While viewers may have tuned in to the eight episodes of Earle Meets World to get updates on Alix Earle’s feud with Alex Cooper or to hear more about her breakup with NFL wide receiver Braxton Berrios, by far one of the most shocking revelations from the show was when Alix and her sister Ashtin addressed a health update.

Back in January, Alix revealed that her mom, Alisa, had been diagnosed with breast cancer, confirming that they had received the diagnosis halfway through her time competing on season 34 of Dancing with the Stars last year.

Alisa’s journey with the disease was documented on the family’s new Netflix show and, speaking with PEOPLE ahead of the release, the two sisters admit that filming the moment when they learned that they, like their mom, were carriers of the genetic mutation BRCA was the “hardest scene to film by far.”

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are both genes that produce proteins that work to repair damaged DNA, according to the National Cancer Institute. Some individuals may inherit a genetic mutation in one of the genes that could lead to an increased risk of several types of cancers — most notably breast and ovarian cancer.

Speaking with PEOPLE, the influencers open up about what it was like to learn they carried the same genetic mutation as their mom.

“That moment in our life was really difficult and something I think we tried to brush off,” Alix says. “I think we were both kind of out of sight, out of mind, whatever, and waiting for these results. And then when we sat down, and it happened… I don’t know. I was in the mindset of whatever happens is going to be fine.”

“And I think when we both got the results, my body just took over and broke down, and even seeing like my mom get emotional was super hard for us. And that was a very unexpected twist that also happened during these crazy few months,” she adds.

Ashtin also shares that, though filming the test results in front of a camera was tough, the crew made them feel “so comfortable.”

“Even after we were still crying and it was a little awkward, and they were like, ‘We’re going to give you guys a moment,’ ” she remembers filming. “Going into it was so anxiety-inducing. But I feel like it’s a situation where knowledge is power, and I’m glad we now know and can take the right steps to be healthy and stay on top of it.”

At the time, Alix admits she was going through a few other changes in her life, and she calls the moment the “tip of the iceberg.”

“It was really a difficult emotional moment. But I think coming out on the other end of it, I am happy, and we did want to share that side because I hope that it’s educational for other people. Because we honestly didn’t even know about the genetic testing behind all of this,” she says.

Ashtin admits that she had no idea what BRCA gene mutations were before their mom went through her cancer diagnosis. During the show, the two sisters await the results of their testing for the mutation, but it’s clear that the thought that they could actually be carriers hadn’t set in.

“I kind of kept feeling like there’s no way either that we would both have it or that it would just be one of us,” says Alix. “I didn’t really think that it would be both of us. I think that was the other thing too, was just such a shock factor of I can’t even believe the results of this. And so I think just the whole family was a little shocked, honestly.”

Since finding out that the pair were carriers of the disease, they’ve found a newly reinvigorated sense of responsibility when it comes to their health.

Ashtin explains that the sisters have been working with a genetic counselor as a “sounding board” for what health and wellness practices might look like in the future.

“Going forward when it comes years down the line and getting pregnant, having kids, I think it just made us a lot more aware of our options and the possibilities of things,” Alix adds. “And it’s something that we are taking into account and working on making the right choices going forward.”

“Even just eating healthier and working out and living a healthy lifestyle does really contribute to whether you get cancer or not,” Ashtin continues. “So yeah, I feel like just working on being healthier and being more conscious of what we do and what we put in our bodies has been really heavy on my mind since.”

All episodes of Earle Meets World are available to stream on Netflix.