Heart Of It
Heart of It is a heart-focused conversation series born from Scott Bennett’s life-saving heart transplant in the spring of 2023. After surviving that experience, Scott was inspired to seek out meaningful conversations, moments he calls “heartbeat moments” that allow his new heart to shine a spotlight on extraordinary guests.
Each episode features people he knows well and others he’s meeting for the first time, diving into pop culture, sports, education, and mission-driven work. Together, they explore what inspires them, the impact of their journeys, and the experiences shaping their lives. Along the way, listeners also learn a little more about what makes Scott’s new heart beat...authenticity, curiosity, and deep gratitude at the center of every conversation.
The episodes will leave you smiling and sometimes crying. The conversations are real, the exchanges filled with connection, and the topics vary; you never know what you might learn, but one thing is certain: there is a whole lot of heart that drives this series.
Heart Of It
Effort Worthy Of A Crown
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This episode of Heart of It is an unexpected conversation between two people who had never met, but quickly discovered they were connected by a shared mission: shining a bright light on organ donation and transplantation. Elle Rylee, a Miss Texas Volunteer nominee, shares why she chose to get involved with organ donation advocacy and how her service initiative, A Hopeful Heart, was inspired by the memory of her cousin Birdie, who passed away at just three years old. Elle and her family have turned their loss into a mission to keep Birdie’s memory alive and encourage others to consider the life-changing impact of organ donation. What starts as an interview quickly becomes a much more personal conversation about purpose, family, loss, and hope.
There is much more to this conversation than organ donation. Elle opens up about her perspective on pageants and what the experience means to her, the unique responsibility young people have to navigate an increasingly complicated social-media world, and the importance of being thoughtful about what we put into the world. Then comes one of those completely unexpected Heart of It moments: Elle and Scott discover they had the exact same favorite class and professor at UT, a small connection that perfectly captures the spirit of the conversation. Two people from different generations and different experiences discovering just how much they have in common.
At its heart, this episode is a reminder that you never really know where a conversation will take you or what connections you might discover when you simply take the time to listen. From Birdie’s legacy and Elle’s commitment to organ donation to pageants, social media, education, and the experiences that shape who we become, this is a conversation filled with unexpected intersections. Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that a single story, shared with purpose, can create hope far beyond the person who first lived it.
