kaitlintaylortanke

10/15/2026

Some days I feel unstoppable. Other days, I’m just happy I made it through the workout. 😂

And you know what? Both deserve to be celebrated.

Living with the long-term effects of cancer has taught me that progress isn’t always about lifting heavier, running faster, or burning more calories.

Sometimes progress is simply having the opportunity to move my body when there was a time I couldn’t.

I’ve learned to stop measuring every workout by how much I accomplished and start appreciating the fact that I GET to do it.

Not every day has to be your best day to be a day worth being proud of. 💗💪🏼

10/14/2026

The official video is finallllyyyy here 🤗😍I had to splice it a little bit— I stumbled my footing getting into my back pose & I did not like how it looked 🫠 so I cut that s**t out of it!

Not every single routine, stage shot, and flow can always be perfect. What was important is that I didn’t beat myself up over it and still knew I put my best on that stage. ♥️💋

A small part of me has thought, maybe after this season, I’ll be good. Maybe my bodybuilding phase needs to end…? The way my hormones fluctuate in the deficit— doesn’t make me the best wife or mother I can be during those prep weeks. This last prep kinda scared me a little & made me so aware of this fact.

But then I start to tear up…like I makes me emotional to think about quitting something that has brought me so much joy & determination. Something that has given me a purpose to believe in the impossible again. It’s given me something that I can control my own pain over.

For me, bodybuilding has become like a tattoo.
Most people with tattoos don’t really do it just because it looks cool, there’s a trauma & a hurt inside. There is a need to be control of your own pain for once. To be able to sit there in the pain that you chose for yourself— makes it hurt less than any kind of pain that was chosen for you out of your control.

So what if the ONLY thing I can be selfish about, is this?
I give myself to everyone constantly. I show up in more ways than 98% of the people around me even notice or care. BUT, bodybuilding and working out are literally the only way I have shown up for me, in a really long time. It has helped teach me that I can do anything.

So, no. No I’m not done after this season.
This is only just the beginning of something I never thought would EVER be a passion of mine.

You see a half naked chick in a bikini, and probably think “wow why would she even post these pictures. She just wants attention”

GIRL. I do not f***ing care what you think or the next random guy that makes an unsolicited comment on it. If you took even half a second to take a minute to pay attention to my WHOLE story….

This body has survived.
This body has almost died.
I am not giving it up!!

10/14/2026

10/13/2026

October 13 | Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day 🩷💚🩵

I rang the bell. 🔔
But my cancer journey didn’t end there.

I was 30 years old when I was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer.
And this December, I’ll reach a milestone that means more to me than words can explain:

FIVE YEARS living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. 🥹💗

When you’re diagnosed with a disease that has a five-year relative survival rate of roughly 1 in 3, reaching that milestone is something I will never take for granted.

I’ve been through chemotherapy. I’ve had my port accessed more times than I care to count. I still receive treatment, and I still live with the effects of everything my body has endured.

And somewhere along the way, something changed.

The very thing that nearly broke me opened my eyes to a life I never knew I could love this much.

I stopped waiting for the perfect time.
I stopped taking ordinary days for granted.
I started chasing things I once thought were impossible.

And I became a woman I am so damn proud of. 🥹

But here’s what I want people to understand about metastatic breast cancer:

There isn’t always an “after cancer.”

For many of us, there is ongoing treatment, uncertainty, scans, side effects, and learning to build a beautiful life alongside a diagnosis that doesn’t simply disappear.

I am grateful for the life I have today. And I will never stop advocating for the people still fighting for theirs.🩷🩷🩷

I rang the bell. But I’m still a Stage IV warrior.

And I’m still here. 💗

10/12/2026

Motivation comes and goes. And trust me, there are PLENTY of days I don’t feel like doing a damn thing. 😂

Some mornings I wake up exhausted. Some mornings my neuropathy is already reminding me of everything my body has been through the second I step out of bed.

But somewhere along this journey, I stopped relying on how I felt and started focusing on what I wanted to build. I trained myself to ignore the pain.

Not every workout is amazing.
Not every day is a personal best.
And sometimes showing up means knowing when to rest.

But the woman you see on stage wasn’t built on the days I felt motivated.

She was built through consistency, patience, and a whole lot of promises I made to myself. 💗💪🏼

And I’m not done yet. 🔥

10/12/2026

National Burpee Day seemed like a pretty good day to remind you that MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE. 💗💪🏼

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and tomorrow is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

As someone living with Stage IV breast cancer, I want to talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention.

Taking care of your body matters.
Even when you’re fighting cancer.

Research shows that exercise can help reduce cancer-related fatigue, improve strength, support mental health, and improve quality of life.
And for someone like me, who will continue treatment for the rest of my life, those things matter A LOT.

I don’t work out because my body is perfect.
Or because I want it to be.
I work out because I know what it feels like when my body can’t do the things I want it to.

Because I’ve experienced what it’s like to lose my strength. All of it.

And because I’m determined to take care of this body that has carried me through so damn much.

Some days I lift heavy. Some days I push my endurance.
Some days I need to slow down and recover.
Showing up for yourself doesn’t always mean pushing harder. Sometimes it means giving your body exactly what it needs.

Cancer changed my life.
But it also changed the way I choose to LIVE it.

And if there’s one thing I hope you take away from my journey, it’s this:

You don’t have to wait until something threatens your life to start taking care of it. 💗

10/12/2026

What if I fail?
What if I’m not good enough?
What if I embarrass myself?
What if I can’t do it?

DO IT ANYWAYS. 💗

I didn’t survive Stage IV breast cancer just to spend the rest of my life being afraid to try new things.

I didn’t know if I could become a bodybuilder.
I didn’t know if I could step on a stage.
I sure as hell didn’t know I’d end up bringing home medals. 🥹

But I did know one thing…
I wasn’t going to let fear make my decisions for me anymore.

You don’t have to know how it’s going to turn out.
Sometimes you just have to be brave enough to find out. 💪🏼✨

10/11/2026

I spent so much time fighting to survive that I never really stopped to think about who I wanted to become if I did. 💗

Cancer changed my body. It changed my perspective. It changed the way I looked at life.

And when I finally had the opportunity to start building something for myself, I didn’t want to go back to who I was before.
I wanted to see who I could become.

That’s what bodybuilding has given me.
Not just muscles. Not just medals.
Not just a physique I’m proud of.

It’s given me the opportunity to create a version of myself I never even knew existed.

One rep. One workout. One goal at a time.

I didn’t find this woman.
I fu***ng BUILT her. 💪🏼💗

10/11/2026

Doesn’t mean I didn’t want to though 😂🥵🫠