Having abandoned early plans for legal career fighting for social justice, Chesley Flotten eventually exercised her passion for advocacy. It just took a couple life-shaking ordeals and a knitting shop to lead her to the role that makes the most of her voice. Having abandoned early plans for a legal career fighting for social justice, Chesley Homan Flotten eventually exercised her passion for advocacy. It just took a couple life-shaking ordeals and a knitting shop to lead her to the role that makes the most of her voice. Find out how navigating the abyss on your own can sometimes make you the best advocate and guide for others.
Guest Chesley Homan Flotten, Dartmouth '96, entered college thinking she would be an advocate in the legal sense—one who is professionally qualified to plead the cause of another in a court of law. But a love of history soon blossomed and she found herself in graduate school with the idea of researching and teaching. Ultimately, that path didn’t resonate with her either and, as a new mother, she sought to exercise her professional side in a role where she could make more direct impact on people. She worked in college fundraising until unexpected news set her life in a different direction.
A breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 28—which she did not expect but also needed to push doctors to rightly identify—opened her eyes to how important it is to advocate for yourself. Thankfully able, in time, to manage that personal health challenge, she next found the same self-advocacy skills were required to navigate the social and educational services landscape surrounding her son’s autism journey. A seemingly impulsive decision to open a knitting store actually emerged as a holding space for a community-building movement that helped her connect one-on-one with others going through similar challenges. Ultimately, it led her to add professionalized skills of social work to the personal advocacy network she was creating.
In this episode, find out from Chesley how navigating the abyss on your own can sometimes make you the best advocate and guide for others...on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.
About This Episode's Guest
Chesley Flotten the former owner of The Knitting Experience Café, is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in oncology social work, focused on addressing the psychosocial needs of individuals and families coping with the impact of illness and disability. She is currently the manager of psychosocial oncology services at Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care in Augusta, Maine.
Mentioned in this Episode
Young Survival Coalition: The organization addressing the unique needs and improving the quality of life of young adults under the age of 40 affected by breast cancer.
Knitted Knockers: Two main organizations have sprung from that which Chesley created to help provide soft, comfortable knit prosthetics for free to breast cancer survivors. https://www.knittedknockers.org/ and http://www.knittedknockersusa.org.
Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley
Music: Brian Burrows