Cavin and Alek interview musician and TBI survivor Cristabelle Braden about her organization and the power of music through rehabilitation.

(You can also hear this episode on YouTube, iTunes, Stitcher, and almost every other podcast network!)

From her website:

“If there is one thing you need to know, it’s this: Cristabelle Braden offers more than music; she offers inspiration, hope, and sincerity. Cristabelle has experienced the chaos of life, risen above it, and attempted to take every stride with grace and maturity. In high school, she had a very serious traumatic brain injury and during the first month of recovery began writing music. She has already begun to craft a strong and promising career while learning to live with traumatic brain injury. She started her own organization for brain injury awareness called Hope After Head Injury, has been steadily playing shows, released two EP’s and a single, studied music in Nashville, and opened for artists including Jaci Velasquez, Jimmy Needham, Shelly E. Johnson, and the band Reilly – all the while being on Dean’s List!

Cristabelle has been through a lot in her life. After suffering a traumatic brain injury she spent time in neuro-trauma rehabilitation therapy. Her main outlet after her injury was music. She never wrote a song before her brain injury, but only a week after, songs started to pour out of her. She was told by her doctors that she may never graduate high school, be independent from her parents, or be able to go away to college. Since then, she has grown and overcome barriers that were never dreamed possible. All of this has given her a great resolve to use her music to share her hope-filled story of rehabilitation from brain injury, and how God has the power to heal and change lives.”

Links from this episode:

• Cavin’s Article: “No Such Thing as ‘Walk it Off’: How Brain Injury Changed the Way I Watch Football“

 

• CristabelleBraden.com
• Hope After Head Injury

• “Hope Survives (Anthem for Survivors)” by Cristabelle Braden – (Website) ( iTunes)

 

• Cristabelle recommended the “Lose It!” app to help track eating — Check out her music on iTunes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Points of Interest:

• 1:00 – A Reflection on Superbowl 50
• 3:35 – Cavin’s Recent Article on Football
• 9:25 – Introduction to Cristabelle Braden
• 11:05 – Cristabelle’s single:  “Hope Survives (Anthem for Survivors)“
• 12:10 – Cristabelle’s TBI Story
• 22:00 – Cristabelle’s current deficits
• 18:20 – Video: “You Look Fine!“
• 22:20 – Head trauma more likely for women?
• 23:00 – Founding “Hope After Head Injury”
• 27:30 – Becoming a musician after head injury
• 31:00 – Physiological benefits of singing
• 35:25 – The Hope After Head Injury musical tour
• 44:00 – Moving through rehabilitation
• 51:00 – Maintaining a social life
• 55:00 – Remembering your “old self”
• 57:10 – More information about Cristabelle