Each one us has our own unique path through brain injury recovery - let’s talk about finding yours and never giving up!

In this episode, Cristabelle interviews Patti Shutt, a NeuroCognitive Program Instructor at Success Rehabilitation, Inc., who shares from her 12 years of experience working with brain injury survivors. Patti brings uplifting energy, emphasizing the importance of self-acceptance, kindness, and the necessity of recognizing one's own progress, no matter how small. Patti shares inspiring stories of individuals who have overcome significant challenges, highlighting the importance of support, patience, and the ability to adapt. She concludes with a message of hope, encouraging listeners to keep pushing forward and to remember that they are not alone in their struggles.

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.

For brain injury survivors, having some sort of self-awareness when it comes to symptoms is key to moving forward in recovery. When we are able to learn our brain & body's "tells" or when a symptom flare-up is beginning to happen, we are better able to assess if we need to rest, or if we can push through. It also helps us to know what types of treatment to seek out - especially because it's invisible, so others can't see your symptoms on the outside. However, self-awareness after brain injury doesn't always come easy due to feeling disconnected from yourself, the constant fatigue, or even just headache pain. Today, Cristabelle walks us through how to grow in self-awareness so that we can become better advocates for our own recovery. Caregivers will also learn how to support their survivor in growing in this area.

Overstimulation and brain fog can be frustrating both for the survivor and for the people around them. This week on Hope Survives® | Brain Injury Podcast, Taryn Barlow is here to teach us some tools on how to evaluate our environment, lifestyle, and symptoms to figure out the source of overstimulation. We talk about practicing Sensory Awareness, how to have a "battle plan" of strategies to help, and the importance of being patient with yourself.

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.

Dr. Roy Wilkins is an expert in sleep medicine - and a brain injury survivor himself! This week on Hope Survives® | Brain Injury Podcast, we will learn the importance of how sleep affects the brain. Dr. Wilkins also shares some of his own journey with TBI, along with why there can be sleep disturbances after a brain injury.

Lisa is a fighter, living with both an invisible injury (TBI) and physical disability. She was born with Spina Bifida and hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain), contracted spinal meningitis as an infant, and has been an advocate for disabilities her entire life. Then, in 2011 she sustained a traumatic brain injury from an accident playing wheelchair basketball. 

This is an episode that is sure to inspire and encourage all who listen, as Lisa Pubantz eloquently shares her story of victory. She joins Cristabelle to discuss the tension between the invisible injury and the physical disability, how society treats people with disabilities, and how the TBI symptoms are often misunderstood.