Heart2Hearts

To close out the first season before a short break, I’m bringing back the original guests who helped me get Heart2Hearts off the ground. We catch up on their lives since their first appearances and dive into a group Q&A session. It’s a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come and look forward to what’s next for the CHD community.

​Connect & Support:

​All Socials & Platforms: Linktree

​Music by Leon Dietsch: Listen on SoundCloud

This week, I’m reunited with another friend from the CHD teenage weekends, Emma. We catch up on her medical journey and how she balances her condition with her professional life. Emma also shares her experience navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and, in a fun twist, we discuss the impact of Darren Hayes on her life.

​Connect & Support:

​All Socials & Platforms: Linktree

​Music by Leon Dietsch: Listen on SoundCloud

This week, I’m joined by sisters Bethany and Hannah, the duo behind HeartCharged. We dive into their shared journey with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), discussing the unique bond formed through a common diagnosis. They open up about body image, the reality of living with an ICD, and their powerful mission to empower others within the CHD community.

​Connect & Support:

​All Socials & Platforms: Linktree

​Music by Leon Dietsch: Listen on SoundCloud

This week, I’m joined by Lloyd, a teenager from Southampton. We have an important conversation about his specific heart condition and how it intersects with the mental health challenges many young people face. Lloyd opens up about navigating anxiety as a heart patient and shares his perspective on the importance of equality and inclusion for the CHD community.

​Connect & Support:

​All Socials & Platforms: Linktree

​Music by Leon Dietsch: Listen on SoundCloud

This week, I’m joined by my old friend Kaylee for a deeply moving conversation. Kaylee shares the extraordinary story of being the youngest ever heart transplant recipient and how that shaped her entire life. We discuss her experiences competing in the Transplant Games and her journey of health and growth in the years since.

​

​Connect & Support:

​All Socials & Platforms: Linktree

​Music by Leon Dietsch: Listen on SoundCloud

This week, I sit down with Aimee, mother to one-year-old Ashton. Aimee takes us through the emotional whirlwind of the last twelve months, beginning with Ashton's diagnosis of Tetralogy of Fallot. She shares the reality of navigating life as a parent in the CHD world, from the initial shock to managing surgery and the milestones of a challenging first year.

​Connect & Support:

​Instagram: @heart2heartspodcast

​Facebook: Search Heart2Hearts Podcast

​All Links: Linktree

​Music by Leon Dietsch: Listen on SoundCloud

​This week, I’m joined by fellow CHD warrior Lauren, calling in from Texas. We dive deep into her journey living with Tricuspid Atresia and HRHS (Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome).

​Lauren opens up about the realities of growing up with a complex heart, navigating the specific challenges of the workplace, and the added weight of managing a high-risk condition during the pandemic.

​Connect & Support:

​All Socials & Platforms: Linktree

​Music by Leon Dietsch: Listen on SoundCloud

This week, I sit down with the woman responsible for building the foundations of my CHD community. Lorraine is the force behind the Teenage Heart Weekends, a program that transformed isolation into lifelong friendship for so many of us.

​We discuss her journey in launching these weekends, the logistics of running them, and the incredible legacy they left behind.

​Connect with the Community:

​Facebook & Instagram: Search Heart2heartpodcast

​Music by Leon Dietsch: Listen on SoundCloud

This week I speak to Geddes from Peterhead, who I met during a clinic appointment and have stayed in touch with ever since. Geddes’ heart journey began later in life, after being diagnosed with heart failure in 2008 and atrial fibrillation in 2016. We talk about his experience of undergoing a heart transplant during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges and perspective that came with it. This is his story.

You can follow the podcast on Facebook and Instagram @Heart2heartspodcast.

Music by Leon Dietsch (Leon Laser) — SoundCloud.

This week I speak with Elliot, a CHD survivor from New York, about living with a congenital heart condition and how it has shaped his understanding of masculinity. We talk about identity, relationships, and resilience, as well as how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted his life while managing CHD.

As always, you can follow the podcast on Facebook and Instagram @Heart2heartspodcast.

Music by Leon Laser — SoundCloud.