Episodes

  • Episode 2: Your Heart Doesn't Lie - What Every Woman Needs to Know About Cardiovascular Health

    Episode 2: Your Heart Doesn't Lie - What Every Woman Needs to Know About Cardiovascular Health
    May 28 2026

    Heart disease is the number one killer of women — and yet most of us still picture an older man clutching his chest when we think of a heart attack. That picture is wrong, and it is costing women their lives.

    In this episode, Marina sits down with Brittany Morrison, philanthropic advisor, founder of B. Spoke Advisory, and women's cardiovascular health advocate, who had her first heart attack at 32 and her second on Mother's Day 2024. Brittany was active, healthy, eating well, and showing up fully for her life. She also spent years being dismissed, misdiagnosed, and sent home from emergency rooms. Her story is both a wake-up call and a roadmap for every woman listening.

    This conversation is one of the most important ones we will have in the first season of The Exhale. Please share it with a woman you love - it can save a life.

    IN THIS EPISODE:

    Why women's heart attack symptoms look nothing like what we see in the movies — and the signs to watch for instead

    The "worried woman" phenomenon: what happens when real cardiac events get dismissed as anxiety

    Why women under 55 are seven times more likely to be sent home from the ER without proper cardiac testing (Journal of the American Heart Association)

    How Brittany's two heart attacks were caused by two completely different conditions — a LAD blockage and coronary vasospasm — and why the second took years to diagnose

    The unique cardiovascular risks that come with pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause that most women are never told about

    Why microvascular disease is underdiagnosed and under studied in women

    How to advocate for yourself in a medical setting — and why bringing a trusted friend to your appointments can change everything

    The role of intuition in Brittany's journey, and what she learned about trusting her body


    BRITTANY'S ACTION STEPS FOR WOMEN:

    Know your numbers. Blood pressure averages, cholesterol, and blood sugar should be part of every annual well-woman exam.

    Use exercise as your test. If you are struggling to work out in a new way, that is a signal worth investigating.

    If you are being dismissed, find a new provider. You are not crazy.

    Bring someone with you. A trusted friend or loved one can advocate for you when you are scared, overwhelmed, or not at your best.

    Allow yourself to be cared for. You cannot do this alone, and asking for help is not weakness.

    ABOUT BRITTANY:

    Brittany is a visionary who believes everyone has the power and responsibility to make a positive impact. She does this through her work at B. Spoke Advisory, supporting her clients in delivering generosity strategically, uniquely, and purposefully in their local community. Additionally, she is a single mom and two-time heart attack survivor who is deeply passionate about health equity and advancing research for women's cardiovascular health.

    RESOURCES MENTIONED:

    Dr. Giessler — The Heart Center for Women, Austin, TX - heartcenterforwomen.com

    FREE RESOURCES FROM MARINA:

    Women Who Breathe community, courses, and live sessions: www.womenwhobreathe.com
    Follow Marina on Instagram: www.instagram.com/womenwhobreathe
    Follow The Exhale Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/the.exhale.podcast/
    Follow Marina on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marina-kay

    This episode is sponsored by Wizbe Genius Strips - caffeine-free focus strips designed by a neuroscientist for daily mental clarity. Get 15% off with code EXHALE15 at wizbe.com.
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    54 mins
  • Pilot: You Can Have It All - From Burnout to Building a Life You Love with Marina Kay

    Pilot: You Can Have It All - From Burnout to Building a Life You Love with Marina Kay
    May 20 2026
    Welcome to the very first episode of The Exhale Podcast. If you have ever felt like you were achieving everything on the outside while quietly falling apart on the inside, this episode is your starting point.In this pilot, host Marina Kay sits down with her dear friend and fellow Austin entrepreneur Tamy Vo, founder of Volva - a marketplace for non-toxic feminine care products - for a candid reverse interview. Tamy turns the mic on Marina, and what unfolds is an honest, warm, and vulnerable conversation about burnout, a woman’s body, and why breathing might be the most underrated leadership tool available to women today.Marina shares her own journey from corporate HR consulting and WeWork headquarters to building Women Who Breathe - and the heart palpitations, chronic stress, and disconnection from self that made the leap not just desirable, but necessary. She opens up about what it took to finally trust the calling that had been on her heart for years, and why she believes the fear never fully goes away - it just becomes more purposeful.In this episode, you will hear about:The signs and symptoms of burnout that women most commonly overlook, including heart palpitations, physical tension, an inability to say no, disrupted sleep, jaw clenching, and pelvic floor tension - and why knowing your personal alarm system matters more than a generic checklist.Why passion itself is a risk factor for burnout, and how you can be fully lit up by your work and still be quietly depleting yourself without realizing it.What breathwork actually is - and why it works where talk therapy alone sometimes falls short. As Marina explains, stress and trauma live in the body, not just the mind, and somatic practices like breathwork help close that gap.The case for women's health as its own distinct category. Marina breaks down how women of reproductive age were largely excluded from clinical research until recent decades, and what that gap has meant for how women understand and experience their own bodies.Cycle syncing - understanding the four phases of the menstrual cycle and how working with your biology rather than against it can actually make you more productive, not less.A preview of Season One topics including fertility, perimenopause, brain health, and cardiovascular health - including why heart attacks present differently in women and why almost no one talks about it.Marina's bold take on sperm health as women's health - and why shifting the fertility conversation from a solo female burden to a shared one could reduce stress and improve outcomes for everyone involved.One thing Marina wants every woman running on empty to hear before she hits play on episode two: It gets so much better. The body wants to move in the direction of health. Small daily practices add up, and no matter how depleted you feel right now, there is a path back to yourself.Study on ovarian reserve and sperm quality which was mentioned: Two studies published in October 2025 — one in Science Advances and one in Nature — together paint a picture that challenges everything we thought we knew about the biological clock. Women's egg mitochondria appear remarkably stable with age, while sperm DNA mutations accumulate significantly over time. The fertility conversation is shifting, and it needs to shift together.Study 1 — Egg quality and mitochondrial stability: Arbeithuber et al., Science Advances, August 2025 Direct link: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adw4954 PubMed link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40768572/Study 2 — Sperm DNA mutations accumulate with age: Neville et al., Nature, October 2025 Direct link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09448-3 Full text via PMC: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12611766/Resources mentioned in this episode:For 1:1 health & leadership coaching, available for professional women, entrepreneurs and those in transition, book a quick call so we can connect about your goals and how I can best support you: https://www.womenwhobreathe.com/booking-calendar/20-minute-coffee-chat-1?utm_medium=page_linksWomen Who Breathe community with free and paid resources, cycle syncing courses, and breathwork sessions: www.womenwhobreathe.comFind fee breathwork practices on our YouTube: www.youtube.com/@womenwhobreathe Follow Marina on Instagram: www.instagram.com/womenwhobreathe Follow Marina on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marina-kayFollow The Exhale Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.exhale.podcastFollow Tamy Vo and the Volva marketplace for non-toxic feminine care: https://www.instagram.com/wevolva/, https://www.instagram.com/tamy.vo/This episode is sponsored by Wizbe Genius Strips - caffeine-free focus strips designed by a neuroscientist for daily mental clarity. Get 15% off with code EXHALE15 at wizbe.com.
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    58 mins