Welcome to the 1st episode of the Open Heart Podcast.

Inside this episode:

00:00:00 - Introduction and Early Memories

00:01:15 - Family Background and Community

00:02:55 - Childhood and Adversity

00:03:39 - Shift in Societal Values

00:05:23 - Journey to Becoming a Cardiologist

00:06:50 - Commitment to Community and Patients

00:10:01 - The Cath Lab and Saving Lives

00:11:51 - Choosing the Path of Medicine

00:13:33 - The Wall of Fame

00:15:20 - Learning from Patients and Their Wisdom

00:17:08 - Patient Intuition and Medical Mysteries

00:18:07 - The Importance of Listening to Patients

00:21:16 - The Miracles and Mysteries of Medicine

00:27:48 - Exploring Alternative Healing Practices

00:30:36 - Exploring Energy and Healing

00:30:56 - The Role of Medicine and Humility

00:31:22 - The Power of Food and Cooking

00:32:31 - Understanding Energy and Consciousness

00:38:23 - Serving the Community and Career Advice

00:40:35 - Self-Care and Wellness

00:41:07 - The Joy of Cooking and Family

00:42:01 - Living with an Open Heart

00:42:34 - Reflections on Career Choices and Yoga

00:43:40 - Women in Cardiology

00:45:10 - Closing Thoughts and Reflections

Dr. Priya Rao sits across from her father, the man who first brought her into the cath lab as a child, where she watched the quiet choreography of human hands saving a life. Decades later, she returns to that same sacred space — not as a daughter peering through glass, but as a cardiologist walking beside him.

Their conversation moves between science and soul, precision and presence. Together they trace a lineage: from a farming village in India marked by early loss, to the fluorescent hum of American hospitals where intuition whispers louder than machines. It’s a rare exchange between two healers who’ve lived at the edge of the known — resuscitating hearts, witnessing near-death experiences, listening when patients say, “God is calling me.”

Here, they speak of what modern medicine often overlooks: the moments that defy explanation yet feel unmistakably real. The heart-mind connection. The way intuition guides a surgeon’s hands. The humility that grows when saving lives reveals mysteries logic can’t hold.

You’ll hear Dr. Rao’s father reflect on decades of service — caring for rural communities, mentoring young doctors to listen before they diagnose, and building a “Wall of Fame” honoring patients who’ve lived into their hundreds. You’ll hear Priya question what true healing means when the body recovers but the soul is still searching.

It’s a story of legacy, resilience, and returning to where purpose was first planted. A reminder that modern cardiology, at its best, is not just about arteries and stents but empathy, connection, and consciousness.

Through stories of loss, miracles, and laughter, Open Heart reminds us that medicine is not separate from spirit — it is an extension of it. Every beat carries wisdom, every scar a lesson, every act of care a thread in the tapestry of humanity.

If you’ve ever wondered where science meets soul, or what happens when a healer looks inward, this conversation will stay with you long after it ends.

✨ Subscribe to Open Heart Podcast with Dr. Priya Rao to hear more conversations where modern medicine and spirituality meet — where we remember that healing is as much about consciousness as it is about care.

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