Today we're kicking off Season 2 of Hope Survives | Brain Injury Podcast with five time concussion survivor and Miss Oregon USA, Allison Cook, on finding confidence and knowing your worth. We talk about coping with symptoms, overcoming imposter syndrome, the invisible injury, and more!

Today is an inspiring episode all about finding hope, featuring survivor and Emmy Award winning host Tracy Yatsko. In 2005, she sustained a serious traumatic brain injury from playing basketball that completely derailed her life. From dealing with the invisible injury, grieving the old self, debilitating symptoms, and deep depression, she candidly shares her story.

This episode is all about encouragement to anyone listening - survivors, caregivers, family members - it is possible to find your way out of the darkness.

After a brain injury, fatigue can become one of the most draining and difficult parts of getting through the day or week.

Today we going to talk about some strategies and tips on how to manage that fatigue with Natalie Mackenzie, who has worked in the field of Neuro Rehabilitation for 20 years. Part of this is learning about what Natalie calls the 3 P’s: Planning, Prioritization, and Pacing.

Let’s talk about brain health after sustaining a brain injury with Dr. Jeremy Schmoe.

These are some simple strategies that you can begin to incorporate into your routine to help optimize your brain for healing.

What does it mean to “not give up” on the journey with brain injury?

Let’s talk about it. Cristabelle shares encouragement for survivors and her mother Cyndie Braden offers support for caregivers and families.

We talk about different aspects of choosing to not give up, including family dynamics, the day-to-day things, and how to give yourself grace for the hard days.

Some of the questions I am asked most frequently are “how do I become a brain injury advocate” or “how do you get started sharing your story?”

On today’s episode, I’m sharing a lot of what I have learned about advocacy through the years - joined by Monica Vaccaro, director of programs at the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania, to share her perspective and insight! We are talking about being a self-advocate for brain injury, tips for sharing your story, and also how to get involved with advocacy on a larger scale if it’s something you are interested in!

Brain Injury Awareness Month might be almost over, but the advocacy goes on all year long! 🙂 Let’s continue to use our voices together to make a difference!

-Cristabelle

Concussion Safety: Bringing a fresh perspective to sports concussions, Tracey Suggs and Foster Wilkins are the founders of Protect Your Skull - the world’s first and only concussion awareness brand creating quality performance apparel for today’s athlete. They are amazing advocates as they work hard to educate for safety in sports- today’s conversation is one you don’t want to miss!

Susan H. Connors, president and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America, is here today for a special Brain Injury Awareness Month Episode. Listen as she shares about what the BIAA does, including help and resources that are available to survivors.

Susan is a champion for brain injury, and today she also shares some of her personal journey as to how she got involved in the BIAA and what she has seen in brain injury awareness over the last 25 years. The discussion closes with encouragement and tips for those who may want to get involved with advocating on a broader scale.