at 70 to pause and reconsider what she can give back to the world

🎙️ Listen to this episode of my [B]OLD AGE podcast: Patty Ivey on Getting Breast Cancer at Age 70 and How It’s Changing What She Will Give Back to the World

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Sometimes you connect with somebody and you know you’re friends. No get-to-know-you coffees are necessary. That’s what happened to me with [b]old entrepreneur and yoga teacher Patty Ivey, when I lived in Washington DC’s historic Georgetown neighborhood. I don’t remember how I heard about her Down Dog Yoga studio but it was a 15-minute downhill walk from our home, so I became a regular. This was more than a decade ago, so (alas) my body was a lot more flexible and yoga-friendly back then. My indecisive mind, and frequent lack of clarity, were pretty much the same as they are now, however. I needed, and still need, yoga. It was always special when Patty, the owner, was that day’s instructor. Her classes were demanding–and different. They offered all the benefits that practicing yoga offers. But with Patty at the front of the room, the class went far beyond what happened on the mat. She made yoga mind-expanding; it opened up new possibilities for how to live—and how to live courageously. It was clarifying! I was intrigued with her fearless manner and her optimism and we often chatted warmly after class. So when I saw Patty posting beautiful, bald photos of herself on her LinkedIn page, I immediately got in touch to find out what was up and how she was doing. 

Patty in a recent photo.

She quickly agreed to a podcast conversation where I learned more. She’d been unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer last August, at 70, she told me. It was “a total shock.” How could a practicing yoga teacher, who ate healthfully (on her way to becoming a vegetarian), exercised, and lived a balanced life, get cancer? She had left DC several years earlier and now lived in a quiet town near Boston. Her first reaction, she said, was to go off the grid and become silent. She wasn’t angry per se, but she didn’t want to identify with cancer and, in her words, knew she didn’t want to post updates with a #fuckcancer hashtag.

She wanted to separate her “self” from cancer (while still following all the recommendations for aggressive treatment). She figured she’d get through the treatment and put it behind her. She didn’t share anything publicly about having cancer for a number of months and instead used that time to slow down and, in her words, “go into a deep personal inquiry to reflect on why we have such a need for external validation.” Then, as Patty explains in the opening seconds of this episode, “I felt this was one of those moments I was being offered a gift… to take the next level up on my spiritual journey and deepen my life from there,” she said.

Like most women, I am terrified of getting breast cancer, but listening to Patty, it seems there could be an upside… - Debbie

She realized there was a way to “integrate” her cancer experience without it defining who she was. Being Patty, she chose to look at cancer not as a problem but as an opportunity. [B]old words, for sure, that have got me thinking. It was an opportunity to share what she was learning along the way (ignore the stupid stuff, etc.) and thus be helpful to others, even if it wasn’t about cancer. That may sound a bit woo woo, but from Patty those words are rock-solidly inspiring, at least for me. Like most women, I’m terrified of getting breast cancer, but listening to Patty, it seems there could be an upside.

This is a woman who describes herself on LinkedIn as a “Transformational Guide” and an “Expert at Living.” Since leaving DC she’s been working as a life coach to burned out leaders and entrepreneurs…  but without any degrees or certifications, she proudly told me. As someone who has several graduate degrees from prestigious institutions, I love this! She’s a college dropout who has also started three companies (including Down Dog Yoga) that have generated millions of dollars in revenue (according to her LinkedIn).

As she looks ahead, Patty is using life principles from yoga, which include leaving room for what we don’t know and focusing on something bigger than ourselves. That’s what’s key, she tells me: focus on what you can give back to the world, not what you can take from it. As she puts it, “What am I doing for humanity?” 

She acknowledges an identity shift that has come with cancer. Some older version of herself is no longer there, but she's okay with that. And the good news since we recorded this episode, Patty recently rang the bell signaling that her treatment is completed and she’s now cancer-free. 

What you’ll hear in this podcast episode is a frank discussion of what it was like to be unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer at age 70, how Patty approached the tough months of treatment (she thought she’d breeze through but it “kicked her butt,” as she put it), and how the experience has humbled her as a person but hasn’t knocked out her fighting spirit.

🎙️ Listen here

Calling all [B]old Women

I host an online home for [B]old Women, women writers (and readers) on Substack who are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Those in their 40s and 50s are equally welcome! If that’s you, please introduce yourself to this community of nearly 200 women. We’re a welcoming and supportive group; you can tell us almost anything about where you are in life right now, whether it involves illness and grief, or just a change in direction and purpose. - Debbie