Heart Talk with Hillary
After surviving acute heart failure at just 33 years old, I felt incredibly alone in my recovery. I had never met anyone living with heart failure—let alone someone close to my age. As I began sharing my story publicly and on social media, I discovered something I never expected: a community of people whose lives had also been touched by heart failure. Some were survivors who had walked this path years before me. Some had received heart transplants. Others were family members supporting loved ones through hospitalization and recovery. Connecting with these individuals was both healing and inspiring. It reminded me that none of us are truly alone, even in life's most difficult circumstances. I created this podcast to help others find that same sense of connection, hope, and community. Through conversations with heart failure survivors, caregivers, cardiologists, and heart failure specialists, my goal is to share stories that educate, encourage, and remind listeners that there is life beyond a diagnosis. Whether you are a patient, caregiver, healthcare professional, or simply someone wanting to learn more, I hope this podcast introduces you to an incredible community of resilient, courageous people. I also hope it helps raise awareness about heart failure and the many ways it impacts individuals and families around the world. Thank you for being here and for being part of this journey. Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individual speakers. Always consult your healthcare provider regarding questions or concerns about your own health or medical care. To follow my heart failure advocacy and recovery journey, find me on Instagram @hillarysheart. For questions, comments, speaking opportunities, media inquiries, or collaboration requests, please contact me via email: hillary@hillarysheart.com.
Episodes
I know I’ve said this before but today’s episode is a really special one.
I had the honor of talking with Mike Minogue — the former CEO of Abiomed — a company that quite literally changed the course of my life.
Mike and I first met in 2022, shortly after my recovery from heart failure, when I was invited to visit Abiomed’s headquarters in Danvers, Massachusetts. I was immediately impressed by his approachability and g...
Today’s episode is one that will truly make you pause and reflect on what is important to you in your life.
I’m joined by Georgiana, whose story is as powerful as it is eye-opening. She was the picture of health—active and strong, even competing in the Senior Olympics—when her life took an unexpected turn. Out of nowhere, she was fighting for her life battling acute viral myocarditis.
What makes Georgiana’s story so i...
Today’s guest is Layne Strookman — a young wife, mother, and Nurse Practitioner. Despite her medical background, there was one condition she had never even heard of until the day it happened to her.
Layne was the picture of health. She was a collegiate athlete, a marathon runner, and someone who truly prioritized her wellness. But her life took a sudden and unexpected turn when she experienced a heart attack caused b...
Today I am joined by Chelsea Hayes — a young wife and mother — who experienced a sudden and terrifying medical emergency that completely turned her world upside down. What began unexpectedly soon led to a diagnosis of acute viral lymphocytic myocarditis… a form of viral myocarditis that, even after my own journey with heart failure, I had not yet learned about.
In this conversation, Chelsea shares what it felt like t...
Today’s episode is a really special one, because I’m sitting down with a young woman named Allie—who actually found me on Instagram and reached out to share her story. And when I read her message, I was struck by how similar her journey was to mine.
Allie was young, healthy, and had no prior health conditions. But after getting sick, her health declined rapidly. Thankfully, her parents trusted their instincts and got...
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 implante...
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 giv...
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 m...
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 yo...
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...
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 g...
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 al...
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 Sa...
In the past, you’ve heard powerful stories from heart failure survivors and their caregivers—but today, we’re hearing from someone who has played a very different role in the fight to save lives from heart failure. This is someone extremely near and dear to my heart. Truthfully I don’t think I’d be alive today if it weren’t for this man, Dr. Thorsten Siess, the inventor of the Impella heart pump. I had the privilege...
In today’s episode you’ll get to hear from Fano and Francesca, the proud parents of a beautiful 4yr old girl named, Sienna. Sienna was born with HLHS which stands for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. HLHS causes the left side of the heart to be underdeveloped. Thankfully it has a good prognosis with the help of multiple surgeries including an open heart surgery that usually occurs when a baby is just a few days old....
If you follow me on instagram then you know how special this episode is. Back in June of this year a friend of mine had sent me a post on instagram about a little 3 year old boy named Tru who was on vacation in Hawaii and suddenly became very ill. It turned out that he was fighting acute viral myocarditis. I immediately began praying for this little boy and his entire family. I shared every update I saw over the cou...
In today’s episode you get to meet Jenna Tanner a wife and Mom of 3 from Oklahoma. Jenna shares her story of surviving a sudden and major heart attack while home alone in 2022. In our conversation Jenna shares about her subtle symptoms leading up to the heart attack and how easy it is as women to disregard these symptoms. We discuss the disparity of information on female heart attack symptoms as opposed to male’s. S...
In this episode you get to meet my friend, Michelle. I was so encouraged after this conversation. Michelle’s cardiac arrest happened in 2011 and yet she’s still out here sharing and bringing awareness to what happened to her. I can only hope that I’ll be doing the same in another decade or so.
Michelle's story is one of incredible resilience while enduring many trials. In 2011 while in her early 30’s, Michelle w...
Abiomed has been such a wonderful resource for me, connecting me to so many people all over the world who have experienced heart failure. Today, I get to introduce you to Franzi. She lives in Germany which also happens to be where Thorstein Seiss, the inventor of the Impella lives and is from. Franzi shares her story about how coming down with the common cold led her on a scary years long journey of battling heart f...
I am so excited for you all to hear today’s episode. This conversation is definitely the most I’ve ever laughed while discussing heart failure. Chavez has the most infectious and positive personality and he just radiates joy.
Today he shares his story of battling viral myocarditis at 29 years old after having recovered from covid. We talk about everything from law school to food blogging to heart failure and hospita...
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