Shannen Doherty is not one to mince words.

“I don’t want to die,” she says on the set of her PEOPLE cover shot four days before Thanksgiving, as a sliver of Los Angeles sunshine falls across her face.

The actress, best known for her performances on the famous ’90s TV show Beverly Hills, 90210, and subsequently, Charmed, is refreshingly frank, optimistic, and dry-witted as she discusses her Stage 4 breast cancer, which has spread to her bones.

The 52-year-old is more motivated than ever to keep moving forward as she continues to undergo therapy. “I’m not done living.” I’m not done loving yet. I’m not finished creating yet. “I’m not done hoping to change things for the better,” she adds, smiling. “I’m just not done.”

Doherty’s eight-year cancer journey has caused her to reflect on the big picture of her life, a theme she will explore on her memoir-style podcast, Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty, which premieres Dec. 6 on iHeartRadio and will cover everything from career highlights and past relationships to the various stages of her illness and health regimens.

Doherty had a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, which she initially revealed to PEOPLE.

She announced her remission on Instagram in April 2017. But the illness returned by 2019, and she was diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 cancer the following year.

“When you wonder, ‘Why me? ‘Why did I develop cancer?’ and then “Why did my cancer come back?” “When you ask yourself, ‘Why am I in stage 4?’ you begin to look for a larger purpose in life,” she continues.

She intends to raise awareness and cash for cancer research while demonstrating that people with terminal cancer have much to offer the world. “It’s insane to me that we still don’t have a cure,” she said.

Doherty revealed on Instagram in June that her illness had spread to her brain and that she had undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor five months prior. She called it Bob with a wicked sense of humor.

“He had to get removed and dissected to see his pathology,” she said. “It was definitely one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through in my entire life.”

Doherty is currently hoping to enter clinical trials when new medicines are discovered. (The Susan G. Komen Foundation estimates that 168,000 individuals are living with metastatic breast cancer.) But her determination to prove that she can work despite her cancer diagnosis is what drives her the most. And it’s her strong sense of discipline that keeps her going.

“People simply assume that it means you can’t walk, eat, or work.” They throw you out to pasture at a young age, telling you, ‘You’re done, you’re retired,’ but we’re not,” she explains. “We’re alive, and we have such a different perspective on life.” We are folks that want to work while still enjoying life and going forward.”

Every morning, the actress is thankful for another day spent with her friends, family, and her German dog, Bowie.

“My greatest memory is yet to come,” she says. “I pray. I thank God every morning and every night, praying for the things that are important to me without asking for too much. It brings me closer to a higher power and spirituality. “My faith is my anthem.”

When you have cancer, everything is more poignant, and the sky is bluer, as she describes.

“I know it sounds cheesy and insane, but you’re just more aware of everything and feel so blessed.” We’re the ones that want to work the hardest because we’re so appreciative for every second, hour, and day that we get to be here.”