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HeartCore Group

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HeartCore Group

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Leaders in delivering preventative cardiovascular disease education to workplaces and
community groups. Reducing Heart Disease - One Beat at a Time.

I am passionate about heart health. Having worked in Cardiology, Coronary Care, Cardiothoracic wards as a Registered Nurse and having led a Community Cardiac Rehabilitation team as Clinical Nurse Consultant, I have assessed thousands of people on their heart health. The majority of clients wished they knew how lifestyle and behaviours affected their risk factors to heart disease before they had their cardiac event. My aim is to deliver preventative heart disease education and improve heart health. Let's reduce cardiovascular disease because every beat counts.

08/10/2026

𝗣𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆

When we think about workplace safety, we often think about the hazards we can see:
- high-vis clothing
- machinery
- chemical spills
- physical hazards

But what about the health risks we can't see:
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- diabetes

A recent Australian qualitative study by Lu, Karanikas & Carroll (2026), "𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘖𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯" highlights the discrepancy between health and safety. They interviewed OHS professionals on their understanding of health. Some responses included:

"𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭."
"𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘏𝘚."
"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦."
"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺
𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴."

How can we better support WHS professionals in addressing health risks that are often invisible? WHS professionals already carry enormous responsibility for keeping workers safe. We cannot expect them to be specialists in every chronic health condition.

But as organisations, we CAN create environments where employees have access to better health education and in understanding their individual cardiovascular risk factors, where they learn what some silent health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes and the consequences of not maintaining these at therapeutic levels.

Where they understand the importance of regular health checks and early intervention and are confident in taking greater responsibility for their own health.

Workplace health education isn't about replacing the role of WHS professionals. Its about supporting them.

06/10/2026

Yesterday was Day 1 of the AusIMM International Mining Health and Safety Conference in Perth where I had the opportunity to present on the prevalence of cardiovascular disease within the FIFO mining industry, followed by facilitating three Incubator workshops where we had really meaningful round table discussions on bringing about change.

A few key messages really stood out for me:

1. 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 - making - how unsafe decisions can occur when the brain is overloaded with information, competing demands and pressure.

2. 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - travel time to and from work, rosters, sleep opportunities and recovery time all contribute to fatigue. Same is true with nursing, after working night shift especially, it's the drive home that can kill.

3. 𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 - leaders need to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. If we expect our teams to attend psychological health and wellbeing sessions, leaders and supervisors need to be willing to participate too.

And most importantly, you don’t need to have an “issue” to attend. We shouldn’t wait until someone is struggling before we talk about psychological health.

It's exactly the same with cardiovascular health, don't wait to make a positive health change. Prevention needs to start well before a problem develops.

Looking forward to Day 2 and continuing the conversations.

30/09/2026

I've looked after many men who are heavy vehicle drivers and a heart attack can affect much more than their heart. It can affect their ability to do their job too.

We don't get to choose which coronary artery becomes blocked during a heart attack, or the size of the infarction. And we don't get to choose whether the damaged heart muscle will leave permanent scarring or heart failure.

The National Transport Commission's Review called "Assessing Fitness to Drive 2020-21 Review" states a commercial driver with heart failure is not eligible for an unconditional commercial licence.

There is a conditional licence, however several medical criteria must be met, including an ejection fraction (EF) of at least 40%.

Ejection fraction shows how well the left ventricle pumps blood out of the ventricle (shown as a percentage) with each contraction, through the aortic valve, to deliver blood and oxygen to the rest of the body. Normal EF is approximately 50-70% and heart failure is described when the ejection fraction falls to 40% or below.

For a mine worker whose livelihood depends on driving heavy vehicles, the consequences of a significant MI can therefore leave a devasting impact.

This is why prevention is so crucial. The Heart Foundation reports that up to 80% of heart disease and stroke cases are preventable.

With hundreds of thousands of Australians working in mining, this is an enormous opportunity to improve cardiovascular health literacy BEFORE a cardiac event occurs.

If we can protect someone's heart, we can also help protect their licence, their livelihood and their career.

HeartCore Group
Delivering On-Site Specialist Education in Cardiovascular Disease
Protect the One Asset You Can't Replace

24/09/2026

I recently had the privilege of speaking to the members at their monthly meeting on the Gold Coast about cardiovascular risk and heart health.

Medibank research highlights the relationship between employee health and workplace productivity, reporting a significant difference in effective working hours between healthy and less healthy employees, stating healthy Australian employees were almost three times more productive than their unhealthy colleagues.

For business owners, however, there is another important consideration: - psychological stress.
- 56% report elevated anxiety and depression from pressures running their business.
- 46% describe their business as a source of stress.
- 33% report moderate-high psychological distress.
- 40% have experienced a mental health condition. (MYOB Business Monitor, 2024).

So, for these business owners, rather than simply talking about cardiovascular risk, I finished the presentation with a practical exercise of taking the group through a simple nervous system technique that can be incorporated into even the busiest of working days.

Creating these CNS regulation moments, can help slow the heart rate, support a greater sense of calm, and reduce inflammation - a perfect practice for reducing cardiovascular risk.

As business owners, we spend so much time looking after our business, our employees, our customers, and our families that we can easily forget about ourselves.

Thank you to the Corragio Board for inviting me to speak and for being so engaged in the conversation around cardiovascular health and prevention.

24/08/2026

I had the privilege to speak at the last week on cardiovascular disease risk and how disproportionately higher at risk mine workers are compared to the National average.

What struck me the most was the underlying theme of all speakers and attendees who continually strive for excellence, to improve safety outcomes, to reduce risk, and their resilience in the face of one of the toughest, hardest working industries in Australia. I met so many lovely people who are so passionate and dedicated to their industry.

I've been to many cardiology conferences but was next level.

A big thank you to all organisers for producing a professional conference full of insight, expertise in and collaboration with such a worthy cause in fundraising for .

14/08/2026

I was recently asked why I do what I do, why does it matter to me to educate people on preventative cardiovascular risk so much?

My proof of resolve came only a few days later in a man asked me why I was presenting to a particular cohort of people because in his eyes they earned so much money, well it was to be expected.

I was flabbergasted he thought that way. I spent the next few minutes explaining what a person earns does not determine their risk of cardiovascular disease.

With the many people I have looked after and assessed, you cannot judge by looking at a person if they are at greater risk than another. I have looked after every cohort of patient - rich, poor, city living, rural living. Every body type from short, tall, athletic, inactive, overweight, underweight. Every dietary habit - vegan, keto, vegetarian, carnivore, pescatarian, you name it, I've given up being surprised at who presents to hospital having a heart attack.

What truly matters to me is the role that preventative education helps teach people they can make a slight positive tweak here and there in their behaviour that will have a great, lasting impact on their future health.

I love what I do, I help people protect the one asset they can't replace - their health.

12/08/2026

I'm reflecting this week on a series of posts on what truly matters to me. I've spent years looking after cardiac patients and assessing them after their cardiac event.

The majority of clients have been men aged 40-60s. They all had several things in common - they were laden with responsibilities: responsibilities of looking after their businesses, prioritising their employees so they got paid, providing for their families and never prioritised themselves.

They were carrying that chronic stress for decades until the heart forced them to slow down and re-evaluate. Often these stoic men would break down with tears when I asked to be kind to yourself and find some time to prioritise yourself.

And what I mean about prioritising yourself is not in an arrogant or selfish way, but rather giving yourself some self love, and being kinder to yourself.

Once these businessmen gave themselves permission to spend some time for themselves, things began to shift in an emotional, mental and physical way.

For example, some would leave work early one day a week and play golf, or started walking each day during lunch time or after work. Some took up cycling, swimming or taking their wives on a regular date again. It was incredible to see the transformation and the reset these men had.

If your system is looking for a reset, join my 1:1 coaching, by typing ACE in the comments for a free discovery call.

04/08/2026

Heart disease kills more Australians than anything else, so why isn't it in our mining safety systems? At I'm presenting a practical framework for treating cardiovascular risk like any other critical safety hazard: measurable, manageable, preventable. See you on the Gold Coast, 16–19 August.

15/06/2026

FACT: Chronic stress is one of the most underestimated risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

When you are under prolonged stress, your body releases cortisol and adrenaline continuously. These hormones raise your heart rate and blood pressure, promote inflammation in the arteries, increase blood clotting risk, and contribute to the buildup of arterial plaque over time.

Chronic stress also drives behaviours that compound the risk, including poor sleep, overeating, smoking, and reduced physical activity.

For workers in high-pressure environments like the resources sector, where long rosters, remote locations, and time away from family are the norm, chronic stress is not an occasional visitor. It is a daily reality.

Recognising it as a genuine heart health risk is the first step to managing it.

Health Information Disclaimer: This post provides general health information only and does not constitute medical advice. It should not replace consultation with a qualified healthcare professional regarding individual health concerns.

11/06/2026

One week from tonight I will be sleeping outside.

On 18 June I am taking part in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, joining business and community leaders across Australia to raise awareness and funds for the 122,000 Australians experiencing homelessness right now.

One night without a bed is something I am choosing to do. For far too many Australians, it is not a choice at all.

If you have been thinking about sponsoring me, now is the time. Every dollar goes directly to Vinnies to fund accommodation, meals, and support services for people who need it most.

Please use this link to donate: https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/alexandrasamuels/gold-coast

One week to go. Let us make it count.

Address

Varsity Lakes, QLD
4227

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61410481622

Website

http://Www.heartcoregroup.com/

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