In this episode, Justin and Roger are joined by Susan Hakimi, the head speech pathologist at Northridge Hospital Medical Center and the speech therapist who first worked with Roger during the earliest days of his recovery in the hospital. Susan shares how she got into speech pathology and explains the critical role speech therapists play in the immediate aftermath of a stroke.

Together, they discuss what happens during inpatient speech therapy, how clinicians evaluate communication after a stroke, and why conditions like aphasia affect speech and language the way they do.

Susan also offers insight into the early milestones therapists look for, the challenges patients face in those first days, and how families can support a loved one navigating stroke recovery.

Through both professional expertise and personal perspective, this conversation sheds light on where the recovery journey truly begins for many stroke survivors.

In this episode we introduce Tina Orkin and learn about the life she built both before and after her stroke. Tina shares her journey into healthcare, becoming a nurse and working in OB-GYN, and talks about the work she was passionate about and the patients she cared for. She also opens up about her stroke and the recovery that followed. By exploring both her career and her stroke journey, we get a fuller picture of Tina’s strength, resilience, and the experiences that have shaped her life.#StrokeRecovery #StrokeAwareness #AphasiaRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #LifeAfterStroke #RecoveryJourney #MentalHealth #Wellness #HealthStories #HealthcareHeroes #Resilience #Inspiration #PodcastLife #PodcastClips #WhenWordsDontComeEasy #Motivation #SelfCare #Mindset #LifeStories #HumanExperience

In this episode, we talk with Francis Muldowney, an Irish stroke survivor who rebuilt his life after aphasia took his speech but not his mind.

At a time when little was understood about communication disorders, Francis was often underestimated. He began using impressions and character voices to express himself, slowly carving a path back to connection and identity. At one of his lowest moments in the hospital, he considered ending his life. A quiet realization changed that decision and shaped everything that followed.

He later walked 4,000 miles across Australia, proving to himself and the world that he was far from finished.

This is a story about voice, survival, and choosing to stay.

Fourteen years ago, Eric Jackson survived a stroke that changed the way he communicates and sees the world. When his insurance ran out early in his recovery, formal therapy stopped, but Eric didn’t. He built his own routine, practicing speech and physical exercises every day, reading anything he could out loud, even the back of a mustard bottle, determined not to lose ground. For more than a decade, no one officially diagnosed him with aphasia, and he didn’t even know the word until two years ago. In this episode, Eric shares what it was like to live with something he couldn’t name, how fatigue still affects his speech, and the resilience it takes to rebuild your voice when the system runs out but you refuse to.

Ralph Cortese, host of Stroke Warrior Radio, joins us to share his story. From the shock of his stroke to the early hospital days where information felt incomplete and overwhelming, Ralph opens up about what he wishes someone had told him from the start.He talks candidly about the frustration and the mental health battle that followed.

This episode is deeply personal. It is about rebuilding confidence, reclaiming your voice, and facing the emotional side of recovery that often gets ignored. Ralph’s honesty makes this conversation one that every survivor, caregiver, and family member needs to hear.

In this episode, we talk with Aithal, a stroke survivor and author of A Stroke of Luck. He shares what it was like to lose language, and still feel a deep need to tell his story. We talk about recovery, family across continents, and what it means to keep communicating when the words don’t always come.#aphasia #stroke #strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #strokeawareness #aphasiaawareness #speechtherapy #braininjury #slp #strokewarrior #speechtherapist #speechpathology #apraxia #aphasiatherapy #autism #strokerehab #invisibleillness #hopeafterstroke #thestrokestoryteller #mysayforstroke #strokeresearch #strokerehabilation #pictureaphasia #notalone #braininjuries #strokewarriors #believeagain #smallsteps #strokefighter #mindset

In this episode, we sit down with Aphasia Phil (Phil Oxendine), an aphasia advocate who turned a lack of representation into action.

After his stroke, Phil noticed something missing. There were very few real, relatable aphasia voices on YouTube. So instead of waiting for someone else to tell those stories, he started telling his own.

Phil shares his personal journey with aphasia, what recovery has really looked like, and the moment he realized how critical support groups and community are for people living with communication challenges. We talk about isolation, finding people who truly understand, and why being seen and heard matters just as much as therapy.

In this episode, Bonnie shares her story as Roger’s wife and primary caregiver, beginning with the moment she discovered him during his stroke and the call to 911. She walks us through the shock and uncertainty of those early hospital days, learning on the fly, staying present, and making decisions when nothing felt clear.Bonnie talks candidly about what came next. The long hours in therapy, the repetition, and the progress that feels invisible from the outside. She opens up about the emotional whiplash of caregiving, the quiet victories, the frustration, the exhaustion, and the joy that still finds its way in.