We recently connected with Jenn Greenhut and have shared our conversation below.
Jenn, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
It all began with a wake-up call—a stage IV triple-negative cancer diagnosis. At first, the fear of dying was overwhelming, but eventually, it led me to embrace life to the fullest. But my journey didn’t start that way. I was desperately trying to have a baby with my new husband, Larry. After three failed rounds of IVF, I was hitting rock bottom, feeling like my purpose of becoming a mom would never be fulfilled. Then, just four months later, I was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. It felt like the Universe was against me, as if it was trying to take me out. I wondered if my purpose would ever be realized.
Everything changed when I met my oncologist at UCLA, Dr. Slamon. During our conversation, I learned that if I had gotten pregnant, the pregnancy would have most likely killed me. Suddenly, I realized that the Universe wasn’t ending my life; it was saving it. I began to see cancer as a gift—something that could become the best thing to happen to me and my husband. And, wow, was I right. Through the journey, I discovered my true strength, the power of love, the importance of self-love, and the realization that our thoughts are always creating our reality.
My purpose found me, and stage IV triple-negative breast cancer became the inspiration behind the brand Love, Zero Negative, and our nonprofit organization, The Zero Negative Foundation. Created from all the lessons I learned from triple-negative cancer, Zero Negative’s mission is to inspire a world where all negatives can be turned into positive life experiences, offering support to those facing major challenges.
The Love Collection is our first product line from Love, Zero Negative, operating on a “Be Love, Give Love” model. Every product sold supports our Chemo Love Tote program, which provides totes filled with essential items to cancer patients in treatment. My ultimate goal is to inspire individuals to see every challenge as a blessing, something that happens for us rather than to us. I believe that when one person heals, the entire world heals with them. That’s why I’m committed to promoting love, healing, positivity, gratitude, connection, community, and trust in life’s bigger picture.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Love, Zero Negative isn’t just a brand; it’s a movement—a lifestyle dedicated to transforming how we view challenges, especially in the face of adversity. The Zero Negative Foundation (ZNF), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded with a clear mission: to provide love, support, and specially curated tote bags to breast cancer patients, empowering them to embrace and receive the care and compassion they deserve throughout their healing journey.
Our foundation specializes in crafting ‘Chemo Love Totes,’ curated with wisdom and insights from survivors’ treatment experiences. Each tote includes a helpful memoir written by a patient and caregiver, my personal Spotify playlist for chemotherapy, a list of unexpected “chemo perks,” the prayer and mantra I recited before each round of chemo, and other items designed to provide comfort and inspiration. Additionally, every Love Tote is blessed with prayers and healing intentions, ensuring that no patient feels alone during treatment.
Our approach is about more than just providing physical items; it’s about instilling a positive, loving mindset—embracing a negative cancer diagnosis as a gift from the Universe, an opportunity for healing and learning profound lessons. Our main goal is to inspire all cancer patients to turn a negative diagnosis into a positive life experience, where the patient embarks on a journey of personal growth and positive impact.
The Zero Negative Foundation has expanded its mission to not only support individuals through their cancer journeys but also contribute significantly to cancer research at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation. This demonstrates our commitment to both present care and future cures. My amazing team of doctors at UCLA played a significant role in my journey. I was able to put 100% of my trust in their hands, which allowed me to focus on healing emotionally and spiritually while they worked on me physically. I am forever grateful to UCLA.
Lastly, my experience led my husband and me to co-write a book together called Everyone Needs a Larry (available on Amazon). This book is our love letter to all caregivers, written as a quirky, romantic, and humorous survival story that shares the lessons, mistakes, and joys of a couple navigating love, marriage, and stage IV cancer. Told from both the caregiver and patient perspectives, our goal is to support all couples in reaching the finish line, stronger, wiser, and better for it.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
- Love: In order to give and receive love, I realized how important it is to first give and receive love to myself. No matter what I am going through, it’s crucial to find love for the journey, love for life, even when it gets tough, because I am still so grateful to be alive! I’m not always happy, but I love being me, and I feel that stage IV cancer led me to truly love myself. If we all loved ourselves, the world would be a much safer, happier place.
- Gratitude: Finding gratitude in the little things, like every breath I take, waking up to another day, honoring a family member or friend, my dog, my coffee—there is always something to be grateful for, even chemotherapy! I was grateful for the opportunity to receive the chemo medicine, believing it would help save my life, and so I surrendered to it. This awareness of gratitude really makes or breaks the experience.
- Trust: I’ve lived long enough to understand that life throws us challenges. I no longer see myself as a victim but as someone chosen for the challenge I am facing. There is always a reason, and so I’ve learned to look for the reasons—what lessons I need to learn or what doors need to close so another one can open. It’s important to look at everything through a trusting lens and ask, “Why is this happening for me? What can I learn? What can I heal?” I can stop worrying about the future when I say yes to the present, no matter what. Now, I see life as a roller coaster ride, where I sit back with my hands in the air, saying yes to it all.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
Over the past year, I’ve been introduced to so many amazing people who have been incredibly helpful in building both the company and the nonprofit. I never thought of myself as a “businesswoman,” but I have faith that I always meet the right people at the right time—people who teach me something valuable, whether they join the team or not. I am grateful for the foundation’s board members and love the team I am creating around Love, Zero Negative as we now move forward as a Public Benefit Corporation, supporting a nonprofit foundation. I am super excited about this next phase for both Love, Zero Negative and The Zero Negative Foundation!
To wrap up, if someone is reading this and going through treatment, or has a friend or family member in need of support, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Providing a safe haven for patients, offering love and support, is the core purpose of everything we do. Everyone deserves to find their light, their love, and their family within their community.
Contact Info:
- Website:
- Love, Zero Negative: https://www.lovezeronegative.com/
- The Zero Negative Foundation: https://www.zeronegativefoundation.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovezeronegative/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovezeronegative
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lovezeronegative
- Everyone Needs a Larry: Love with a Twist of Cancer https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Needs-Larry-Twist-Cancer/dp/B09YDZSPBT
Image Credits
Fatima Hurd Photography
