A Recovery Now

Cynthia Lackner, MA is a psychotherapist in private practice who works one-on-one with people on the phone and on Skype. She specializes in Emotional Brain Training, an evidence based program that pairs neuroscience with skills and tools. EBT teaches a person to rewire the brain to diminish anger, sadness, fear in 3-6 sessions. 90% of all human suffering and disease is now caused by stress. 3 out...

HAPPY 250th Birthday America!! From 1776-2026, we’ve come a LONG way baby! Many aren’t satisfied with the current state of affairs. Many are filled with pride for being part of the greatest nation on earth, and so freedom goes. From our beginnings, dissent was present. Some wanted to maintain loyalty to the crown, others wanted to claim the Independence absent in their country of origin. Was it gr...

Born and raised in Kennewick, Washington, Jennifer’s life changed forever in 1983 when a drunk driving accident at Columbia Park drastically altered her path. At just 18 years old, driving in her MG, she sustained a severe traumatic brain injury to her left frontal lobe. In an era when public and medical understanding of brain damage was in its infancy, Jennifer famously remembers, "I came out of...

Marc McNeice is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist, brain injury survivor, neuroeducator, counselor, and advocate in long-term recovery. A survivor of more than 15 traumatic brain injuries that went undiagnosed for decades, Marc’s life has taken him through addiction, homelessness, psychiatric hospitalization, incarceration, and eventual recovery. Today, Marc works at Alternative Living Centers i...

John T. Krotec is an entrepreneur, speaker, writer, and Army veteran.  After college, he went to work in corporate America and realized that despite doing well in the job, he wanted something more. He joined the Army later in life with the purpose of serving his Country. The Army taught him discipline and how to value himself. After three years of Active Duty, he left the Army and returned to civi...

Over twenty years ago, while in the USAF, the doctor told Brady Johnson he didn’t have bad headaches. in fact, he had bleeding of the brain. He had brain surgery to correct an AVM; during which, he suffered a massive stroke. Brady was told he had Aphasia, and would never speak clearly again. In addition, he was told he wouldn't walk without aid, drive etc. Even now Brady cannot feel the right side...

Having a personal experience with Traumatic Brain Injury, Katerina Dejkoska was exploring the topic of Traumatic Brain Injury in her Master of Fine Arts project, a documentary about TBI “OVERCOMING”. Katerina Dejkoska documentary about Traumatic Brain Injury “OVERCOMING” is the topic of our show. "OVERCOMING" exposes how individuals cope with the consequences of TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY that are dif...

At age 40, life as Larry Freeborg knew it, ended in a single week. Just after Christmas in 1979, he lost his 39 year old wife to leukemia — and days later, his job of 18 years. Suddenly, he was a widowed father of four, with no income and no roadmap forward. What followed wasn’t a quick recovery, but a decades-long journey of learning how to grieve, how to lead with love, and how to rediscover hop...

Thirty years ago, a Traumatic Brain Injury left Janet (as most of us) feeling lost, frustrated, and unsure if she’d ever feel like 'me' again. Her struggles were many. Her TBI didn’t break Janet, it revealed her. Through faith, family, and relentless self-discovery, she uncovered tools to rebuild confidence, redefine purpose, and create a life filled with joy, peace, and unshakable strength: no ma...

Pamela Leigh Richards joins us tonight, not only to talk about the accident that involved her brain, but the totality (so far) of the trajectory her life has taken. Pamela is a published author, poet, filmmaker, world traveler, and so much more. Her experience has led her to multiple countries and magical experiences. Pamela swam with Wild Dolphins in the Red Sea, and an Oceanic White Tip shark fo...

Stacy Zablocki-Gash is an educator, researcher, entrepreneur, and community-builder dedicated to transforming lives through neuroscience, faith, and experiential learning. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Neuropsychology at Wichita State University, where her research focuses on brain integration, trauma recovery, and experiential therapies that strengthen executive function, emotional resilie...

Ritaann Schultz, a proud Pittsburgh, PA native, served our nation with distinction in the United States Navy from 1974 to 1978 as an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Second Class (ABH2). After completing boot camp, she attended Aviation Boatswain’s Mate School and was stationed with Patrol Squadron 30 at NAS Pax River, Maryland, and NAS Jacksonville, Florida, where she worked with the P-3 aircraft, a cri...

Simon Lewis lives in Los Angeles. Simon wrote Rise and Shine, an inspirational book [and audiobook] about his 16-year recovery from the seventy-five mile an hour hit and run car crash in which his wife died, and which left Simon in intensive care, at the lowest level of coma, fighting for his life. Simon has given a TED talk and national interviews to share his miraculous recovery and has been a c...

John Byler hails from the great state of Kansas. He is founder and Executive Director of a nonprofit called The BISON Foundation, which is dedicated to Brain Injury Support both operational and neurological. Their mission is to enrich the lives of the brain-injury community with strategies, improving the possibilities of their recovery. After suffering a terrible car crash in 2005, John's life bec...

LesPaul Morgan was one of our original Brain Injury Radio Hosts, and on the team weekly for 12yrs. He is a two time Ruptured Brain Aneurysm Survivor, and long time Independent Living Advocate.  He loves dogs, is a wonderful musician, and adores his Megan. Les has many of his old "Dream Catchers" and "Empowerment Zone" shows on Spreaker at: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dream-catcher--6469445 Re...

Rico Petrini is a former 4 year starter at Linebacker with Oregon State University and Hall of Fame 4-sport athlete at Serra High School in San Mateo, CA. During his time playing football, Rico sustained over 15k subconcussive hits and 25+ concussions. Rico felt that he had survived his time playing with no major lasting impact to himself, until March of 2021 when he experienced 'systemic' failure...

Tonight we'll be discussing Shifting Gears Gracefully: New Rules of Safe Independence Recovery Now is a gathering place for anyone seeking recovery from the challenges of life on life's terms. Guests share their experience, strength, and hope. We discuss useful tools that have helped us lighten the load, of our journey through recovery. More will be revealed. This is a "we" recovery program, becau...

Tonight we'll be discussing Mindset Makeover: From Self-Sabotage to Self-Leadership. New year, new wiring - grow forward on purpose. Recovery Now is a gathering place for anyone seeking recovery from the challenges of life on life's terms. Guests share their experience, strength, and hope. We discuss useful tools that have helped us lighten the load, of our journey through recovery. More will be r...

Michael Wyand, DVM, PhD is a biopharmaceutical executive with over twenty-five years experience in managing and building successful product and service oriented life science companies. He is the CEO and Director of Oxeia Biopharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotech company developing new, innovative therapeutics for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), known as concussion, and related neuro-metabol...

The Companions Who Heal: Emotional Support Animals There are so many benefits to having a pet. Nothing compares to the joy of coming home to a loyal companion. The unconditional love of a pet can do more than keep you company. Pets may also decrease stress, improve heart health, and even help children with their emotional and social skills. An estimated 68% of U.S. households have a pet. Tonight,...

Bladder Chatter: Got Leaks? Plugging the Truth About Pelvic Floor Health Find your foundation. Reclaim your flow. Restore your power. Understand the importance of maintaining core strength. Whether it is from surgical recovery with more time in bed and less movement, or it may be from simply aging. Foundational strength in legs and core comes quickly. The core is an interconnected group of back, h...

After losing her late love almost twenty years, Susan Toms found herself face to face with the same rare disease, but doctors across the country turned her away. The typical pituitary tumor signaling this disease was nowhere to be found. Most people have never heard of “acromegaly” but are all too familiar with the beloved animated film, Shrek. Interestingly, Shrek himself is thought to be modeled...

Grace Over Glitter: Real Joy in an Unreal Season Thanksgiving is right around the corner and “You don’t have to feel thankful to be grateful.” Then we begin the march to the December Holidays. MORE. More people, more planning, more noise, more food, more memories, more fatigue, more feelings, more decorating, more shopping or crafting - You get the idea. The holidays can be a challenging time for...

Tonight We’ll be discussing “The Scoop on Poop: What Your Gut’s Been Trying to Tell You!” You’ve probably heard that your gut is your “second brain” — but what does that mystery really mean? We’ll explore the gut‑brain connection, how your digestive system and microbiome influence mood, immunity, and health, and what to do about it. Some may have heard these resulting issues referred to as “Leaky...

Tonight's show is focused on specific tools to aid in recovery. Practices found in DBT, CBT, and other skills training. After major trauma we often find we are ill equipped to cope in the most productive ways, both physically and mentally. We may get discharge orders, but no clue how to adjust to our "differently-abled" lives moving forward. We focus on adding tools to our box, broadening our abil...