I AM YOU is hosted by Nitza I. Alvarez, MD, FACC — board-certified cardiologist, Women’s Heart Specialist, and bestselling author. Each episode shares real stories and expert insights that help women understand their unique heart health, navigate a healthcare system that too often dismisses them, and step fully into the role of CEO of their own health.

In this powerful episode, Dr. Alvarez sits down with Valerie Brackney, a vibrant, postmenopausal woman whose life was repeatedly disrupted by unexplained dizziness, blackouts, and dangerously low blood pressure. What began as leg swelling in her late 40s led to years of symptoms that were repeatedly minimized, misattributed, or brushed off as dehydration, heat, or “just menopause.”

Valerie shares her frightening experiences of collapsing at work, falling down stairs, waking up in ambulances, and being hospitalized multiple times—only to leave without answers. Despite doing “everything right,” her body kept sending warning signals that something was wrong.

Through careful listening, persistence, and specialized cardiac care, Valerie was finally diagnosed with neurocardiogenic syncope, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that affects blood pressure regulation and can cause sudden fainting—especially in women around and after menopause.

Together, Valerie and Dr. Alvarez unpack:

• Why women’s symptoms are so often dismissed
• How menopause and hormones can mask serious cardiovascular conditions
• What a tilt table test is—and why it was life-changing for Valerie
• The emotional toll of being told “you’re fine” when you know you’re not
• How finally having a diagnosis restores peace, confidence, and quality of life

This episode is a reminder that knowing your body is powerful, that answers matter, and that persistence can save your life. Valerie’s story is a call to every woman listening to trust herself, speak up, and demand care that truly listens.

Most importantly, it reinforces Dr. Alvarez’s mission: empowering every woman to become the CEO of her own health.

🎧 Listen.

💬 Share with the women you love.

💪 And join the movement to change how women experience heart health.

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