My Heart & Mind with Sallie Crawley - Life after a Heart Attack or Cardiac Surgery
You survived the heart attack, cardiac surgery, or cardiac arrest, but now what? Life after a heart event can feel overwhelming, lonely, and uncertain. Your body may be healing, but your mind and emotions are still catching up.
Friends say you’re lucky to be alive, and you know you are. But inside, you’re dealing with fear, exhaustion, and grief. You’ve been given a second chance, but you don’t know how to make the most of it. Your confidence is shaken, your energy is low, and no one really talks about how recovery is more than just medication and exercise.
That’s where My Heart & Mind with Sallie Crawley comes in — the podcast designed specifically for people recovering from a heart attack, heart surgery, cardiac arrest, or living with heart disease. You’ll get emotional support, mindset tools, and practical strategies to help you rebuild your life - one breath, one step, one day at a time.
Unlike medical podcasts that focus on clinical facts, My Heart & Mind is about the emotional and mental rehab you didn’t know you needed. Each episode blends Sallie’s personal experience as a heart patient with expert tips, inspiring interviews, guided visualisations, and real talk about how to manage fatigue, fear, and the inner critic.
Sallie Crawley is a heart attack survivor, cardiac coach, and certified practitioner in mind-body wellbeing. She understands firsthand the rollercoaster of emotions that come after a cardiac event, and she’s helped hundreds of people navigate recovery with more hope, clarity, and self-compassion.
Whether you’re newly diagnosed, weeks, months or even years into your recovery, or maybe supporting a loved one through theirs, this podcast will help you feel less alone and more in control. Tune in to learn how to manage your energy, shift your mindset, and find joy and purpose again - so you can live not just longer, but happier and better.
🎧 Follow now to start healing from the inside out.
My Heart & Mind with Sallie Crawley - Life after a Heart Attack or Cardiac Surgery
Interview with Tena Kennedy – Life with chronic illnesses, it’s good to talk
Just before her 50th birthday Tena was admitted to hospital with unstable angina, and this was just the beginning of her story. Tena lives with many cardiac and respiratory chronic illnesses and she shares with us her journey and her coping mechanisms that helped her with her glass half full outlook despite the many changes to her life.
She talks about her diagnosis and some of the procedures she has undergone, including TOE (Transoesophageal Echocardiogram) and explains what that is. We also talk about acceptance of using a CPAP machine at night, how scary the thought is compared to reality.
Tena shares her thoughts about honesty with the people that love you.
We talk about fear, and how not knowing or understanding can add to the worry. We also continue to discuss becoming confident and that you need to be your own advocate with your medical team. She shares her top tips for making the most of medical and hospital appointments.
Tena shares her top tip for managing your emotions and thoughts is about using your voice. How finding people who share similar experiences, can help you not with the medical side but with how it was for them. She shares her story about the support she got from finding Facebook groups on the internet.
Another topic we discuss is the importance of acceptance and liking the new you after diagnosis.
Tena talks us through what motivates her, how having a mobility scooter is of great benefit to family life and the impact of her health on her mental health.
And so much more, did I mention one of the key tips from Tena is to talk ….
And now, let me introduce you to … Tena Kennedy
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Getting to know Sallie Crawley
Survivorship after a heart attack or cardiac surgery can be challenging. You can rebuild the puzzle of your life and thrive. It takes one beat at a time and the support of people who have had similar experiences. You are not alone. Join me and other hearties in the My Heart & Mind Community, you'll get a warm welcome. You can also visit my website www.myheartandmind.co.uk.
Disclaimer
The information contained within my podcast and on my website is for general information purposes only. It is not official health advice and is not intended to be used as such. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website is strictly at your own risk. If you have any questions relating to specific health concerns or you think you may be suffering from a medical condition, you must consult a medical professional immediately. You must also consult a medical professional before making any changes to your normal lifestyle habits. You can read my full disclaimer here.