LIFE Beyond Aphasia

Marriage after aphasia often brings grief that no one talks about.

In this episode, we explore how identity shift changes roles inside a marriage after stroke. Allie Reed and Dr. Jackie Hinckley share research that asked couples, “Would you marry me again?” Their findings reveal how little support couples receive for navigating relationship changes after aphasia.

If you are an aphasia care partner holding everything together, it ca...

Rehab ends—but recovery doesn’t. And rebuilding communication after aphasia takes more than hope. It takes a plan.

Ready to build your life beyond aphasia? Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/RebuildLIFEBeyondAphasia

In this special role-reversal episode, Dr. Viraj interviews Genevieve Richardson about what real recovery looks like after stroke—long after therapy schedules end and the structure disappears.

One year ago, Genevieve int...

Many people are told they’ve plateaued after aphasia.

But what if that’s not what’s happening at all?

In this episode of Life Beyond Aphasia, Genevieve Richardson explains why recovery often stalls after rehab ends — and why grief and identity loss are frequently the missing pieces.

Based on decades of clinical experience, Genevieve reframes “plateaus” as roadblocks, not endpoints. She shares why communication skills often don’t ge...

Caregiver grief after aphasia often shows up as anger, guilt, and shame—especially when your partner survived and everyone expects gratitude.

In this episode of Life Beyond Aphasia, Genevieve Richardson speaks with grief coach Megan Young about the hidden grief many care partners carry after stroke and aphasia. Together, they explore why grief lingers long after rehab ends, how dismissive comments from others can deepen isolation, ...

Everyone says you’re doing great after aphasia — but inside, you don’t feel like yourself.

In this episode of Life Beyond Aphasia, Genevieve Richardson speaks directly to people living with aphasia who have made progress in recovery yet still feel unsettled, disconnected, or unsure how to explain what’s missing. This conversation explores survivor grief and identity loss after aphasia — especially when words are hard to find and ot...

You’ve planned your trip—now it’s time to keep your energy steady. When the communication gas tank runs dry, clarity and confidence fade. Real success happens during the trip—not just before it.

Join host Genevieve as she shares 3 real-time strategies to manage fatigue, noise, and fast-paced moments while traveling. Learn how small, repeatable actions like scheduled stops and deep environmental control save precious energy and allo...

Travel with aphasia isn't impossible, but the noise, new faces, and tight schedules can drain your energy fast. Preparation isn't just planning—it’s freedom. Every minute you plan ahead is time saved later to enjoy the trip, not just survive it.

Join host Genevieve as she reveals the 4-Point Aphasia Checklist designed to swap pre-trip anxiety for confidence. Learn the systematic work required before you leave the house to protect y...

Courage is powerful, but how do you turn that courage into competence? Confidence comes from structure, and this repeatable 5-step system is the blueprint for every big event, family dinner, or presentation.

Host Genevieve walks you through Bruce’s Self-Advocacy Game Plan, showing how teamwork (Director and Assistant roles) and preparation turn potential stress into success. Learn the exact checklist used to help Bruce walk off sta...

If you're living with a communication challenge, you know what it feels like when people talk too fast or finish your sentences. Self-advocacy is the courage to stop waiting to be understood and instead, give people the rules to meet you halfway.

Join host Genevieve as she shares how Bruce, living with ataxic dysarthria, rebuilt his confidence by learning to speak up. Discover the 3 Pillars of Advocacy for taking back control: owni...

Traveling with aphasia can feel like stepping into the unknown, but it doesn’t have to be guesswork. With a little preparation, you can turn confusion into confidence and prove that life is still ready for participation.

Host Genevieve shares Alvin and Jill's exact 3-Step Travel Game Plan—the system they used to make travel not just possible, but enjoyable. This system, based on the Inclusion Framework and supported by SCA™ princip...

You're excited to travel and participate again, but the noise, crowds, and unknowns feel like an emotional tax that drains your energy. That's the invisible anxiety of aphasia, and anticipation feels like work.

Join host Genevieve as she shares a core reframe: Every small preparation step is an investment in future confidence, not just pushing through fatigue. Discover 3 simple investments—backed by Supported Conversation for Adult...

Inclusion isn't seasonal—it's a skill that requires a system. If you understand the "Mental Gas Tank," the next step is proactively coaching your guests so conversations feel calmer, easier, and truly inclusive.

Join host Genevieve as she walks you through Len and Denise’s 3-Step Playbook—a simple, kind system to coach family and friends, reducing your loved one's cognitive load and helping everyone focus on connection, not communi...

Have you ever felt like you're watching your own life on fast forward, where everything happens too quickly to keep up? That's the invisible drain of aphasia fatigue—the social and communication overload that leaves the brain's mental gas tank empty.

In this episode, host Genevieve shares the mindset shift every care partner needs: it's not about having more words, it's about having more fuel for the words you already have. Learn h...

Inclusion doesn't just happen—it’s something we practice. The loving instinct to protect your person with aphasia can inadvertently shrink their world, but today, host Genevieve shares a practical, evidence-based 3-part Inclusion Routine.

This tactical action plan is grounded in frameworks like Supported Conversation for Adults (SCA™) and is designed to turn the belief that inclusion is participation into a daily reality. Learn to ...

You love them, but are you accidentally slowing their progress? This episode tackles the one mindset that silently holds families back after aphasia: the urge to protect instead of include.

Like Shirley’s family, every care partner struggles with the kind instinct to shield a loved one from frustration or embarrassment. But here’s the truth: this instinct to protect can actually build distance, giving you efficiency but losing conn...

“We used to be better at this.” That thought comes when you open a drawer and find old communication tools — the photo cards, the whiteboard, the worksheets. They were helping once. Then life got heavy, and they slipped away.

If you’re carrying that quiet hum of mental noise — the endless “What did I forget?” — you’re not alone. This episode helps you turn a simple seasonal cue, Daylight Savings, into a chance to pull communicatio...

“He was sent home after only 20 days of therapy. No roadmap. No plan. Just silence.”

For many stroke survivors, that silence turns into helplessness. But for Eric Jackson, it sparked something else. In this conversation, Eric shares how he rebuilt his life after aphasia—returning to work, finding his own speech strategies, and eventually stepping into advocacy and research. This is aphasia recovery that refuses to stop at survival.

...

When stroke changes who you are and how you see yourself, recovery can’t stop at the physical. This episode explores how rebuilding identity together brings back meaning, purpose, and connection. Work with us.

After stroke and aphasia, most families are told how to recover skills—not how to rebuild a life. In this conversation, Genevieve talks with Debra Meyerson and Steve Zuckerman, co-founders of Stroke Onward and authors of Iden...

“I don’t always do this in public, because it’s exhausting—but I can, if you give me a minute.”

If you've ever filled in the blank, answered for your partner, or just wanted to make life easier—you’re not alone. But there’s a hidden cost to helping too much. And for survivors with aphasia, that cost is steep: they start to believe they can’t.

This episode is about the quiet way learned helplessness takes root in stroke recovery—and...