Summary:

It’s been quite a week and if you were as stressed out as we were about these elections, this episode continues our de-stressing, decompressing and chilling the f*** out tips from our last episode. Joe and Lauren talk about memes and humor that got them through this week, Lauren’s love of a D&D, video games, Joe’s meditation practice and how Star Wars will save us all! How are you staying sane during these strange times? Please share on our socials!

Summary:

The state of the world is pretty wild right now and with political and social unrest plus COVID-19, this is set to be the most controversial, stressful, and critical election of our generation. So first we’d like to say if you are a United States citizen, GO VOTE TODAY!!! This episode is releasing on Election Day here in the States so once you have voted, as your NeuroNerd support system, Joe and Lauren are offering some means for destressing post-voting with video games and a movie marathon of such classics as Spice World, Mean Girls, and Labyrinth. What will you be doing post-voting on Election Day to stay sane? Please share on our socials!

It’s Halloween time and this year is definitely going to be an odd one with social distancing in full effect. So Joe and Lauren talk about how to stay safe, but still, have fun during this pandemic Halloween. They also discuss horror movies and Halloween costumes. What are you dressing up as for Halloween? Please share on our socials!

Joe has his first in-person guest on the show since the pandemic started – stroke survivor and friend Andrea Edoria. They talk about how to meet up responsibly and safely IRL and how they took precautions to make their in-person meetup happen. They also discuss how wearing masks and social distancing is about respect and caring not just for ourselves but for those around us. How are you connecting safely during this pandemic with your friends and family? Please share on our socials!

It’s the 5-year anniversary of our co-host Lauren’s concussion and we’re celebrating her life, recovery and more. In this episode, Joe and Lauren talk about her recovery journey, how her concussion has affected her life and how she’s learned to thrive post-concussion. Have you or someone you love ever suffered a concussion?

In this episode Joe interview Mackenzie Lea, Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) warrior! It’s TN Awareness Day on October 7th so Joe and Mackenzie discuss what this neurological, chronic pain condition is, how brain surgery helped diagnose Mackenzie, how she copes with this condition as a young adult, and more. Mackenzie is working to bring awareness about this condition to the masses. Please share on our socials if you or someone you know suffers from TN and let’s connect and support each other.

The hit show Psych has always been a personal favorite for our host Joe and especially our producer Felice. So we couldn’t wait to watch when we heard that the show would focus their second movie “Lassie Come Home” on the stroke recovery of one of its main characters, Lassiter, mirroring the real life stroke recovery of the actor of Timothy Omundson who plays Lassiter. Their touching depiction of stroke recovery through comedy and nerdom is one of the best we’ve seen and it touched our hearts. In this episode Joe and Felice talk all about the movie and its great service to stroke survivors everywhere. Have you seen the movie? (If not, you should!) Share your favorite moments from the movie on our socials!

With Invisible Illness Week coming up in October, Joe and Lauren continue their discussion about invisible illness from the previous episode. Joe did a poll in between episodes on Instagram asking those with invisible illnesses what are some of the most offensive things they have heard regarding their illnesses during and after recovery. The responses will surprise you. It’s just a reminder that we must be kind to our fellow humans because you never kow what they may be privately battling. If you have an invisible illness, what are some of your most misunderstood challenges and how do you cope with others not understanding what you’re going through? Please share on our socials.

The passing of Chadwick Boseman came as a major shock to fans, but what was more shocking was that this incredible actor starred as characters such as Black Panther, James Brown and Jackie Robinson, and other iconic Black figures in history all while battling cancer. So in this episode Joe and Lauren honor this nerd icon and invisible illness warrior who will continue to inspire through his iconic roles and incredible indomitable spirit. Who are some invisible illness warriors that you admire? They don’t have to be famous, they can be a friend or family. Please share on our socials.

Summary

It’s been 3 years since Joe and Lauren sat down to record some test and practice sessions of what would become The NeuroNerds podcast! In this episode, they reminisce about our podcast origin story from how Joe met Lauren, how the podcast has grown, how we’ve supported the brain injury survivor community. It’s a sentimental and joyous episode celebrating our podcast and our listener community! What is your favorite NeuroNerds podcast episode? Let us know on our socials!