Navigating Emotional Transitions with CHD

(00:00:00) Naming the Unspoken
(00:00:26) Welcome and Topic Setup
(00:01:21) Meet the Panel
(00:04:07) Corinne on Life Decades
(00:06:55) Insurance and Anxiety Relief
(00:09:18) Jen Finds Her Voice
(00:12:25) Kerri on Safety and Trauma
(00:15:54) Perimenopause and Aging
(00:23:25) Fertility and Future Planning
(00:24:25) Grief and Adapted Life
(00:27:06) Coping Tools and Walking
(00:31:25) Gaps in Emotional Prep
(00:39:42) Holistic Joy and Triggers
(00:40:34) Trauma Body Holds Joy
(00:41:42) Panel Thanks and Break
(00:43:19) Audience Q&A Begins
(00:44:04) Pioneer Pressure and Labels
(00:48:10) No Break From CHD
(00:49:50) Mental Health Coverage Gaps
(00:51:02) Patient Provider Dual Role
(00:54:23) Tools to Recenter
(00:56:13) Sponsor Disclaimer and Books
(00:57:02) Co-Producers React
(00:59:23) Surprises Early Menopause
(01:02:52) Advocacy and Therapy Access
(01:07:12) Building Standardized Support
(01:11:13) Closing Thanks and Ways Connect

On the CHC Podcast, host Anna Jaworski and co-host Annie Ulchak discuss overlooked emotional transitions in congenital heart disease (CHD), beyond the shift from pediatric to adult cardiology. Guests Dr. Corinne Smorra, Jennifer Angelone, and Kerri Pastot share how lived experience shapes their mental health work, addressing social challenges, advocacy, medical trauma, and the need for coping tools.

The episode explores insurance flexibility into adulthood, the pressure of being labeled “resilient,” and new realities like perimenopause and aging with CHD, including concerns about limited research and medications. Panelists highlight gaps in standardized, lifespan emotional support and emphasize holistic care, integrated services, and learning to self-regulate through therapy, community, and practical strategies. Producers and audience members add perspectives on late diagnosis, grief, triggers, and access barriers to counseling.

You can find our guests on Instagram:
Jennifer Angelone: @jenniferangelonelmhc
Kerri Pastot: @kerrilynnx3
Corinne Smorra: @heartandmindcounseling

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-chc-podcast-congenital-heart-chronicles--5779157/support.