Heart Disease in women is their number one killer — and most of us still don't know the signs.

We've spent years worrying about the right things: the screenings, the genetics, the Family history we carry quietly into every doctor's appointment. But women's heart Health looks different than we've been taught. The symptoms are more subtle. The risk factors include ones nobody warned us about — like Menopause, estrogen loss, and the emotional suppression when we carry our loved one’s pain..

My guest today, Victoria Gustafson — certified heart-centered life coach and speaker — knows this firsthand. In 2024, Victoria suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on a Pickleball court. A bystander performed CPR and kept her alive until paramedics arrived. She is among the 1% of cardiac arrest survivors who walk away without brain damage. And she is here, sharing the Wisdom that could genuinely change — or save — your life.

This is not a scary episode. It's an empowering one.

• Why a healthy, active woman's heart stopped without warning — and how the split-second decisions by bystanders brought Victoria back
• The difference between cardiac arrest vs. heart attack — and why understanding it is essential to how you advocate for yourself as a woman
• Why heart disease in women so often goes undetected, and how women's symptoms can be more subtle and often get dismissed by the medical system
• The connection between menopause and heart health, and the critical role estrogen plays in protecting your cardiovascular system
• Why it's important to get a baseline heart testing work up — and the benefits of asking for a Holter monitor, an advanced lipid panel, or a coronary artery calcium scan
• How body awareness and somatic healing connect to heart health — and what the body's whispers and nudges might be telling you
• The link between people-pleasing, emotional suppression, and the physical body — and why the caretaking and peacekeeping so many of us do lives somewhere we can't see
• What nervous system regulation has to do with how we protect ourselves — physically, emotionally, and spiritually
• The biggest takeaway from our conversation. Warning: it might make you feel lighter when you learn what it is.

Your heart has been carrying so much. It's time to listen to the flutter, the fatigue, or the sense that something might be off.

With Love and freedom,

 
Laurie

Links to heart related episodes mentioned:

How Safe Hormone Therapy and Vaginal Health can Close the Bedroom Gap with Dr. Maria Sophocles

Is Hormone Therapy Safe? The Science Behind HRT and Breast Cancer Risk with Dr. Maria Sophocles.

Click here to learn about my NEW “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” 

Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

Free Resources

Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.

Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”

Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise

Website

Connect with Victoria Gustafson:
Victoria's website: heartcenteredlifecoach.com 

Victoria on Instagram/Facebook: @alittlelucylove

Victoria on LinkedIn: Victoria Gustafson

Victoria's email: [email protected] 

Episodes mentioned:

Dr. Maria Sophocles Episode 1 — Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Safe? The Science: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/is-hormone-replacement-therapy-safe-the-science/id1694026063?i=1000709404025

Dr. Maria Sophocles Episode 2 — How Safe Hormone Therapy and Vaginal Health Can Close the Bedroom Gap: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-safe-hormone-therapy-and-vaginal-health-can-close/id1694026063?i=1000749413636

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DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND Entertainment PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

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Laurie James Laurie James, Author, Podcaster, and Somatic Relationship Coach

Hi, I'm Laurie James...a mother, divorcée, recovering caregiver turned author, somatic relationship coach, and podcaster. My podcast, Confessions of a Freebird, was inspired by my youngest of four children leaving the nest and is the sequel to my book, Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go.

My memoir is about my journey from loneliness to finding belonging during a time when I was raising four teenage daughters, my mother had a heart attack and needed care, all while my marriage began to crumble underneath me.

Now I love helping people divorce, heal, and date differently in midlife. I love blending my somatic training and coaching to help clients develop a better relationship with their bodies and nervous system. Doing so allows them to find the inner freedom to experience more happiness, joy and create the life they desire through nervous system regulation.

When I'm not coaching clients or podcasting, I can be found nurturing my free spirit by walking my adopted husky Lu, skiing, sailing, hiking, spending time with my four adult daughters, close friends or planning my next adventure.