You can't see it on the outside, but every day living with a concussion / brain injury brings an internal struggle. You're constantly fighting what you want to do, what you used to be able to do, and what your brain will allow you to do. There's the physical toll- the fatigue, the headaches, the balance issues... There's also the emotional toll- the grief, the depression, the loss of identity... and more.

This week on Hope Survives® | Brain Injury Podcast, we wrap up Season 2 with an uplifting episode. Cristabelle opens with an encouraging reminder to be kind to yourself, and then we hear some empowering words of hope from brain injury professionals. You are not alone - and there is always hope!

This week on Hope Survives® | Brain Injury Podcast, Cristabelle shares reflections and encouragement from her 15 year traumatic brain injury anniversary, along with powerful "Words of Hope" from survivors. You are NOT alone!

There are a lot of layers when it comes to brain injury symptoms. In the middle of it, how do you even begin to start to tackle your symptoms in order to move forward? Some days are up, some days are down. It can be overwhelming and emotional when you are just trying to get through each day.

This week on Hope Survives® | Brain Injury Podcast, Natalie Mackenzie joins Cristabelle to discuss advice on managing symptoms, identifying triggers, how to cope, and work towards a plan to improve over time. There is always hope!

It is common to feel a loss of self after a concussion when you lose so many things you used to be able to do - but there is hope.

This week, Cristabelle speaks with Silvie from The Concussion Community. Silvie struggled for years to find the right help and understand what was going on with her. Her concussion was even misdiagnosed as anxiety. The regular doctors she visited couldn’t address her symptoms, so she wasn’t getting help from them. Eventually, Silvie found the right concussion treatments and she is here to share what she has learned from her journey, offering hope to listeners to know that rebuilding your life is possible.

Do you ever feel "stuck" in not knowing how to move forward with your recovery? Today, Dr. Michelle Eisenmann is here in part 1 of a 2 part series to help us understand some things we can do to to keep our brain injury recovery on track. This week we will touch on the importance of finding the right practitioner (more on that next week!) and some tips on how to define your recovery goals. Most importantly, you will be encouraged to move forward with confidence, grace, and grit.

It can be hard to hold onto hope when it feels like there are just setbacks around every corner. Listen as Cristabelle shares her heart on this and how to continue moving forward, even when things are really hard. You are not alone.

This week on Hope Survives® | Brain Injury Podcast, listen to an inspiring survivor story as Dillon Berenty shares his journey of hope through brain trauma. After a concussion, Dillon was taken to the hospital, and through the scans a brain tumor was discovered. Six brain surgeries later, and a 10% chance of survival, Dillon is beating the odds every day. He shares some of the symptoms, struggles, ways he has learned to adapt, and how he has learned to keep perspective through it all. This is an uplifting story that is sure to encourage you, wherever you are at on your journey.

Living with a brain injury, some days hope is the only thing that gets you through.

This week on Hope Survives® | Brain Injury Podcast, Cristabelle is joined by her mother, Cyndie Braden, to speak about lessons they have learned over the 14 years of brain injuries. They speak vulnerably about some of the difficult aspects of the journey, while also sharing the growth in the family, caregiver, and survivor perspectives. You will also hear clips of Cristabelle from 10 years ago in 2012 speaking about her injury, at around the 5 year mark, as we reflect on 10 years of Hope After Head Injury.  

After 17+ concussions, Nick Krantz found himself at the end of his rope, having been told by many medical professionals that there wasn't really anything he could do, and he would just have to live with the symptoms. It was then that he discovered that there is so much more to brain injury recovery than he ever knew, and he began a journey of learning to overcome PCS, including nutrition, mindset, balancing hormones, exercise, and more. Today, Nick shares his story of overcoming PCS and finding hope in recovery.

How can the "invisible" injury affect our self worth? Survivors often don’t realize their own identity as separate from their brain injury. Living with symptoms for so long can take a toll on mental health. It's also easy to take in how other people view the "invisible" injury and let it negatively impact how we view ourselves. But you are more than your injury, and there is hope for improvement!

This week, Cristabelle Braden goes deeper into some lesser known pieces of her own story, candidly sharing some of the harder parts to talk about including mental health struggles, navigating social cues, abuse and trauma, and more.

What does “normal” mean anyway? Jeff Huxford was a family medicine doctor in northwest Indiana for ten years before having to retire due to complications from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). He has since become a blogger, author, and speaker - and his story is currently being turned into a feature film!

Brain Injuries are invisible. You can't see them on the outside, and that's one of the reasons awareness is so important. They can be overlooked, misdiagnosed, or mistreated, and survivors feel the burden. 

This week on Hope Survives® | Brain Injury Podcast, Cristabelle shares some of her personal brain injury story, and how she has seen awareness improve over the last decade - along with encouragement for how you can make a difference by bringing awareness right where you are.

When you are so overwhelmed that every little thing is causing symptom overload & emotional responses... it may be time to step back and allow your brain and body to rest.

This week on Hope Survives® | Brain Injury Podcast, Cristabelle shares a personal story and encouragement for the days when everything is all too much.

What does it mean to have a creative mindset - and how can it help brain injury recovery? Let’s talk about it!

This week on Hope Survives® | Brain Injury Podcast, Cristabelle is joined by fellow survivor Ali Rheaume to discuss the benefits of creativity, and how having a creative mindset can aid in adaptability.

What does it mean to be a brain injury warrior?

To kick off the new year, here are some words of hope from 6 incredible survivors.

There is a trend to post highlights of the year on social media. But do you find that actually hard to do, or even see from others?

Living with brain injury, it is easy to feel discouraged from setbacks, or a recovery timeline you had in mind, or comparing to the "old you" and grieving the life before, as well as coping with symptoms on a daily basis. This week on Hope Survives | Brain Injury Podcast, Cristabelle discusses all of this, while also sharing some of her personal journey through TBI. 

Life is not a highlight reel. And that is okay. Let's talk about it!

Emotional responses after brain injury can come in extremes - highs, lows, outbursts - or just feeling "blank" or nothing at all. Survivors also could have a hard time expressing their emotions and verbalizing it. Emotions also affect our identity, how we view ourselves, and directly impact our relationships.

Today, Cristabelle leads us through all of this, sharing some personal examples along with encouragement for listeners.

How do you handle emotions after brain injury? What are some ways to help? Let's talk about it!

This week on Hope Survives | Brain Injury Podcast, Cristabelle is joined by Rebecca Quinn & Carly Endres from the North Dakota Brain Injury Network for a conversation about emotional dysregulation as it relates to brain injury. We cover some common "tells" including outbursts and overstimulation, the cognitive behavioral spiral, the importance of mindfulness, and encouragement for both caregivers and survivors.