Charlotte Women Who Care for Your Heart

This article is sponsored by Charlotte Radiology Breast Services

The month of February is all about heart. Valentine’s Day may take top billing for the month, but February is also American Heart Health month. With so much focus on the heart, we wanted to do a special round up of the women in Charlotte who care for your heart. These women are doctors and medical professionals, singers and songwriters who give you all the feels, and women focused on getting to the heart of the matter with you. 

Although these women may have different specialties and backgrounds, they all are dynamos in their respective fields. We can’t wait to introduce you to the women of Charlotte who care for your heart. 

Please note this list does not reflect all of the women doing amazing things ‘heart’ related in Charlotte. It is just a sampling based on our research. Please add yourself or your personal heroes in the COMMENTS section below, so all can see and support.

The Women of the Heart Care team at the Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. With a staggering statistic like 1 in 4 deaths in the U.S. is attributed to heart disease, we are so fortunate to have the experts of Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute in Charlotte. For more than 50 years, the cardiologists and cardiac experts at Atrium Health’s Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute have delivered life-saving care for every kind of heart condition. With multiple women physicians and care providers in this practice, we couldn’t list just one, so we would like to thank ALL of them for their care and expertise. 

Podcasts That Have Heart… and Make Us Laugh

Podcasts continue to grow in popularity and we’re fine with that! Two local podcasts that continue to make us feel, think and smile are The Margarita Confessionals and P.S. I Love This Podcast.

The Margarita Confessionals has followed the romantic evolution of two best friends who went from jaded daters to women in happy relationships and all the good, bad and ugly moments in between. They also focus on women’s issues and don’t shy from any topic. 

If you love all things romance, and are prepared to break out in laughing fits, you’ll love P.S. I Love This Podcast. Sarah and Dana, self-proclaimed romance addicts, feature the movies, television shows, books, etc. that we all love, even if we don’t want to admit it. Bonus: Charlotte powerhouses Rachel Sutherland and Donna Scott have recently launched their podcast, Smart Mouth Life, and we can’t wait to hear more!

The Hopeful Romantic 

Laurie Berzack
Owner, Carolinas Matchmaker 

For over a decade, Laurie Berzack has been working with clients to find their potential love match as the Carolinas Matchmaker. Berzack acts as matchmaker, counselor, and life coach to all of her clients and her success rate includes numerous committed couples and marriages. 

The Women Who Tug At Our Hearts Through Their Music

Emily Sage 

Emily Sage is a singer songwriter with a haunting, yet romantic voice with elements of jazz and soul. Her songs are almost lullaby-like, but always heart tugging. Sage is currently working on a full-length album in Nashville. 

Lala Specific  

Lala Specific is an emcee, poet, student and activist. Her spoken words are thought provoking, inspiring and empowering. She will make you think and she will make you feel. 

Heather Himes 

Heather Himes has been on the Charlotte music scene for years as a solo artist, but as the leader of bands such as Dust & Ashes and The Tales of Woe. Her songs, more like stories, range from upbeat and postitive, to slower and almost mournful with subject matter such as love and loss. You will more than likely shed a tear at a performance by Himes.  

The Women Who See What We Can’t

Specializing in whole body imaging, Charlotte Radiology is where patients go for their doctors to get a closer look. Although known for their advanced imagery when it comes to breast services, their skilled doctors and technicians are trained to detect heart disease. With a program such as cardiac scoring, which predicts the likelihood of heart attacks, their focus is to keep your heart healthy.

While there are many women within Charlotte Radiology who are experts amongst their field, we would like to recognize three women. 

In November 2018, Lindsay Muns became the CEO of Charlotte Radiology and oversees all aspects of their business. Dr. Stacy Humphriesis a radiologist known for her relationship with her patients, but also for giving back to the community. A cancer survivor herself, Dr. Humphries understands firsthand the significance radiology and imagery plan in detection and prevention. Casuela (Banita) Rorie is a technologist who consistently receives praise and positive feedback from all the patients she works with at Charlotte Radiology. Known for her kind demeanor, Rorie makes all patients feel like more than just a number on a chart.

The Women Who Get to the Heart of the Matter

Self-care has become a popular term in recent years, and seems to be especially prevalent for 2019. Counseling is playing an important role in that category. 

Tameka Brewington, MS, LPCA, LCAS, CSI, NCC, CCMHC
Owner, Founder and Counselor, Real Talk Counseling 

Tameka  Brewington is a dually licensed psychotherapist and has been working in mental health and substance abuse for the past 20 years. Her primary areas of interest include women’s issues, working professionals, and adolescents, with specialization in substance abuse, and trauma. Tameka’s approach to counseling is through making a connection with her patients and working with them so they feel safe, supported, and empowered. 

Yasmine Jeffers, MA, LMFTA 
Therapist, Uptown Psychology

Yasmine Jeffers specializes in marriage and family therapy. She is known for helping individuals, couples and families to work through the unexpected, to accept new realities and to ensure that self-care is made a priority by all who walk through her door. 

The Heart Health Crusader 

Claire Blocker 
CEO & President, HeartBright Foundation 

Claire Blocker is a heart attack survivor who believes that her heart disease has been a positive motivator in her. As the president of HeartBright Foundation, Blocker leads this organization whose focus is on providing healthy lifestyle education and funding preventive cardiology programs in economically disadvantaged communities.

The Women Keeping Our Heart Rates Up

There are SO SO many rockstar women in this group, we’ve just highlighted a few whom we haven’t covered in detail in the past. Read all about all the QC women in Fitness in our article HERE.

Karen Hill Meyer
Founder and Owner, First Wind Cycling

At the age of 25, Karen Hill Meyer underwent a surgical procedure for a heart abnormality and had to re-learn her physical limits as she was now able to do more than she’d been able to in the past. Fast-forward to today and Meyer owns First Wind Cycling, a boutique studio located in South End focused on promoting a healthy (and fun) lifestyle with classes ranging from cycling, barre and strength offerings.

Lauren McAbee 
Founder, Essential Thrive 

After meeting Lauren McAbee, founder of Essential Thrive, you will have a new appreciation for yourself and your body. McAbee’s mission is to make people fall in love with themselves and to feel the best they have ever felt. A large part of Essential Thrive are McAbee’s Chakti yoga classes, a form of yoga that incorporates twerking, HIIT moves, and traditional yoga positions. The goals of this practice are for you to laugh, sweat and to realize you are capable of much more than you thought.  

Bre Leach 
Founder and Owner, Just B’N Fit

Bre Leach believes that women (and men) should be in control of their health and strives to make others see and understand the importance of exercise. Live a meaningful life, love yourself and get moving are some of the tenents Leach has built Just B’N Fit on.