Dr. Jackie Of Married To Medicine On What To Do After Receiving A Cancer Diagnosis - Exclusive

Dr. Jackie Walters is more than your run-of-the-mill medical practitioner. The Atlanta native is a practicing OB-GYN, but you'll also recognize her as a cast member of "Married to Medicine." She's been part of the Bravo reality TV show since it premiered in 2013, and she returned to the main cast for its ninth season. But that's still barely scratching the surface of all she's accomplished.

The doctor is a businesswoman who has released a book and a podcast. She also teamed up with Volition Beauty to create two collaborations. The first of her beauty drops was the Skin Rhythm Balancing & Clearing Serum, which was partly inspired by conversations with her patients; the second is the Adaptint Super Seamless Mineral Shield SPF 30. In an exclusive interview with our sister site The List, Dr. Walters opened up about how her experiences as a "two-time breast cancer survivor" and her desire to protect others from cancer inspired her sunscreen. 

She stressed the importance of taking care of your body. "Your greatest wealth is your health," she said. The mogul urged people to understand their family history and to undergo regular mammograms to help with early detection and the treatment process. She also shared some advice on what to do after you have been diagnosed with cancer.

Cancer is one of those medical diagnoses that can be hard to process. However, Dr. Jackie Walters provided simple advice that could help others as they come to terms with the treatment plan that follows the diagnosis. Her first tips are fairly straightforward. "Understand which diagnosis you have," she said. Dr. Walters also urged patients to "understand your treatment plan." 

"But have a great relationship with your doctors, ask questions, and always have a support person who can ask those questions when you're too weak sometimes to ask," she added. 

Another piece of advice was unexpected, but it could serve an essential purpose. "Keep a journal because the journey isn't always for you," Dr. Walters recommended. "Sometimes, journaling is just to look back and be able to tell somebody else what they can do and how you did it." Of course, she herself is no stranger to writing. She released her book "The Queen V: Everything You Need to Know About Sex, Intimacy, and Down There Health Care" in 2020. The release helped lay the groundwork for her podcast, too.

Dr. Walters enjoys sharing her life experiences. She told The List that she "used [her] life as a teaching tool," but that doesn't mean that she always knows what to do. "Sometimes I tell people, 'Don't do this — it's what not to do.'"

As someone who likes to turn her life into teachable moments, Dr. Jackie Walters opened up about her personal experience undergoing cancer treatments. For her, it was important to go into them with a bit of pampering. "I would dress up to go to chemo," she said. "That's what I needed — I wanted to look good." She isn't alone in that mentality, which is part of what inspired her to launch her non-profit 50 Shades of Pink Foundation.

"We know when people look good, they feel good, and that's our motto: Look good, feel good, do good," she said. "I truly encourage if it's a little bit of lipstick ... and I don't want to talk about vanity. But that's what helped me and tons of other women I know — a fingernail polish to cover those nails, lipstick ... Anything you found or like that makes you feel good, use it."

New episodes of "Married to Medicine" air Sundays on Bravo at 9:00 p.m. EST/PST.