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Brain Friends: The Podcast is a global space for stroke, science, and equity. Hosted by Angie Cauthorn — two-time stroke survivor and unapologetic aphasia advocate — this show unpacks the cognitive, behavioral and communication disorders that follow stroke, and the systems that shape recovery.
This podcast began with my friend and co-host, Dr. D. Seles Gadson — a brilliant neuroscientist, speech-language pathologist, and fearless champion for equity in healthcare. Her work focused on health disparities in aphasia care, particularly within the Black community, and she believed deeply in making science accessible for all. I carry her legacy forward in every conversation.
There are no survivor interviews here. Instead, we focus on the research, the roadblocks, and the real work of making neurorehabilitation more equitable, inclusive, and understood — especially for people with aphasia.
Our listeners span over 80 countries and include speech-language pathology professionals, researchers, and people with aphasia who want more than inspiration — they want information that matters.
If you're here to rethink recovery, reimagine access, and stay grounded in the science — you're in the right place.
Welcome to Brain Friends.
29 Episodes
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Send a text A stroke can feel like a lightning strike on the brain’s power grid—which is why the new 2026 AHA/ASA acute ischemic stroke guidelines focus on speed, clarity, and better systems at every step. We sit down with the chair of the writing group, Dr. Sean Pabakaron, to translate cutting-edge research into actions families, clinicians, and first responders can take right now. No jargon, no fluff—just the signals to watch, the questions to ask, and the processes that save brain. We unp...
Send a text A friendship became a movement when a survivor searching for culturally competent therapy met a clinician who refused to treat equity like an optional add-on. What started as a phone call turned into Brain Friends—a space where lived experience and rigorous science work side by side to make aphasia, stroke recovery, and neuroplasticity feel human, practical, and possible. We walk through the real story: how instant respect turned into a partnership, how roles formed—one voice tra...
Send a text Words don’t just disappear; sometimes the path to them does. We explore what aphasia really is—evidence of brain injury—and why that framing changes everything for survivors, caregivers, and clinicians. Instead of waiting at a broken bridge, we focus on building new routes: consent-based support, yes/no prompts, two-choice options, functional descriptions, and shared signals that turn help into partnership. The result is less pressure, more access, and conversations that actually ...
Send a text A face that slips, a word that won’t come, an arm that won’t lift—tiny moments that point to massive truths about how the brain works, heals, and sometimes declines. I invited Dr. Roy Hamilton, neurologist, neuroplasticity researcher, and one of the clearest teachers in our field, to help us untangle aphasia, dementia, and stroke with practical language and unforgettable analogies. We start by separating terms people often blend. Dementia isn’t just memory loss; it’s a progressiv...
Send a text Dr. Seles shares her harrowing experience of being in Israel when war broke out in October, capturing both the fear of the situation and the remarkable perspective it gave her on American privilege. • Dr. Seles traveled to Israel with a church group of 60 people including her mother • She was baptized in the Jordan River by her childhood pastor who had originally baptized her 20+ years ago • Plans changed suddenly when they were redirected to Jerusalem due to a "developing situat...
Send a text Hey Brain Friends, Celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Seles is at the heart of today's episode. I'm sharing the original recording of our neuroplasticity episode from 2022 that didn't make the cut. We had so much fun recording this but when we went to edit, the levels were not good. updates to the platform, there is a fix now. LOL We explore the concept of neuroplasticity and its role in recovery and personal growth, infused with laughter and ice breakers! We had such a good t...
Send a text In this brief episode of Brain Friends, Angie shares the devastating news of the passing of her beloved friend and co-host, Dr. Davetrina Seles Gadson, after a courageous battle with cancer. Dr. Seles, a brilliant and compassionate neuro nerd and speech-language pathologist, brought a unique blend of expertise and warmth to Brain Friends. Her insights and genuine concern for the aphasia community deeply resonated with listeners. Angie pays tribute to Dr. Seles's unwavering s...
Send a text In this episode of Brain Friends, we delve into the complexities of cognitive function and its disorders. Angie shares her personal journey with cognitive impairment following a stroke, highlighting the challenges of aphasia and adapting to a "new normal." Dr. Seles provides insights into the differences of cognitive testing, explaining why certain tests are designed for specific populations and the importance of normalized testing. What you'll learn: How strokes, ...
Send a text Language assessments after stroke are not all the same, and the type of test a clinician chooses directly affects what gets measured and what gets missed. This episode breaks down the difference between impairment-based assessments like the Western Aphasia Battery and participation-based assessments like the Communication Activities of Daily Living, and explains why that distinction matters for survivors. Dr. Seles walks through how aphasia intersects with cognition and why ...
Send a text In this episode of Brain Friends, we share a behind-the-scenes conversation between Angie and Dr. Seles on Anomia. Together we weigh the benefits of recognizing the different types of Anomia and the challenges with diagnosis. Anomia is a fluent aphasia characterized by word-finding difficulty or the inability to name objects. Should we classify Anomia differently? What can Speech-Language Pathologists and researchers do to better help survivors with Anomia? https:...
Send a text Black stroke survivors with aphasia face compounding barriers to care, and the research is clear on what needs to change. This episode breaks down five concrete actions clinicians, researchers, and care partners can take right now: implicit bias training, workforce diversity, representation in research, health literacy support, and patient-reported outcomes. Hosted by Angie of Brain Friends: The Podcast. Resources included for caregivers seeking compensation and for speech-l...
Send a text 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 Aphas...
Send a text 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 ...
Send a text 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 mea...
Send a text 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...
Send a text 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, Psyc...
Send a text 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 frame...
Send a text 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 htt...
Send a text 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 ...
Send a text What do stroke survivors with aphasia and elite professional athletes have in common? More than you think. Angie Cauthorn and Dr. Seles apply five performance principles from professional sports ,training consistency, mental resilience, rest and recovery, nutrition, and coaching directly to aphasia rehabilitation after stroke. The result is a practical, evidence-informed framework for survivors who want to approach recovery with the same intention a professional athlete brings to ...
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