Becoming Heart Strong isn’t about what you’ve built or what broke you—it’s about who you’ve become. Hosted by Jess Lindberg, this podcast invites leaders, founders, and everyday changemakers into honest conversations about the challenges that shape us—and the strength we forge through them. These aren’t surface-level interviews. They’re vulnerable, grounded, and real. We talk about the losses, pivots, breakthroughs, and decisions that transformed not just someone’s path, but their character and lives. Because it’s not what happened to you or what you’ve accomplished that defines you—it’s who you choose to become, and what you create from the hard things. Every episode goes beyond the story to offer tools, strategies, and insights—especially from experts—to help you grow stronger in your own life. You’ll leave with not just inspiration, but practical ways to take your next step. If you’re ready to grow through what you go through, lead with heart, and live with deeper courage, this show is for you.
Episodes
Thursday May 05, 2022
Thursday May 05, 2022
How do we hold the tension of dreams and a life we did not expect? Morgan shares her story of entrepreneurship and motherhood, including caring for her daughter with a rare disease. Jessica and Morgan talk about how to pursue dreams, start businesses and find their way to create alongside motherhood and caregiving.
Morgan Motsinger is a social entrepreneur, speaker, and interior designer of Annika Interiors, a firm that has niche expertise in designing special needs spaces. As a mother of three (one beautiful daughter with special needs) Morgan is a four-time entrepreneur including Co-Founder of Lot 35 Homes and Sweet Bee Coaching, she brings her extensive expertise on both a personal and professional level to each client partnership and project.
You can learn more about Morgan here:
https://www.morganmotsinger.com/
https://instagram.com/annikainteriors
https://instagram.com/sweetbeecoaching
You can follow Jessica on Instagram @jessmlindberg and
The Heart Strong Collective @theheartstrong
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Today Jessica is sharing time with Dr. Christian VanderPluym, a pediatric cardiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital who has dedicated herself to improving the lives of patients with complex heart disease. She currently serves as the Medical Director for the Ventricular Assist Device Program, Director of Cardiac Antithrombosis Management program, and acts as Co-Director of the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center.
In this powerful and poignant episode, Jessica and Christina discuss the challenges that come from caring for some of the sickest children. They discuss how to make care more sustainable for families and how to hold the tension of hope and honesty in difficult situations. You will get a glimpse of how a physician’s work impacts her personal life and how her patients influence how she lives and what she believes.
This episode is a must listen for parents and physicians caring for children with complex illness and equally important for those looking to see life through a new lens and understand more fully the gift of each day.
You can learn more about Dr. Vanderpluym here:
https://www.childrenshospital.org/directory/christina-j-vanderpluym
You can follow Jessica on Instagram @jessmlindberg and
The Heart Strong Collective @theheartstrong
Jessica Lindberg www.jessicalindberg.com
The Heart Strong Collective www.theheartstrong.com
Please subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Episodes launch each Thursday. Thanks for joining us!
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Today’s podcast is a special edition in anticipation of the 125th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 18th. Jessica sits down with marathoner and coach, Rick Muhr to talk about testing your limits and running your race.
Rick has been a runner for 45 years and a coach for 26 years, coaching more than 10,000 runners for the Boston Marathon. He is the founder of The Marathon Coalition whose runners have raised more than $65 million for Boston area charities.
He was selected to participate in the 2004 Olympic Torch Relay because of his coaching and fundraising efforts.
Rick has completed 32 marathons and has a personal best of 2 hours 33 minutes 13 seconds. He has qualified for the Boston Marathon in all 32 marathons. Rick has been ranked 5th in the United States at 100K (62 miles with a time of 8 hours 41 minutes 47 seconds.
Rick is a military veteran, endurance motorcyclist, and cancer survivor.
You can follow Rick on Facebook: www.facebook.com/rick.muhr
You can follow Jessica on Instagram @jessmlindberg and
The Heart Strong Collective @theheartstrong
Jessica Lindberg www.jessicalindberg.com
The Heart Strong Collective www.theheartstrong.com
Please subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Episodes launch each Thursday. Thanks for joining us!
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Today Jessica talks with Liz Pumala, founder of Matthias Academy, a nonprofit adult day program in southeast Wisconsin. Matthias Academy serves adults with mild to severe disabilities, specialized medical needs, behaviors and mild to severe autism from Illinois and Wisconsin. Liz and Jessica talk about seeing a need and stepping forward to make a change. They also discuss the beautiful lessons we all can learn from children and adults with disabilities.
Elizabeth Pumala lives a life guided by unfilled needs around her. As a former Adaptive Physical Education teacher for children and adults with special needs, Liz saw a need in the special needs community early on in her career that needed to be changed. Life for her students continued long after public education, however, the opportunities for them did not.
You can donate to Matthias Academy here:
https://www.matthiasacademy.org/donation
You can follow Matthias Academy on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MatthiasAcademy/
You can follow Jessica on Instagram @jessmlindberg and
The Heart Strong Collective @theheartstrong
Jessica Lindberg www.jessicalindberg.com
The Heart Strong Collective www.theheartstrong.com
Please subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Episodes launch each Thursday. Thanks for joining us!
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
Today Jessica sits down with New York Times Best Selling Author, Bruce Feiler
Jessica and Bruce discuss Bruce’s book, Life is in The Transitions about how we can master change at any age. Jessica and Bruce tackle the idea that our lives are actually not supposed to be linear. They talk about where we got this idea and how transitions are a hallmark to our life as a human. They talk about how each human spends most of their adult life in transition. They discuss the pandemic, our cultural polarity and how we might rethink our lives and embrace transition and our life challenges to see that they connect us as humans.
“Galvanized by a personal crisis, he (Bruce) spent the last few years crisscrossing the country, collecting hundreds of life stories in all fifty states from Americans who'd been through major life changes - from losing jobs to losing loved ones; from changing careers to changing relationships; from getting sober to getting healthy to simply looking for a fresh start. He then spent a year coding these stories, identifying patterns and takeaways that can help all of us survive and thrive in times of change.”
You can sign up for Bruce’s insightful newsletter here:
https://brucefeiler.bulletin.com/subscribe
You can follow Bruce on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/brucefeiler/?hl=en
You can follow Bruce on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BruceFeilerAuthor/
You can follow Jessica on Instagram @jessmlindberg and The Heart Strong Collective @theheartstrong
Jessica Lindberg www.jessicalindberg.com
The Heart Strong Collective www.theheartstrong.com
Please subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Episodes launch each Thursday. Thanks for joining us!
Thursday Mar 24, 2022
Thursday Mar 24, 2022
Today Jessica sits down with the founder of Let Grace In, Gabby Gouveia. Gabby shares how the death of her son, Grayson from cancer, called her to found Let Grace In and to create a community for bereaved families. Gabby integrates her beautiful Hawaiian Culture of healing as she and her team minister to the minds, bodies, and spirits of grieving families. Drawing on her expertise as a nurse and Grief Recovery Specialist and her own personal story, Gabby models what it looks like to embrace grief and find beauty in its wake.
This episode is a must-listen for any person facing the death of their child or a loved one. It’s also timely for all of us as we face this hurting world and learn to navigate the grief all around us. This episode will leave your heart and spirit with many gifts and perhaps a new way to look at and navigate grief and life.
Follow Gabby and Let Grace In on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/letgracein
Learn more about Let Grace In here:
Buy “My Journey with the Wind” - a new children’s book on grief
https://www.amazon.com//dp/B09SBSB3WB
You can follow Jessica on Instagram @jessmlindberg and The Heart Strong Collective @theheartstrong
Jessica Lindberg www.jessicalindberg.com
The Heart Strong Collective www.theheartstrong.com
Please subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Episodes launch each Thursday. Thanks for joining us!
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Today Jessica sits down with Ryan Manion, Author, Resilient Life Podcast Host, Speaker, and President of Travis Manion Foundation. Travis Manion Foundation is one of the nation’s leading veteran service organizations. Ryan shares how her family founded the organization in honor of her brother Travis and the incredible work she and her team do to serve the veteran community families of the fallen and build character in the next generation.
Jessica and Ryan discuss how serving others and creating an impact in our communities heals our own hearts. Ryan shares an incredible story about how she helped an Afghan Family escape as the US was drawing down troops and how a small committed group of people can move mountains.
We never know what we will be called to in our lives, but there is always the opportunity to choose courage and impact that changes our communities for good. Ryan has undoubtedly answered her call.
You can learn more about Ryan Manion:
Instagram @rmanion
Read her book: Knock at the Door
Listen to her podcast: The Resilient Life Podcast
Learn more about Travis Manion Foundation:
Instagram: @travismanionfoundation
You can follow Jessica on Instagram @jessmlindberg and The Heart Strong Collective @theheartstrong
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
The Heart Strong Podcast explores perspectives on growing through the challenges in our lives and our times. Host Jessica Lindberg interviews thought leaders, authors, experts, and amazing everyday people who have something to teach us all about living fully amidst our struggles. Listeners will leave the conversations encouraged and challenged with a fresh perspective and tangible ideas they can apply to their lives.
About the host:
Jessica Lindberg is living a life she did not expect. She is a writer, speaker, coach, and social entrepreneur with a passion for the divinity of every human heart. She's built powerful resilience through personal traumas. Jessica loves a good conversation and learning from others' journeys. She encourages her listeners to take their life challenges and create an impact that transforms themselves, their families, and the world around them for good.
You can follow Jessica on Instagram @jessmlindberg and The Heart Strong Collective @theheartstrong
Jessica Lindberg www.jessicalindberg.com
The Heart Strong Collective www.theheartstrong.com
Please subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Episodes launch each Thursday. Thanks for joining us!
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
Bridgett Piacenti is a yoga teacher and a dear friend of mine. Today we're discussing to bring healthy choices and mindfulness home with you to enrich a healthier lifestyle at home. We also give you tactics to apply mindfulness and authenticity to your daily life. Bridgett is very insightful on cultivating practices that shift our life, putting blinders on to what everyone else is doing and going our own way, plus enjoying the moment we are in and finding value in the journey. Can't wait for you to listen!
Thursday Jul 15, 2021
Thursday Jul 15, 2021
Simplify. Improve. Transform.
Michael has found that year after year, that he kept coming back to this mantra. That's why today he is joining me on The Heart Strong Podcast special summer series to discuss how to approach the challenges that we are facing in work and life, with greater intention.
We can't wait to share this special conversation with you. Check it out!
Listeners can learn more or connect with Michael at michaelstaskcoaching.com
To support Michael's marathon run! Click here --> https://www.givengain.com/activist/377780/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michaelstaskCRE
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/michaelstask_/
Visit Jessica at jessicalindberg.com, on Instagram at @jessmlindberg and head over to the Four Hearts Shop.