Life After Impact: The Concussion Recovery Podcast

What if an EEG could show you what your concussion symptoms have been trying to tell you all along? In this episode of Life After Impact , Dr. Ayla Wolf sits down with acupuncturist and concussion specialist Jack Fonderwhite, founder of Peak Mind in Waipahu, Hawaii, to discuss how he's integrating electroacupuncture, EEG technology, eye tracking, balance testing, and functional neurological a...

What if one of the missing pieces in concussion recovery isn't in the brain—but in the neck? In this episode of Life After Impact , Dr. Ayla Wolf welcomes back functional neurologist Dr. John McClaren for a fascinating conversation about the hidden relationship between dysautonomia, neck dysfunction, and persistent post-concussion symptoms. Together, they explore why so many people experience...

Waking up exhausted after a concussion can feel like betrayal: you “slept,” but the brain fog, head pressure, and headaches show up anyway. I sit down with physical therapist and nasal release technique instructor Cynthia Stein to explore a different lens on post-concussion syndrome, one that connects airway restriction, cranial sutures, and eye movement limitations to the symptoms that refuse to...

In Part 2 of my conversation with Jordan J. Adams, founder of the United Fight Alliance and longtime combat sports commentator, we move beyond the problem of concussion and into the search for solutions. After experiencing multiple concussions, a family history of Alzheimer's disease, and growing concerns about his own cognitive health, Jordan began what he describes as a mission to "sav...

Combat sports make brain injury impossible to ignore, but the most dangerous part might be what happens after everyone goes home. We’re joined by Jordan J. Adams, founder and CEO of United Fight Alliance and an Emmy Award-winning combat sports commentator, to talk about concussions, post-concussion syndrome and the real gaps he still sees in concussion protocols across athletics.  We dig into the...

For decades, patients with persistent post-concussion symptoms have been told that their imaging is normal, their brain has healed, and there is nothing more that can be done. But what if we've been asking the wrong questions? In this episode of Life After Impact , Dr. Ayla Wolf sits down with functional neurologist Dr. Matt Antonucci to discuss his groundbreaking new paper published in Front...

What if healing isn’t just physical? In this deeply thought-provoking episode, Dr. Ayla Wolf sits down with somatic practitioner and Inner Space Technique regression therapist Bre Hibbs to explore the fascinating relationship between trauma, the nervous system, body memory, and healing beyond the physical body. Together, they discuss the idea that our bodies may store not only physical trauma, but...

Brain fog, mood swings, dizziness, sleep problems, carb cravings, that awful midday crash. If you’ve lived through concussion recovery or post-concussion syndrome, you know how quickly symptoms can become a full-time job. We sit down with Dr. Ashkan Jalili to make a different kind of case: many stubborn concussion symptoms track back to a metabolic dysfunction, especially dysregulated glucose deli...

Your autonomic nervous system isn’t “just stressed,” and dysautonomia isn’t a single, one-size-fits-all box. We zoom out from symptom labels and zoom in on mechanisms: how the brain senses the body, builds an internal map, and then uses that map to regulate heart rate, blood flow, digestion, sweating, temperature, and even hormone feedback loops. We talk neurocardiology in plain language, includin...

What if the missing piece in concussion recovery isn’t just the brain—but blood flow to the brain? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Nate Keiser to explore how real-time measurement of brain blood flow is changing the way we understand persistent post-concussion symptoms, dysautonomia, and neurological recovery. Using advanced tools like transcranial Doppler ultrasound and CO₂ monitoring, we br...

In this episode of Life After Impact: The Concussion Recovery Podcast , I sit down with trauma surgeon and researcher Dr. Vishal Bansal to explore what may become the first-ever FDA-approved pharmaceutical treatment for concussion . Despite how common concussions are, there is currently no approved medical treatment —leaving patients with rest, symptom management, and uncertainty. But what if that...

A “mild” hearing loss sounds harmless until you hear the data: it can raise the risk of cognitive decline and dementia by 200%. I sit down with Dr. Keith Darrow PhD, CCC-A, neuroscientist and clinical audiologist, to connect the dots between hearing loss and brain health and to explain why treating hearing loss shows up again and again as a top modifiable dementia risk factor in major research rev...

Pain isn’t a simple “damage equals symptoms” equation. Sometimes your nervous system turns the volume down so far you barely notice serious wear and tear, and other times it turns the volume up until every small sensation feels like an alarm. That difference matters if you’re living with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, or persistent symptoms after a concussion, because the right treatment depends on h...

A concussion can change your life in a second, but what happens when the people around you treat it like an excuse? Sarah Wuebbolt joins us to share what it’s really like navigating multiple concussions as a teenager while trying to keep up with school, sports, friendships, and the pressure to “be fine” on a timeline that doesn’t match reality. We talk about the first concussion that came with old...

A childhood head-on collision. A life shaped by traumatic brain injury. A moment of waking up after a suicide attempt and deciding, with total clarity, to choose life. Cameron Scott joins me for a raw, grounded conversation about what concussion recovery can really look like when the symptoms are not just physical, but emotional, relational, and spiritual too. (This conversation includes reference...

Your brain doesn’t heal on your appointment schedule. It heals in the messy middle of real life, the mornings where you can’t think straight, the afternoons where your energy falls off a cliff, and the nights when you wonder if you’ll ever feel like yourself again. I sit down with Alex Lombardi, founder of The Brain Edit, to talk about lifestyle-based concussion recovery and post-concussion syndro...

We talk with registered dietitian Natalie Gavi about how to use simple, evidence-led nutrition to support concussion recovery and long-term brain health. We trade myths for practical steps, from Mediterranean staples to smart supplements and steady meal timing. • the acute energy mismatch after concussion and what to eat first • practical meals when appetite is low • mediterranean and MIND diet fo...

I sit down with Navy veteran and transformational trauma coach Lorna Sturchio to unpack how medically supervised ibogaine can catalyze rapid change for PTSD, addiction, and traumatic brain injury. Lorna’s story moves from combat trauma and MST to overprescription and crisis, then into carefully prepared plant medicine work that helped her taper off meds, restore sleep, and rebuild a future. Togeth...

What if five minutes of the right breathing could calm a racing heart, clear morning fog, and steady your balance after a concussion? Dr. Ayla Wolf sits down with chiropractic neurologist Dr. Jonathan Chung to unpack the science and the how-to of using breath as a lever for healing. We dig into why the brainstem’s respiratory centers are vulnerable in acceleration-deceleration injuries like concus...

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Nate Pope from NCX Brain Recovery. Recovery stalls when life gets smaller. We’ve all seen it: light hurts, noise overwhelms, screens drain, so routines narrow and the brain doubles down on workarounds. We open up a different route—structured, supportive challenges that reengage vision, balance, attention, and memory together. Instead of chasing one symptom at...

Your brain isn’t broken; it’s rerouting. We sit down with neuro‑occupational therapist Nate Pope to unpack why so many people with post‑concussion syndrome get stuck despite doing “all the right therapies.” Nate explains how functional MRI reveals a network problem—under-fueled pathways and overworked compensations—and why isolated sessions can accidentally train the detours instead of restoring e...

What if the most powerful medicine after a brain injury is feeling truly seen? We sit down with Kyla Pearce, Senior Director of Programs and Research at the Love Your Brain foundation, to explore how connection, mind‑body practices, and practical education can restore confidence, calm, and everyday momentum for people with TBI and their caregivers. Kyla shares the story behind the foundation, laun...

We share practical ways to enjoy the holidays while protecting a healing brain, focusing on blood sugar, hydration, sleep, and realistic boundaries. We reframe FOMO, practice gentle resets, and stack small wins so recovery feels doable and meaningful. • stabilizing blood sugar with planned meals and snacks • hydration strategies with minerals and travel tips • pre-event resets, breathing, and tran...

Holidays can feel like a sensory obstacle course when you’re healing from a concussion or navigating post-concussion syndrome. We unpack a clear, compassionate plan to trade overwhelm for ease—without opting out of the moments that matter. With returning guest Chaandani Khan, we explore how to choose fewer, more meaningful events, set time limits that prevent crashes, and skip the infamous "M...

A faster return isn’t always a safer one. We sit down with physiotherapist Kosta Ikonomou to unpack why musculoskeletal injuries spike two to three times after a concussion and how to build a recovery plan that restores performance, not just symptom reduction. From elite level athletes to everyday patients navigating concussion rehab, Kosta shares hard-earned lessons on testing, training, and the...