Queen Stewart has officially been cancer free for 18 months. That’s also the amount of time she has been living her life with a newfound mission: to create urgency. It all started when she was diagnosed with breast cancer the day before her 36th birthday. That’s when she decided to change her life, leave her law practice and follow her creative passions.
So far, Stewart has performed stand-up comedy, pursued acting, made a documentary and started a few other big projects that she shares at @createurgency on Instagram. SJ Mag chronicled Queen during her cancer journey in 2022. We caught up with her to check in on life after cancer and to hear about a recent detour.
Q: I hear you have a pretty big life update.
I can’t believe we’re doing this interview now, because I started a full-time legal position in September. But last month, I turned in my resignation. I lasted 7 months. The legal clinic was great, but it took away from my creative side. And I got shingles. I know it was the stress I put on myself about the work. I was like, ‘Queen, how could you forget?’ This was going against my core.
Q: Had you totally stopped your creative work?
I took a slight detour. I have still been living to create urgency in my life. I’ve been writing a book which is almost done, and I made a documentary which has been entered into festivals. But the detour was needed for me to have confirmation. I’m excited to get back to the creativity.
Q: Is there any chance you’ll go back to that 9 to 5 life in the future?
No. I need to stay where I’m at because all of the healing that’s taken place, physically and inner healing with therapy. Some people want that stability, they want the pension and that’s good. But for others, like me, it’s not us. I feel like I’m getting closer and closer to who I am.
Q: So what’s your next project?
I’m having a women’s series in partnership with my therapist. Three days – July 19, 20, 21. There will be guided meditation and guided therapeutic discussions. I’ve always wanted to have a wellness center for women, for mental and emotional wellness.
Q: What do you hope people get from your work?
My purpose is to serve others. I want to create spaces where people can come in person and see each other and talk. When I have the Friday night kickoff for the event this summer, it’s gonna be at my house. I want it to be more natural vibes, not something just to get you to click.
Q: And it’s been a full 2 years cancer free, right?
I was just trying to figure out the exact date. I was done chemo and radiation and had my follow up around October 2022, a year after my diagnosis. That’s when I was in remission. Now my follow-ups are few and far between, and in October I won’t even have to see my breast surgeon again.
Q: Congrats! What have the follow-ups been like?
I actually went in last month as a kind of follow-up with a dermatologist because my nails were kind of turning brown, and my nails got dark because of chemo. But apparently, she told me, your nails take very long to grow out and some of that brown was coming down from the cuticle area. But it’s all chemo related.
Q: Have you had any memorable interactions with people?
After the diagnosis and my efforts to start creating urgency, a very good friend of mine reached out and asked to talk. She started to tell me how she struggled much of her life with depression and body image issues and not feeling like she’s good enough. All of this was shocking to me, she was a superstar lawyer. She said, “You gave me so much courage watching you on Facebook and what you were doing, talking about not wasting your time and finding joy.” She left her job, her husband left his job and they moved. He’s pursuing acting. She’s writing a book. All the time, people tell me they’re creating urgency.
Q: And how does that feel?
This is why I’m doing it. This is why I should keep doing this. Because people are broken. People are not living up to their full promise. And it’s hard to know that, until you change your mindset. I’m trying to unlock minds.
Q: What’s one thing you’ve learned from this mindset change?
If you’re always banging your head against the wall about a certain situation, you need to step back and acknowledge that you could be doing something differently. It does not have to be this hard. Acknowledge the fact that you need to help yourself. You can figure out how you’re gonna take agency of your life and what you expect out of the people in your life and yourself. Then you start acting in a different way.
