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The TCF podcast

Be a guest on If These Balls Could Talk.

Somebody is sitting in a urologist’s office this week hearing the word “cancer” for the first time, and going home to Google it alone. The thing that helps most isn’t a pamphlet. It’s a guy who has already been through it, talking like a normal person. That’s the whole show.

You set the boundaries

There’s a question below for topics you’d rather not touch. Whatever you put there is off the table — your host reads it before recording.

You can change your mind

Before we record, after we record, after it’s out. Email us and we cut it. No explanation needed.

It takes about 20 minutes

Five short steps, and it saves as you type. Almost every question is optional — answer what you want and leave the rest for the conversation.

Step 1 of 5

You

The basics. About a minute.

What is your full name?

What is the best email address to reach you?

What is the best phone number to reach you? (optional)

How old are you? (optional)

What city and state are you from? (optional)

At what age were you diagnosed with testicular cancer?

What treatments did you go through?

Check everything that applies.

Surgery (orchiectomy)ChemotherapyRPLNDRadiationActive surveillanceSomething else

What type and stage of testicular cancer were you diagnosed with?

Seminoma, non-seminoma, mixed, stage — whatever you know. "I'm not sure" is a fine answer.

How did you first discover something was wrong?

Did you go through chemotherapy, surgery, RPLND, radiation, surveillance, or other treatments? Please explain.

The checkboxes above cover the what — this is the how it went.

Skip anything you’d rather say out loud than type — or anything you’d rather not say at all. Your host reads whatever you write here before the session, so even one or two answers gives them somewhere real to start.

What was going through your mind when you first heard the diagnosis?

What was the hardest part of your cancer journey?

What part of treatment or recovery do you feel people do not talk about enough?

Did your diagnosis change your perspective on life? If so, how?

What surprised you most about the experience?

Was there a specific moment during your journey that has stayed with you?

Who or what helped you most during treatment?

Did you struggle with mental health, fear, anxiety, identity, body image, masculinity, fertility, relationships, or isolation during your journey? If so, what was that experience like?

Only what you're comfortable putting in writing. You can also just say "let's talk about it on the call."

Looking back now, what would you tell yourself on the day you were diagnosed?

How has life changed since cancer?

What lessons did cancer teach you?

What are you most grateful for now?

Did cancer impact your relationships or friendships? If so, how?

What does survivorship mean to you?

What are some things you are passionate about outside of cancer?

Genuinely useful — the best episodes are not 45 minutes of cancer.

What are you currently working toward or excited about in life?

Have you found purpose or meaning through your experience? If so, how?

What advice would you give to someone who was just diagnosed?

What message do you hope listeners take away from your episode?

Are there specific topics you would love to talk about on the podcast?

Are there any topics you would prefer not to discuss?

This one matters most. Whatever you put here is off the table — your host reads it before recording, and we do not go near it.

Is there a specific story or experience you think could really help others to hear?

Do you have any funny moments, wild stories, or unexpected experiences from your journey that you would be open to sharing?

The show is called If These Balls Could Talk. Nothing is too much.

Is there anyone you would like to thank or acknowledge during the episode?

Anything else you would like us to know before recording?

What time zone are you in? (optional)

When are you usually free to record? (optional)

How we record

We record on Riverside.fm. It captures your camera and mic on your own computerin full quality and uploads afterward — which is why the show sounds the way it does, and why a few things on your end really matter. We can’t fix them in editing, and we can’t ask you to tell that story a second time.

The first four are the ones that make or break a recording, so we ask you to confirm them now.

I'll join on a computer using Chrome or Edge — not a phone or tabletRequiredRiverside records in the browser and officially supports Chrome and Microsoft Edge on macOS 11+ or Windows 7+. Safari can open a studio link but is limited. Incognito and private windows do not work at all.I'll wear headphones for the entire recordingRequiredWithout headphones your speakers leak the host's voice back into your mic, and the echo cannot be removed afterward. Any wired earbuds beat the best speakers.I'll be alone in a quiet room with the door closedRequiredSoft rooms sound best — carpet, curtains, a closet full of clothes. Avoid kitchens, bathrooms, and rooms with hard floors and bare walls. No fans, no TV, no dishwasher.I'll keep the Riverside tab open at the end until it says the upload is 100% completeRequiredYour audio and video record to your own computer first and upload in the background. If you close the tab when we say goodbye, your side of the conversation can be lost. It usually takes a couple of minutes.I'll use a stable connection — wired ethernet if I can, strong Wi-Fi if I can'tRiverside recommends at least 10 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up. Ethernet is meaningfully more reliable than Wi-Fi; if you're on Wi-Fi, sit close to the router.I'll close other tabs and apps, and turn off notifications, VPNs, and content blockersRecording is CPU-hungry. Slack, Teams, Zoom, Photoshop and forty tabs all compete with it, and VPNs or ad blockers can break the upload. Do Not Disturb on the computer and the phone.I'll use an external microphone if I have one, wired rather than BluetoothA $30 USB mic beats a laptop mic dramatically. Bluetooth headsets drop audio quality hard — wired earbuds with an inline mic are a better fallback. Don't have anything? Say so below and we'll sort you out.I'll face a window or a lamp, with the camera at eye levelLight in front of you, never behind — a window at your back turns you into a silhouette. Stacking the laptop on some books to get the camera to eye level is the single biggest improvement most people can make.I'll have at least 5 GB of free disk space and be plugged into powerThe local recording is written to your drive before it uploads, and a laptop that goes to sleep mid-session stops recording. Plug in.I'll join 15 minutes early for a mic, camera, and connection checkRiverside asks for camera and mic permissions the first time you join. Doing that fifteen minutes early means the recording starts on time and relaxed.

What will you be recording on? (optional)

Laptop and earbuds is a completely fine answer. If you don't have headphones or a mic, say so — we'd rather mail you one than lose the take.

Your OK

Plain version: we’d like to record you and publish the episode. You keep control of your own story the whole way through — you can pull anything, or the whole episode, before or after it goes out. Just tell us.

I agree to be recorded (audio and video) for If These Balls Could Talk.I agree that the Testicular Cancer Foundation may publish and share the episode and clips from it, using my name and likeness, to support its mission — and I understand I can ask for anything to be cut or taken down at any time.

Type your full name to sign

Your answers are stored privately and read only by the TCF team — nothing here is published anywhere. See our Privacy Policy and Consumer Health Data Policy.

Not sure you’re ready to be recorded? You don’t have to be. Write your story instead — anonymously if you like — or ask the community a question. Questions about the show? Email info@tcancer.org.