Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke

Imagine plunging into the depths of the English Channel, thirty meters below the surface, utterly alone. Panic takes over, your breath spiralling out of control when survival depends on calm. What happens next doesn’t just save the dive—it changes your outlook on life.

Years later, a sudden stroke brings an entirely new challenge. Recovery plunges you into a different kind of depth—one filled with uncertainty, frustration, and self-discovery. Through this chaos, creativity ignites, lessons emerge, and breathing transforms from a reflex into a powerful symbol of resilience.

This week on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke, we welcome retired IT manager, guitar teacher, history buff, and music lover Peter Cass who invites us on a breathtaking journey through two defining moments: a near-drowning experience and the long road to recovery after a stroke. Both tested his limits and reshaped his identity, revealing the human spirit's ability to rise from life’s deepest challenges.

Peter's Resource Suggestions:

Different Strokes
Markus Birdman
Peter Cass' Substack
Peter Cass' Facebook
Peter Cass' Instagram
Same You
Stroke Association UK
What is Yoga Nidra - WebMD

Community Conversation Prompts:

1. What reminds you to stop and focus on your breath each day?  
2. What is a surprising lesson you’ve learned from a difficult experience?

Imagine plunging into the depths of the English Channel, thirty meters below the surface, utterly alone. Panic takes over, your breath spiralling out of control when survival depends on calm. What happens next doesn’t just save the dive—it changes your outlook on life.

Years later, a sudden stroke brings an entirely new challenge. Recovery plunges you into a different kind of depth—one filled with uncertainty, frustration, and self-discovery. Through this chaos, creativity ignites, lessons emerge, and breathing transforms from a reflex into a powerful symbol of resilience.

This week on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke, we welcome retired IT manager, guitar teacher, history buff, and music lover Peter Cass who invites us on a breathtaking journey through two defining moments: a near-drowning experience and the long road to recovery after a stroke. Both tested his limits and reshaped his identity, revealing the human spirit's ability to rise from life’s deepest challenges.

Peter's Resource Suggestions:

Different Strokes
Markus Birdman
Peter Cass' Substack
Peter Cass' Facebook
Peter Cass' Instagram
Same You
Stroke Association UK
What is Yoga Nidra - WebMD

Community Conversation Prompts:

1. What reminds you to stop and focus on your breath each day?  
2. What is a surprising lesson you’ve learned from a difficult experience?

This week on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke, we welcome musician and author of Saigon Siren: Memoir of a Stroke Recovery.  Antonio Iannella's journey through recovery became a testament to the healing power of creativity. From early sparks of inspiration in childhood to the intense, life-changing challenges of rebuilding himself, Antonio found music and writing to be both a refuge and a guide. Tune in to hear how he transformed adversity into a renewed sense of purpose, finding hope and joy in simple moments, and ultimately, reconnecting with the passion that saved his life.

Community Conversation Prompts:

1. What helps you get through the tough times?
2. How do you arrange your schedule to encounter moments of joy each day?

Antonio's Resources:

Saigon Siren: Memoir of a Stroke Recovery
Social Media Links - Facebook and Instagram

This week on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke, we welcome musician and author of Saigon Siren: Memoir of a Stroke Recovery.  Antonio Iannella's journey through recovery became a testament to the healing power of creativity. From early sparks of inspiration in childhood to the intense, life-changing challenges of rebuilding himself, Antonio found music and writing to be both a refuge and a guide. Tune in to hear how he transformed adversity into a renewed sense of purpose, finding hope and joy in simple moments, and ultimately, reconnecting with the passion that saved his life.

Community Conversation Prompts:

1. What helps you get through the tough times?
2. How do you arrange your schedule to encounter moments of joy each day?

Antonio's Resources:

Saigon Siren: Memoir of a Stroke Recovery
Social Media Links - Facebook and Instagram

This week on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke, we welcome guest Mitch Raymond, a loving husband, devoted father, and empathetic physical therapist. Mitch was born with a brain tumor, which resulted in a life-changing stroke at the age of six. He reflects on experiences living with disabilities as a child and the transformative moments that helped him redefine the word "special," ultimately inspiring his life direction.

Community Conversation Prompts:

• How have you overcome significant challenges? 
• What difficult life experience have you drawn upon to support or empower others?  How do you do so?

Resources:
Long Trail School
Quinnipiac University
Rotary Cub
Special Olympics 
This is Me - The Greatest Showman
United Health Alliance Stroke Camp

This week on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke, we welcome guest Mitch Raymond, a loving husband, devoted father, and empathetic physical therapist. Mitch was born with a brain tumor, which resulted in a life-changing stroke at the age of six. He reflects on experiences living with disabilities as a child and the transformative moments that helped him redefine the word "special," ultimately inspiring his life direction.

Community Conversation Prompts:

• How have you overcome significant challenges? 
• What difficult life experience have you drawn upon to support or empower others?  How do you do so?

Resources:
Long Trail School
Quinnipiac University
Rotary Cub
Special Olympics 
This is Me - The Greatest Showman
United Health Alliance Stroke Camp

This week on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke we share a Community Special.  Seattle’s Young Adult Stroke Survivor Group is for the young and young at heart and is led by Jessica Partnow and Scott Brody.  In today’s episode, stroke survivors share recovery insights. They talk about self-advocacy, healing mantras, effective communication, and finding gratitude in everyday moments. Whether you’re navigating your own recovery journey or supporting someone who is, this episode offers practical wisdom and tools for personal growth. 

Resource:

Seattle Young Adult Stroke Survivors

Community Conversation Prompts:

1. What wisdom has emerged through your own recovery?
2. How has your perspective shifted over time?
3. What is your hope for other stroke survivors?

This week on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke, we welcome guest Aaron Hachez, who suffered a stroke on April 11, 2011.  Aaron, a father and appreciator of life's little moments, taught himself computer programming at age 11 and went on to work as a professional programmer for 20 years. After his stroke, he chose to pursue his passion for language by enrolling in a collegiate linguistics program, fulfilling his lifelong dream of earning a degree.

Aaron shares his recovery journey, describing the experience of waking as “a newborn in an adult body.”   He offers a unique perspective on regaining consciousness, memory, speech, and mobility while seeing the world anew. Join us as he uncovers creative ways to engage and live with intention, revealing a story of deep vulnerability, strength, and the beauty of reinvention.  Aaron’s Story is entitled, “Yes, and…”

Community Conversation Prompts:

1. What new and exciting creative project would you like to explore? How could you take one step towards that this week?
2. How have you created opportunities with the motto "Yes, and...?" How would you like to do so moving forward? 

This week on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke, we welcome guest Aaron Hachez, who suffered a stroke on April 11, 2011.  Aaron, a father and appreciator of life's little moments, taught himself computer programming at age 11 and went on to work as a professional programmer for 20 years. After his stroke, he chose to pursue his passion for language by enrolling in a collegiate linguistics program, fulfilling his lifelong dream of earning a degree.

Aaron shares his recovery journey, describing the experience of waking as “a newborn in an adult body.”   He offers a unique perspective on regaining consciousness, memory, speech, and mobility while seeing the world anew. Join us as he uncovers creative ways to engage and live with intention, revealing a story of deep vulnerability, strength, and the beauty of reinvention.  Aaron’s Story is entitled, “Yes, and…”

Community Conversation Prompts:

1. What new and exciting creative project would you like to explore? How could you take one step towards that this week?
2. How have you created opportunities with the motto "Yes, and...?" How would you like to do so moving forward? 

This week we welcome guest Michael Shutt, a playwright, actor, director, and producer with 30 years of experience.  Michael wrote and performed the  autobiographical solo show entitled, “A Lesson in Swimming” that takes audiences inside his brain as it breaks and invites them to experience how deep the cracks really go. 

In this episode, we delve into the world of invisible disabilities—the challenges that can’t always be seen, but are deeply felt.  Today’s guest, Michael Shutt, survived three strokes, but his journey didn’t end with survival—it began there. His experience of living with vision loss, face blindness, and sensory overload has given him a unique perspective on life, identity, and the profound need to feel seen.

Michael shares the ways he navigates a world that often misunderstands him and reveals the strategies he’s developed to stay connected, not just to others—but to himself. Through his story, we learn how authenticity and truth-telling can lead to visibility, resilience, and, ultimately, purpose.

So, settle in, listen closely, and discover the magic of making the invisible...visible."  Today’s story is entitled, “The Magic of Authenticity.”

Community Conversation Prompts:

1. Who makes you feel truly seen and heard? How do they create a safe space for you to express yourself authentically?
2. When have you created space for others to express themselves authentically, and how did it deepen your connection?

Michael's Resource Suggestion:

A Lesson in Swimming