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Hey my messy warriors 💖🫀

On this episode of Everything’s Messy Podcast : February is Heart Month, and this one is close to my heart—literally. Six days before I turned 43, I had a heart attack, and while I’ve shared pieces of my story before, this episode isn’t about the origin story. It’s about the data. The raw, uncomfortable, mind-blowing facts about why heart disease is quietly devastating women—and why so many of us have no idea it’s happening.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death for women in the United States, killing more women than all forms of cancer combined. Let that sink in. Nearly 45% of women over the age of 20 are living with some form of cardiovascular disease—many without symptoms, many without knowing. Yet less than half of women even recognize heart disease as their biggest health threat. That disconnect is dangerous, and it’s why I felt called to scream this from the rooftops.

This episode dives into why heart attacks are rising in women ages 35–54, why we often don’t present with “classic” symptoms, and why so many of us are told it’s just anxiety when our bodies are actually waving red flags 🚩. I share how hormones, insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, thyroid dysfunction, stress, and nervous system dysregulation all collide—making heart disease in women incredibly complex and wildly under-discussed.

We talk estrogen, perimenopause, cortisol overload, mom guilt, caregiver stress, trauma, and why even “healthy,” active women can still be at risk. I also open up about my own experience—how my symptoms didn’t look like a heart attack at all, how my EKG shocked everyone, and how close I came without even realizing it.

Most importantly, this episode is about advocacy without shame. Heart disease is not a moral failure. It’s not because you “didn’t try hard enough.” Many of these risk factors are outside our control, and blaming ourselves only adds more stress to an already overloaded system. This is your permission slip to ask for the heart tests, to push for answers, to slow down, to take care of yourself without guilt, and to stop putting yourself last 💗.

If this episode gets even one woman to book a heart assessment, ask better questions, or listen more closely to her body, then I’ve done my job. And if you’re sitting there thinking, “Whoa… this sounds like me,” please know—you’re not alone. Let’s talk. Let’s support each other. Let’s get loud about women’s heart health.