Best Friends Launch Podcast Series to Help Women with Breast Cancer Navigate Dating, Sex and More

Melissa Berry and Deltra launched their podcast series 'Empowered Intimacy: Getting Your Sexy Back After Breast Cancer' on Sept. 30

Melissa Berry and Deltra are using their experiences with breast cancer to empower other women.

The two have only known each other for just over a year, but they grew close very quickly thanks to one shared experience: a breast cancer diagnosis.

Berry, now 53, was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer when she was 42 years old, and 38-year-old Deltra (who prefers to go only by her first name) got the same diagnosis when she was 33.

Berry, a fashion and beauty publicist by trade, wanted to stay true to herself throughout her treatment, and didn't see many spaces to help her with that mission.

"When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I didn't need to look like a supermodel, I just wanted to look like myself," she told PEOPLE exclusively. "Once I knew [I would get] a bilateral mastectomy and chemotherapy, and that meant losing my hair and my breasts and my lashes, I was like, 'How am I ever going to feel like a woman again?'"

She founded what she dubbed "the Vogue of breast cancer" in Cancer Fashionista, an online resource where women can find beauty tips, self-care products and other essentials they need "before, during and after treatment." Cancer Fashionista was so successful that Berry saw there was a need for more positive and uplifting platforms, so she took the same concept and created her podcast, Dear Cancer, I'm Beautiful where she merges the conversation about "life-saving cancer treatment with fashion, beauty and wellness advice."

Deltra recalls her diagnosis upending her life at a shockingly quick pace: "Within a month timeframe, I went from getting a cancer diagnosis to getting a stage four cancer diagnosis before I started getting treatment because it had already spread to my liver," she tells PEOPLE. "A lot of people say that no one goes through cancer completely unchanged, and I never say that I'm grateful for cancer — I don't necessarily feel a need to look for a silver lining — but in my case, it definitely nudged me to make changes in my life."

Following her diagnosis, Deltra left her 10-year marriage and dedicated her time to finding communities that she could not only lean on, but also pour into. She began her advocacy journey as as a member of the For the Breast of Us inaugural class of Baddie Ambassadors and has since worked with organizations such as Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance (BBCA), Project Life, Bright Spot Network, and Cactus Cancer Society.

It was through her work that she crossed paths with Berry, who was looking for a guest willing to talk about dating and cancer. Berry recalled asking a mutual friend, "'Do you know someone who would be willing to talk about dating and metastatic breast cancer?' And before I even got the words out, she was like, 'Deltra!'"

The two connected ahead of their taping, and immediately developed a friendship that went beyond the podcast episode. Now they're working together on the podcast series Empowered Intimacy: Getting Your Sexy Back After Breast Cancer, which "addresses the need for sexual health and intimacy support for breast cancer survivors."

It's fun, lighthearted and above all else, it serves as an important reminder that women, like Berry and Deltra, can still enjoy their lives fully, even while still being treated.

For Deltra, who had not dated for a while, she had questions she wanted to answer.

"I had been married for a long time and I had five children. I was the stay-at-home partner my entire marriage," she said. "[Dating] didn't feel like a real option. And so I know for many people with MBC, they feel that way ... Because even though we're young, many of us end up not being able to work anymore. It's a very real thing to just feel like, 'Well, who will want me now? Who will want to deal with all of this and appointments and the body changes and the sexual issues to navigate?' "

Empowered Intimacy aims to address those worries and share stories and tips from women who have lived through those same experiences.

"I just wanted all those women to have someone and tell them, 'Someone will want you. And even if you didn't immediately find someone who did, you have to want more for yourself,'" Deltra says.

Adds Berry, "Breast cancer and sex are two terms you don't hear together a lot. And I think sex and intimacy and dating are hard enough without cancer, but you add cancer to it and it's whole other universe. And unless you've had cancer or breast cancer, it's very hard to understand some of the challenges that we face."

"What I wanted to give [was a place] where you can listen in on two best friends talking about how do you get through breast cancer, dating and intimacy, because there is no book," she continues. "I wanted to fill a void for information and for just a real conversation that others can really feel, first of all, that they're not alone and we offer solutions."

Empowered Intimacy: Getting Your Sexy Back After Breast Cancer launched on Sept. 30 and is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well as YouTube.

And in the spirit of the podcast, read on for some beauty and wellness products the two swear by for sexual health and feeling more like yourself.

AnaOno Melissa Bra

"I love AnaOno Intimates, founded by a breast cancer survivor, Dana Donofree," says Berry. "I do love the Melissa bra, which is named after me. The reason I love it is because it is a post-mastectomy bra. It's totally comfortable, but it's also a front closure and a racer back."

AnaOno Trish Bra

"I love the Trish bra," Deltra says. "It just suits my body really well. The thing I love about them too is that they have all these bras for whatever — whether you've been able to keep your breasts or if you had a lumpectomy. That's really a really cool aspect."

Adds Berry, "After reconstruction, it's really not good to wear underwire because you lose sensation so sometimes the wire can poke you [without you realizing]. People love the Trish bra because it's a molded bra, and it looks like an underwire bra, but it's not."

Bonafide Revaree Suppositories

"When it comes to vaginal dryness [which can be a side effect of cancer treatment], my gynecologist had actually recommended [the Revaree suppositories]. They're hormone-free vaginal suppositories," says Berry. You get 10 suppositories in a box and the company offers single purchase, monthly or three-month plans.

Perkies Petals

"Something I never knew: When you have reconstructed nipples, they're always erect," says Berry. "There are times that we [are wearing] something sheer and we want to conceal them a little bit. Perkies Petals are nipple covers I love. And they come in all shapes and sizes."

StyleEsteem Headwraps

Founded by another breast cancer survivor, StyleEsteem Wardrobe offers beautiful head wraps that allow you to maintain a fun sense of style even while going through treatment.

Paris Laundry Everywhere Oil

Made with sesame, moringa, and jojoba oils, the Everywhere Oil is certified organic and can help keep the skin moisturized as people go through treatment.

According to Berry, breast cancer survivor Kathy Buchi "just couldn't find the right moisturizer for her skin when she was going through radiation and breast cancer treatment," so she created an all-purpose oil to do the trick.

Headcovers Baseball Hats

Many cancer patients get a wig after hair loss, but they're not always the most comfortable or practical solution, particularly when it's very hot out.

"[Wearing a wig] is a lot sometimes in the summer and Headcovers makes these baseball caps with little bobs and full on, it looks like a wig," Berry raves. "I probably wore that more than my wig; I just absolutely love those."

Thrive Causemetics Lash Serum

Not only does Deltra love Thrive Causemetics because the brand donates to cancer research, but she swears by their peptide-powered eyelash growth serum. "I've been using that because my eyelashes have been growing back in," she explains. The serum is "gentle, ophthalmologist-tested, and full of proven botanical ingredients," per the website and promises longer and fuller lashes in eight weeks.

Amazon Afro Puff Wigs

"I was able to find a lot of Afro puffs," says Deltra, who said she was "healthy-presenting" when she wore this style. "It was like a headband wig, that's what they're called. They make them with textured curly hair or with the Afro puffs ... It was really nice to have something to just throw on my head."

Magnetic Lashes

Delta likes magnetic lashes to offset the loss of eyelashes from chemo; she'll often order whatever comes up on Amazon, but Glamnetic and Lashaholic are two brands that are well-liked by users.

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Read the original article on People.