Maria Menounos has faced more health crises than most people could imagine—brain tumor, pancreatic cancer, diabetes—all while building a thriving career in Hollywood.
In a recent conversation, the television host and wellness advocate opened up about the unexpected wake-up calls that completely transformed her approach to health.
Her story isn’t just about surviving; it’s about fundamentally redefining what success means when your body sends unmistakable signals that something needs to change.
For anyone feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, or like they’re constantly pouring from an empty cup, her insights might just save your life.
Jump to:
- When Success Came at a Devastating Cost
- The Gateway Diagnosis Most People Ignore
- Finding Cancer Through Intuition
- The False Belief That Nearly Killed Her
- Why Women Wait for Permission to Matter
- The Daily Practice That Changed Everything
- Her Surprisingly Simple Wellness Non-Negotiables
- What She Tells Young People Starting Out
- The Choice Only You Can Make
When Success Came at a Devastating Cost
During her peak Hollywood years, Menounos was working 48 out of 52 weeks, logging at least 18-hour days and traveling nonstop. Success meant proving she could do it all—journalist, actress, author, commercial spokesperson.
I never thought I would be able to write a book, let alone New York Times bestseller. I never thought that I would be able to break kind of barriers and be a journalist and be an actress and be in commercials, which was very challenging.
But that relentless drive came with consequences she couldn’t ignore forever. She was constantly running through drive-throughs, landing in hospitals for dehydration and low potassium, and abusing her body in ways that felt normal in hustle culture.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Health is never part of the equation. It took major life crises for me to really then focus on my health. It was a hard stop.
The Gateway Diagnosis Most People Ignore
Before the brain tumor that forced everything to stop, Menounos developed Hashimoto’s and thyroid issues. Looking back, she recognizes these weren’t isolated problems—they were warnings.
The thyroid is kind of the first. It’s the gateway. It’s like the body is like, “Uh, it isn’t going right.” And then we just kind of like, “Oh, it’s just a thyroid thing. No big deal.” And then we just keep on going.
She describes the thyroid as the car engine sending signals that something’s wrong. Most people—herself included at the time—just keep pushing through, taking medication, and moving on.
The accumulation of poor choices continued creating more diagnoses. It wasn’t until the brain tumor in 2017 that she experienced a true hard stop, requiring a walker during recovery and forcing her to completely reevaluate everything.
Finding Cancer Through Intuition
Six years after brain surgery, Menounos discovered she had pancreatic cancer—but the way she found it is nothing short of remarkable.
While recording an episode of her podcast Heal Squad in April, she was teaching listeners how to connect with inner guidance. During the intro, something unexpected happened.
I look up and I go, and I would say, there’s something wrong with my pancreas.
Six weeks later, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Then, after getting a full-body MRI scan at a preventative health facility, they found a pancreatic tumor.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Here’s the shocking part: she had already received an abdominal CT scan at a traditional medical institution that completely missed it. Human error nearly cost her everything.
The tumor was caught at stage one during biopsy, but had progressed to stage two by surgery just two weeks later. The rapid progression highlights how critical early detection truly is.
The False Belief That Nearly Killed Her
During recovery from brain surgery, Menounos had a profound realization while lying in her hospital bed.
I’ve been chasing the top performers in our business thinking like, “If they can go that hard, I can go that hard.” Like, we’re competitive, right?
She recognized she’d been operating against her own nature, driven by a seed planted in childhood when her father asked if she was lazy. That single question created decades of overcompensation.
Now, she keeps a very calm schedule. When things spiral into chaos—when she’s angry, stressed, and nothing’s going right—she knows immediately that she’s overcommitted and needs to pull back.
Why Women Wait for Permission to Matter
One of Menounos’ most powerful observations centers on how women relate to their own health and self-care.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
We’re always waiting, almost, for an excuse to matter. So, it’s like you’re waiting for a diagnosis.
She watched this pattern play out with her own mother, who seemed happiest after being diagnosed with brain cancer—finally, everyone doted on her, took care of her, made her the priority.
At a dinner with powerful women in Los Angeles, Menounos asked what they would do with 30 minutes for themselves. The responses brought her to tears.
Are we okay, guys? You’re not even giving yourselves 30 minutes?
Women are born nurturers and trained to be people pleasers. Their cups are perpetually empty, yet they keep pouring into everyone else.
The Daily Practice That Changed Everything
Menounos keeps a small notebook in her bathroom where she answers three questions every single morning before anyone else’s demands enter the picture:
- What does my body need today?
- What does my soul need today?
- What does my heart need today?
The answers can be remarkably simple—a hug from her daughter, movement on the treadmill, a Bible verse, a specific song. The practice ensures she’s checking in with herself and providing what she needs before giving to everyone else.
I think that we just we just give give give and we never plug back in.
Her Surprisingly Simple Wellness Non-Negotiables
Despite navigating complex health challenges, Menounos keeps her approach refreshingly basic. She’s not into extensive biohacking, NAD infusions, or aggressive face lasers.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Her foundational practices include:
Rebounding on a Trampoline
Trampoline is literally the greatest thing you can do. Like the greatest thing you can do.
After discovering she likely had lymphedema from having 17 lymph nodes removed during cancer surgery, she became religious about trampolining. NASA and Harvard have both studied its benefits, and she credits it with moving lymph naturally—better than even running.
Full-Body Red Light Therapy
She uses red light panels daily and noticed significant aging when she stopped for a year. The protective effect on collagen breakdown is real and visible.
Manual Lymph Drainage
After getting professional lymph massages and noticing her persistent belly bloat disappearing, she learned self-drainage techniques. Combined with trampolining, this practice has been transformative.
Face Massage and Taping
She went two and a half years without Botox after a severe adverse reaction, relying instead on face taping, gua sha, and professional facial massage. The results were legitimate—though they require consistency.
CBD Coffee
When stress became overwhelming—manifesting as jaw tension, grinding, and tight shoulders—she discovered CBD coffee with adaptogens, ghee, and coconut butter. The combination created a new, calmer baseline.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
What She Tells Young People Starting Out
When Menounos sits across from younger people in the industry, she has specific advice that could prevent years of damage:
- Get 8 hours of sleep, non-negotiable. Countless processes run during sleep—detoxing, cleaning, repairing. Missing that window has cascading consequences.
- Make better food choices. Think of your body like a car that needs quality fuel to keep running.
- Get morning sunlight. Your eyes have UV receptors meant to take in sun. Your skin has photons that absorb light. This is your immune system at work.
If I went back, I wouldn’t change how hard I worked. I would have changed making sure I stopped to eat a real meal. And I would have made sure I got my sleep.
She emphasizes that hustle is fine—but only when paired with foundational health practices.
The Choice Only You Can Make
Perhaps Menounos’ most important message is this: making yourself matter is literally a choice.
You have to make yourself matter. And you know, it’s probably easier for me, like I said, because I’ve had so many things happen and it’s a non-negotiable because I know my baby needs me.
No partner, friend, or external circumstance will make that decision for you. It’s not if these accumulated stresses will catch up—it’s when.
Women especially need to recognize how much more they need than they give themselves. Born nurturers, trained as people pleasers, constantly pouring from empty cups into other empty cups.
After reversing her biological age by four years through consistent wellness practices, Menounos has proven that the body can heal—but only when we finally choose to become the CEO of our own health.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Her advice to everyone feeling the pressure of modern life: don’t wait for a diagnosis to give yourself permission to matter. Start with 30 minutes. Answer those three questions. Make the foundational choices.
Your future self—and the people who need you around—will thank you.
