Brain Friends – Details, episodes & analysis

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Brain Friends

Angie Cauthorn

Science

Education

Science

Frequency: 1 episode/48d. Total Eps: 32

Brain Friends: The Podcast is a survivor-led show about stroke, brain health, aphasia, recovery, and health equity.

Hosted by Angie Cauthorn, a two-time stroke survivor and aphasia advocate, Brain Friends takes complicated medical and research topics and turns them into everyday clarity. The show is for survivors, care partners, families, clinicians, researchers, and anyone trying to understand what life after stroke can really look like.

Brain Friends began with me and my friend and co-host, Dr. D. Seles Gadson, a neuroscientist, speech-language pathologist, and champion for equity in aphasia care. Dr. Seles’s work focused on health disparities, representation, and making science useful for real communities. Her voice still opens and closes every episode, and her legacy remains part of the show’s foundation.

Since launching in June 2022, Brain Friends has reached listeners in more than 100 countries, with conversations that center stroke recovery, aphasia, cognition, communication, prevention, brain health, and the real-life “now what?” after a neurological event.

Regular segments include:

The Breakdown: Clear explanations of stroke, aphasia, brain health, research, and recovery topics.

Smart Cookie: The thoughtful question Angie asks guests about brain health, recovery, equity, or what they wish more people understood.

OTC with the Commish: “On The Clock” style recovery talk, where Angie uses football draft energy to break down the moves, tools, and first-round picks that matter.

The Check-In: Short, honest reflections on life after stroke, recovery, advocacy, and what comes next.

Brain Friends is not here to give medical advice or empty inspiration. It is here to make the science clearer, the recovery road less lonely, and the next step easier to see.

Welcome to Brain Friends.

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https://www.cognitiverecoverylab.com/seles
66 shares
https://aphasia.org/stories/announcing-the-davetrina-seles-gadson-health-equity-grant-program/
66 shares
https://aphasiaadvocates.com/
64 shares

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1959705/fan_mail/new
32 shares

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 73%

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

Season 3 · Episode 5

Sunday, January 11, 2026 • Duration 26:47

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A friendship became a movement when a survivor searching for culturally competent therapy met a clinician who refused to treat equity like an optional add-on. What started as a phone call turned into Brain Friends—a space where lived experience and rigorous science work side by side to make aphasia, stroke recovery, and neuroplasticity feel human, practical, and possible.

We walk through the real story: how instant respect turned into a partnership, how roles formed—one voice translating from the trenches, the other anchoring with research—and how that rhythm made complex ideas usable for families, caregivers, clinicians, and researchers. Then the pivot no one wanted: sudden loss. Grief shows up as silence, stalled projects, and episodes too tender to edit. Naming that pain opens a path forward. “Progress over perfection” becomes more than a motto; it’s a care strategy for speech attempts, therapy homework, and the messy edits that stay in the final cut to normalize real recovery.

Legacy grounds the work. We highlight the scholarship honoring Dr.Seles Gadson, designed to fund equity-centered clinicians and researchers who center patient-reported outcomes and culturally responsive care. Scholarships don’t run on vibes, and support here turns memory into infrastructure—training, mentorship, and research that actually changes lives. Along the way, we talk about trust in healthcare, the realities Black women face in brain health systems, and why clear, simple language outperforms jargon when the brain is tired and the heart is full.

We close with gratitude for a new advocacy award that carries responsibility, an audio message that still lights the room, and a promise to keep showing up for survivors, caregivers, and the professionals who serve them. If this resonates, share it with someone who needs hope they can use, and help sustain the scholarship that keeps this legacy working. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us how you’re choosing progress over perfection today.

https://aphasiaadvocates.com/ for Brain Friends Merch

https://aphasia.org/event/ask-the-expert-february-2026/

https://www.cognitiverecoverylab.com/seles

https://aphasia.org/stories/announcing-the-davetrina-seles-gadson-health-equity-grant-program/

Our beloved colleague, Dr. Davetrina Seles Gadson, passed away January 11, 2025. Dr. Gadson was an extraordinary speech-language pathologist and neuroscience researcher who devoted her energy to studying health disparities in aphasia recovery. She was a fierce advocate for improving services for individuals with aphasia, particularly Black Americans. Her research transformed our understanding of these health disparities and shed light on how we can address them. We were privileged to have Dr. Gadson as a cherished member of our lab community for four years, first as a postdoctoral fellow and then as an Instructor of Rehabilitation Medicine. She was still a close collaborator and friend to many of us at the time of her passing. Dr. Gadson was an incredible person—compassionate, inspiring, and full of life. Her dedication to advancing equity in aphasia recovery and her profound impact on our community will never be forgotten. ...

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

Season 3 · Episode 4

Friday, January 9, 2026 • Duration 35:27

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

We also dig into the messy truth of inconsistency. On one day, automatic phrases might show up on cue; on another, a simple sentence can stall. That doesn’t mean the thought is gone. Capacity rises and falls with fatigue, stress, speed, and noise. The wardrobe analogy makes it clear: the clothes are there, the drawers are jammed. So we shift the goal from perfect words to being understood—reframing success as clear meaning, not flawless speech. Along the way, we talk about when “take your time” helps and when it hurts, and how a quick reset like “let me say it another way” can unlock progress.

Caregivers and clinicians will find pragmatic guidance for protecting dignity while improving outcomes: pace the exchange, reduce choices, offer help with consent, and respect “never mind” as triage, not attitude. We name the emotional weight too—grief and depression that often travel with aphasia—and offer a way forward grounded in partnership. If you suspect aphasia after a stroke or head injury, seek an evaluation and bring these tools to your team. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more people find the conversation. Your support keeps this work moving and makes the path to language a little smoother for everyone.

https://aphasiaadvocates.com/ for Brain Friends Merch

https://aphasia.org/event/ask-the-expert-february-2026/

https://www.cognitiverecoverylab.com/seles

Why Aphasia Awareness Matters: What Survivors, Families, and Clinicians Need to Know

Season 2 · Episode 7

Tuesday, June 11, 2024 • Duration 30:15

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Aphasia affects nearly 2 million Americans, yet most people have never heard of it. This episode makes the case for why awareness is not just a campaign, it is a survival issue. From diagnosis to discharge to community reintegration, gaps in knowledge cost survivors time, access, and outcomes. For everyone in the aphasia ecosystem who believes the information gap is a problem worth solving.

In this episode of Brain Friends, we invite two stakeholders to celebrate Aphasia Awareness Month, Maura Silverman, the executive director of the National Aphasia Association (NAA), and Gee Jackson, a lawyer and stroke survivor with aphasia.

Together we answer two important questions:
1. What do you know about aphasia now that you wish you would have known on day 1?
2. How can we bring awareness to aphasia?

Listen, laugh, and learn how you can spread awareness about aphasia.

Links:
National Aphasia Association- https://aphasia.org/
Aphasia Resource Collaboration Hub (ARCH)- https://aphasiaresource.org/

https://aphasiaadvocates.com/ for Brain Friends Merch

https://aphasia.org/event/ask-the-expert-february-2026/

https://www.cognitiverecoverylab.com/seles

https://aphasia.org/stories/announcing-the-davetrina-seles-gadson-health-equity-grant-program/

Caregiver Tap In: Supporting Stroke Survivors with Aphasia Guest Charles Cauthorn

Season 2 · Episode 6

Monday, May 6, 2024 • Duration 31:52

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Stroke recovery does not happen alone. This episode brings Angie's husband & care partner Kiehl Cauthorn into the conversation for an honest look at what aphasia support actually requires. Together they break down the difference between a caregiver and a care partner, walk through the stages of care in post-stroke aphasia recovery, and address the real work of advocating with insurance companies on a survivor's behalf. Speech-language pathologists and practitioners will find concrete tips on how to include the care partner in the therapy room, not as a bystander but as part of the recovery team. For survivors, this episode carries a message worth holding onto: you are better today than you were yesterday, and you will be better tomorrow than you are today. For care partners, the reminder is just as direct: stop, listen, be patient, and trust. For care partners, SLPs, stroke survivors, and anyone who has ever wondered what it takes to show up for someone rebuilding their language after stroke. Does it take a village to recover from a stroke? In this episode of Brain Friends, we talk about aphasia support with Angie's care partner Kiehl Cauthorn.

We discuss the difference between caregivers and care partners, the stages of care in post-stroke aphasia, and advocacy with insurance companies. We give tips to speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and other practitioners on how to include the caregiver/care partner in therapy.

Finally, we remind aphasia survivors that "you are better today than you were yesterday and you will be better tomorrow than you are today". We encourage caregivers and care partners to "stop, listen, be patient, and trust".

https://aphasiaadvocates.com/ for Brain Friends Merch

https://aphasia.org/event/ask-the-expert-february-2026/

https://www.cognitiverecoverylab.com/seles

When Language Declines Slowly: Understanding Primary Progressive Aphasia

Season 2 · Episode 5

Thursday, February 29, 2024 • Duration 26:52

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Primary progressive aphasia is not the same as stroke-related aphasia, and the difference matters for diagnosis, treatment, and family planning. In this episode, Dr. Davetrina Seles Gadson breaks down the complexities of PPA, how it differs from other aphasia types, and why frontotemporal dementia is often part of the conversation. Angie Cauthorn adds plain language analogies that make the distinctions clear for anyone navigating this diagnosis. PPA is progressive, which means its impact on individuals, families, and communities does not stop at diagnosis. For stroke survivors, care partners, students, and health professionals who need to understand where PPA fits in the larger aphasia picture.
Dr. Seles unravels the complexities of PPA versus other aphasia types and describes the difference between a stroke and frontal temporal dementia.

Angie shares analogies highlighting the key differences from other forms of aphasia.

The impact of PPA on individuals, their families, and communities is ongoing.

This episode of Brain Friends is a must-listen for survivors, students, and health professionals.

https://aphasiaadvocates.com/ for Brain Friends Merch

https://aphasia.org/event/ask-the-expert-february-2026/

https://www.cognitiverecoverylab.com/seles

https://aphasia.org/stories/announcing-the-davetrina-seles-gadson-health-equity-grant-program/

Alexia, Aphasia, Agraphia - Reading, Talking & Writing

Season 2 · Episode 4

Thursday, February 1, 2024 • Duration 31:44

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Alexia is an acquired reading disorder with difficulty seeing and reading words or understanding the meaning of written words. "Agraphia" is the loss of a previous ability to write.

Angie discovers new terms related to her aphasia and the connection in the brain.

Dr. Seles shares clinical stories on navigating alexia in therapy and the role speech-language pathologists play in helping survivors reintegrate into the community.

https://aphasiaadvocates.com/ for Brain Friends Merch

https://aphasia.org/event/ask-the-expert-february-2026/

https://www.cognitiverecoverylab.com/seles

https://aphasia.org/stories/announcing-the-davetrina-seles-gadson-health-equity-grant-program/

Brain Recovery After Stroke: Going Deeper on Neuroplasticity With Dr Roy Hamilton

Season 2 · Episode 3

Tuesday, November 28, 2023 • Duration 58:25

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Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to reorganize and rebuild after injury, and it is central to every aphasia recovery story. This episode goes beyond the basics, examining what the latest research reveals about how and when the brain changes, what conditions support recovery, and what that means for survivors in the long term. A follow-up to Season 1's neuroplasticity episode, built for listeners ready to go further.

Dr. Roy Hamilton, Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of Penn’s Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation (LCNS), for a part 2 discussion on Neuroplasticity.

We begin with the fundamental concept that brains are plastic and designed to change based on experience. Dr. Roy shares how the quality of care in recovery will help language get stronger or activities become easier because the brain reorganizes and adapts also known as "neuroplasticity".

Angie shares analogies that translate brain injury to neuroplasticity like “water on the motherboard”. Dr. Seles seeks tips on how practitioners can help with neuroplasticity in neurorehabilitation.

Finally, we discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion in research, research staff, and publications.

Dr. Roy Hamilton, link to the LCNS website and the email associated with the LCNS.

https://www.med.upenn.edu/lcns/

braintms@mail.med.upenn.edu

Aphasia Resources
https://aphasiaresource.org/

https://aphasiaadvocates.com/ for Brain Friends Merch

Aphasia Treatment After Stroke: What Works, What Insurance Dictates, and What Survivors Deserve

Season 2 · Episode 2

Friday, September 29, 2023 • Duration 38:20

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Aphasia treatment is more than speech therapy exercises. This episode breaks down the full landscape of aphasia rehabilitation, from automatic speech tasks to errorless learning, and examines how treatment settings shape what survivors actually receive. Dr. Seles addresses health equity in aphasia care and the role implicit bias plays in clinical decision-making. Angie shares her own treatment journey and makes the case for the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia, a framework that centers the survivor's goals, not just the clinician's checklist. The episode also confronts how insurance demands drive treatment tasks and how speech-language pathologists can write goals that align with real-world function. For SLPs, survivors, care partners, and students who need to understand what good aphasia treatment actually looks like and why, as this episode makes clear, the client does not plateau. The clinician does. In this episode of Brain Friends, we discuss aphasia treatment and ways Speech Language Pathologists support recovery.

Treatment settings and strategies from automatic speech tasks to errorless learning are explained with examples.

Dr. Seles discusses health equity in aphasia and how to avoid implicit bias. How insurance demands dictate treatment tasks and ways SLPs can write treatment goals to align with function.

Angie shares the importance of inclusion in research, treatment, and the use of patient-reported outcomes. She discusses her treatment journey and the importance of the Life Participation Approach in Aphasia.

Together we recognize that in aphasia treatment “the client doesn’t plateau, the clinician does”.

For more information on the Resource Orientation for Stroke and Aphasia conference:
https://aphasiaresource.org/

https://aphasiaadvocates.com/ for Brain Friends Merch

https://aphasia.org/event/ask-the-expert-february-2026/

What the Research Actually Says About Aphasia Recovery After Stroke

Season 2 · Episode 1

Wednesday, June 14, 2023 • Duration 31:06

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Brain Friends Season 2 kicked off with Angie interviewing Dr. Seles on Aphasia Research.

We discuss sampling biases and how to make sure research is demographically representative. Dr. Seles shares 3 tips on how to recruit a diverse sample in research and the role stakeholders have in health equity.

Finally, we confirm that research is told by who holds the pen and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.

https://aphasiaadvocates.com/ for Brain Friends Merch

https://aphasia.org/event/ask-the-expert-february-2026/

https://www.cognitiverecoverylab.com/seles

https://aphasia.org/stories/announcing-the-davetrina-seles-gadson-health-equity-grant-program/

Sleep and the Brain

Season 1 · Episode 11

Thursday, May 11, 2023 • Duration 31:23

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Season Finale. Episode 11 is full of humor as we discuss the importance of sleep and the brain.

Angie shares her fear around sleeping after her stroke and how she communicated fatigue "I feel like I have on two mink coats".

Dr. Seles discusses the link between sleep loss and poor brain health. We share tips for healthy aging and sleep hygiene.

Finally, Brain Friends goes on the road to the Clinical Aphasiology Conference. We want to hear your feedback . Please leave us a review or a topic you want us to cover in Season 2.

https://aphasiaadvocates.com/ for Brain Friends Merch

https://aphasia.org/event/ask-the-expert-february-2026/

https://www.cognitiverecoverylab.com/seles

https://aphasia.org/stories/announcing-the-davetrina-seles-gadson-health-equity-grant-program/

Brain Friends – Details, episodes & analysis

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Brain Friends – Details, episodes & analysis

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