Tiny Little Hearts Podcast: CHD and Heart Mom Life
Tiny Little Hearts Podcast is your honest, unfiltered space for the CHD (congenital heart disease / congenital heart defect) community. Whether you're a heart parent, a CHD warrior, or someone newly navigating a complex congenital heart diagnosis — this podcast was made for you.
Hosted by Katelyn McMahan, a mom of three girls whose world changed the moment she learned her youngest daughter had complex cardiac abnormalities. She searched for real stories — kids with complex CHD, single ventricle hearts, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and other congenital heart defects— not the polished highlight reels, but the honest, raw truth of what this life actually looks like. She wanted to prepare her heart for the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Each episode features conversations with heart parents, CHD adults, providers, and others navigating the deeply real world of congenital heart disease, open heart surgery, and medical complexity. You'll hear practical advice, emotional honesty, and stories that remind you that you are not alone in this journey. Because this life is hard — and you deserve a place to feel seen.
Topics covered include: CHD diagnosis, heart surgery recovery, parenting a medically complex child, grief and resilience, NICU and PCICU experiences, fontan circulation, cardiac catheterization, and life after a congenital heart defect diagnosis.
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Tiny Little Hearts Podcast: CHD and Heart Mom Life
Latest Episodes
30. Congenital Heart Disease & A Broken System: The Innovation That's Changing Everything
In this episode, Katelyn sits down with Tim Nelson, MD, PhD and CEO of HeartWorks — a nonprofit at the forefront of congenital heart disease (CHD) innovation. What unfolds is a candid, unflinching look at why the healthcare system is failing CH...
29. A Mother’s Day Message for the Heart Moms
This Mother's Day episode is dedicated to every heart mom navigating the unique weight of medical motherhood and congenital heart disease parenting. Katelyn reflects on honoring the heart moms who came before us — including her own grandmoth...
28. Mom Guilt After a CHD Diagnosis
Summary:Today, Katelyn sits down with Staci Reznik — mom to 10-year-old Davi, advocate, and someone who knows firsthand that no amount of medical expertise can prepare you for the moment you become a patient.Staci...
27. Host to Host: Two Medical Mamas on NICU Life, CHD, and Milestones
This week on Tiny Little Hearts, Katelyn sits down with Alison Winter — host of the Trauma Mamas podcast — for a special host-to-host conversation. Both are navigating medically complex motherhood from different diagnoses (CHD and BPD), but the...
26. Grieving the Pregnancy You Didn't Get: CHD, Faith, and the Feelings Nobody Talks About
What happens when the pregnancy you dreamed of looks nothing like the one you're living? In this solo episode, Katelyn gets honest about something that doesn't get talked about enough in the medical motherhood world — grieving the pregnancy and...