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PODCAST

Brain Friends

Brain Friends: The Podcast is a survivor-led show about stroke, brain health, aphasia, recovery, and health equity.Hosted by Angie Cauthorn, a two-time stroke survivor and aphasia advocate, Brain Friends takes complicated medical and research topics and turns them into everyday clarity. The show is for survivors, care partners, families, clinicians, researchers, and anyone trying to understand what life after stroke can really look like.Brain Friends began with me and my friend and co-host, Dr. D

science life sciences

All Episodes

36:39

2026 Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery Guideline...

Brain Friends ·

2026/10/02

Send us Fan Mail The 2026 Guideline for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association is a major update to how we understand stroke rehabilitation, recovery, and long term care. This is a conversation about the evidence, the gaps, and what happens when stroke rehabilitation recommendations meet the people actually living them. In this episode of Brain Friends, Angie sits down with Dr. Lorie G. Richards, PhD, OTR/L, FAHA, occupatio...

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40:33

BE FAST Stroke Signs And The Seconds That Matter with...

Brain Friends ·

2026/08/28

Send us Fan Mail A stroke doesn’t always arrive like a movie scene. Sometimes it shows up as a dragging leg, blurry vision, a face that won’t smile straight, or speech or language that suddenly changes. And the scariest part is that you may still feel “fine.” That’s why Angie sits down with Nurse Karrima Owens, clinical nurse specialist and stroke program coordinator at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, known around West Philly as the Stroke Lady. Her message is simple and urgent: you d...

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41:15

More than words, Why Storytelling Breaks Down In...

Brain Friends ·

2026/07/16

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually mean to recover language after a stroke? Not just pass a test, but tell a story, hold a conversation, explain what happened to you at the airport. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Brielle Stark, a neuroscientist and aphasia researcher at Indiana University Bloomington, to talk about discourse: the kind of language we use every day to describe our lives, our memories, and what matters to us. We dig into why standard aphasia tests miss so much of the r...

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51:26

Blood Pressure Basics For Stroke Prevention And...

Brain Friends ·

2026/05/13

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Rachel Forman is a stroke neurologist at Yale School of Medicine. She treats stroke, researches it, and takes that knowledge into communities through Stamp Out Stroke -- sixty-plus events and counting. She recommends this podcast to her patients. In this conversation: blood pressure and why most people do not know they have a problem until something goes wrong. Why only one in five stroke survivors check their blood pressure correctly. The discharge cliff. Secondary strok...

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47:23

The Blueprint: Dr. Davetrina Seles Gadson on Black...

Brain Friends ·

2026/03/31

Send us Fan Mail Two world-class researchers walked into this conversation because of one woman. They did not have to. They chose to. Dr. Peter Turkeltaub is a neurologist at Georgetown University Medical Center. MD. PhD. He directs the Cognitive Recovery Lab, where his research focuses on the neural mechanisms of language recovery after stroke. He is Dr. Seles friend and co-author Dr. Charles Ellis Jr. holds a PhD and CCC-SLP certification and is a professor at the University of Florid...

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43:16

New 2026 Stroke Ischemic Guidelines with Chair Dr....

Brain Friends ·

2026/02/02

Send us a text A stroke can feel like a lightning strike on the brain’s power grid—which is why the new 2026 AHA/ASA acute ischemic stroke guidelines focus on speed, clarity, and better systems at every step. We sit down with the chair of the writing group, Dr. Sean Pabakaron, to translate cutting-edge research into actions families, clinicians, and first responders can take right now. No jargon, no fluff—just the signals to watch, the questions to ask, and the processes that save brain. We ...

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26:47

Memories of Seles 5/24/82 - 1/11/25 raise a glass.

Brain Friends ·

2026/01/11

Send us a text A friendship became a movement when a survivor searching for culturally competent therapy met a clinician who refused to treat equity like an optional add-on. What started as a phone call turned into Brain Friends—a space where lived experience and rigorous science work side by side to make aphasia, stroke recovery, and neuroplasticity feel human, practical, and possible. We walk through the real story: how instant respect turned into a partnership, how roles formed—one voice ...

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35:27

Understanding Aphasia: Tools, Consent, And Real-World...

Brain Friends ·

2026/01/09

Send us a text Words don’t just disappear; sometimes the path to them does. We explore what aphasia really is—evidence of brain injury—and why that framing changes everything for survivors, caregivers, and clinicians. Instead of waiting at a broken bridge, we focus on building new routes: consent-based support, yes/no prompts, two-choice options, functional descriptions, and shared signals that turn help into partnership. The result is less pressure, more access, and conversations that actual...

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44:58

Aphasia, Dementia, and Stroke with Dr Roy Hamilton

Brain Friends ·

2025/10/06

Send us a text A face that slips, a word that won’t come, an arm that won’t lift—tiny moments that point to massive truths about how the brain works, heals, and sometimes declines. I invited Dr. Roy Hamilton, neurologist, neuroplasticity researcher, and one of the clearest teachers in our field, to help us untangle aphasia, dementia, and stroke with practical language and unforgettable analogies. We start by separating terms people often blend. Dementia isn’t just memory loss; it’s a progres...

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33:34

From Jordan River Baptism to Emergency Evacuation: Dr...

Brain Friends ·

2025/05/27

Send us a text Dr. Seles shares her harrowing experience of being in Israel when war broke out in October, capturing both the fear of the situation and the remarkable perspective it gave her on American privilege. • Dr. Seles traveled to Israel with a church group of 60 people including her mother • She was baptized in the Jordan River by her childhood pastor who had originally baptized her 20+ years ago • Plans changed suddenly when they were redirected to Jerusalem due to a "developing sit...

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45:43

Welcome to Season 3

Brain Friends ·

2025/03/06

Send us a text Hey Brain Friends, Celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Seles is at the heart of today's episode. I'm sharing the original recording of our neuroplasticity episode from 2022 that didn't make the cut. We had so much fun recording this but when we went to edit, the levels were not good. updates to the platform, there is a fix now. LOL We explore the concept of neuroplasticity and its role in recovery and personal growth, infused with laughter and ice breakers! We had such a goo...

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10:35

Heartbreaking news about Dr Seles...

Brain Friends ·

2025/01/13

Send us a textIn this brief episode of Brain Friends, Angie shares the devastating news of the passing of her beloved friend and co-host, Dr. Davetrina Seles Gadson, after a courageous battle with cancer.Dr. Seles, a brilliant and compassionate neuro nerd and speech-language pathologist, brought a unique blend of expertise and warmth to Brain Friends. Her insights and genuine concern for the aphasia community deeply resonated with listeners.Angie pays tribute to Dr. Seles's unwavering s...

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31:32

Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Brain Friends ·

2024/12/17

Send us a textIn this episode of Brain Friends, we delve into the complexities of cognitive function and its disorders. Angie shares her personal journey with cognitive impairment following a stroke, highlighting the challenges of aphasia and adapting to a "new normal." Dr. Seles provides insights into the differences of cognitive testing, explaining why certain tests are designed for specific populations and the importance of normalized testing.What you'll learn:How strokes, TBIs, ...

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33:04

Language Assessments

Brain Friends ·

2024/10/15

In this episode of Brain Friends, we discuss language assessments used in individuals with aphasia and acquired communication disorders. Angie shares the benefits and challenges in completing language assessments and which type of assessment is beneficial to recovery. Dr. Seles discusses the difference between impairment-based tests like the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) and participation-based tests like the Communication Activities of Daily Living (CADL). To...

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15:06

What is Anomic Aphasia?

Brain Friends ·

2024/08/31

In this episode of Brain Friends, we share a behind-the-scenes conversation between Angie and Dr. Seles on Anomia. Together we weigh the benefits of recognizing the different types of Anomia and the challenges with diagnosis. Anomia is a fluent aphasia characterized by word-finding difficulty or the inability to name objects. Should we classify Anomia differently? What can Speech-Language Pathologists and researchers do to better help survivors with Anomia?

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34:57

5 Ways to Contribute to Health Equity

Brain Friends ·

2024/07/28

In this episode of Brain Friends, we discuss 5 ways everyone can contribute to health equity for Black people with aphasia. We give resources for caregivers to get compensated and encourage speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to support health literacy in clients. 1. Implicit Bias Training- to help practitioners recognize stereotypical beliefs that contribute to health inequities. 2. Workforce Diversity- may help clients with communication and participation in research by having practitioners...

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30:15

Aphasia Awareness Month

Brain Friends ·

2024/06/11

In this episode of Brain Friends, we invite two stakeholders to celebrate Aphasia Awareness Month, Maura Silverman, the executive director of the National Aphasia Association (NAA), and Gee Jackson, a lawyer and stroke survivor with aphasia. Together we answer two important questions: 1. What do you know about aphasia now that you wish you would have known on day 1? 2. How can we bring awareness to aphasia? Listen, laugh, and learn how you can spread awareness about aphasia. Links:National Ap...

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31:52

Aphasia Care Partners

Brain Friends ·

2024/05/06

Does it take a village to recover from a stroke? In this episode of Brain Friends, we talk about aphasia support with Angie's care partner Kiehl Cauthorn. We discuss the difference between caregivers and care partners, the stages of care in post-stroke aphasia, and advocacy with insurance companies. We give tips to speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and other practitioners on how to include the caregiver/care partner in therapy. Finally, we remind aphasia survivors that "you are be...

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27:48

Primary Progressive Aphasia

Brain Friends ·

2024/02/29

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31:44

Reading Aphasia

Brain Friends ·

2024/02/01

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