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#38 I dove deep this week, for you fellow heart buddies. I share how I overcame fear and cultivated a positive mindset for healing. I share about my experience with the power of visualization, drawing from personal experiences with heart surgery and injury recovery. As an athlete, I have benefited from using mental imagery to gear up for success and now have experienced how this technique can speed up healing. I share my experience with a concussion during my time as a ski instructor. Tune in for hope and advice on facing health hurdles with optimism, and share your stories with me. Don't forget to leave a review and spread the word!

The teachers I reference in the episode are:

Dr. Joe Dispenza

Dr. Wayne Dyer

Belleruth Naparstek

If you are looking for something specific - here's where you'll find it:

06:11 How Boots overcame a devastating TBI, relearned how to ski and visualized skiing exam success, achieving a top score.

07:49 Boots received a surprise award nomination, but then, heart surgery happened leading to an uncertain future in ski instruction. Nevertheless, she was proud of the moment and the visualization got her through the heart surgery.

13:26 Visualizing health, positivity, and recovery before heart surgery.

16:14 Focusing on positivity reduces stress for better health.

20:10 When in doubt, seek a 2nd opinion, call a therapist, visualize a positive outcome for your situation.

21:58 Boots briefly speaks about breaking her leg but remains optimistic.

26:49 Now, she is visualizing strength, surgery, recovery.

Boots Knighton has been an educator since the late 1990s in all facets of education including high school science, middle school mathematics, elementary reading, college level ecology, ski instruction, backpacking, and experiential education. Her greatest teacher has been her heart thanks to a surprise diagnosis in 2020 (during the pandemic) of three different congenital heart defects. She is now thriving after her open-heart surgery on January 15, 2021 and is on a mission to raise awareness through her podcast, The Heart Chamber: patient stories of open-heart surgery and recovery, that heart surgery can be an incredible opportunity to begin again in life and live life wide open.

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**I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Be sure to check in with your care team about all the next right steps for you and your heart.**

How to connect with Boots

Email: Boots@theheartchamberpodcast.com

Instagram: @openheartsurgerywithboots or @boots.knighton

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/boots-knighton

Boots Knighton

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Open Heart Surgery with Boots