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Brain Friends
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.
Episodes
30 episodes
The Blueprint: Dr. Davetrina Seles Gadson on Black Stroke Survivors Health Equity and Aphasia
Two world-class researchers walked into this conversation because of one woman. They did not have to. They chose to. Dr. Peter Turkeltaub is a neurologist at Georgetown University Medical Center. MD. PhD. He directs the Cogni...
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New ASA 2026 Stroke Ischemic Guidelines with Chair Dr. Shyam Prabhakaran
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, D...
Memories of Seles 5/24/82 - 1/11/25 raise a glass.
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...
Understanding Aphasia: Tools, Consent, And Real-World Communication
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...
Aphasia, Dementia, and Stroke with Dr Roy Hamilton
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 o...
From Jordan River Baptism to Emergency Evacuation: Dr Seles's Unexpected Journey
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 ...
Welcome to Season 3
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 ...
Heartbreaking news about Dr Seles...
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 comp...
Cognitive Impairment and Dementia
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...
Aphasia Assessments Explained: From the Western Aphasia Battery to Quality of Life
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 t...
What is Anomic Aphasia?
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. Anomi...
Five Ways to Advance Health Equity for Black People With Aphasia
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: implic...
Why Aphasia Awareness Matters: What Survivors, Families, and Clinicians Need to Know
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...
Caregiver Tap In: Supporting Stroke Survivors with Aphasia Guest Charles Cauthorn
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 betwe...
When Language Declines Slowly: Understanding Primary Progressive Aphasia
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 diffe...
Alexia, Aphasia, Agraphia - Reading, Talking & Writing
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 ...
Brain Recovery After Stroke: Going Deeper on Neuroplasticity With Dr Roy Hamilton
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...
Aphasia Treatment After Stroke: What Works, What Insurance Dictates, and What Survivors Deserve
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 ac...
What the Research Actually Says About Aphasia Recovery After Stroke
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 divers...
Sleep and the Brain
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. Se...
Aphasia Recovery Tips from Professional Athletes: Performance, Mindset, and Rehab
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...
Aphasia Types Explained: Broca's, Wernicke's, and Celebrity Diagnoses
Broca's aphasia. Wernicke's aphasia. Global aphasia. Conduction aphasia. The clinical labels matter — but what do they actually mean for the person living inside them? Dr. Davetrina Seles Gadson breaks down the hallmark features of each major a...
Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity — the brain's ability to rewire itself after injury is the scientific foundation of aphasia recovery after stroke. But most survivors never hear the word explained in plain language. Angie breaks down what neuroplastici...
The First ROSA: How One Idea Became a Movement for Aphasia Awareness
Episode Title Suggestion: The First ROSA: How One Idea Became a Movement for Aphasia AwarenessEpisode Description:Before it had a name, it had a vision.What is now known as ROSA (Resource Orientation ...
Mental Health After Stroke: Depression, Anxiety, and Aphasia Recovery
Stroke survivors with aphasia often experience depression or grief related to loss of social roles and communication. Speech-language pathologists play a role in helping clients navigate emotion when it shows up during therapy.