Brain Wellness - the Podcast

03/02/2025

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month! 🧠

Yes, it deserves a whole month because it’s a HUGE silent epidemic. Concussion is a traumatic brain injury, and many people don’t even realize they’ve experienced a concussion until they are asked about specific symptoms.

The CDC estimates 1.6-3.8 million concussions occur each year in the US, but acknowledge that about half of all concussions go undiagnosed.

I’ll be heading to Washington this week to lobby our representatives to continue funding programs like the CDC Heads Up Concussion program, which helps educate teachers, coaches, and parents about the importance of concussion prevention and early identification for management.

I’ve created a donation page, if you’re if you’re so inclined donate to the Brain Injury Association of America, to support programs such as this and many others. The link is in the comments so as not to upset the social media police 😉
EDIT: the social media police still don’t like my link, so I added It to the biolink In my About section!

02/28/2025

It’s a beautiful day for a new podcast episode! Episode 123 is available today!

I’m back to the ABCs of Concussion this week with the letter E! There are so many good topics to cover each week, of things that people who experience a concussion/TBI live with on a regular basis, unfortunately. Whether that’s you, or you have symptoms that you don’t know what they’re from, or you’re the provider who needs more education on what to watch for with your patients - this is a great series for you to follow!

Tune in to hear the full show now!

Find the episode on your favorite platform at https://bio.link/brainwellnessnp

02/21/2025

It’s new podcast episode day! Episode 122 is now available!

Dr. Kelli Uitenham joined me for a deep dive into the importance of speech therapy for TBI recovery. She shared how she got into speech therapy, what a speech therapist (speech language pathologist) does with TBI more specifically, and shared some examples of how she tailors rehab to each individual.

Tune in to hear the full interview now!

Find the episode on your favorite platform at https://bio.link/brainwellnessnp

02/14/2025

It’s a beautiful day for a new podcast episode! Episode 121 is now available!

Dr. Vincent Schaller joined me for a deep dive into how they have successfully treated over 17,000 concussion patients at the MAC Concussion Alliance. He is a family practice physician who became a concussion specialist. He shares how they created the alliance, the education that was provided to all of their participating facilities, and the technologies they vetted and how instrumental they are in concussion care. He is passionate and a wealth of knowledge!

Tune in to hear the full interview now!

Find the episode on your favorite platform at https://bio.link/brainwellnessnp

02/12/2025

Another great experience being a guest on someone else’s podcast! 🥰

In this enlightening conversation, Mandi Dickey, a dedicated Nurse Practitioner and wellness advocate, joins Sally Pederson to discuss the transformative pow...

02/07/2025

It’s a beauty day for a new podcast episode! Episode 120 is now available!

Monica Mangelson joined me for a deep dive into the neuroscience behind mindset shifts, the benefits of journaling, identifying limiting beliefs, and intuition. Trust me when I say talking about journaling from a neuroscience perspective made me want to start journaling more myself!

Tune in to hear the full interview now!

Find the episode on your favorite platform at https://bio.link/brainwellnessnp

02/04/2025

We would all love it if we were amazing at things we try right away. Sometimes we get lucky and have natural skill at something, other times we really have to put in the work. Sometimes it’s not fun until you start getting better, but you’ll never get better if you don’t try.

Trying something new is like getting back into something you used to be good at. I used to work out extremely regularly. I had some bumps in the road with my health that made things difficult but I was finally getting back into it…then the TBI happened and everything slowed or came to a screeching halt.

Learning to comprehend what I read again, learning to comprehend sarcasm again and read other people’s expressions, getting back into fitness, and on and on…all of those things have been hard. But I keep trying and I keep looking for new ways to get back to being me. And you know what? It’s paying off. I can now have my kindle read books to me, and I have exercised nearly every day this past week (with modifications, but still done!).

What are you trying to do or get back into? How’s it coming along for you? What angle haven’t you tried yet? Do you have an accountability partner to keep you motivated?

Whatever it is you’re trying to do, don’t stop f’ing trying. You can’t succeed if you give up. And if you don’t give up, I promise you’ll enjoy the success or even just the improvements along the way!

01/31/2025

It’s new podcast episode day! Episode 119 is now available!

Thank you to everyone who posed questions, all TBI related! I said Ask Me Anything, and you did not disappoint. I received some really great questions, so buckle up and give a listen. Great info whether you’ve had a traumatic brain injury or not. We need to shed more light on this silent epidemic!

Tune in to hear the full show now!

Find the episode on your favorite platform at https://bio.link/brainwellnessnp

01/28/2025

When you live with chronic illness or chronic mental health issues, or are dealing with a very slow brain injury recovery, like I have been, it’s common to have dark days. In those dark days, it’s not uncommon to lose hope and feel useless. You may wonder about the value of your own existence, since you can’t contribute like you used to.

I’ve been fortunate to have a supportive spouse and amazingly supportive children to help me through my dark days. The quote for today came from my teenage boy - he’s honestly the one that tells me this the most.

Whether you have someone in your life who tells you or not, you are loved more than you know. You are loved more than you understand. You are loved even on your dark days when you struggle to see your own worth. You are the reason someone else feels valued and loved. Write it on a sticky note and put it on your mirror if you need to, just don’t ever forget it.

01/24/2025

It’s a beautiful day for a new podcast episode! Episode 118 is available today!

I was blessed to have Dick Beardsley join me for a conversation about running. We started talking about what inspired him to get into long distance running, how being in nature is good for the soul, and the conversation wandered into other types of marathons in life. We talked about addiction and losing a loved one, and how those experiences can be used to help others. Truly an inspiring conversation - my childhood hero did not disappoint!

Tune in to hear the full interview now!

Find the episode on your favorite platform at https://bio.link/brainwellnessnp

Dick Beardsley - Motivational Speaker

01/24/2025

What brain health questions would you like to ask me? Questions can be related to concussion, headache, general brain health, or anything else brain-related. An upcoming podcast episode will be an “ask me anything” episode - answering YOUR questions! Comment below or message me to remain anonymous!

01/21/2025

Not every “marathon” is a literal marathon; some may be the marathon of recovery, living with a chronic illness or disability, or just working to reach a dream.

Regardless of the type of marathon you’re experiencing, they all start with the first step.

42 years ago I ran in my first long distance race - a one-mile race is a marathon when you’re 3! It took me a whopping 20 minutes to finish, but I finished. And it all started with the first step across the start line.

25 years ago I started my healthcare education marathon and started working as a nursing assistant. 12 years, 3 degrees and a post-graduate certificate later, I started my career as a nurse practitioner.

21+ months ago I started the marathon of recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Each of these marathons required a beginning. They required goal setting. They required, and still require, perseverance and determination.

You will never see the finish line if you don’t cross the start. No marathon is less important than the others. They are require growth and strength that others don’t always see. They will likely include a few falls with cuts and scrapes - literally and figuratively. And they all bring a sense of pride as you finish one stage and move to the next. Some marathons will take your lifetime to reach, while others may end in a matter of hours. But again, they all start with the first step.

01/17/2025

It’s a beautiful day for a new podcast episode! Episode 117 is available today!

I’m back to the ABCs of Concussion this week with the letter D! There are so many good topics to cover each week, of things that people who experience a concussion/TBI live with on a regular basis, unfortunately. Whether that’s you, or you have symptoms that you don’t know what they’re from, or you’re the provider who needs more education on what to watch for with your patients - this is a great series for you to follow!

Tune in to hear the full show now!

Find the episode on your favorite platform at https://bio.link/brainwellnessnp

01/14/2025

We are often our own worst critics, but we are not often our own biggest cheerleaders.

I have spent a lot of time in my recovery journey getting down on myself because I have not gotten better faster. I never stopped believing that I would continue to get better, but I sure did get upset with myself for how long it was taking me.

Today marks 21 months of trying to recover from this brain injury. 21 months of not working at the job I worked so hard to have. But on this day, I’m also celebrating some major improvements.

I’ve continued to do my therapies and search for other treatment options that could help me get better. I’ve continued to keep trying to do things I couldn’t do before, and every time I overcome some part of my disability, we celebrate it as a family.

If I had given up at any point, I wouldn’t have continued to get better. If I had given up, we wouldn’t have the celebrations. If I had given up, life would be so different, and not in a good way.

Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t ever give up. You won’t know what you’re capable of if you don’t keep trying.

01/10/2025

It’s a beautiful day for a new podcast episode! Episode 116 is now available!

A fellow TBI survivor, Chaandani Khan became a post concussive symptom expert through lived experience. We take a deep dive into what constitutes post concussive symptoms, how priorities change after a concussion/TBI, and the need for more help navigating recovery. We also discuss our shared mission to help others through the recovery process.

Tune in to hear the full interview now!

Find the episode on your favorite platform at https://bio.link/brainwellnessnp

01/03/2025

It’s new podcast episode day - the first of the new year! Episode 115 is available today!

Dr. Njideka Olatunde joins me for a deep dive into reflexology - how she found it, what it’s useful for, and how she incorporates it into her naturopathic practice. We’ve probably all had reflexology done at some point in our lives without even knowing it, and she explains how.

Tune in to hear the full interview now!

Find the episode on your favorite platform at https://bio.link/brainwellnessnp

01/01/2025

Happy New Year, friends!

What will you do this year? What kind of year will you make this? You have more control than you think, so don’t underestimate yourself!

I don’t believe in resolutions because most people don’t stick to them. I just set goals and work toward them. I set goals I know I can reach and I set some goals I know will be a stretch, because you don’t often grow inside of your comfort zone.

Kiss 2024 goodbye, because you’re not going back there. Here’s to another new year, with new opportunities for health and happiness!