Good, Better, Best: How one survivor turned a breast cancer diagnosis into a mission

This article is sponsored by Good, Better, Best.

When Angela Pacheco found a lump in her breast just days after moving into a new Nashville home in November 2017, she thought she was doing everything right.

At 34, the former corporate executive exercised regularly, maintained a healthy weight and considered herself in the best shape of her adult life. Less than two weeks later, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 triple-positive invasive ductal carcinoma — an aggressive form of breast cancer.

That diagnosis didn't just change her health. It changed the course of her career and eventually led to the opening of Good, Better, Best, a refill and lifestyle shop in The Nations dedicated to helping people make less-toxic, more sustainable choices in their everyday lives.

"I realized that health is far beyond just the things that you eat or how much you exercise," Pacheco said. "It goes into your sleep, your environment and everything you're putting on, in and around your body."

Originally from southeast Michigan, Pacheco came to Nashville in 2015 after an international career with Rolls-Royce and later a leadership role helping guide organizational transformation at Bridgestone.

She expected Nashville to be a temporary stop. Instead, it became home after her cancer diagnosis.

Doctors moved quickly because of the tumor's size and aggressiveness. Within weeks, Pacheco underwent fertility preservation treatment, followed by a double mastectomy and months of chemotherapy, immunotherapy and additional surgeries. She remained on hormone-blocking medications for more than seven years before finally hearing the words she had waited for.

"Consider yourself healed," her doctor told her in February 2025.

Throughout treatment, Pacheco began researching environmental health after doctors told her her cancer was likely influenced by a combination of lifestyle and environmental factors. That research led her to organizations like the Silent Spring Institute, the Environmental Working Group and other resources focused on reducing exposure to potentially harmful chemicals in everyday products.

"I had already done all this research for myself," she said. "Then it became, 'How do I make it easier for other people?'"

That question became the foundation for Good, Better, Best.

Pacheco spent several years refining the idea while continuing her corporate career, eventually launching the business in October 2024 with co-founder and fellow breast cancer survivor Erin Karb. The pair began with home consultations and a "milkman"-style delivery service that refills household products and delivers less-toxic alternatives directly to customers' homes.

Earlier this year, Good Better Best opened a storefront in The Nations where customers can refill soaps and cleaners, browse skincare and beauty products, and receive personalized consultations.

Rather than calling products "clean" — a term Pacheco says has no standardized definition — Good, Better, Best focuses on products that are less toxic and more sustainable, prioritizing ingredient transparency and avoiding known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors whenever possible.

Every product undergoes extensive vetting before reaching store shelves. Most items are tested personally by Pacheco and Karb. 

One of the most emotional moments in Pacheco's journey came as she reflected on the store's name.

Growing up, she memorized a simple quote in sixth grade that stayed with her throughout her life: "Good, better, best. Never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best."

But after her cancer diagnosis, those words took on an entirely new meaning.

Fighting back tears, Pacheco recalled wondering how much time she had left. "When I got cancer, I thought, 'I'm just going to keep living my best,'" she said. "I didn't know what that looked like, but every day I was going to do the best that I could."

That philosophy eventually became the foundation of her business. Today, Good, Better, Best encourages customers to make gradual, sustainable changes rather than striving for perfection.

"We're not perfect," she said. "It's not about perfection. It's about progress."

One of the biggest misconceptions Pacheco encounters is that healthier alternatives are either ineffective or prohibitively expensive. She says neither is necessarily true.

Instead of encouraging people to overhaul their lives overnight, she recommends replacing products gradually as they run out or beginning with items used directly on the skin every day, such as moisturizer or deodorant. "It's saying, 'Do I want to make this change?' and then doing it one product at a time," she said.

While retail is part of the business, education remains Pacheco's primary passion.

The store offers in-home consultations to help families identify practical product swaps based on their needs and plans to host educational events throughout the year.

Good, Better, Best also partners with several local businesses in Kingston Springs and Pegram whose missions align with its own.

Products from West Glow Farm help connect customers with locally grown food and flowers. Grounded Roots provides houseplants that promote healthier indoor spaces, while B’s Coffee roasts organic coffee selected specifically for the store.

For Pacheco, supporting other small businesses is part of the larger mission.

"If we can help each other access more people and impact more lives, then we'll all be better," she said.

Pacheco hopes Good, Better, Best continues to grow as a place where people feel empowered to learn, ask questions and make healthier choices at their own pace.

"We're a lifestyle company, not just a retail shop," she said. "If we can help people make living a better lifestyle easier, that's the goal."

The store’s next event – Local Love: Summer Market – will take place on Saturday, August 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacheco and her team will be curating Good Better Best gifts and starter kits for back to school and all of life's occasions; West Glow Farm will have a DIY flower arranging bar; Beka Thorp with Connected will have permanent jewelry; B’s Coffee will be serving up hot and cold organic cups and Grounded Roots will have their collection of indoor plants available.  

Additional workshops are planned throughout the fall, including a breast cancer awareness event ahead of October and the shop's first anniversary celebration in its Nations storefront.

Good, Better, Best is located at 5202 Centennial Blvd., Suite 101, in The Nations. The store is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and by appointment on Sunday. Home consultations and delivery services are available by appointment.