Even a Medical Device Executive’s Mom Was Brushed Off: Why You Should Ask for the Right Heart Tests

Speak Up For Your Health · Jan 7, 2026 · 33m

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women—yet women’s symptoms are still too often dismissed, minimized, or misunderstood.

In this episode, Archelle talks to Nina Goodheart, a medical device executive who leads work in heart valve disease. Despite her own expertise, Nina’s own mother had her symptoms brushed off by a physician—simply because they didn’t look “typical.” That experience became a turning point.

In their conversation, Archelle and Nina unpack why heart disease looks different in women, how decades of research and device design have prioritized men, and why knowing your…