Justin Sandler is a director, actor, drummer, writer, editor, speaker, and cancer survivor (as of January 2018). He and wife Mary Lou Sandler opened 3 cubed studios LLC in January 2011.
A graduate of Indiana University, he has directed and produced cable TV in Chicago; wrote, directed, and produced commercials for ABC, FOX, and Telemundo in Palm Springs; and has been in Los Angeles working as a professional TV, film, and commercial actor, as well as a recording and touring musician. His company 3 cubed studios produces original film as well as photography/film for corporate clients.
His one-man show “EMBRACE LOVE FREE” made its world premiere on March 7, 2019 at Whitefire Theatre’s Solofest… the largest solo theatre festival on the west coast. The show was then invited to play a 3 month run at the White and was also selected into the Santa Monica Playhouse Binge Fringe Festival. His film, “Welcome to Where You’ve Always Been” (writer/director/actor/editor/producer) appeared in 21 festivals (2016-2017), won 4 awards (including his award for Best Actor in a Leading Role), and is now available on Amazon Prime and Shorts TV (cable/satellite).
Justin is the producer, co-director, co-writer, and editor for the upcoming documentary, “Caregiving Cancer: The Silent Heroes” as well as the director, producer, writer, editor, and host for the upcoming documentary, “MANtimacy.” He is currently appearing at speaking engagements (including an upcoming appearance at TEDxNormal) as well as writing a book about his cancer journey.
Talk Summary: Embrace Love Free… 3 Steps to Overcome Any Obstacle
When facing challenges in life, we often declare that we must fight or beat our obstacle. We view the challenge as the enemy, speak negatively of it, and often become the victim of it. Ultimately, we are not coming from our authentic self. We’re not vibrating at the right level to overcome the obstacle.
A few years ago, things were moving along well in my life. I was doing a lot of personal development, expanding my spirituality, and preparing myself for the next phase. I was building my career in acting and music while the film studio that my wife and I own was growing and winning awards. I was competing in the Gold’s Gym challenge while playing in a flag football league. I literally felt better, faster, and stronger than I had in years. I was ready to take my life to the next level. I was ready! I declared it to the universe. And then… cancer. I had a massive tumor growing at a rapid rate, right into my heart and lung and had no idea. After two weeks of physically intense testing, I was officially diagnosed with germ cell cancer on May 4th, 2017.
Once I got my diagnosis, I was living in the hospital within days, staying for a week at a time to do round-the-clock chemo. Due to the aggressive growth of this tumor, we had to act quick as my heart was in danger. I shifted my focus to my journey and went very deep within… chanting, meditating, journaling, reading, and starting to make important realizations right away. It was early on that I decided to adopt a new philosophy that would prove to be crucial for my cancer journey… and for every obstacle I may face throughout the rest of my life. I call it EMBRACE LOVE FREE. I feel that this concept can apply to everyone. And you don’t even need to have cancer to use it. It starts with EMBRACE…
I didn’t choose my cancer. But I took responsibility for it. That’s not to mean I was to blame for it. I was taking responsibility for the situation I was put in and for my choices. I took responsibility for my reactions… which technically were still my choices. I certainly had a choice when it came to how I would react after getting the diagnosis. And embracing my cancer was crucial in order for me to go through it. I could have easily made the choice to be the victim… a role I was no stranger to. But in this defining moment, I chose to be the victor. I embraced what I could not control and focused on what I could.
Once I fully embraced my challenge, I moved to the next step… LOVE…
I chose to love my cancer rather than hate it or fight it. In my body were a growing collection of cells. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Despite laying dormant for as many years as they did, they were awake now and according to their watch, they were way behind schedule. They only knew to do their job. And they only wanted to survive, just like anything or anyone. I couldn’t portray negative energy to something that was part of me… and inside of me. Instead I gave gratitude to my tumor and called it my mentor, my teacher, and the greatest gift I’ve ever received. Despite hearing the rally cries of “beat cancer” “fight cancer and “F- cancer,” I found more power in embracing and loving cancer.
Did that make my journey “easy?” NO! I endured pain and suffering to degrees in which I had never experienced before. I spent 45 nights in hospitals, sucked down 60 bags of chemo, and had 5 surgeries… the biggest being the full opening of my chest. I lost my hair and saw my body change dramatically. And there were certainly a few low points where I questioned if I wanted to live or if I was even worth saving. But this was all part of the journey. It was facing myself and my mortality at the rawest and truest level. It was seeing myself bald, skinny, and pale, looking like I lost a sword fight. It was realizing that with every challenge or obstacle I faced, I was presented with an opportunity to grow. And this ever evolving gift of growth and inspiration will now benefit me for the rest of my life. Without embracing my cancer, I would have never been open to receive so many life changing messages. If I didn’t love my cancer, I may not have even survived it. Instead, I thrived during it. And through love I realized that it wasn’t just about me. Actually, most of it wasn’t for me. There was something bigger happening. I was blessed when this philosophy came to me. I pushed through with it… even during the hardest times. But then one day… I found out I was cancer free.
However, being cancer free doesn’t necessarily mean that I had free’d my cancer. I would then learn the importance of the final step… FREE.
While I was now physically free of my cancer, I was in a very long and difficult recovery period that made it hard to function in day to day life. I realized during this time that much of my old, stuck energy was still with me. While the tumor was gone, I was still holding on to some of it. It was a strange feeling but a brilliant discovery. The illness itself is only a physical manifestation. You may go into remission or be declared cancer free, but if you haven’t dealt with some of the causes on an emotional level, then you may see that cancer return. There must be a firm decision to make peace with the cancer or whatever the obstacle is. To continue to stay in gratitude for being given the opportunity to overcome it. To stop feeling like you need to still be the patient or holding on to the trauma or pain from the past. It’s about finally letting go, surrendering, and moving on with your life as a better, stronger person. It is freedom. What we all desire. But in order to have freedom, you must first learn to FREE.
Whether it’s cancer or any obstacle, we must face our challenges head on and always come from love. And realize that no matter what we are facing, we will accomplish so much more when we come from an authentic place of embrace, love, and free. Hate and anger towards something just creates resistance. When you resist something, it persists. Now you are trying to get rid of something that you hate and are avoiding. It only grows the negative energy while the thing you are trying to get rid of only becomes more defensive. In my experiences, I have learned that coming from a place of positivity, peace, and presence is always the best way to overcome. Embrace my situation, give it love and appreciation, and free it to the ether gently so that it is willing to go and doesn’t leave a mess on its way out. Instead, it will leave in peace and you will be able to move forward with more ease and actually reap the rewards of the amazing benefits we all get when we overcome our obstacles.
Imagine if we all adopted the motto of EMBRACE LOVE FREE. What a shift in consciousness we would see.
Embrace Love and Free is the only way to be.
Website & Social Media Links
http://www.justinsandler.com
http://www.3cubedstudios.com
http://www.instagram.com/justinsandler
http://www.twitter.com/justinsandler
http://www.facebook.com/justinjsandler
http://www.youtube.com/justinjsandler
http://www.vimeo.com/justinsandler
