How The Go-To Gang Forged A Lifelong Friendship Between Two Kate’s

How The Go-To Gang Forged A Lifelong Friendship Between Two Kate’s

"She's in my corner and I'm in hers."
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“The Go-To Gang Facebook Group is such a generous space.” Kate Murphy

“It’s a portal into a world of kindness (and fellow skincare girlies).” Kate Grainger.

Existing fans of beauty industry mogul, Zoë Foster Blake, Kate Murphy and Kate Grainger were quick to jump on the Go-To bandwagon and have been lapping up every peach product launch since 2014. When we created our Facebook Group in 2020, Kate and Kate joined quick smart. Helping us to build and nourish an online community of like-minded women. And that’s exactly where their story starts. 

About The Facebook Group

“There’s truly so many elements to the Go-To Gang Facebook Group which make it exciting. It feels like an exclusive club where my friends and I can talk about our favourite things; there’s people trading merchandise, offering supportive advice, sharing memes and hilarious review videos. I’m happy to say that I’ve only ever had great interactions with others in the group.” Murphy

“I have learnt SO MUCH about AHAs, BHAs, hyaluronic acid, retinol etc. But, what I really appreciate is that the moderators approve all the questions about products from competitor companies, from people who might be looking for something different, or who might not be able to afford Go-To products. This says so much about Go-To’s values too.” Grainger

Discussing Their Diagnosis’

“As soon as I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer I went to The Go-To Gang for advice from others who had been through chemotherapy as I was curious about what products I was allowed to use on my skin. I was overwhelmed with well wishes and support.” Murphy

“[A few months ago] I posted in The Go-To Gang about what was going on in terms of my [cancer] diagnosis. I was inundated with messages of love and support. No one knows how they’re going to navigate being handed one of life’s sourest lemons; I’m very open about my diagnosis and I am so glad I posted in the group that day, because it has opened up doors to wonderful friendships.” Grainger

“A few days after I posted in the group about my diagnosis, I came across Kate Grainger’s post. I remember her writing that she’d been given the news of her diagnosis and was struggling to come to terms with it. Timing wise it seemed bizarre to me to see that another girl named Kate was also diagnosed with Breast Cancer literally days after me. So we got chatting and realised that we had so much in common! We’re both ‘91 babies, and both diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of Breast Cancer (Triple Negative Breast Cancer.) The only difference is that I live in Sydney and she’s in WA. 

Our treatment plan was exactly the same which meant we could talk each day about what scans we had coming up, how our blood counts were looking, and how hard the chemotherapy affected us. We became each other’s support person.” Murphy

“To be honest, being handed a random, scary, aggressive form of cancer - that is not at all genetic - while you’re pregnant, is terrifying. It was through The Go-To Gang that I met Kate Murphy. We were diagnosed days apart, only she’s three months older than me, and we live on the opposite sides of the country. But we have the same sense of humour, same love for our partners, and same love for Go-To! Cancer can be an incredibly isolating experience, but getting to know Kate made it so much more bearable.” Grainger 

“A few months into our treatment we both received our genetic testing results back and neither of us had the BRCA gene mutation. Essentially we were both super unlucky to have randomly developed this cancer. It made us both so determined to advocate for Breast Cancer awareness and the importance for young women to do regular self checks.” Murphy

From Kate To Kate

“She’s in my corner and I’m in hers. It’s really hard for people to understand the nightmare that is cancer, but Kate gets it. She knows my mood through a couple of messages, and I know hers. We know each other’s worries, the ups and the downs each other is experiencing.” Grainger 

“I bloody love her! She makes me laugh every time we talk. Kate is kind and caring with a huge heart. She loves her family so much and would do anything for them. Even though we haven’t met in person (yet!), I’ve noticed her strength, resilience and passion. Kate constantly reminds us all to keep checking our breasts and show love to our families and kids. Honestly, after fighting for our lives together, she’s definitely going to be a friend for life and I’m so incredibly grateful for being able to connect with her.” Murphy

“I will be forever grateful for Go-To for introducing a very close friend I will have for life.” Grainger 

A Moment For Skincare

“The effects of cancer changed so much about my appearance which made my self-esteem suffer initially. Losing my long blonde hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and gaining weight took a toll on me mentally but the only way I could deal with it was by being kind to myself. I focused on skincare as a form of self-care and it helped me heal my relationship with myself. Taking the time to care for my skin was my way of saying to myself that I loved myself, that I cared for myself, especially during a time where I had little to no energy.” Murphy 

“My skincare routine has always been my lil treat, a moment of reflection, a moment to pull myself together, to figure out what my body needs. Life can change dramatically, in an instant (take being diagnosed with breast cancer, giving birth, and commencing chemotherapy all within 10 days). But my skincare routine stayed the same. Go-To was waiting for me next to the sink.

Self-care over the last seven months has been a wild ride. Each night I have a bath with our baby, to have that skin-to-skin (I missed out on a lot of this when bub was very young). Then my beautiful husband Joel gets him, and I spend a few minutes listening to music, lighting a candle or using The Removalist and The Repair Shop. Life is so much better when you romanticise the small moments.” Grainger

Parting Words (And Requests!)

“What are you waiting for?! Go now! [The Go-To Gang] is such a fun group to be a part of. You too could make a life-long friend who you share pictures of your Go-To stash with, and joke about how between the two of you you’ve definitely paid off a significant portion of ZFB’s mortgage haha!” Murphy 

“Do it! Join The Go-To Gang. Then check your boobs and kiss your babies. (Ps I could dunk my whole head in MBS and still want more.)” Grainger

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