Today we meet Denise Lowell.  Denise shares her journey from confusion, depression, and isolation after her stroke to discovering purpose and creating community. After losing her ability to read, write, and speak clearly due to aphasia, Denise transformed her struggle into action—creating a thriving aphasia support community in Rhode Island that has grown from a single conference to an organization serving people worldwide. Now, as she embarks on graduate school and explores what it means to care for herself after years of advocating for others, Denise reflects on the question: "What do I want to be when I grow up?"

Community Conversation Prompt:

What inspiring moment in your life nudged you to make a difference in the lives of others?

Mentioned Resources:

Just ASK (Aphasia Stroke Knowledge)
Aphasia Center Intensive Treatment Programs
Bridge Project
Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
National Aphasia Synergy
Trish Hambridge's Story and Interview

Support a Stroke Survivor:

Your gift sponsors a stroke survivor through our seven-week reflective story crafting journey.
👉 Donate at beyondstillness.org

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit that empowers stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

Follow us: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · beyondstillness.org

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today we meet Denise Lowell.  Denise shares her journey from confusion, depression, and isolation after her stroke to discovering purpose and creating community. After losing her ability to read, write, and speak clearly due to aphasia, Denise transformed her struggle into action—creating a thriving aphasia support community in Rhode Island that has grown from a single conference to an organization serving people worldwide. Now, as she embarks on graduate school and explores what it means to care for herself after years of advocating for others, Denise reflects on the question: "What do I want to be when I grow up?"

Community Conversation Prompt:

What inspiring moment in your life nudged you to make a difference in the lives of others?

Mentioned Resources:

Just ASK (Aphasia Stroke Knowledge)
Aphasia Center Intensive Treatment Programs
Bridge Project
Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
National Aphasia Synergy
Trish Hambridge's Story and Interview

Support a Stroke Survivor:

Your gift sponsors a stroke survivor through our seven-week reflective story crafting journey.
👉 Donate at beyondstillness.org

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit that empowers stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

Follow us: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · beyondstillness.org

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Join us for a reflective two-part compilation featuring the collective wisdom of twenty-eight of our 2025 storytellers. Stroke survivors share profound insights on discovering purpose, reclaiming voice, and finding hope through adversity. Hear stories of resilience, acceptance, and the transformative power of community as survivors navigate their recovery journeys. From learning to breathe again to advocating for aphasia awareness, these voices remind us we are part of something greater. Each story offers a compass for navigating life's challenges with courage, patience, and connection.

Community Conversation Prompt: 

Looking back, what insights have emerged from your stroke experience?

Support a Stroke Survivor:

Your gift sponsors a stroke survivor through our seven-week reflective story crafting journey.
👉 Donate at beyondstillness.org

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit that empowers stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

Follow us: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · beyondstillness.org

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Join us for a reflective two-part compilation featuring the collective wisdom of twenty-eight of our 2025 storytellers. Stroke survivors share profound insights on discovering purpose, reclaiming voice, and finding hope through adversity. Hear stories of resilience, acceptance, and the transformative power of community as survivors navigate their recovery journeys. From learning to breathe again to advocating for aphasia awareness, these voices remind us we are part of something greater. Each story offers a compass for navigating life's challenges with courage, patience, and connection.

Community Conversation Prompt: 

Looking back, what insights have emerged from your stroke experience?

Support a Stroke Survivor:

Your gift sponsors a stroke survivor through our seven-week reflective story crafting journey.
👉 Donate at beyondstillness.org

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit that empowers stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

Follow us: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · beyondstillness.org

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today we meet Sue, whose left hand suddenly stopped working during a Zoom meeting. She couldn't type or navigate the buttons to leave the call. She made her way to the floor and curled up in the corner of her home office, terrified and waiting.

Sue doesn't remember the ambulance or much from her weeks in the hospital—just fragments of dreams and her kids holding her hand. When she finally returned home, the real journey began—discovering that her deepest purpose wasn't in her busy professional life, but in the weekly rhythm of planning family dinners, transforming what once felt mundane into her greatest source of gratitude and meaning. Sue shares ways she is inviting her true being and values to shine now, post-stroke.

Suggested Resources:

• Job Accommodation Network
• Love Your Brain
• National Ability Center

Community Conversation Prompt:

• Sue found joy in cooking again, just differently. What do you do differently now that still brings you joy?

Support a Stroke Survivor:

Your gift sponsors a stroke survivor through our seven-week reflective story crafting journey.
👉 Donate at beyondstillness.org

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit that empowers stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

Follow us: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · beyondstillness.org

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today we meet Sue, whose left hand suddenly stopped working during a Zoom meeting. She couldn't type or navigate the buttons to leave the call. She made her way to the floor and curled up in the corner of her home office, terrified and waiting.

Sue doesn't remember the ambulance or much from her weeks in the hospital—just fragments of dreams and her kids holding her hand. When she finally returned home, the real journey began—discovering that her deepest purpose wasn't in her busy professional life, but in the weekly rhythm of planning family dinners, transforming what once felt mundane into her greatest source of gratitude and meaning. Sue shares ways she is inviting her true being and values to shine now, post-stroke.

Suggested Resources:

• Job Accommodation Network
• Love Your Brain
• National Ability Center

Community Conversation Prompt:

• Sue found joy in cooking again, just differently. What do you do differently now that still brings you joy?

Support a Stroke Survivor:

Your gift sponsors a stroke survivor through our seven-week reflective story crafting journey.
👉 Donate at beyondstillness.org

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit that empowers stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

Follow us: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · beyondstillness.org

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke we share a Community Special focused on Gratitude.  This is a recording of our November Storyteller and Listener Gathering.  Our community of stroke and TBI survivors publicly share what we grateful for on this journey of recovery. From the therapists who believed in us, to the community that holds us when we stumble, to the unexpected wells of strength we've discovered within ourselves, our members share the mindsets, resources, and relationships that have carried them from those first days after stroke to where they are today. Whether it's finding purpose 20 years post-stroke, learning to let go and embrace new identities, or simply knowing we’re not alone on this roller coaster ride, these stories remind us that gratitude isn't just about what we've gained—it's about recognizing the connections that sustain us and the wisdom we're becoming. Let's dive in!

Community Conversation Prompt:

• When reflecting upon your recovery, for whom are you grateful?  Why?
• How could you show and/or tell them this week?

Support a Stroke Survivor:

Your gift sponsors a stroke survivor through our seven-week reflective story crafting journey.
👉 Donate at beyondstillness.org

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit that empowers stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

Follow us: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · beyondstillness.org

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke we share a Community Special focused on Gratitude.  This is a recording of our November Storyteller and Listener Gathering.  Our community of stroke and TBI survivors publicly share what we grateful for on this journey of recovery. From the therapists who believed in us, to the community that holds us when we stumble, to the unexpected wells of strength we've discovered within ourselves, our members share the mindsets, resources, and relationships that have carried them from those first days after stroke to where they are today. Whether it's finding purpose 20 years post-stroke, learning to let go and embrace new identities, or simply knowing we’re not alone on this roller coaster ride, these stories remind us that gratitude isn't just about what we've gained—it's about recognizing the connections that sustain us and the wisdom we're becoming. Let's dive in!

Community Conversation Prompt:

• When reflecting upon your recovery, for whom are you grateful?  Why?
• How could you show and/or tell them this week?

Support a Stroke Survivor:

Your gift sponsors a stroke survivor through our seven-week reflective story crafting journey.
👉 Donate at beyondstillness.org

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit that empowers stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

Follow us: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · beyondstillness.org

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today we meet a woman whose life was defined by constant motion—conference to conference, idea to idea, achievement to achievement. She traveled with a car full of plans and a calendar full of purpose, moving through her days on autopilot while her consciousness split between the present moment and endless to-do lists. But her body was already trying to tell her something. When her legs stopped working in her own driveway, everything she'd been running toward suddenly stopped. In the hospital, drifting between consciousness and somewhere far beyond, she experienced something unexpected—her wedding day replayed in slow motion, her first classroom vivid and full of color, moments she'd lived too fast now given back to her to truly see. And in a rehab hallway, shuffling sixty small steps in pink hospital socks while holding a walker like her life depended on it, she discovered what it means to stop making life happen and start participating in it with presence, trust, and faith.

Community Conversation Prompts:

• What does 'sleepwalking through life' mean to you?
• What helps you stay present and aware now?

Support a Stroke Survivor:

Your gift sponsors a stroke survivor through our seven-week reflective story crafting journey.
👉 Donate at beyondstillness.org

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit that empowers stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

Follow us: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · beyondstillness.org

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today we meet a woman whose life was defined by constant motion—conference to conference, idea to idea, achievement to achievement. She traveled with a car full of plans and a calendar full of purpose, moving through her days on autopilot while her consciousness split between the present moment and endless to-do lists. But her body was already trying to tell her something. When her legs stopped working in her own driveway, everything she'd been running toward suddenly stopped. In the hospital, drifting between consciousness and somewhere far beyond, she experienced something unexpected—her wedding day replayed in slow motion, her first classroom vivid and full of color, moments she'd lived too fast now given back to her to truly see. And in a rehab hallway, shuffling sixty small steps in pink hospital socks while holding a walker like her life depended on it, she discovered what it means to stop making life happen and start participating in it with presence, trust, and faith.

Community Conversation Prompts:

• What does 'sleepwalking through life' mean to you?
• What helps you stay present and aware now?

Support a Stroke Survivor:

Your gift sponsors a stroke survivor through our seven-week reflective story crafting journey.
👉 Donate at beyondstillness.org

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit that empowers stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

Follow us: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · beyondstillness.org

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth