Episode Details
Back to EpisodesDead for 93 Minutes: Cardiac Arrest Survival after NDE with Justine Phillips
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In this episode of Don't Be Caught Dead, I’m sitting down with the incredible Justine Phillips, a sudden cardiac arrest survivor and founder of Heart Matters Australia. Justine shares her jaw-dropping story of being clinically dead for 93 minutes – yes, 93 minutes – before her heart miraculously restarted. It’s a story of resilience, survival, and the determination of her family and paramedics who refused to give up on her.
We talk about the life-saving importance of CPR and defibrillation, and how knowing these skills can literally mean the difference between life and death. Justine also opens up about the emotional toll her cardiac arrest had on her family, especially her children, who had to perform CPR under the guidance of emergency operators.
During our conversation, Justine clears up the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest (there’s more to it than you might think!) and busts some common myths around these critical health issues. Through her organisation, Heart Matters Australia, she’s on a mission to educate communities on how to perform effective CPR and use defibrillators, all with the aim of saving lives and reducing trauma for families in the aftermath of cardiac events.
We also dive into the bigger picture – how surviving a near-death experience has changed her outlook on life, shifted her priorities, and led her to embrace breathwork as a way to process what happened. This is more than a survival story; it’s a powe
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