Explore every episode of the podcast Blink of an Eye

Revisiting The Frontier of Healing: Macrophages and the Battle for SCI Repair with Dr. John Gensel

While we gear up for what's next on Blink of an Eye, we are spent looking back at the groundbreaking conversations that took us deepest into this frontier. In this special recap series, Louise revisits the scientists, engineers, and physicians who are rebuilding what a spinal cord injury damages, one breakthrough at a time.

Looking ahead, Blink of an Eye is preparing to go even further. When a brand-new season returns, the podcast will venture directly into the labs, clinical trials, and discoveries pushing this science forward faster than it has ever moved. Stay tuned...

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Revisiting The Frontier of Healing: Brad Lang’s Vision for Spinal Cord Injury - NervGen and Beyond

While we gear up for what's next on Blink of an Eye, we are spent looking back at the groundbreaking conversations that took us deepest into this frontier. In this special recap series, Louise revisits the scientists, engineers, and physicians who are rebuilding what a spinal cord injury damages, one breakthrough at a time.

Looking ahead, Blink of an Eye is preparing to go even further. When a brand-new season returns, the podcast will venture directly into the labs, clinical trials, and discoveries pushing this science forward faster than it has ever moved. Stay tuned...

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Revisiting The Frontier of Healing: Inside the NerveGen Trials: Part II

While we gear up for what's next on Blink of an Eye, we are spent looking back at the groundbreaking conversations that took us deepest into this frontier. In this special recap series, Louise revisits the scientists, engineers, and physicians who are rebuilding what a spinal cord injury damages, one breakthrough at a time.

Looking ahead, Blink of an Eye is preparing to go even further. When a brand-new season returns, the podcast will venture directly into the labs, clinical trials, and discoveries pushing this science forward faster than it has ever moved. Stay tuned...

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Revisiting The Frontier of Healing: Inside the NerveGen Trials: Part I

While we gear up for what's next on Blink of an Eye, we are spent looking back at the groundbreaking conversations that took us deepest into this frontier. In this special recap series, Louise revisits the scientists, engineers, and physicians who are rebuilding what a spinal cord injury damages, one breakthrough at a time.

Looking ahead, Blink of an Eye is preparing to go even further. When a brand-new season returns, the podcast will venture directly into the labs, clinical trials, and discoveries pushing this science forward faster than it has ever moved. Stay tuned...

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Revisiting The Frontier of Healing: NerveGen with Meghan Morrow

While we gear up for what's next on Blink of an Eye, we are spent looking back at the groundbreaking conversations that took us deepest into this frontier. In this special recap series, Louise revisits the scientists, engineers, and physicians who are rebuilding what a spinal cord injury damages, one breakthrough at a time.

Looking ahead, Blink of an Eye is preparing to go even further. When a brand-new season returns, the podcast will venture directly into the labs, clinical trials, and discoveries pushing this science forward faster than it has ever moved. Stay tuned...

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Fast, Silent, and Life-Changing: What You Need to Know This Summer

As summer gets into full swing, Louise shares an urgent, direct reminder about water safety. A single moment at the beach or pool can change everything. In this special PSA, she breaks down the critical realities of how these injuries happen—including the fast, silent nature of drowning, the importance of a designated "Water Watcher" every 15 minutes, and the fact that nearly 90% of diving-related spinal cord injuries occur in water less than six feet deep. This isn't just about statistics; it's the reality her family has lived every day since Archer’s C2-C5 burst fracture on an ocean sandbar.

Looking ahead, the podcast will be going deeper than ever into the science of spinal cord injury—uncovering the new and novel breakthroughs happening right now in labs, clinics, and operating rooms around the world.

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Dissolving the Glial Scar Wall: Dr. Molly Shoichet on Rewiring the Injured Spinal Cord

Louise sits down with Dr. Molly Shoichet, a University Professor at the University of Toronto and one of the world's leading polymer scientists and bioengineers. Shoichet arrived at spinal cord injury in 1995, convinced that if academics didn't tackle the hardest problems, nobody would. Thirty years later, her re-engineered chondroitinase ABC enzyme — stabilized, made more potent, and delivered directly to the injury site through a custom injectable hydrogel — is among the most promising tools in the field for promoting axonal regrowth after trauma. The conversation dismantles a long-held assumption: the glial scar is not simply the enemy of recovery. It's protective. Shoichet's work is built around that nuance — degrading just enough of it to open a path for rewiring, without stripping the injured cord of the protection it still needs.

She is candid about where the science actually stands — small animal models, with larger ones ahead — and about the real barriers between a promising enzyme and a patient in an ICU. She also speaks to the combinatorial future she sees for this work, pairing chondroitinase with rehabilitation and neuromodulation, and why she is building a fifth company around it.

https://shoichetlab.utoronto.ca

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Dr. Karim Fouad on Rebuilding the Nervous System, like Rebars in Concrete

Louise sits down with Dr. Karim Fouad, Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury and Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta, who has spent 35 years asking why the spinal cord refuses to heal. He traces that failure back to evolutionary logic — in the Stone Age, a broken spine meant death, and nature had no reason to build a repair mechanism. That ancient calculus, he argues, is still the inheritance the SCI community is fighting.

Dr. Fouad describes the nervous system's complexity using the image of rebars in concrete — connections so structurally critical that meddling with them carries real risk. He takes direct aim at a recent Lancet Neurology paper claiming intensive training for complete spinal cord injured folks offers no benefit beyond standard care, arguing the article dangerously miscites his own work and ignores the cascading benefits of exercise on blood pressure, bone density, autonomic function, and mental health. He's fighting back — for his science, for animal research, and for the SCI patients whose futures are potentially harmed by a bad headline.

Study: Fecal transplant prevents gut dysbiosis and anxiety-like behaviour after spinal cord injury in rats:

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0226128

Learn more about Dr. Fouad's work here: https://www.neuro-recovery-lab.com/karim-fouad

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

The Cellular Detective Who Rewrote Spinal Cord Injury Science

Louise sits down with Dr. Michael Sofroniew, professor of neurobiology at UCLA, who spent four decades overturning one of medicine's most stubborn assumptions about spinal cord injury. His lab proved that the glial scar — long blamed for blocking nerve regeneration — is actually the body's own protective border, separating living neural tissue from the inflammatory wreckage of the wound. He describes the transgenic experiments that revealed this, the fierce resistance from colleagues whose careers depended on the old theory, and the moment in his microscope room when nerve fibers crossed a complete injury site for the first time — loud enough that a researcher from across the hall came to see what the commotion was about. The conversation covers his two current moonshots: accelerating wound healing in the acute hours after injury, and rebuilding the chronic scar through cell grafting. A remarkable portrait of a scientist who knew he was right before anyone else was ready to hear it.

Learn more about Dr. Sofroniew’s lab:https://bri.ucla.edu/people/michael-sofroniew/

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

The Hidden Intelligence of the Human Spine with Dr. Susan Harkema

Louise sits down with Dr. Susan Harkema, a world-renowned neuroscientist and the director of Consortium Growth for Spinal Stimulation at the Kessler Foundation's Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation. Dr. Harkema's path into spinal cord research was entirely serendipitous — trained in cellular muscle energetics, she stumbled into a human research project at UCLA almost by accident. A single lunch with her first research participant, a Paralympic athlete named Gerard Marino, sealed it. He told her the work wouldn't help him, but it gave him hope. She never looked back.

Over three decades, Dr. Harkema dismantled the medical dogma that a complete spinal cord injury meant permanent, irreversible paralysis — person by person, experiment by experiment. She walks Louise through watching Rob Summers stand independently at zero percent body weight support, then move voluntarily, which her own science said was impossible. She also unpacks why the label "complete" is both inaccurate and harmful, how the spinal cord processes sensory information independent of the brain, and why stabilizing blood pressure can be just as life-changing as taking a step.

Learn more about Dr. Harkema's work at the Kessler Foundation here: https://kesslerfoundation.org/about-us/foundation-staff/susan-harkema-phd

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

The First Electronic Bridge Between Brain, Body and Spinal Cord with Dr. Chad Bouton

Louise sits down with Dr. Chad Bouton, VP of Advanced Engineering at Northwell Health and director of the Neural Bypass and Brain-Computer Interface Laboratory at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in New York. A science-fair kid from Texas who survived his own traumatic brain injury in graduate school, Dr. Bouton has spent two decades chasing a single insight: a spinal cord injury doesn't silence the brain. It just cuts the road. His lab builds the detour.

He walks Louise through the science of neural decoding and the world's first double neural bypass trial, in which five microchips implanted across the motor and sensory regions of Keith Thomas's brain allowed Keith to open his hand and — for the first time in years — feel his sister's touch. Dr. Bouton also describes the cooperative rehabilitation study pairing Keith with fellow participant Kathy, where Keith's thoughts wirelessly directed stimulation to her muscles while sensation signals routed back to his own fingertips. Within six weeks, she tripled her hand strength. He doubled his bicep strength and started petting his dog again. They now email each other from home.

Dr. Bouton speaks openly about his company Neuvotion, the push toward a minimally invasive wireless brain interface, and his message to insurance companies, students, and anyone navigating life after paralysis.

You can learn more about Dr. Bouton's lab and research at www.boutonlab.com

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

The Neurons That Never Died: Dr. Parag Gad on Rewiring the Injured Spine

Louise is joined by Dr. Parag Gad, a neuroscientist, biomedical engineer, and co-founder of Spinex, whose work is quietly dismantling one of medicine's most stubborn assumptions — that what spinal cord injury takes, stays taken. Trained under the late Dr. Reggie Edgerton at UCLA, Dr. Gad shares the accidental lab observation that launched an entirely new line of inquiry into bladder function and ultimately produced the SCONE, Spinex's FDA breakthrough-designated spinal cord neuromodulator. He walks through a finding that stops Louise cold: 97 percent of individuals classified as motor complete still have spared fibers crossing the lesion site. Those neurons are not dead — they are dormant, waiting for a signal loud enough to reach them. Dr. Gad explains why restoring sensation always precedes movement, what a 50 to 70 percent reduction in leakage means for someone's actual life, and why he is borrowing one final line from Edgerton to close: this is no longer a question of if. The when, he says, is very soon.

You can learn more about Dr. Gad and the SCONE device by visiting: https://spinex.co/

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

The Mind-Bending Future of Neural Stem Cells with Dr. Michael Fehlings

Louise is joined by Dr. Michael Fehlings, a world-renowned neurosurgeon in Toronto, spinal cord injury researcher, and the head of neurosurgery at University Health Network. Dr. Fehlings reflects on his early years, sharing how his grandfather's struggle with strokes inspired his path into neuroscience. He recounts the immense pushback he faced early in his medical career when he and his mentor first introduced the concept of the secondary injury hypothesis and advocated for early surgical decompression. Despite the medical establishment's initial skepticism, his relentless pursuit ultimately transformed the global standard of care for acute spinal cord injuries. The conversation dives deep into the future of regenerative medicine, exploring the astonishing potential of induced pluripotent stem cells and his lab's groundbreaking discovery of endogenous neural stem cells residing naturally within the spinal cord. Dr. Fehlings also shares poignant stories of the patients who taught him that even small functional improvements can profoundly alter a person's quality of life. Through it all, he highlights the irreplaceable role of families and faith in navigating SCI trauma, leaving listeners with a resounding message of hope and a reason why with his lab’s unwavering commitment to finding a cure for SCI.

You can learn more about Dr. Fehlings and his ongoing clinical research by visiting https://www.uhnresearch.ca/researcher/michael-fehlings

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

The Cross-Syndrome Medical Quest to Cure Nerve Damage with Dr. Jarod Carter

Louise sits down with Dr. Jarod Carter, a doctor of physical therapy and the founder of the Neuron Regeneration Community. Jarod bravely traces his journey back to the devastating moment he received a phone call in the middle of treating a patient, learning that his infant twins, Adelaide and Gray, had Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 1. He shares the heartbreak of early missed signs, the agonizing process of navigating the healthcare system, and the incredible lengths his family went to secure life-saving treatments. Refusing to accept the traditional medical indoctrination that damaged neurons cannot heal, Jarod pivoted his entire career to seek out regenerative breakthroughs. The conversation explores his visionary approach to breaking down the rigid silos of medical research, advocating that true healing will require cross-syndrome collaboration and combinatorial therapies—blending cell reprogramming, bioelectrics, and advanced rehabilitation like transcutaneous electrical stimulation—to treat everything from SMA to acute spinal cord injuries. Drawing inspiration from global competition models, he discusses the urgent need to incentivize out-of-the-box thinking to solve humanity's greatest medical challenges. You can learn more about the incentive competition model Jarod envisions as a blueprint for medical innovation by visiting xprize.org.

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

You can learn more about the incentive competition model Jarod envisions as a blueprint for medical innovation by visiting xprize.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#312 Revisiting Blink: I Didn't See This One Coming

Before launching into a new season focused on cutting-edge medical science and breakthroughs in spinal cord injury research, Louise takes a moment to look back at where it all began. In these special revisiting episodes, listeners are invited to return to the origin story of the podcast and the deeply personal realities of spinal cord trauma with the intention to raise the awareness for researchers, funders and medical personnel of the reality of Spinal Cord Injury trauma on a family system . The episodes explore the profound healing learnings and the true experience of navigating life after a catastrophic injury from the perspective of both the patient and the family. By revisiting this raw human journey of devastation and resilience, we are reminded of exactly why this research matters so deeply and how these personal stories continue to inform, guide, and inspire the brilliant medical teams and scientists working tirelessly to change the future.

Sending love

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#311 Revisiting Blink: I Didn't See This One Coming Trauma Healing Learnings

Before launching into a new season focused on cutting-edge medical science and breakthroughs in spinal cord injury research, Louise takes a moment to look back at where it all began. In these special revisiting episodes, listeners are invited to return to the origin story of the podcast and the deeply personal realities of spinal cord trauma with the intention to raise the awareness for researchers, funders and medical personnel of the reality of Spinal Cord Injury trauma on a family system . The episodes explore the profound healing learnings and the true experience of navigating life after a catastrophic injury from the perspective of both the patient and the family. By revisiting this raw human journey of devastation and resilience, we are reminded of exactly why this research matters so deeply and how these personal stories continue to inform, guide, and inspire the brilliant medical teams and scientists working tirelessly to change the future.

Sending love

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#310 Revisiting Blink: The ABC Board

Before launching into a new season focused on cutting-edge medical science and breakthroughs in spinal cord injury research, Louise takes a moment to look back at where it all began. In these special revisiting episodes, listeners are invited to return to the origin story of the podcast and the deeply personal realities of spinal cord trauma with the intention to raise the awareness for researchers, funders and medical personnel of the reality of Spinal Cord Injury trauma on a family system . The episodes explore the profound healing learnings and the true experience of navigating life after a catastrophic injury from the perspective of both the patient and the family. By revisiting this raw human journey of devastation and resilience, we are reminded of exactly why this research matters so deeply and how these personal stories continue to inform, guide, and inspire the brilliant medical teams and scientists working tirelessly to change the future.

Sending love

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#309 Revisiting Blink: Tunnel Vision

Before launching into a new season focused on cutting-edge medical science and breakthroughs in spinal cord injury research, Louise takes a moment to look back at where it all began. In these special revisiting episodes, listeners are invited to return to the origin story of the podcast and the deeply personal realities of spinal cord trauma with the intention to raise the awareness for researchers, funders and medical personnel of the reality of Spinal Cord Injury trauma on a family system . The episodes explore the profound healing learnings and the true experience of navigating life after a catastrophic injury from the perspective of both the patient and the family. By revisiting this raw human journey of devastation and resilience, we are reminded of exactly why this research matters so deeply and how these personal stories continue to inform, guide, and inspire the brilliant medical teams and scientists working tirelessly to change the future.

Sending love

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#308 Revisiting Blink: He Talked with God

Before launching into a new season focused on cutting-edge medical science and breakthroughs in spinal cord injury research, Louise takes a moment to look back at where it all began. In these special revisiting episodes, listeners are invited to return to the origin story of the podcast and the deeply personal realities of spinal cord trauma with the intention to raise the awareness for researchers, funders and medical personnel of the reality of Spinal Cord Injury trauma on a family system . The episodes explore the profound healing learnings and the true experience of navigating life after a catastrophic injury from the perspective of both the patient and the family. By revisiting this raw human journey of devastation and resilience, we are reminded of exactly why this research matters so deeply and how these personal stories continue to inform, guide, and inspire the brilliant medical teams and scientists working tirelessly to change the future.

Sending love

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#307 Revisiting Blink: The Call

Before launching into a new season focused on cutting-edge medical science and breakthroughs in spinal cord injury research, Louise takes a moment to look back at where it all began. In these special revisiting episodes, listeners are invited to return to the origin story of the podcast and the deeply personal realities of spinal cord trauma with the intention to raise the awareness for researchers, funders and medical personnel of the reality of Spinal Cord Injury trauma on a family system . The episodes explore the profound healing learnings and the true experience of navigating life after a catastrophic injury from the perspective of both the patient and the family. By revisiting this raw human journey of devastation and resilience, we are reminded of exactly why this research matters so deeply and how these personal stories continue to inform, guide, and inspire the brilliant medical teams and scientists working tirelessly to change the future.

Sending love

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation, crisis and trauma interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

The Unifying Language of the Human Breath for SCI Healing with Jessica Dibb

Louise sits down with Jessica Dibb, a pioneer in psychospiritual healing, Director of the Global Breathwork Alliance, and the founder of the Inspiration Consciousness School and Community. Jessica shares her unique journey from her early days as a classically trained dancer with the Royal Ballet of England and the Bolshoi Ballet of Russia to her pre-medical studies, where she had a profound epiphany that breath is the unifying language of the human species. The conversation explores the deep intelligence of the physical body and how conscious breathing can be used to release deep-seated trauma, cultivate presence, and facilitate exceptional healing. Jessica also opens up about her deeply personal role in guiding Louise's family through the darkest days of Archer's high-c spinal cord and pulmonary injury, using remote breathwork to help him wean off a ventilator when doctors believed it was impossible. Touching on her book, Breathwork and Psychotherapy, Jessica discusses the vital importance of weaving somatic practices with ethical frameworks to support individual and global wellness, proving that our greatest tool for healing and connection is hidden in our very next breath.

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

Contact the Inspiration Consciousness School and Community: essence@inspirationcommunity.org 

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

The Groundbreaking BrainGate Clinical Trials with Dr. Lee Hochberg

Louise talks with Dr. Leigh Hochberg, a critical care neurologist, professor of engineering and brain science at Brown University, and the director of the groundbreaking BrainGate clinical trials. Dr. Hochberg shares how his early experiences, particularly watching his grandmother navigate Alzheimer’s disease, sparked a lifelong curiosity about the brain and nervous system. He recounts his path from those childhood observations to his college years at Brown, where a lecture on neurotransmitters captivated him and set him on a course toward neurotechnology. Dr. Hochberg explains the profound implications of his current work, which involves surgically implanting a sensor into the motor cortex to decode the brain's electrical signals. This technology allows people with severe paralysis to control computers, robotic arms, and even generate spoken words simply by thinking about the movement. They discuss the unbelievable resilience of the patients who pioneer these trials and envision a future where paralysis may no longer mean the loss of mobility or voice.

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

Implantable Brain-Computer Interface Collaborative Community: https://www.ibci-cc.org/

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

A Paraplegic Harvard Scientist's Neuronal Regeneration Quest While Living in a Non-Accessible  World, even in the Ivy League

Louise sits down with Jason Biundo, a PhD student at Harvard Medical School whose life and career were profoundly shaped by a severe spinal cord injury. In 2019, while studying neuroscience as an undergraduate, Jason survived a devastating rock climbing fall from the wall that left him paralyzed below the waist. He shares the surreal experience of understanding the exact neurological science of his trauma while lying in a hospital bed, and how that realization fueled his pivot toward studying neuronal regeneration. Jason offers an inside look at his groundbreaking research on scar modulation and how fibroblasts communicate with immune cells to repair early nervous system injuries. The conversation also tackles the hidden, exhausting realities of living as a paraplegic in spaces not built for wheelchairs, including the historic and often inaccessible campuses of the Ivy League. Jason opens up about the emotional toll of constant advocacy, the disconnect between the slow pace of academic research and the urgent needs of the spinal cord injury community, and how his lived experience makes him a uniquely powerful force in the lab and for accessibility awareness and change.

Have an idea or feedback for me? Email me, at louise@blinkofaneye.org

You can learn more about Jason's work at the Stevens Lab here: https://www.stevenslab.org/jason-b

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Engineered Neuroplasticity and the Future of Spinal Cord Recovery with Dr. Chet Moritz

Louise is joined by Dr. Chet Moritz, the Hwang Endowed Professor at the University of Washington and Director of the Restorative Technologies Laboratory. Dr. Moritz shares his unique journey from studying the biomechanics of insect flight to pioneering the field of engineered neuroplasticity. They discuss his lab's groundbreaking work in non-invasive spinal stimulation and the monumental FDA approval of the ONWARD ARC-EX device, a technology helping individuals with chronic paralysis regain hand and arm function. Dr. Moritz explains how transcutaneous electrical stimulation primes the spinal cord to listen to the brain again, unlocking voluntary movement without surgery. The conversation also explores the profound off-target benefits of this technology, such as autonomic nervous system regulation, and details his lab's moonshot goal to cure paralysis using optogenetics. Listeners will gain an inside look at the science of connection and the new era of engineered recovery.

You can learn more about Dr. Moritz's work at the Restorative Technologies Laboratory here: http://depts.washinRestorative Technologies Laboratorygton.edu/moritlab/

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Finding Your Tribe After Spinal Cord Injury and the Power of Disability Experience for All

Louise sits down with Reveca Torres, an artist, filmmaker, and the executive director of Backbones, a nonprofit connecting people with spinal cord injuries to their communities. Reveca shares the story of her injury at age thirteen during a family car accident in Mexico and the unexpected isolation she felt despite having a large, supportive family. She opens up about the pressure to mask her negative emotions to protect her loved ones and the profound shift that occurred when she finally connected with peers who shared her lived experience. This realization led her to found Backbones, creating a vital network of peer support that she herself once needed. The conversation explores Reveca's groundbreaking work at the intersection of disability and art, including her journey to becoming the first wheelchair user to earn a fashion design degree at Harper College. She discusses her Tres Fridas project, which reimagines historical artists through a disability lens, and her upcoming film, While We Are Here. Through her art and advocacy, Reveca proves that disability is not a deficit but a vital part of the human experience with a benefit for our Oneness.

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Resources

Learn more about Reinventing the Wheel: http://vmuseum.com/rtw/

Backbones: https://www.backbonesonline.org/about-us

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Crossing the Valley of Death in Medical Research through Sound at HEPIUS Innovation Labs

Louise sits down with Dr. Amir Manbachi, an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University and the founder of HEPIUS Innovation Labs. Dr. Manbachi shares his unconventional path from a talented musician to a physicist and neurosurgery researcher, revealing how the physics of sound inspired a breakthrough in spinal cord visualization. He explains the development of the MUSIC device, a tiny implantable ultrasound tool designed to provide real-time data on the spinal cord immediately after injury.

They discuss the critical black box problem in current surgery, where surgeons often lack visibility into the cord's status once the operation is finished. Dr. Manbachi highlights the challenges of bringing such life-changing technology from the lab to the patient, describing the financial gap known as the valley of death in medical research where funding often dries up. Reporting from Washington D.C., they explore the urgent need for federal support to bridge this gap and the potential for ultrasound to revolutionize the standard of care for spinal cord injuries.

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Resources

Learn more about Amir: https://www.bme.jhu.edu/people/faculty/amir-manbachi/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Surviving the Crash: A 17-Year-Old’s Lifelong Journey from Stud to Survivor

Louise talks with Rick Futia and his nephew, Jag Jefferson, about the 1982 accident that altered the course of Rick's life forever. At seventeen, Rick was an athletic powerhouse whose identity was entirely wrapped up in his physical strength and studious caution. He recounts the eerie premonitions he felt on the day of his injury, from a lingering look at his mother to a strange reflection in a store window, before a stunt involving a tractor tire at the lake went wrong.

Rick opens up about the crushing depression that followed the loss of his physical abilities and the struggle to find worth when his body was no longer his calling card. He describes a pivotal moment in the hospital involving a roommate who could only communicate with her eyes, a realization that shifted his perspective on his own survival. Joined by Jag, the author of the new memoir Rickicello, they discuss how Rick refused to shrink away and instead reinvented himself into one of the Bay Area's most eligible bachelors, finding a new kind of strength and resilience.

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Resources

Rickicello: The Rockstar Life of a Paraplegic Paisan: https://www.amazon.com/Rickicello-Rockstar-Life-Paraplegic-Paisan-ebook/dp/B0G5Z4PZFZ

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Love, Prejudice, and the Search for Peace with Cole and Charisma Sidnor

In this episode, we are invited into the vibrant and vulnerable world of Cole and Charisma Sidnor, the couple behind the popular YouTube channel Roll with Cole and Charisma. Their story begins with a pivot that changed everything, as Cole navigates the shift from a sixteen-year-old athlete with dreams of college sports to a young man learning to live with quadriplegia. We explore how a chance meeting at a rehabilitation center sparked a romance that would eventually challenge societal norms and open a window for millions to witness the reality of an inter-abled, interracial relationship.

Our conversation goes far beyond the surface of their online persona, diving deep into the complexities of facing public scrutiny. Cole and Charisma open up about the harsh intersection of ableism and racism they encounter, the assumptions strangers make about their love, and the conscious choice to protect their peace amidst the noise. We discuss the unseen emotional labor of caregiving, the pain of their recent infertility journey, and the profound strength found in vulnerability. This is a dialogue about the resilience required to hold onto joy, the evolution of faith after trauma, and the beautiful, sometimes difficult, responsibility of being a mirror for others who yearn to see themselves represented in the world.

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Resources

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA5Zfb-OOm7eDHHa8iu9izQ

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

The Architecture of Neural Repair with Dr. Pengzhe Lu

​​For decades, the diagnosis of a complete spinal cord injury came with a period at the end of the sentence: no regeneration possible. But Dr. Pengzhe Lu has spent his career challenging that finality. In this episode, we travel into the microscopic world of the Center for Neural Repair at UCSD, where Dr. Lu is engineering neural stem cell grafts to act as biological bridges across the lesion site. We explore the incredible complexity of convincing axons to grow through a hostile environment and the emerging role of 3D scaffolds in rebuilding the body’s architecture. This is a conversation about the persistence of science, the definition of the miracle year when viewed through a cellular lens, and the tangible steps being taken to translate laboratory breakthroughs into restored function for SCI families, including complete injuries, waiting for a cure.

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Resources

https://neurosciences.ucsd.edu/centers-programs/neural-repair/scientists-team/paul-lu.html

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

A Raw Look at Redefining Possibility 

How do you rewrite your life's story when the plot twists become unbearable? Louise joins author Rebecca Faye Smith Galli to navigate the intersection of profound grief and the sudden onset of Transverse Myelitis. Unlike acute traumatic injury, this rare inflammatory condition presents a unique medical puzzle, attacking the spinal cord from within. Becky shares how she processed the paralysis that followed, a diagnosis that arrived amidst the heartbreaking loss of her brother and son. They explore the biology of resilience, the difference between surviving and healing, and how writing became a tool to document the intrigue of a body and life transformed. This conversation challenges the pressure to be positive, offering instead a raw look at redefining possibility when the unexpected happens.

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Resources

Rebecca Faye Smith Galli: rebeccafayesmithgalli.com

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Macrophages and the Battle for SCI Repair with Dr. John Gensel

What happens when the cells sent to heal the body after a bodily trauma decide to stick around, becoming a permanent roadblock to recovery, as they do in acute SCI?  Is it possible to reprogram the immune system to stop standing guard over the damage and instead open the pathway for repair?

Louise sits down with Dr. John Gensel, a neuroscientist and the Director of the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center at the University of Kentucky. John has dedicated his career to the microscopic world of macrophages—the body's internal healing cells—and the mystery of why they behave so differently in the spinal cord than anywhere else in the human body. He shares how his lab is working to flip the switch on chronic inflammation, looking for ways to turn a person's own biology from a roadblock back into a healing and repair agent, and an ally to recent NVG-291 breakthroughs. Stay tuned as they explore the cellular frontier of SCI science and what it means for the future of personalized recovery.

#BeginAgain #HopeforEverything

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Resources

John Gensel: https://medicine.uky.edu/users/jcge224

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

The Crash That Saved My Life with Jesi Stracham

Can a tragedy actually save your life? It is a paradoxical question, but for Jesi Stracham, the moment that broke her body was the catalyst that fixed her life. In 2015, a motorcycle accident resulted in a T4 complete spinal cord injury, stripping away her physical mobility but granting her a sudden, terrifying clarity. Jesi transitioned from a reckless lifestyle to facing the raw, unglamorous reality of paralysis, a shift that forced her to take extreme ownership of a future she hadn't planned for.

Louise and Jesi discuss the disorienting first 30 days following a spinal cord injury, exploring what happens inside the body and how the understanding of such a permanent change evolves in real time. They talk about the ripple effects of trauma on family and relationships, and the pivotal moment when survival mode must transform into active rebuilding. Jesi opens up about how she channeled her innate competitiveness into becoming the first paraplegic to complete the World’s Toughest Mudder 24-hour obstacle course and how that drive led her to found the Wheel With Me Foundation. Now an author, Jesi details her journey in her new book, The Power of the Roll & Throttle, sharing the mindset required to reclaim agency and the unexpected motivation discovered through injury.

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Resources

Jesi Stracham's new Book: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Roll-Throttle-Spinal-Injury/dp/1476698511

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Inside Stem Cell Research for Spinal Cord Injury With Dr. Mark Tuszynski

What can stem cells actually repair after a spinal cord injury, and where are the boundaries? What learnings might be drawn from ALS, MS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s for SCI research? How should patients and families interpret early clinical SCI trial results? And what does a therapy like NervGen mean for the broader research landscape?

In this episode, Louise sits down with neurologist and researcher Dr. Mark Tuszynski of the University of California, San Diego, to examine the realities of stem cell research for spinal cord injury. They explore the biological barriers to regeneration, why recovery is rarely driven by a single intervention, and how clinical trials are designed, paced, and evaluated.

The episode offers a clear, honest, science-first perspective on progress, patience, and what meaningful advancement in spinal cord injury research really looks like today and what we can expect. 

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Resources

Mark Tuszynski: https://neurosciences.ucsd.edu/centers-programs/neural-repair/projects/index.html

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#293 Revisiting Blink: A Holiday Special, He Talked with God

In this holiday revisit, Blink of an Eye returns to He Talked With God, a moving episode from Season 1 that explores the intersection of catastrophic injury, faith, and human resilience. Spinal cord injuries often occur suddenly, frequently while people are away from home, often on vacation, and unprepared for how quickly life can change, leaving families to navigate life changing injuries and complex medical trauma in unfamiliar circumstances.

Revisiting this early conversation during Season 6 offers a moment of reflection on how deeply personal journeys of injury, belief, and survival continue to shape lives over time. This episode invites listeners to consider the enduring questions of meaning, connection, faith in purpose and what is possible that arise in the aftermath of spinal cord injury—and why these stories remain essential to tell.

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! Www.BLINKofanEye.org

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and medical, rehab and life tips resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 365 days of renormalizing. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory, self-awareness methods, relational advocacy, mediation interventions, and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

The Future of SCI Neural Repair With Dr. Andrew Stewart

What does it mean to rethink spinal cord injury recovery when the world has told you that healing has a limit? How do you hold on to hope when science, for decades, insisted that the chronic stage of SCI was a closed door? And what happens when new research begins to challenge those long-held assumptions, inviting us into a different kind of possibility?

In this episode, Louise talks with neuroscientist Andrew Stewart, whose work sits at the forefront of emerging SCI science. Andrew brings us into the biology of the injured spinal cord and the breakthroughs that are beginning to reshape what we understand about repair, recovery, and the potential for regeneration. Together, they explore the momentum building around therapies like NervGen, the questions researchers are finally able to ask, and why the nervous system may be more adaptable than anyone believed even a decade ago.

This conversation blends scientific clarity with grounded hope, offering a window into the persistence, curiosity, and careful optimism driving today’s most promising advances in SCI healing.

Be part of supporting BLINK of an Eye nonprofit as we support SCI families in crisis and advance science. Give $25 today! www.BLINKofaneye.org

Resources

Andrew Stewart: https://medicine.uky.edu/centers/scobirc/users/anst265

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Shot, Survived, and Still Rising: The Life of Damon Walker

What happens when everything changes in a single moment—not just from SCI but from an unexpected kind act of a stranger? Damon Walker was living fast, avoiding reflection, and giving little thought to tomorrow—until the gunshot. The sudden spinal cord injury that followed didn’t just take away physical mobility; it demanded emotional honesty, a different kind of strength, and a complete rethinking of self.

In this conversation, Damon opens up about the pressure to remain tough, the guilt he carried, what he wishes he had known before rehab, and the hardest parts no one warns you about—social isolation, identity loss, and the quiet mental battles that don’t show on the outside. We talk about faith, masculinity, fear, moments of grace, and his process of learning to slow down and listen to life instead of outrunning it.

Damon also shares his thoughts on today’s generation of newly injured spinal cord survivors, what inspires him about the future of SCI medicine and mobility research, and why hope shouldn’t be seen as naïve… but as fuel. At the end of our talk, he tells the full story of the night it all changed—the gunshot, the Good Samaritan who picked him out of the gutter, the rush to the hospital, and the moment he realized nothing would ever be the same.

Sending love 

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Today, Louise shares a personal, heartfelt reflection on gratitude—what it really feels like and why it matters

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#289 Can Strength Grow Through Adaptation? Mason Says Yes

Today, Louise sits down with 22-year-old adaptive athlete and social media standout Mason Branstrator. You may know him from Instagram — modeling brands like Spoonie Threads and showing off wheelchair attachments like Firefly and Freedomtrax — but today we get to know the person behind the posts.

Mason takes us back to the skiing accident at 17 that broke his T12 vertebra and changed everything. We talk about his time at Craig Hospital, what it felt like to hear he might never walk again, and how determination, family support, and mindset shaped his recovery.

He shares the mental and emotional work of healing after SCI: meditation, self-care, and finding balance while living publicly online. We discuss the turning point when his wheelchair and adaptive tools became symbols of freedom, not limitation, and what keeps him training even when progress feels slow.

Mason also opens up about life off-camera — his hobbies, his community, and how purpose and spirituality guide him every day. This is a candid look at resilience, adaptation, and the young man building his future with heart.

Sending love 

Resources Mason Branstrator

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#288 SCI in Sci-Fi for Young Adults with Kimber St. Lawrence

In this season 6 premiere of Blink of an Eye, Louise sits down with Emmy-winning producer and debut novelist Kimber St. Lawrence. Kimber’s novel, Thirsty Ground, is a young adult sci-fi story that begins with a life-altering accident—one that challenges her protagonist to find meaning, identity, and hope in a transformed world. Through this imagined setting, Kimber opens a window into the real-world experience of living with and adapting to spinal cord injury.

Drawing from her own life alongside her husband Ryan, a para-athlete and SCI survivor, Kimber shares how fiction can mirror reality in a hero’s journey through trauma to resilience in deeply human ways. She and Louise explore how storytelling and hope sustain creative and personal renewal, and how imagination itself is a way healing.

This Season, Louise focuses on SCI through various forms of expression inspiring conversation about the intersection of art and adaptation—and how a story, set on another planet can illuminate the societal views and courage it takes to rebuild one’s world right here on Earth.

Sending love 

Resources https://www.kimberstlawrence.com/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#276 Understanding the chemistry of NVG-291’s efficacy for Rewiring SCI Recovery with Inventor Dr. Brad Lang

Brad Lang, PhD, is the neuroscientist and biotech inventor of the ISP drug, the basis of the NVG-291 trials which recently showed efficacy. His work has helped pave the way for one of the most promising new treatments for spinal cord injury in decades. Brad shares the story of how his early research led to the discovery of the intracellular sigma peptide (ISP), a molecule with the potential to unlock axon regeneration and repair damaged neural pathways. We explore the science behind ISP, the challenges of moving from lab discovery to human trials, and the role of persistence at big ideas (a mission imprinted on him by the late Dr. Jerry Silver) when the odds—and the nervous system—seem stacked against recovery.  Along the way, Brad reflects on the emotional journey of being a scientist chasing a breakthrough, the worldwide attention on NervGen’s NVG-291, and the hope these advances bring not only to the SCI community but to the future of treatments for conditions once thought untreatable, and the potential reshaping of lives for those living years with SCI.

Resources https://nervgen.com/

Revisiting: Inside the NervGen NVG-291 Trial: Part I

Today we’re joined by Larry Williams, a participant in the NervGen Phase 1b/2a clinical trial for NVG‑291, an experimental therapy designed to promote nerve regeneration and restore function in people with spinal cord injuries. Larry takes us through his personal story—from the mountain biking accident that changed his life to the unexpected path that led him into one of the most closely watched clinical trials in the SCI community.

Larry opens up about the emotional and physical journey of recovery, the realities of rehabilitation, and what it meant to participate in a groundbreaking study. We talk about the power of scientific hope, the early but promising results from the chronic cohort of the NVG‑291 trial, and the value of being part of something bigger than oneself. Larry’s reflections offer a rare and candid window into life on the frontier of spinal cord injury research—and the enduring strength of the human spirit.

Resources https://nervgen.com/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Season 4 Episode 19 - Dear Louise: A Conversation with Gabriel Rodreick

In a world where life's unpredictable twists and turns can sometimes bring us to our knees, one man's journey stands as a testament to the indomitable human spirit. Gabriel Rodreick, known to many as Freaque, found himself at a crossroads in 2008 when a Spinal Cord Injury accident, C5 complete,  altered the course of his life, taking away his ability to walk and play the piano, passions that had defined his existence for years. In the face of this adversity, Gabriel discovered an incredible reservoir of strength and resilience by embracing the darkness he felt. He channeled his creativity into a new form of expression, forging a path forward with music production, giving birth to a genre he named "dirt folk." Inspired by artists like Kendrick Lamar and countless others, he allows the losses and darkness to shape a raw unvarnished invitation he extends to all participants in his music and music productions. Join Louise in an intimate conversation with Gabe beginning with his close brush with death, the experience of abandonment of friends, his overcoming his parents' terror of his venturing out into the world, to the many new normals, grappling with existential anxiety and ways he resources to stay grounded and emotionally balanced. Hear how he initiated "A Cripple's Dance," a remarkable project that brought together individuals with spinal cord injuries and able-bodied artists in awe-inspiring live music and dance performances. Through his work, he sends a powerful message to the world: "Darkness isn't as scary as we think."

To learn more about Gabriel: 

https://gabrielrodreick.com/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Season 4 Episode 14 - Dear Louise: A Conversation with WAGS of SCI

 Elena Pauly and Brooke Pagé, both caregivers to partners with recent Spinal Cord Injuries, felt the deep isolation that comes with their role. Their connection on Instagram, fueled by their close proximity in Vancouver, became a lifeline. In November of that year, they birthed WAGS of SCI on Instagram, a community that not only hosted local caregiver events but also united "inter-abled" women - wives, partners, and girlfriends of those living with SCI. Together, they provide unwavering support for the unique challenges that come with loving someone with a spinal cord injury. Elena and Brooke tirelessly advocate and reach out, with long-term dreams of establishing a non-profit to support inter-abled relationships, boosting mental, emotional, and physical well-being awareness, and funding special trips for deserving couples.

Join Louise in an eye opening conversation with two very special advocates for those who are injured, but specifically for their caretakers and loved ones.

To learn more about WAGS and their work:

https://wagsofsci.com/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Season 4 Episode 12 - Dear Louise: A Conversation with Matthew Rodreick

Matthew Rodreick serves as the Executive Director at United 2 Fight Paralysis, an organization at the forefront of the battle against paralysis. Through his leadership, he continues to amplify the voices of those impacted by SCI, pushing for groundbreaking research, fostering innovation, and advocating for comprehensive support systems. His journey, from caregiving to advocacy and leadership, showcases the remarkable impact of one individual's determination to make a difference in the lives of those affected by Spinal Cord Injury.

Join Louise in discovering the true meaning of perseverance, adapting to change, and the power of unconditional love.

To learn more about Matthew and his work:

https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/all-episodes.html

https://u2fp.org/

https://www.instagram.com/roadreck/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/u2fp/?hl=en

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Season Finale: NerveGen with Meghan Morrow

Join Louise in this heartfelt finale of Season 4, where we dive into a journey exploring incredible medical innovations in spinal cord injury recovery.  Meet Meghan Morrow, one of the driving forces along with Dr. Monica Perez in the groundbreaking NervGen trials at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago.  From crafting affordable devices for stroke and brain injury patients to now leading exclusive trials with Dr. Perez, you'll hear Meghan's passion for innovation that is pushing the envelope for what is possible for those living with SCI 1-10 years from injury.

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Join us in this season finale, as we hear the inside scoop on these pivotal spinal cord injury trials, clarify who can qualify, and get a glimpse into cutting-edge developments which are transforming SCI rehabilitation medicine and what's next.  Stay tuned for this touching finale filled with hope and progress, and get a sneak peak at a whole new Blink of an Eye experience coming in the new year in Season 5!

To learn more about Meghan Morrow

https://www.sralab.org/researchers/meghan-morrow-otrl

Canadian Paratriathlete Leanne Taylor

A biking accident left our next guest paralyzed from the waist down. However, instead of succumbing to despair, she made a bold decision while in the hospital – to become a paratriathlete. Just eight months after her injury, she completed her first paratriathlon, showcasing adaptability, resilience, and peak performance.

Leanne's story extends beyond sports; it's a journey through mental health challenges, finding hope, and building a fulfilling life. She champions body image and self-love, inspiring others to embrace their uniqueness. Leanne is also a staunch advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace, promoting equal opportunities for all. And she has a unique approach to how employers and employees together can make accommodations in the workplace.  

Stay tuned.

To learn more about Leanne:

https://www.leanne-taylor.com/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Season 4 Episode 18 - Trauma Healing Learning: Invaluable Wisdom and Integration with Amy Fox

 In today’s episode, Amy Elizabeth Fox, the founder and CEO of Mobius Executive Leadership, offers a wealth of invaluable insights on why personal trauma healing is essential for leaders. With a rich background spanning senior leadership consultancy, public speaking, and empowering corporate leaders, Amy's journey is a source of key lessons in leadership communication, negotiation, and professional growth. Her extensive experience at healthcare startups, work with influential figures like Vice President Al Gore and Carl Sagan, and expertise in psychotherapy and emotional intelligence coaching make her a beacon of wisdom. As an alumna of Wesleyan University and earning a master's in Counseling Psychology, Amy's return to her passion for trauma healing invites all leaders to have a conversation with self to explore the role of their own journey of integration so they may experience wellbeing as they lead others wisely.

To learn more about Amy: 

https://www.mobiusleadership.com/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#279 The Universal Laws of Change: Habits of Mind to Live into an Integrated Life despite an Uncertain Future with Futurist Cecily Sommers

In this season finale on Living a Life of Integration after major life changes, Louise sits down with Cecily Sommers, global trends analyst, futurist, and author of Think Like a Futurist. Their conversation explores the universal nature of change—how it unfolds in our personal lives, across society, and within the cosmos itself. Cecily shares the four habits of mind—optimism, curiosity, courage, and patience—that help us navigate uncertainty, as well as her perspective on reinvention, resilience, and what it means to lose an ordered life and find ourselves again. She also reflects on her journey as a breast cancer survivor, offering hard-won wisdom on how to nurture our souls and co-create with change. This thoughtful exchange closes out Season 5 with insight and inspiration, reminding us that change, though often disruptive, is also a guide toward living with greater purpose and that we all have an inherent capacity to live a trauma healing integrated life even after life altering change. 

Sending love 

Resources www.cecilysommers.com

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#278 The Long Arc of Living a Life of Trauma Integration and Resilience with Dr. Ann Kaiser Stearns

Louise sits down with Dr. Ann Kaiser Stearns, a psychologist, educator, and bestselling author whose work has touched millions through her books, lectures, and decades of teaching. In this conversation, she shares insights from more than 30 years of research and clinical experience on the long-term journey of resilience, grief, and our human capacity to integrate profound loss into a new sense of self.

Together they explore the long arc of healing after life-altering trauma, the difference between simply surviving and truly integrating, the power of one decision to live fully, and the role of meaning-making in shaping one’s future. Dr. Stearns vividly illustrates what trauma integration can look like over time, including the phenomenon of paying it forward for others.  She also speaks to caregivers, the importance of their purpose, and mental health tips for how growth and strength can emerge even when loss is permanent.

Her wisdom helps illuminate the closing reflections on Tony Schmiesing’s journey—what it means to continue integrating over time, to redefine identity, and to embrace the ongoing work of living fully.

Resources https://www.annkaiserstearnsphd.com/ 

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#277 Embracing Disability Identity as part of Living a Life of Integration with Anthony Tusler

 Louise sits down with Anthony Tusler, a writer, photographer, advocate, and educator who has lived with a spinal cord injury for over 70 years. Anthony reflects on his journey of embracing his disability identity in the activism of the 1970s, a turning point that shaped his life’s work in education, community building, and the arts. He shares how community and advocacy are essential to belonging, how art can change the way disability is seen, and how integration and community are key to living a meaningful life. Anthony also speaks to the importance of advocacy in today’s political climate and the responsibility we all share in protecting disability rights since it was the advocacy of SCI advocates and others who made life easier for all Americans with ramps and curb cuts. His insights offer wisdom, encouragement, and a reminder that disability is part of the human experience, something every human will face, not to be feared, but embraced.

Resources https://aboutdisability.com/

https://cripcamp.com/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding! 

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel.  Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com