The Concussion Coach

Kelsey O'Connor is a motivational speaker, former D1 student-athlete, and social work graduate from North Carolina State University. Kelsey experienced multiple concussions during her softball playing days, with one that abruptly ended her athletic career. In this interview, Kelsey shares her experience of concussion, recovery, forgiveness, and faith. Kelsey graduated and delivered a commencem...

Grief is a topic that can be hard to discuss and hard to understand. It is so personal, and yet almost everyone will experience some degree of grief in their lifetime. Those suffering from concussions and post concussion symptoms are no exception. The loss they experience can be profound. This discussion addresses how grief can present itself, what strategies can be helpful in processing it, how l...

Puja Suri is a Canadian Certified Counselor and Mind Body Coach, with a Master's in Counseling Psychology. She experienced a concussion and persistent concussion symptoms, which impacted her significantly for years. In this interview she offers excellent insights and wisdom and shares some of the things that have helped her in her recovery journey, including many online resources that are list...

This episode is for anyone who may be curious as to who I am and what led me into doing concussion coaching. My friend Thea James (who shared her story on episode 52: https://youtu.be/If1EpvJpoE8) played the Uno Reverse card and took the role of interviewer while I was interviewee in this episode. I share what brought me into doing Occupational Therapy, how I was led into life coaching, and a bit...

As anyone suffering with post concussion symptoms knows, life can throw unexpected curveballs. My guest today has not experienced concussion specifically, but does have some very real experience with those curveballs of life. Holly Porter has been through her fair share of challenges which she shares with audiences around the world. She has encountered illnesses, severe injuries, losing her home t...

Concussions are confusing and challenging for the individuals experiencing them, as well as for their loved ones, and this can be especially true when it's a child that has suffered a concussion. In this interview, pediatric OT Emilie Klingman shares what things parents should look for to determine if their child has had a concussion, as well as many tips for helping children manage concussion...

Dealing with a concussion can be such a lonely and isolating experience. There are so many factors that play into that isolation -- fear of rejection, social anxiety, delayed processing speed, word-finding challenges, depression, overstimulation, etc. Eliana Bloomfield experienced a concussion and its associated isolation, and she decided to do something about it for others who may be experiencing...

Taryn Barlow is a speech-language pathologist with a passion for supporting people with brain injury. She has created cognitive health coaching to help people with brain injury to thrive. In this interview, she shares some of her favorite tools and strategies for helping clients, and some great insights for caregivers/support people as well. Her passion and enthusiasm for her work is contagious an...

In this interview, Occupational Therapist Nathan Pope shares his wisdom and years of experience working with children in the school system as well as with people suffering from concussion symptoms. He shares some strategies and accommodations that he has seen work for children needing extra support at school due to a brain injury, and gives details about the Occupational Therapy-based concussion t...

Kelly Tuttle is a neurology nurse practitioner who has experienced first-hand what many of her brain injury clients go through, and who has a passion for helping people with head injury find hope and help along their healing journey. Kelly wrote a book called "After the Crash: How to Keep Your Job, Stay in School, and Live Life After a Brain Injury" to help spread that awareness and hope...

Liz Rooney is a multiple traumatic brain injury survivor and chronic illness warrior who is determined to reach her full healing potential and has devoted her life to helping others do the same. Liz shares her faith-filled experience with healing from concussions/brain injuries in this episode. She shares how she dealt with setbacks along the way, concerns and considerations around having a baby a...

Dr. Molly Parker is a physical therapist and owner of Concussion Compass, an online community that supports people suffering from post concussion symptoms. Molly's own journey of concussion recovery has been long and intense, and in this episode, she shares the details of her story and some of her hard-earned wisdom. Through her Instagram page (@mollyparkerpt) and Concussion Compass organizati...

Most of what we discuss on this podcast is focused on mild traumatic brain injuries, or concussions. In this episode, we explore the experience of a young woman whose traumatic brain injury was on the severe end of the brain injury spectrum, and get to hear the perspective of her mother as well. Avery and Caysie share their real and raw experience of the injury and subsequent healing and recovery...

Chronic pain is a common concern for people who have suffered a head injury and are dealing with post concussion syndrome. This can come in the form of head or neck pain, facial nerve pain, etc. In today's episode, we discuss chronic pain, specifically neuroplastic pain and mind body syndrome. Leah Davidson is a speech-language pathologist and life coach with education and certifications in ma...

Dr. Diane Spangler is a Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of experience working in both clinical and academic settings. She earned her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Oregon followed by a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She has years of experience working with people suffering from P...

Melinda Davis is a stay-at-home mom, end-of-life doula, poet and photographer who experienced a stroke on the right side of her brain. While this podcast is generally focused on concussions specifically, I felt that Melinda's story and experience with brain injury was surprisingly similar in many ways to what people with concussions experience, and the success of her treatment at CognitiveFX i...

Have you ever wondered what occupational therapists do to help people managing post concussion symptoms? Katie Robertson, MOTR/L and I discuss some of the ways we get to assist people who come through CognitiveFX in our role as occupational therapists. We share some of our favorite therapeutic activities and why they are effective for our patients. Katie also shares an amazing tool that she has cr...

Thea James is an absolutely delightful human being whose experiences with multiple concussions have given her perspective, understanding, and wisdom beyond her years. After her 4th concussion as an adult, she left her career in agriculture to pursue a master’s in Speech Language Pathology. She also does content creation and brain injury advocacy, and is based in New Zealand. In this interview, she...

Have you ever debated whether you should stop and take a rest break, or push through symptoms and finish what you're doing? This is one of the most common concerns people who face post concussion syndrome (or any chronic illness or fatigue) deal with. And the results of your decision can definitely have an impact on how you feel going forward. While this can feel like such a daunting question,...

Aselin Maloney is an executive coach that specializes in the Clifton Strengths. The Clifton Strengths assessment is a powerful tool that helps people understand and utilize their talents and strengths to improve their relationships, their work endeavors and their overall life satisfaction. Understanding personality tendencies and peoples’ core way of approaching life can give great insights to the...

Today I get to share one of my absolute favorite strategies for helping people manage their minds and emotions and post concussion symptoms: mindfulness! Mindfulness is incredibly beneficial for all humans, but can be particularly helpful for those dealing with post concussion syndrome because it improves some of the symptoms that people with concussions often deal with, namely emotional regulatio...

Emily Peterson is a licensed speech-language pathologist who specializes in neurocognitive rehabilitation, and her professional career is focused on growing people through cognitive therapy and growing companies through strategic marketing consulting and entrepreneurship. In today's episode, Emily shares tips and strategies to help people suffering from post concussion symptoms to manage some...

Sharik Peck is a physical therapist and rehabilitation counselor who has spent over 28 years helping people eliminate pain from their lives. He has experienced several disabling accidents, including a broken neck and back, a stroke, a dislocated shoulder, and years of chronic pain. He has spent years researching resonance and its effect on the human nervous system, and has developed a device that...

Ali Rheaume is an award-winning artist, public speaker, disability advocate, and spokesperson who is passionate about people and bringing awareness to brain injury. She shares her personal experience with concussion and recovery, and lessons she's learned along the way. Ali has excellent advice for managing family relationships and support systems, discovering and loving yourself post injury,...

Brooke Eveleigh is a Registered Physiotherapist and Virtual Coach for concussion care in the heart of British Columbia, Canada. She and I share a passion for helping people understand concussions and that healing is possible after one occurs. Our conversation ranges from dispelling common myths about concussions to discussing what to do when someone has an acute concussion (hint: see a concussion...