The Heart Attack Thriver Podcast

Send us Fan Mail I know I talk about the power of manifestation and I truly believe this opportunity was something I truly called in!!    I have so much Gratitude for being invited to share my heart attack story to the amazing team at Toronto Sunnybrook's Cardiac Rehab Centre and now I'm gunning for a TEDx Talk and already have met someone who teaches people how to Prepare and Ultimately...

Send us Fan Mail After receiving an email from one of the doctors at Toronto Sunnybrook's Cardiac Rehab Centre I felt inspired to post a more up to date version of the techniques I use to calm my mind while I meditate!!   Thank you Carolina for your lovely message and for the inspiration to post this episode.  I hope you enjoy it!! Much Love! Brian Feeling overwhelmed? Try this simple breathi...

Send us Fan Mail In this Episode I share what I I have been up to and why I have been MIA! and have not posted any new episodes in over a month!   I have a number of Episodes ready to go LIVE so stay tuned for more to come! Much Love  Brian Thank you for listening and please be sure to hit “SUBSCRIBE”, and “SHARE” this podcast with anyone that you feel could benefit from it. If you’d like to reach...

Send us Fan Mail Rowena's SCAD story begins on On Boxing Day of 2018! and for those who don't know when Boxing Day is it is the day after Christmas in Canada and the U.K.  Rowena was 38 yrs young and was taken to hospital in Leeds where she was admitted for a suspected heart attack. Her symptoms were severe chest pain and once in hospital she was told her troponin levels were extremely h...

Send us Fan Mail Patrick and I recently reconnected thru Social Media which is always super fascinating to me given we now live over 5000 miles away from each other!   I first met Patrick thru 911 Hockey in Lindsay, ON, Canada when he was a Paramedic and I was a Pharmaceutical Rep or "Drug Dealer" as I know jokingly refer my career back then! Patrick in now a licensed Psychotherapist at...

Send us Fan Mail What is Spirituality?   Is it a Buzzword?  Does it encapsulate religion, woo-woo?   Is there a Higher Power at work?   Is it all BS?? or is there more to it?? Thank you for listening and please be sure to hit “SUBSCRIBE”, and “SHARE” this podcast with anyone that you feel could benefit from it. If you’d like to reach me for support or to leave a comment or feedback, please send an...

Send us Fan Mail I first interviewed Randy back in 2022—hard to believe it’s already been that long. Randy is truly a kindred spirit. He continues to inspire and educate others in the fire service by bravely sharing his heart attack story. His journey has reached thousands of men and women across the country, as he travels to speak and raise awareness. Heart attacks remain the #1 killer in the fir...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I'm in conversation with Toronto Dietitian Veronica Rouse who works at the University Health Network and is part of the amazing Cardiac Rehab Team at Toronto Sunnybrook Hospital (for context it was at Toronto Sunnybrook’s Cardiac Rehab Center where they put me thru a full on VO2 Max test on a stationary bicycle under the supervision an care of  with Dr. Paul O...

Send us Fan Mail This week on T.H.A.T. I’ll be in conversation with Jamie Whitehouse, @jphysiologist who is Head of Partnerships for CP+R that operates out of the UK providing in-person and virtual Cardiac Rehab.  Jamie has an extensive background in Cardiac Rehab working in the field since 2013.  Jamie manages the Clinical Nursing team, the assessment centre and leads their client onboarding proc...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with Holly Morrell, the founder of Heartfelt Screening—and this conversation hit me on a really deep level. As someone who’s lived through a heart attack, I know how powerful awareness and early detection can be… and how different life can look when you get a second chance. For over 26 years, Holly and her grassroots organization have been...

Send us Fan Mail In this Episode / Public Service Announcement I share the sad news that Leigh Pechillo passed away April 2, 2026 Leigh was a Heart Warrior, she had the brightest smile and the greatest laugh and always seemed to find the bright side of things which is something I really admired in her.  Leigh was one of my early guests and here Podcast recording happened back in 2022 in the midst...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Toronto-based divorce lawyer Darren Gringras, whose recent Instagram post on “Kindness” quickly went viral. I came across Darren’s post and was immediately struck—not just by what he said, but by how deeply it resonated with me. It felt especially meaningful given my own journey. After my heart attack, I created a second Instagram account called Th...

Send us Fan Mail Lately I’ve been reflecting on something I didn’t expect to stay with me this long. After a conversation with a coaching client who’s living in constant fear that their heart attack might happen again, I found myself asking… Why didn’t I feel that? And the truth is—it’s not that I felt nothing. I just felt something different. I didn’t see my heart attack as the end… I saw it as a...

Send us Fan Mail In this Episode I am in conversation with SCAD Thriver Annie Kalter who shares her powerful story of not only surviving a heart attack, but how she survived getting hit by a truck in the early morning hours while out walking her dog!   Annie is the epitome of a what I call a TRUE THRIVER!   Her story is one that needs to be shared and heard by the masses and is a powerful wake up...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Steinbaum is a preventative Cardiologist who is the CEO and Founder of Heart-Tech Health and Adesso and her focus is empowering women to live healthy vital lives through comprehensive heart-centered prevention and wellness. You can learn more about Dr. Steinbaum and her work at: https://www.drsuzannesteinbaum.com/ Get a copy of her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Suzanne-Ste...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I finally reconnect with Dr. Paul Oh  who works at Toronto Sunnybrook Hospital as the lead Cardiologist of their world class Cardiac Rehab Clinic.   I was referred to Dr. Oh by Dr. Katy Shufelt who is the doctor that saved my life 10 years ago!  I will always be grateful that Katy was on call that day as she was a very big part why I refer to myself as "THE HE...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I’m sharing my thoughts and reflections on the 10-year anniversary of my “Event of the Heart.” Which was on January 17th, 2016 What I’ve come to realize is that I’m not just a Heart Attack Survivor—I’m a HEART ATTACK THRIVER. I can laugh about it now, but I also know that life is always testing us, always challenging us to see how badly we really want what we think...

Send us Fan Mail On November 25, 2025 Mark was in the Gym doing a routine work out when suddenly he started to feel unwell!  He stopped exercising and sat down in the Spin Cycle room and things went away, and he was able to finish his workout.  When he went to go home when he started to feel tightness in his chest at once at home things progressed  rapidly for Mark so much so that his father calle...

Send us Fan Mail In April of 2024, Robert who was an avid runner and cyclist started to experience significant text book heart attack symptoms.  He was 56 at the time!   Robert's father had a heart attack at the young age of 44 and all the men on his dad's side had Heart Issues, many had bypass surgeries. At 51 he noticed his run pace had been dropping despite all the training he did and...

Send us Fan Mail Tara Benoit, Author of “Torn Heart: A Journey Through Trauma, Truth and Transformation! ” shares her SCAD (Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection story! Contact Tara: Tarabenoit.com IG: @tarabenoitofficial Thank you for listening and please be sure to hit “SUBSCRIBE”, and “SHARE” this podcast with anyone that you feel could benefit from it. If you’d like to reach me for support or...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I’m in conversation with 6 time Heart Attack Thriver Sean Nolan Sean is formerly from South London and now calls Brazil home, living there with his wife and 3 daughters. My conversation with Sean left me in complete and udder awe on top of pulling on my heart strings!!!   It’s a story that will go down in the books as one of the most incredible interviews I’ve done...

Send us Fan Mail In this Episode I am in conversation with John “Kipper” McQuade from Ireland, John and I share several crazy similarities with our Heart Attack stories with the main one being we are both avid lifetime cyclists.  John was 65 when on September 9th of 2025, while at a cycling charity event he began to realize that something just wasn’t right with the way he was feeling and made a ve...

Send us Fan Mail January 1st, 2026 is upon us and in this Episode I give my thoughts on the year that was,  what worked, what didn’t what I learned about myself and what I’ve learned since this time last year. I have so much gratitude in my heart as I see my podcast slowly crawling up the podcast rankings and I am more committed to ever to bringing on exciting new guests, who are pushing the envel...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of “The Heart Attack Thriver Podcast”  I’m in conversation with John Tolkamp who I met when he was the President of Cycling Canada in Toronto.    John and I re-connected a few months ago when I saw a social media post where he shared that he was experiencing some heart issues.  Like me, John is an avid cyclist and was good friends with Kris Yip who was the focus of...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I am in conversation with Kim Brochu who sadly lost her younger brother Kris who was an avid cyclist and humanitarian and was someone who loved everything related to cycling and bicycles and was a bright light to everyone who knew him!    Kris tragically died while doing something he loved and was found 19 hrs later still clipped in on his bike after suffering a ma...