Anh Phoong Brings the National Woman of Impact Title Home to Sacramento

Anh Phoong is featured in the Winter 2026 issue of The Pulse, the American Heart Association Cor Vitae Society publication, in a story titled “Sacramento win-streak: Anh Phoong keeps the Woman of Impact award in her hometown.” The feature looks at the campaign that earned Anh the 2026 national Woman of Impact title, and at the very personal reason she took it on. The feature appears on pages 22 and 23 of the issue.

A Campaign Where Everyone Won

When Anh launched her Woman of Impact campaign in Sacramento this year, she did it with a team of family, friends, and colleagues. As The Pulse reports, she felt like they had already won before the first point was counted.

“We were winning no matter what just by saying yes,” Anh told the publication.

Woman of Impact campaigns are scored on a point system, with points earned for both heart healthy activities and dollars raised. Anh’s team earned more than 200,000 points, enough to bring the national title home to Sacramento for the second year in a row, following Katrina Ascencio-Holmes’ win the year before.

Why Heart Health Is Personal for Anh

Anh was nominated by someone who knew of her work in the community. What they did not know was how close this cause was to home. A few years earlier, Anh’s mom called her from the hospital. She was having a heart attack.

“It was one of the scariest moments of my life,” Anh said in the feature.

That experience became a wake-up call for her mom, who changed her eating habits, cut back on red meat, and started exercising five days a week. For Anh, it showed how easily people brush off heart health symptoms, or do not recognize them at all. The Pulse describes how Anh grew up in a family that was taught to work through the pain, and how she built her campaign around a simple message: awareness matters, because a heart attack is not something you can push through.

From 10 Team Members to 100

Anh believed many people in her community could relate to worrying about a parent’s health and not knowing which symptoms need immediate care. She was right. According to Casey Sherman, senior development director for the American Heart Association’s Sacramento office, Anh’s campaign launched with just 10 team members and ended with 100.

Sherman told The Pulse that Anh is “an incredible leader,” and that she was impressed by how quickly Anh rallied friends, family members, and colleagues around the cause.

Anh is quick to share the credit. Her friend and co-captain, Josh Fleenor, raised $66,000 for the campaign, making him the highest fundraising team member in the country in 2026. Along the way, Anh also hosted a fundraiser at a Sacramento Kings game to support the effort.

A Moment Made for Mom

Anh’s favorite moment of the whole campaign was bringing her mom to the Sacramento Go Red for Women Luncheon, where Anh received her local Woman of Impact Award before being named the National Winner.

“I said, ‘Mom, I did this for you,'” Anh recalled in the story. She told The Pulse she feels blessed every day that her mom survived, and that she does not take it for granted.

Thank You to The Pulse

We are proud to see Anh recognized for turning a frightening family moment into something that helps others in Sacramento and beyond. Our thanks to The Pulse and the American Heart Association for sharing her story. Photos courtesy of Anh Phoong and the American Heart Association.

If you or someone you love is ever hurt, Phoong Law is here to help. Something Wrong? Call Anh Phoong at 866-GOT-PAIN.