Los Angeles, CA
I love podcasts – I listen to them while I work. While I clean. While I cook. Scroll through my Spotify account and you’ll see a handful of cultural, political, informative and spiritual podcasts, guaranteed to give an eargasm.
The idea of dropping in to hear a conversation, a hot take, to be enlightened or to laugh, appeal to my natural curiosity.
On the hunt for stroke resources, I came across Joe Borges, one of two hosts of The NeuroNerds podcast that has been in production for three years.
Joe has a bald head and an energetic, warm personality; always open to chat with fellow survivors. The thing I’ve noticed about this community of people, is the comradery and kindness.
He and his co-host Lauren started the podcast after meeting at a party, “I was sharing my story and this woman started staring. She came up to me and shared that she suffered a major concussion due to a car accident. Everything I was saying, resonated with her; we were dealing with similar things. We met for coffee and I realized that she was a huge nerd - we came up with the idea of meeting weekly to record a podcast to share our recovery journey. It started as a way for both of us to connect and heal, but turned into something much larger.”
Prior to podcasting, Joe spent his career working as a retail manager and a small business owner. Unfortunately, in the 2008 recession, he lost his business, later transitioning into consulting and music management.
The then, 39 year-old needed a creative way to process his emotions after suffering from his own hemorrhage, “I wasn’t able to go back to the way things were, so I needed to figure out a how to recover mentally – I needed a way to get all of the thoughts and feelings I had inside of me, out. Starting my podcast gave me a platform to share my healing process and move forward.”
Double Espresso With Joe.
Joe’s hemorrhage occurred back in August 2016, while out at a bar. His right basal ganglia ruptured, resulting in left side neglect that, thankfully, only lasted a few days. He still suffers from short term memory issues and tremors in his right hand. Like most, Joe completed a combination of both in and outpatient physical and occupational therapy to help get him back on track. The podcast as a creative outlet helps keep him focused, but it’s not without its’ flubs, “my memory is still the biggest issue for me. With Lauren and I, it’s literally the brain-injured leading the brain-injured. We once thought we recorded an entire episode but forgot to press ‘record.’ Having my girlfriend as the show’s producer has been amazing – she’s not only my caregiver but my handler as well.”
As a survivor myself, I understand the difficulty that come with accepting the new person, new challenges and ultimately, a new reality. The anxiety and onset depression from mourning your former life can attack your core, pushing you more off center. Joe found a way to climb out of the hole, regaining balance.
“I desperately needed a way to share what was going on with me, post-stroke. I was in a new body and mind. My podcast gave me that platform. My stroke gave me a second chance at life. I never really shared anything about myself before - I was always a very private person, but post-stroke, I’m an open book. I feel we all need to share, to educate the world and prevent others from going through what I have. 80% of all strokes can be prevented. My stroke was preventable. If I can help someone from becoming part of my community, all of this is worth it.”
In the times of covid-19 and civil unrest across the country, survivors are often put in a sticky position. Joe is doing his part by spreading a message of hope, particularly for Black survivors who are at the cross section. I was recently a guest on episode 114 of the podcast, discussing my personal experience with the pandemic.
“We do our best to stay current. When major events take place in the world, we take action. My podcast has a continuing series of interviews called Amplify Black Voices; I give Black brain injury survivors a platform to share what it’s like living in the world today. We also do our best to interview fellow survivors as often as possible to get as many stories out there. Information is so important. Our stories are so important. We’re working to share the most current and best information that we can for the community.”
One of Joe’s favorite episodes is #57 [Emilia Clarke, SameYou.org and Imposter Syndrome Part 2], where the duo discuss the psychological effects that often come after a brain injury and actress Emilia Clarke, most known for her role as Daenerys Targareyen on HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones, ’ who experienced a brain aneurysm a few years back.
In episodes #40 and 41 [AVM Survivor Thomas Mejia Part 1 & 2] he helps a fellow survivor and close friend open about the struggles of recovery. In episode #67 [Joe and the Valley Presbyterian Hospital Incident] Joe gets unfiltered about a traumatic hospital incident, resulting in PTSD.
“It’s deep and nothing like our other episodes. Trigger warning to anyone who tunes in.”
I listened to the aforementioned episodes and got teary eyed myself. Even through the tough stuff, Joe remains optimistic:
“Patience was never one of my virtues. I always want to do more. I was able to stand, now I want to walk. I’m walking, now I want to run. My outpatient therapist told me, after I continued to push, that I was going to harm myself. That I needed to gain patience. He said the one thing that really changed my recovery to that point: ‘you have to be patient or you will forever be a patient.’ I never wanted to go back to the hospital again, so I worked so hard at being patient. It was the best advice I could have ever gotten. I’m here and functional because of it.”
His therapist is right – it takes time to heal. Impatience, especially in the beginning, can be detrimental and often leads to harsh setbacks; it’s one of the lessons I had to learn the hard way in my own recovery.
“Life beyond stroke can be what you make it. We have been given a gift that most will never get: a second chance to live. We didn’t get that second chance to do the same things we did before. To stress and worry. To be angry and bitter. We survived to live. Life can still be difficult, but no matter how hard it gets, we are here. We made it. We are blessed enough to be here to experience it. Now it’s time for us to live. Truly live.”
Joe is currently working on creating the NeuroNerd Network: a place for brain injury survivors to connect.
I am happy that I was able to find him – his presence, strength and enthusiasm for life is needed in survivor community.
Fast5 Facts:
Define Success: Waking up healthy, happy and content
Coffee or Tea: Double espresso
Who/What Is Your Motivator: Life & my community
What Balances You: Mediation
Favorite Color: Pink
You can check the out TheNeuroNerds Podcast on your favorite streaming service or at TheNeuroNerds.com. Follow Joe on IG @joesorocks
Mood Music: Otis – Jay Z, Kanye West ft. Otis Redding