We’re back and ready to kick off Season 3 of Hope Survives® | Brain Injury Podcast with some special episodes for Brain Injury Awareness month! Join our host Cristabelle and guest Ali Rheaume for an inspiring and honest conversation about the challenges on the brain injury journey. You are not alone!

Listen below or on your mobile device by subscribing on podcast platforms!

How do you define yourself when everything about your life has changed?

Cali Lonardelli is a survivor of multiple brain injuries, and this week she shares her story of perseverance and hope. As a teenager, she went from an accomplished athlete in gymnastics and pole vaulting to struggling to be able to walk. Her journey has taken her through many years of symptoms and learning to live with a new reality, as well as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) eating disorder.

Cali is a true overcomer and is now a Physical Therapy student and an intern for the non-profit PINK Concussions. Take a listen as she joins Cristabelle for an inspiring conversation shining a light on what it is like to live with brain injury.

How do we keep going on the brain injury journey? Sometimes it can be a struggle just to get through the day. Today Cristabelle keeps it real, sharing that it is not always easy, but we can choose to never give up.

Next, Tanya Gauthier, founder of the nonprofit TBIncredible, joins to share her inspirational story through her own traumatic brain injury and encouragement to listeners on how to keep going!

Emotional changes after brain injury are common. The way that the brain is physically affected can cause changes in emotional response. Also, dealing with a major life change can lead to complicated feelings and trauma responses. If you have experienced a wide range of confusing emotions, know that you are not alone!

Today, Dr. Ann Marie McLaughlin joins Cristabelle to share her expertise. Let’s talk about some of the ways that emotional changes affect survivors, common root causes, and some coping strategies and tips on how to work through the complex emotions that can happen after brain injury.

Today’s episode is all about common challenges brain injury survivors face! Let’s talk about how survivors are affected every day, strategies to help, and some of the science behind why symptoms happen.

Cristabelle is joined today by two special guests, Monica Vaccaro (Director of Programs for the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania), and Dr. Jeremy Schmoe (Founder and Director of The Functional Neurology Center). Together, they bring a well rounded view to this topic.