Welcome to I AM YOU!
I am a cardiologist. I am a wife. I am a mother. I AM YOU. Welcome to the I AM YOU Podcast, a place for woman to become the CEO’s of their own personal health. My Goal with this podcast is to build a community that understand their hearts and the health risks that can come with them. To empower women to to take charge of their heart health, and give them the tools they need to do so.
You can find a collection of episodes below to listen to here, as well as links to the recordings on Youtube. If you would like to join our community, you can find all episodes on our Youtube channel, or follow us on your preferred audio streaming platform.
In this episode, Dr. Alvarez welcomes Laura Orozco, a resilient woman whose story sheds light on two serious and often misunderstood conditions: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (also known as stress-induced heart disease) and transient ischemic attack (TIA), or mini stroke. Laura’s health journey began with what she thought was simply “good stress” from life’s joyful moments—only to be diagnosed with Takotsubo syndrome, a condition more common in women and triggered by emotional or physical stress.
Deb shares her experiences of being dismissed by doctors, in which she had to seek alternative care to receive proper treatment. She also recounts her heart attack at age 46, where medical professionals initially dismissed her symptoms due to her age and appearance, highlighting the gender biases in cardiovascular care.
Karin shares her struggles with misdiagnoses, inadequate medical care, and the need to advocate for herself to receive life-saving treatment, including heart surgery and a defibrillator. Her story highlights the importance of proactive heart health management, seeking second opinions, and ensuring women’s heart conditions are taken seriously in the healthcare system.
Patty emphasizes the importance of being proactive, creating a health baseline, and overcoming the fear of seeking medical evaluation. Patty also highlights how simple lifestyle changes, like staying hydrated and early screening, can significantly impact long-term health.
Judy’s story highlights women’s challenges in getting their symptoms taken seriously in healthcare. Despite being initially dismissed, Judy persisted in seeking care, eventually uncovering a severe blockage in her carotid artery that could have led to a major stroke. The conversation underscores the importance of advocating for oneself, finding a supportive physician, and not settling for inadequate or dismissive care.
Mary Ann was Initially diagnosed with asthma and respiratory issues, but her persistent shortness of breath led to further testing, revealing severe heart blockages that required immediate intervention. She shares how her upbringing taught her to trust doctors without question but ultimately realized the need to speak up when something felt wrong.
Dr. Alvarez discusses the stark reality that heart disease remains the number one killer of women—claiming 300,000 lives each year—yet 80% of these deaths are preventable. She explains how women are often under-recognized, under-diagnosed, and under-treated, and how this podcast exists to close that gap by giving women the tools they need to advocate for themselves.
In this Ask the Heart Doctor-style episode, Dr. Alvarez tackles a symptom many women quietly struggle with: hair thinning after 35. If you’ve noticed more hair in your brush, a wider part, or a thinner ponytail and wondered, “Is this stress? My shampoo? Or is something wrong with me?” — this episode reframes hair loss as more than a cosmetic issue. It can be a signal from the body.
In this deeply personal and eye-opening episode, Dr. Alvarez welcomes a very special guest — Dr. María Isabel Alvarez-Torres, a clinical psychologist specializing in trauma and emotional health… and her sister. Together, they explore the powerful and often overlooked connection between the emotional heart and the physical heart.
In this episode, Dr. Alvarez unpacks one of the most frustrating and misunderstood changes many women experience in midlife: weight gain that seems to happen despite eating better, exercising, and doing everything “right.” If your body feels like it is no longer responding the way it used to, this episode explains why the issue may not be your discipline — it may be your physiology.