Linda featured guest on Podcast: If Only

Published on If Only Podcast

How Two Firings Led To Horses, Healing Hands, And A Mission To Save Women From Heart Disease

A chance firing. A racetrack gate. A hospital monitor that won’t slow down. Our conversation with Linda Pankala traces a remarkable arc from electronics lab to jockey silks to a healing practice and a powerful mission: help women prevent the number one killer they’re too often not told about—cardiovascular disease.

We talk about the moment that changed everything: a trainer leaning down at Belmont and inviting Linda to try the path she hadn’t dared to name. From there, she learned pace, courage, and what it means to fall hard and get back up. Those lessons carried her into motherhood and a second career as a massage therapist, where hands and heart meet the nervous system one breath at a time. When AFib upended her rhythm, research led to advocacy and a book that turns complex heart health into a friendly guide, laced with “horsey hints,” humor, and practical tools.

Together we unpack why women’s heart disease is underrecognized, how pandemic stress rewired daily life, and which small choices create outsized change: box breathing, hydration, movement, and community that actually lifts you. We zoom out on the noise, then zoom in on the micro decisions that steady your chemistry and protect your energy. If you’re feeling stretched thin, we offer boundaries that preserve calm, gratitude practices that shift physiology, and one mindset to start today: look in the mirror and say, “Yes, I am worth it to begin.”

Listen for a blend of story and science, prevention and possibility, and leave with a simple plan you can start before the day ends. If this spoke to your heart, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help more women find the tools that save lives.

Would you like to find out more about Linda? Visit her on her website here:https://www.lindapenkala.com/ or on LinkedIn here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-penkala-ba70887/ or send her an email to lpenkala96@gmail.com .

Ready to purchase a copy of her book? You can find it here:https://www.amazon.com/dp/1917907540?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520