Wendee Saunders shares her journey through open heart surgery and how she transformed this health crisis into a launching pad for her second half of life. She discusses the mindset shifts that helped her recovery and how she's now building a fashion brand and writing a book about beauty and mindset.
Fashion, beauty, mindset, and life transformation
Key Insights
Actionable Advice
Wendee shares how open heart surgery forced her to stop tiptoeing around her truth and start asking boldly for what she wanted. The existential crisis created clarity about what truly mattered and eliminated hesitation about pursuing her biggest dreams.
The conversation reveals that confidence doesn't come first - clarity creates action, and action creates confidence. Wendee demonstrates this by getting clear on wanting valve repair, taking action to find the right surgeon, and building confidence through results.
Rather than accepting that her heart valves couldn't be repaired, Wendee searched until she found a surgeon who could do what others said was impossible. This teaches the importance of not settling for limitations imposed by others.
Both women discuss rejecting scarcity thinking and creating their own economies regardless of external circumstances. They emphasize that scarcity mindset guarantees mediocrity while abundance thinking opens infinite possibilities.
“What it really did for me looking back was two things. One, when you're getting ready to go into a surgery like that, I just realized anything that I had been tentative about suddenly went by the wayside because I thought, what the heck, man? I'm not I could die. Like, why am I tiptoeing around sharing what I believe in, being bold, asking for what I want?”
— Wendee Saunders▶ 15:15
Health crises can become gifts by forcing you to reevaluate what matters most and step into a new version of yourself. They create urgency to stop tiptoeing around your truth and start asking boldly for what you want.
“I walk around the house every day. I am a badass. I am amazing. I am I am this. I am that. I am this. I am that because I'm like, I don't need anyone else to tell me that. It's nice. It's great. But when I tell myself, it's a whole nother ballgame.”
— Wendee Saunders▶ 36:58
Build confidence by giving yourself the recognition you seek from others. Practice daily self-affirmations and acknowledge your own accomplishments instead of waiting for others to validate you.
“I think for women, women want to feel confident, but they don't realize that the confidence comes from the clarity, and the clarity is what creates action, and then you have the confidence. So it's all kind of backwards.”
— Wendee Saunders▶ 26:56
Clarity creates action, and action creates confidence. Most people think they need confidence first, but it actually comes last. When you get clear on what you want, that clarity drives action, and taking action builds real confidence.
“I made the decision of I'm gonna find somebody who is going to who will give me the answer that I'm looking for because I believe that it exists, and I'm not willing to settle into that, you know, scarcity answer.”
— Wendee Saunders▶ 40:21
Don't settle for the first medical opinion, especially if it doesn't align with your vision. Keep searching for providers who can give you the outcome you want. Research other opinions and don't accept limitations as final.
“You cannot think past how you feel. So if you're not doing things that make you feel great, if you're not entertaining thoughts that feel really good to you, how will you ever magnetize to attract the things that you want in your life?”
— Rosanne Austin▶ 35:14
Your mindset determines what you attract and what becomes possible. Two people with identical circumstances can have completely different outcomes based on their thinking. Your frequency and way of being acts as a magnet for opportunities and solutions.
“I think that, you know, what we're sharing here is such a, I think, a perspective that I'm so happy that we're gonna be, you know, giving to other women to say that, hey, you're not tied to this diagnosis. That diagnosis is, like, one one zillionth of who you are.”
— Rosanne Austin▶ 38:40
Recognize that scarcity is a choice and a guarantee for mediocrity. Create your own economy regardless of external circumstances. Focus on abundance and take the risks necessary for growth rather than playing it safe.
Wendee Saunders' framework for using health challenges as catalysts for life expansion
Stop tiptoeing around your truth
Use the crisis as a wake-up call to eliminate hesitation about sharing what you believe in, being bold, and asking for what you want
Reevaluate what you want to create
Use the newfound energy and clarity to design what your next chapter looks like and what legacy you want to create
Practice daily self-recognition
Give yourself the recognition you seek from others by affirming your strengths and accomplishments daily
Refuse to settle for limitations
Keep searching for providers and solutions that align with your vision rather than accepting the first opinion
Embrace the sacrifice required for growth
Identify what you need to give up to go up and make that sacrifice willingly for your bigger vision
Health crises can become catalysts for your most abundant chapter when you refuse to let the diagnosis define your future
Wendee Saunders used open heart surgery to launch a fashion brand and book project, demonstrating how she transformed a life-threatening diagnosis into expanded possibilities for her 50s
Clarity creates action, and action creates confidence - not the other way around
Wendee explains how getting clear on what she wanted after surgery led to decisive action in finding the right surgeon who could repair rather than replace her valves, giving her confidence to pursue new ventures
You cannot think past how you feel - your frequency determines what you magnetize into your life
Rosanne references Dr. Joe Dispenza's work while discussing how Wendee's high-vibe energy and mindset attracted a surgeon capable of repairing her valves when others said replacement was the only option
Recognition doesn't have to come from other people - the most powerful recognition comes from yourself
Wendee describes walking around her house daily saying 'I am a badass, I am amazing' to herself, demonstrating self-recognition as a tool for building unshakeable confidence
Being a careful curator of your friendships means only surrounding yourself with people who lift you up and share your values
Rosanne explains how her fertility journey taught her to curate relationships with like-minded people, leading to meaningful connections like her friendship with Wendee who shares growth mindset values
There's what you want and what you think you can have - you must get clear on the difference
Wendee emphasizes that someone with your exact situation and circumstances is already doing and having everything you want, proving it's possible if you stop limiting yourself to what you think you can have
If you settle into what someone tells you is possible, you're doomed - you have to burn the boats and search for your path
Wendee refused to accept doctors' initial assessment that her heart valves couldn't be repaired, continuing to search until she found a surgeon who said 'if you let me in there, I'm really good at what I do and I repair valves most people can never repair'
Scarcity mindset guarantees mediocrity - if you want to stay broke or dried up in your 50s, stay in scarcity
Rosanne and Wendee discuss how scarcity thinking prevents taking the risks necessary for wealth and abundance, while they both demonstrate creating their own economies regardless of external economic conditions
You have to give up something to go up - there's always a sacrifice required for growth
Wendee sacrificed her preference for rib cage surgery to have open heart surgery, which led to her scar becoming inspiration for a fashion brand focused on sun protection and coverage
The hardest part of doing anything is the thinking part - your mind is the most underutilized tool in your toolkit
Wendee explains how society pushes pill solutions instead of teaching people to use their minds, while she used faith and mental control during her recovery to heal and create new opportunities
Health crises can become catalysts for your most abundant chapter when you refuse to let the diagnosis define your future
▶ 13:02Clarity creates action, and action creates confidence - not the other way around
▶ 26:46You cannot think past how you feel - your frequency determines what you magnetize into your life
▶ 35:14Recognition doesn't have to come from other people - the most powerful recognition comes from yourself
▶ 36:38Being a careful curator of your friendships means only surrounding yourself with people who lift you up and share your values
▶ 5:38There's what you want and what you think you can have - you must get clear on the difference
▶ 45:42If you settle into what someone tells you is possible, you're doomed - you have to burn the boats and search for your path
▶ 39:54Scarcity mindset guarantees mediocrity - if you want to stay broke or dried up in your 50s, stay in scarcity
▶ 45:12You have to give up something to go up - there's always a sacrifice required for growth
▶ 43:28The hardest part of doing anything is the thinking part - your mind is the most underutilized tool in your toolkit
▶ 31:05“Health crises are devastating setbacks that limit your future possibilities”
CONSIDER: Health crises can be gifts that catapult you into your most abundant chapter when you refuse to let them define you
“You need external validation and recognition to feel confident”
CONSIDER: The most powerful recognition comes from yourself - you don't need anyone else to tell you that you're amazing
“You should accept medical opinions as final and not question expert recommendations”
CONSIDER: You must advocate for yourself and search for providers who align with your vision of what's possible
“Anything that I had been tentative about suddenly went by the wayside because I thought, what the heck, man? I could die. Like, why am I tiptoeing around sharing what I believe in, being bold, asking for what I want?”
“I walk around the house every day. I am a badass. I am amazing. I am I am this. I am that because I'm like, I don't need anyone else to tell me that.”
“Clarity creates action, and action creates confidence. So it's all kind of backwards.”
“You cannot think past how you feel. So if you're not doing things that make you feel great, how will you ever magnetize to attract the things that you want in your life?”
“There's what you want and what you think you can have. You gotta get real clear because you can have and create anything.”
“If you settle into what someone tells you is possible, you're doomed. You have to know this is what I want. This is what I'm going to have, and burn the boats.”
“You have to give up something to go up. Something. It could be small, big, but you have to look at what you can't just get there without sacrificing something.”
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