Hope and the Progression of Living our Best Life After a Brain Injury Keynote Presentation

Hope and the Progression of Living our Best Life After a Brain Injury Keynote Presentation

On March 3, 2026 I will be giving the presentation: Hope and the Progression of Living our Best Life After a Brain Injury Keynote Presentation to the INOVA Loudoun Hospital Outpatient Specialty Rehabilitation, in Leesburg, Virginia.

Through out my life I have encountered many events that could have resulted in my giving up. In my experience, I had to grieve what I could not change, so that I could move forward and not stay stuck. Stuck in what of could have been, to what might be. In my experience I needed to make the decision to be the architect of my future. I needed to look at hope in a different way. Hope that gave me the ability to realize that I could take action to make different choices.

Hope and the Progression of Living our Best Life After a Brain Injury Keynote Presentation

Being the Author of my Life, Process and Journey — When Living did not seem to Matter

How we Experience Living

In my ongoing ongoing brain injury recovery process I came to realize that I needed to engage all of me. All of what made me who I am. My mind, body, spirit, soul and emotions as I engaged in life after my brain injury and with my invisible disability.

To engage in my life with my mind, body, spirit, soul and emotions, I needed to become aware. Become aware of how to become my own author in my mind, body, spirit, soul and emotions after my brain injury. 

Below are brief explanations our mind, body, spirit, soul and emotions contribute. Contribute to our quality of life and well-being. By gaining this awareness, living with a brain injury can be more of an adventure, rather than a struggle to be endured.

And as we look at our process as an inch by inch journey, instead of yard by yard experience being our own author evolves. Evolves by our being actively involved in an ongoing holistic brain injury recover process as we lived days and time given.

“inch by inch life’s a cinch. Yard by yard it’s very hard.”  John Bytheway 

Overview

Mind — How I gather information that gives me the ability to make decisions and choices.

Body – Gives me the ability to engage physically in my life and relations.

Spirit – How I communicate with the God of my understanding and with myself.

Soul – How I relate to myself and the people in my world.

Emotions – How I interpret what goes on in my world.

More Specifically and in Reflection

Body – working out using both sides of my brain and both sides of my body through repetitive mirrored movements. Using the principles of neuroplasticity to improve hand-eye coordination, balance, body awareness, coordination, focus, body awareness and agility. Create new neural pathways and brain reorganization through repetitive mirrored movements using the right / left sides, affected / non-affected side of our brain and body.

Soul – Growing in knowledge, wisdom and effectiveness through the application of that knowledge and wisdom. The soul is the expression of who the individual is as a unique being. The soul gives the individual the ability to experience and express their belief, desire and intention(s) to make choices and take action. The soul ‘births” and drives the individual’s purpose. The soul is how you use your time and energy. Use your time and energy to experience your life and well-being.

Spirit – The connection to God. The connection to myself. The importance of making peace with God so that I can learn to trust Him and His guidance. The importance of making peace with my past so that my past does not spoil my present. Not relying on my own limited understanding. Trusting a loving God to guide and direct my steps each day, one day at a time. Not relying on your own understanding by inviting a loving God to lead, guide, direct and protect you in all our affairs.

Mind – Gives the individual the ability to think, to imagine, to remember, to formulate the process of our lives. To exercise the intention and motivation. Powers the individuals “will” and “intention” through reason, perception, attitudes, suspicions, and fears. Examines how we look at and see both ourselves, our relationships, and the world at large. The mind gives us that ability to reason things out as our body, soul, spirit and emotions encounter the experience of living each day

Emotions – Being aware of how I am interpreting my experience and my relationships. Being aware of how I react or respond to my experience. Learning how to talk, trust and feel with safe people. The power of identification. Coming out of the shadows of isolation and breaking free from feelings of alienation. Finding hope through healthy expression. Healthy expression of our interpretation of what is occurring in our lives, relationships and well-being as we live our lives.

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Being our own Author through our Mind, Body, Spirit, Soul and Emotions

“Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.” Guy Finley

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments the better.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Ideas do not always come in a flash but by diligent trial-and-error experiments that take time and thought.” Charles K. Kao

You are not alone in the struggle to make sense of your life, process and journey.

Be Encouraged — More will be revealed with time

Traumatic brain injury, car accident, in 1967 when I was 10 years old. Open skull fracture, right frontal lobe damage, a severe brain bruise with brain stem involvement. Remained in a coma for 3 weeks. Fractured left femur (thigh bone), in traction 7 weeks, Spica (full-body) cast for 5 months. Given 2 EEG’s and a battery of cognitive and psycho social testing.  According to the test results I was not supposed to succeed beyond high school academically. Learned how to walk, talk, read, write and speak in complete sentences after my traumatic brain injury. I was tutored at home in the 5th grade and then mainstreamed back into elementary school in the 6th grade. I continued to junior high and then high school. I  graduated on time with my high school class in 1975.

After graduation I went on to obtain my undergraduate degree in 10 years (2 universities, 1 community college). I then went on to obtain my master’s degree in 3 1/2 years (2 graduate schools) in Rehabilitation Counseling. In the process I passed my national credential testing and became a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). I had a 20-year history of getting and losing jobs. While on probation as vocational rehab counselor with the Florida Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, I was made a client due to difficulties on the job. Difficulties and disclosing that I sustained a traumatic brain injury when I was 10 years old. Two months later I was fired as a counselor and then a year later terminated as a client because of a poor job placement.

After sending resumes and cover letters to North Carolina, I was recruited to work as a CRC  for an insurance company. I was fired 4 months after being hired from this company. Due to a difficulty finding work. I reapplied for vocational rehabilitation services with the North Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. After completing the evaluation process with Dept. of Vocational Rehabilitation my counselor reported the results. The results were shared that revealed I was unemployable. I also applied for SSDI 2 times in Florida and then 1 time in North Carolina. My 3rd application for SSDI was approved by the Social Security Administration after my evaluation process with DVR revealed and reported that I was unemployable.

Consequently, my experience with being unable to maintain gainful employment, left me frustrated. Frustrated because despite persevering to obtain my undergraduate and graduate degrees and attempting to stay employed, failed. Failed in both non-professional and professional jobs, despite my strong worth ethic, determination, persistence and tenacity.  Despite 2 state Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Departments not being able to help me. Consequently, I felt like some one who had been  all dressed up with no where to go. No where to go vocationally although I had diligently applied myself for many years. Consequently, I found myself at a cross roads with a decision. I could give up or continue to search to find my place.

Find my place in how to use my gifts, talents and abilities in ways that 2 Departments of Vocational Rehabilitation had no answer. And I am glad that I did not give up on finding a way to use my gifts, talents and abilities in ways that worked. After  7 more years of searching, I found a medium in which I could own my power. Own my power though being involved in my own self-agency. Self-agency that no one could do for me. Self-agency to discover how to use my gifts, talents and abilities in ways that would work specifically for me. And on February 6, 2007 I created Second Chance to Live to share hope. Ways that would help me be the author of my life, process and journey. To be the author of my independence, my identity and my purpose.

To share hope and encourage individuals living with the impact of brain injuries to be authors. Authors of their lives, process and journey’s. To share hope through resources. Resources such as articles, video presentations, keynote and discussion presentations, eBooks and posters. Share hope and encouragement through principles of trauma-informed care. To further be of support and service to individual living with brain injuries I have also introduced principles. Principles  of trauma-informed care in mentoring AI. Mentoring artificial intelligence with the goal that AI developers  will integrate trauma-informed care principles into designing, building, and deploying ethically support to serve individuals who are living with brain injuries.