When Words Don't Come Easy

In this episode of When Words Don’t Come Easy, Justin and Roger sit down with Janu Orrick, founder of AphasiaPals, to talk about communication, connection, caregiving, and life after stroke. Janu shares the story behind AphasiaPals and how her experiences with her friend Demetrius helped inspire a different approach to supporting people with aphasia. Rather than focusing only on structured speech...

In this episode of 'When Words Don't Come Easy', hosts Justin and Roger speak with Matthew Thomas, a traumatic brain injury survivor who shares his incredible journey of resilience and recovery. After a devastating car accident left him with a severe brain injury and a prognosis of only 5% chance of survival, Matthew defied the odds through determination, rehabilitation, and the suppor...

In this episode, Justin and Roger discuss the often-overlooked journey of recovery after a stroke or brain injury with Kerri Potthoff from the Brain Healing Collective. They explore the challenges faced by survivors and their families once traditional rehabilitation ends, the importance of community support, and the innovative Reconnect program designed to help individuals navigate life post-rehab...

In this powerful episode of When Words Don’t Come Easy , Justin and Roger sit down with stroke survivor and advocate Stephen Scharf for an honest and inspiring conversation about life after stroke. Stephen opens up about surviving two strokes , the unexpected challenges that followed, and what it was like to have to rebuild skills and confidence after making progress in his recovery. He shares the...

What does life really look like after a stroke? In this episode of When Words Don’t Come Easy , Tina Orkin returns to the show for her second appearance for an honest and inspiring conversation about stroke recovery, aphasia, disability, and life in a wheelchair . Tina wanted to come back because sharing her experience with aphasia, stroke, and life in a wheelchair is deeply important to her, and...

In this episode of When Words Don’t Come Easy , we sit down with Vincent Van den Broeck, author of Everything Feels Impossible Until It’s Done and a TBI survivor, for an honest conversation about rebuilding confidence, finding your identity again, and pushing forward when life suddenly feels unfamiliar. When Words Don’t Come Easy is a podcast about connection, communication, stroke recovery, aphas...

What happens when a stroke survivor turns his own struggle with aphasia into an AI tool designed to help others communicate? In Episode 29 of When Words Don’t Come Easy , Justin and Roger sit down with Stephen Albright , a stroke survivor, entrepreneur, and creator of AphasiaGPT , an AI-powered platform designed to help people with aphasia practice communication, language, and real-world conversat...

In this episode of When Words Don’t Come Easy , Justin and Roger sit down with Trent Peterson , stroke survivor, advocate, podcast host, and co-founder of The Broken Road Project , a nonprofit focused on helping people navigate stroke, medical trauma, recovery, and life after a major medical event. Trent opens up about the parts of stroke recovery people don't always talk about, including depr...

Rob Baugh: Finding Purpose After Brain Injury | My Life Rewired | Brain Injury Recovery & Mental Health What happens when your entire life changes in an instant? In this powerful episode of When Words Don't Come Easy , we sit down with Rob Baugh , traumatic brain injury survivor, author, speaker, and host of the Life Rewired podcast. After a devastating brain injury turned his world upside...

In this episode of When Words Don't Come Easy , we sit down with Laura Malis , stroke survivor, aphasia advocate, and founder of Aphasia at Home . Learn more at www.aphasiaathome.com and follow Laura on Instagram @aphasiaathome for free resources that help people with aphasia improve their language, reading, writing, communication, and overall recovery. The website also offers book clubs, conv...

Can you really stop recovering after one year? Stroke survivor Mike Jankowski says absolutely not. In this episode of When Words Don't Come Easy , we sit down with stroke survivor Mike Jankowski to discuss his journey through stroke recovery , living with aphasia , and why one of the most common messages patients hear after a stroke may be one of the most damaging. Four years after his stroke,...

What happens when a psychologist suddenly becomes the patient? In Episode 24 of When Words Don't Come Easy , Justin and Roger sit down with Matthew Liebman to discuss his stroke recovery, living with aphasia, and how his professional background gave him a unique perspective on healing. Matthew shares what it was like going through a full psychological evaluation after his stroke, the frustrati...

Most people have never heard of amusia . After his stroke, Matthew lost the ability to feel rhythm, find a beat, or sing along to music, even though his body works perfectly. Hear his incredible story this Sunday on When Words Don't Come Easy . You won't want to miss it.

🎙️ NEW EPISODE THIS SUNDAY Psychologist and stroke survivor Dr. Matthew Liebman joins When Words Don’t Come Easy for a powerful conversation about the experience of aphasia beyond “difficulty with word finding.” “Aphasia isn’t just struggling to find words. It’s worrying that everyone around you is seeing what you’ve lost instead of who you still are.” Available Sunday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple P...

In this episode of When Words Don’t Come Easy, we sit down with Robert, the creator of LarrySpeakeasy, a new communication app inspired by his family’s experience with aphasia and stroke recovery. Robert shares how a simple idea grew into a tool that is already helping people reconnect through conversation, with users in more than 18 countries in less than 60 days. We talk about the inspiration be...

When Words Don't Come Easy welcomes Nicholas Kelly , a registered dietitian and cystic fibrosis advocate, for a conversation about the role nutrition plays in stroke and aphasia recovery. Nick shares practical tips for making mealtimes easier, managing dietary challenges after a stroke, and reducing frustration around eating and communication. Together, Justin and Roger discuss how food is about m...

Registered dietitian Nicholas Kelly shares an easy nutrition tip: smoothies and meal replacement drinks can be a simple way to get healthy calories and nutrients when meals feel challenging. What simple nutrition tips have helped you or a loved one? #Aphasia #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #NutritionTips #Dysphagia #AphasiaAwareness #BrainInjuryRecovery #SpeechTherapy #CaregiverSupport #WhenWordsD...

Our guest this week, Nicholas Kelly, Registered Dietitian and Cystic Fibrosis Advocate, shares stroke and aphasia diet tips, including why small meals, patience, and adapting to your new normal can play an important role in recovery. #Aphasia #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #AphasiaAwareness #Dietitian #Nutrition #BrainInjuryRecovery #SpeechTherapy #WhenWordsDontComeEasy #StrokeAwareness

Don't miss this thoughtful discussion on the important role food and mealtimes can play in recovery and quality of life.

In this inspiring episode of When Words Don't Come Easy, Justin and Roger sit down with Kent and Leah, the founders of Aphasia ReLearned, a nonprofit dedicated to helping stroke survivors and people with aphasia access life changing intensive therapy programs. Kent shares his remarkable recovery journey, from struggling to say his children's names after his stroke to continuing to improve...

Leah from Aphasia Relearned is passionate about making intensive aphasia therapy accessible to everyone. She wants more programs built across the country and hope to eventually bring the conversation to Congress. Because recovery shouldn't depend on your zip code. #Aphasia #StrokeRecovery #AphasiaAwareness #AphasiaReLearned #Neuroplasticity #SpeechTherapy #StrokeSurvivor #RecoveryJourney

Kent has attended the Michigan Intensive Aphasia Program 7 times and continues to improve. At first, he just wanted to say his kids’ names again. Now he’s relearning reading, writing, and math. Please check out Aphasia ReLearned to find resources on intensive, comprehensive aphasia programs. #Aphasia #StrokeRecovery #AphasiaRecovery #Neuroplasticity #SpeechTherapy #BrainInjuryRecovery #StrokeSurvi...

Meet Kent & Leah, founders of Aphasia Relearned. They created the program to help people with aphasia access intensive, specialized therapy that is often too expensive and rarely covered by insurance. Because everyone deserves a chance at recovery. #Aphasia #StrokeRecovery #AphasiaAwareness #BrainHealth #Neuroplasticity #SpeechTherapy #WhenWordsDontComeEasy

This week on When Words Don’t Come Easy, we’re honored to welcome — one of the world’s leading researchers in aphasia and stroke recovery. Professor Julius Fridriksson serves as Vice President for Research at the University Of South Carolina and is the founder of the Aphasia Lab and the Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery (C-STAR), one of the largest collaborative aphasia research initiatives...

Professor Julius Fridriksson explains aphasia recovery in a way that instantly makes sense. Sometimes the main highway is gone. Recovery means finding new roads. It may take longer. It may look different. But progress is still possible. One of our favorite moments from this conversation on “When Words Don’t Come Easy.” Episode Out Sunday 5.24.26 #Aphasia #StrokeRecovery #BrainHealth #Neuroplastici...