Send us a text

Today’s episode is one I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Arjun Chagarlamudi, the very first cardiologist who ever took care of me — during the most critical 36 hours of my life at Salem Hospital. I only got to follow-up with him one time after the hospital so I was really excited to get to have this time with him.

Dr. Chagarlamudi was the cardiologist who implanted my Impella CP, performed my pericardiocentesis, and made the life-saving decision to transfer my care to Providence when it became clear my heart needed a higher level of support.

At the time, I didn’t fully understand the gravity of what was happening. Looking back now, I can see just how pivotal the decisions he made were for my care — and how they ultimately changed the course of my life.

In this conversation, we talk not only about my case, but also about Dr. Chagarlamudi’s personal path to medicine and cardiology, along with his professional insights and recommendations for long-term heart health.

I am incredibly grateful for this conversation — and for the role that he will always play in my own story.

Dr. Arjun Chagarlamudi - More info. on Dr. Chagarlamudi

Failure to Fit - My 8-week beginner exercise program!

Support the Podcast - Thank you!!

Support the show

DISCLAIMER: The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational, inspirational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my guests, based on our personal experiences. Always consult with your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email Hillary at hillary@hillarysheart.com

Send us a text

Welcome back for SEASON 4! I can’t imagine a more meaningful way to begin this new season than with today’s episode, especially as Grey’s Anatomy also returns with a storyline depicting a main character being diagnosed with the exact same condition as our guest.

Today, I’m joined by Casey Gould, a heart failure survivor who experienced peripartum (also called postpartum) cardiomyopathy just over a year ago while giving birth to her son, Archer.

Casey had a healthy, uneventful pregnancy — one she genuinely enjoyed — but everything changed during delivery when her heart suddenly failed. Like me, Casey required an Impella CP, a life-saving heart pump that supported her when her heart could not.

Casey is young, active, and healthy. Her story is a powerful reminder that heart failure — and postpartum cardiomyopathy in particular — does not discriminate, and that these stories are not just television, cliffhangers or plotlines… they’re real life.

In this conversation, Casey shares what it was like to go from a normal pregnancy to nearly losing her life in labor, and what recovery has looked like since.

Whether you’re a new or expecting parent, a survivor, a caregiver, or part of the healthcare community, this episode sets the tone for what Season 4 is all about — awareness and hope for every heart.

EPISODE SPONSOR:

Thrive Market: Click HERE to get 40% off your first order!

Listener Support: Become a monthly supporter of the podcast for as little as $3/month HERE.

Support the show

DISCLAIMER: The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational, inspirational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my guests, based on our personal experiences. Always consult with your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email Hillary at hillary@hillarysheart.com

Send us a text

Today’s episode is incredibly special to me — because my guest isn’t just a renowned cardiologist… he was my cardiologist.

I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Jacob Abraham, who cared for me during some of the most critical moments of my life and advocated greatly for me. He helped manage my care in the hospital and then continued to walk alongside me in the months and years that followed.

Dr. Abraham is one of the most brilliant physicians but he’s also one of the kindest humans who treats his patients with the utmost respect. Having him on the podcast feels like a full-circle moment I never expected to experience.

In this conversation, Dr. Abraham shares his own story — why he chose cardiology, the experiences that have helped shape his career, his passion for physics, and the major career move he made earlier this year that has allowed him to really dive deeper into that passion.

I also asked him questions about my case: what he remembers, how decisions were made behind the scenes, why viral myocarditis occurs, and why some hearts (like mine) recover fully while others require a transplant.

And thanks to you all, I had the chance to ask several listener-submitted questions as well.

Whether you’re a survivor, a caregiver, or someone working in healthcare, this episode offers a rare look into the heart, mind, and mission of a cardiologist who is truly making a difference.

EPISODE SPONSOR:

Just Ingredients: https://justingredients.us/HILLARYSHEART

IMPORTANT LINKS:

Sign up to become an organ donor today! Organdonor.gov

Learn more about the Impella devices here.

Support the show

DISCLAIMER: The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational, inspirational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my guests, based on our personal experiences. Always consult with your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email Hillary at hillary@hillarysheart.com

Send us a text

In today’s episode you will hear from an incredible woman named Tara Benoit. Tara is a former fitness competitor who was in the greatest shape of her life when she suffered the unexpected, a SCAD heart attack. SCAD stands for Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection and has also been dubbed the healthy woman’s heart attack. I previously interviewed another SCAD survivor in April of 2024 named Marcie Westwater so if you’d like to hear another story on SCAD please go back and listen to that one as well.

In this conversation you will hear what it was like for Tara to have to advocate and fight for help when doctors initially brushed off her symptoms. This is an all too common theme and reoccurrence for women with heart attack and heart failure symptoms. And this is exactly why Tara is sharing her story.

Tara’s experience and survival sparked a new mission. She’s now a speaker, author, and advocate, using her voice to raise awareness about women’s heart health and to empower others who’ve faced a similar life-changing diagnosis.

In our conversation today, Tara opens up about what it was like to experience a SCAD heart attack, the road to recovery — both physically and emotionally — and how she’s turned her pain into purpose.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Purchase Tara's new book, Torn Heart on Amazon by clicking here!

Follow Tara's Journey on Instagram: @tarabenoitinspires

This episode is listener supported! If you have been encouraged by this podcast please consider becoming a monthly supporter for as little as $3/month by clicking the link below:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2309277/supporters/new

Episode Sponsors:

THRIVE MARKET: Get $40 off your first order with my referral link.

JUST INGREDIENTS: Use my code: HILLARYSHEART for 10% off your order!

TODAY IS A GIFT!

Support the show

DISCLAIMER: The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational, inspirational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my guests, based on our personal experiences. Always consult with your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email Hillary at hillary@hillarysheart.com

Send us a text

Today's episode is Part 2 of a 2 Part series. So if you haven't already listened to Part 1 please go back and listen to that one first. In this episode, Katy and her husband, Aaron walk us through her entire heart transplant journey. From spending 5 weeks in the CICU to being discharged while still on the transplant list, then getting the call and even post-transplant life.

Katy and Aaron's resilience and outlook on life is so beautiful and our prayer is that their story will bring some hope and comfort to others along the same path.

You could save someone's life. Sign-up to become an Organ Donor today!

https://www.organdonor.gov/sign-up

Today's Sponsor:

Thrive Market: Get $40 off your first order!
REFERRAL LINK: http://thrv.me/B5Unqq

*Disclosure: If you choose to purchase through any of my affiliate links I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share products and companies I truly believe in and use myself. Thanks for your support!

If you have been encouraged by this podcast please consider becoming a monthly supporter for as little as $3/month by clicking the link below:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2309277/support

Podcast Contact:
hillary@hillarysheart.com

Support the show

DISCLAIMER: The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational, inspirational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my guests, based on our personal experiences. Always consult with your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email Hillary at hillary@hillarysheart.com

Send us a text

Sometimes life brings people into your path in ways that feel nothing short of divine and that is the case for today’s guests. I’ll never forget when I first heard about Katy Coski. Her sister, Karley reached out to me over social media, telling me that it sounded like her sister was going through exactly what I had been through.

I was stunned to learn that not only did Karlee live in Salem and work out at the same gym as me but her sister Katy who lives in Alaska was now being treated at the exact same hospital I was in being cared for by the same physicians and battling the same illness. A the time I had yet to meet anyone in person who had experienced something like me and I was just so shocked to realize someone working out next to me in the same gym had a sister going through it all.

So today is Part 1 of a 2-part series where you’ll get to hear from Katy and her husband, Aaron. In this first episode, you’ll hear mostly from Aaron as he pieces together the events of those critical days while Katy was in a medically induced coma. Katy doesn’t remember much from that time—but she will share some profoundly intimate and deeply spiritual moments that she vividly remembers.

In two weeks during part 2 they take us through her incredible heart transplant journey. You won’t want to miss it.

You could save someone's life. Sign-up to become an Organ Donor today!

https://www.organdonor.gov/sign-up

SUPPORT:

If you have been encouraged by this podcast please consider becoming a monthly supporter for as little as $3/month by clicking the link below:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2309277/support

Podcast Contact:
hillary@hillarysheart.com

Support the show

DISCLAIMER: The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational, inspirational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my guests, based on our personal experiences. Always consult with your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email Hillary at hillary@hillarysheart.com

Send us a text

Today’s guest is my friend, Lauryn Sousa. She’s a young, active preschool teacher from Rhode Island whose life took a terrifying turn earlier this year after she contracted the flu. What started as a common illness quickly spiraled into a life-threatening emergency.

Lauryn lives alone, and navigating the early symptoms on her own was incredibly scary. Thankfully Lauryn made it to the hospital in time but it wasn’t all uphill from there— at one point, her doctors told her parents something no parent ever wants to hear, “your daughter only has an hour left to live”.

But against all odds, and with the help the Impella heart pump, Lauryn made a full recovery.

Her story is emotional, powerful, and a reminder not to take our health — or the people in our lives — for granted.

To follow along on Lauryn's heart recovery journey, check out her Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/@laurynsousa21?si=9bkuVVt9iiJdrBKX

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Thrive Market: Get $40 off your first order!
REFERRAL LINK: http://thrv.me/B5Unqq

Just Ingredients: justingredients.us
DISCOUNT CODE: HILLARYSHEART for 10% off

If you choose to purchase through these affiliate links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share products I truly believe in and use myself. Thanks for your support!

If you have been encouraged by this podcast please consider becoming a monthly supporter for as little as $3/month by clicking the link below:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2309277/support

Podcast Contact:
hillary@hillarysheart.com

Support the show

DISCLAIMER: The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational, inspirational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my guests, based on our personal experiences. Always consult with your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email Hillary at hillary@hillarysheart.com

Send us a text

Today, I’m honored to share the incredible journey of Salina — a woman whose story is filled with strength, unexpected turns, and undeniable miracles.

Salina was diagnosed with cancer at 14 years old, and while she bravely made it through treatment during her high school years, the chemotherapy drug was so strong that it weakened her heart muscle eventually leading to heart failure. As a first time mom in her 20’s Salina was going through the unthinkable but she held onto hope, even in the darkest moments. Despite all the setbacks, Salina never lost her joyful spirit or her positive outlook. Eventually Salina was matched with a donor heart and received her life-saving transplant.

Today, Salina is doing incredibly well, and her journey is a great reminder that in the darkest valleys God is near and often working in miraculous ways we didn’t think were possible.

DISCLAIMER: The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational, inspirational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my guests, based on our personal experiences. Always consult with your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Better Greens: https://tinyurl.com/better-greens
CODE: HILLARYSHEART for 10% off

Thrive Market: Get $40 off your first order!
REFERRAL LINK: http://thrv.me/B5Unqq

*Disclosure: If you choose to purchase through these affiliate links I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share products I truly believe in and use myself. Thanks for your support!

If you have been encouraged by this podcast please consider becoming a monthly supporter for as little as $3/month by clicking the link below:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2309277/support

Podcast Contact:
hillary@hillarysheart.com

Support the show

DISCLAIMER: The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational, inspirational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my guests, based on our personal experiences. Always consult with your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email Hillary at hillary@hillarysheart.com