Brain Wellness - the Podcast

Lee Carlson is an author, journalist, and Zen practitioner whose acclaimed memoir Passage to Nirvana chronicles his recovery from traumatic brain injury using writing, sailing, and Zen. A former magazine editor and documentary producer, his work has appeared in Outside, the Los Angeles Times, and multiple Time Inc. publications. A longtime student of Peter Matthiessen, Carlson’s current book explores their relationship and Matthiessen’s legacy. He currently lives in Western New York. 

Find Lee at: https://leecarlson.life/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeeCarlsonAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leecarlsonauthor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LeeCarlsonAuthor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/LeeCarlsonNirvana/

X: https://x.com/LCarlson_author

Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/

Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

Mandi Dickey is a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner with experience in healthcare since 1999. She is a four-time Top Nurse Practitioner award winner, received the Faculty Excellence award in her previous role of nursing professor, has been on the review committee for several nursing textbooks, was the recipient of the Women of Armor Personal Growth award for 2023, was listed in Marquis Who’s Who in 2024, and was the recipient of the Elinor D. Hands Award from the MN Brain Injury Alliance in 2025. In 2022, Mandi began her own podcast called Brain Wellness – the Podcast, initially covering a multitude of topics related to brain health and wellness and transitioning toward mostly brain injury topics since 2024, and has been a guest on multiple other podcasts. She has also presented at numerous local, regional, and state conferences. Additionally, she is an invited speaker for both national and global conferences in 2026.In 2023, Mandi was in a car accident and experienced a traumatic brain injury. She has merged knowledge gained from personal experience with her healthcare education to provide a unique brand of concussion care in her current practice as a brain injury Nurse Practitioner at Minneapolis Clinic of Neurology. She is an Ambassador for the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center, an elected Board Member for the MN Brain Injury Alliance, and Certified Brain Injury Specialist through the Brain Injury Association of America.Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/ Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

My middle child, Hayden, and I talk about real life frustrations and tips for moms with TBI and keeping up relationships with kids during recovery. Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/ Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

Maureen Cunningham has been with the Brain Injury Association of Missouri as Executive Director since 2008. She has more than 30 years of experience in health, social, and disability non-profit organizations.

Find BIA MO at: www.biamo.org

Phone: 1-800-444-6443 

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIA.MISSOURI

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braininjuryassociation_mo/

Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/

Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

Mandi Dickey is a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner with experience in healthcare since 1999. She is a four-time Top Nurse Practitioner award winner, received the Faculty Excellence award in her previous role of nursing professor, has been on the review committee for several nursing textbooks, was the recipient of the Women of Armor Personal Growth award for 2023, was listed in Marquis Who’s Who in 2024, and was the recipient of the Elinor D. Hands Award from the MN Brain Injury Alliance in 2025. In 2022, Mandi began her own podcast called Brain Wellness – the Podcast, initially covering a multitude of topics related to brain health and wellness and transitioning toward mostly brain injury topics since 2024, and has been a guest on multiple other podcasts. She has also presented at numerous local, regional, and state conferences. Additionally, she is an invited speaker for both national and global conferences in 2026.In 2023, Mandi was in a car accident and experienced a traumatic brain injury. She has merged knowledge gained from personal experience with her healthcare education to provide a unique brand of concussion care in her current practice as a brain injury Nurse Practitioner at Minneapolis Clinic of Neurology. She is an Ambassador for the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center, an elected Board Member for the MN Brain Injury Alliance, and Certified Brain Injury Specialist through the Brain Injury Association of America.Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/ Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

Mandi Dickey is a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner with experience in healthcare since 1999. She is a four-time Top Nurse Practitioner award winner, received the Faculty Excellence award in her previous role of nursing professor, has been on the review committee for several nursing textbooks, was the recipient of the Women of Armor Personal Growth award for 2023, was listed in Marquis Who’s Who in 2024, and was the recipient of the Elinor D. Hands Award from the MN Brain Injury Alliance in 2025. In 2022, Mandi began her own podcast called Brain Wellness – the Podcast, initially covering a multitude of topics related to brain health and wellness and transitioning toward mostly brain injury topics since 2024, and has been a guest on multiple other podcasts. She has also presented at numerous local, regional, and state conferences. Additionally, she is an invited speaker for both national and global conferences in 2026.In 2023, Mandi was in a car accident and experienced a traumatic brain injury. She has merged knowledge gained from personal experience with her healthcare education to provide a unique brand of concussion care in her current practice as a brain injury Nurse Practitioner at Minneapolis Clinic of Neurology. She is an Ambassador for the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center, an elected Board Member for the MN Brain Injury Alliance, and Certified Brain Injury Specialist through the Brain Injury Association of America.Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/ Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

Dr. Carmen Frede, DNP, AGACNP-BC, Brain Injury Expert | Author | Advocate- Dr. Carmen Frede is a board-certified Nurse Practitioner dedicated to redefining traumatic brain injury (TBI) recovery. Specializing in the critical transition from acute emergency care to long-term neuro-rehabilitation, she is a recognized leader in evidence-based concussion management and patient education. A University of Kentucky graduate; her doctoral research established new standards for discharge education and patient outcomes. Recipient of the Sigma Theta Tau Leadership Award and a longtime leader within the Brain Injury Alliances of Kentucky and Indiana. In her book, Wired Differently, she translates complex neurology into a compassionate, actionable guide for survivors and families. An avid mountain biker, Dr. Frede draws parallels between the resilience of trail riding and cognitive recovery, championing nature and movement as vital to neurological health. Dr. Frede’s mission is simple: ensuring no survivor navigates the path to recovery alone.

Find Carmen at: 

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rnbsncrm/

Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/

Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

Mandi Dickey is a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner with experience in healthcare since 1999. She is a four-time Top Nurse Practitioner award winner, received the Faculty Excellence award in her previous role of nursing professor, has been on the review committee for several nursing textbooks, was the recipient of the Women of Armor Personal Growth award for 2023, was listed in Marquis Who’s Who in 2024, and was the recipient of the Elinor D. Hands Award from the MN Brain Injury Alliance in 2025.  

In 2022, Mandi began her own podcast called Brain Wellness – the Podcast, initially covering a multitude of topics related to brain health and wellness and transitioning toward mostly brain injury topics since 2024, and has been a guest on multiple other podcasts. She has also presented at numerous local, regional, and state conferences. Additionally, she is an invited speaker for both national and global conferences in 2026.

In 2023, Mandi was in a car accident and experienced a traumatic brain injury. She has merged knowledge gained from personal experience with her healthcare education to provide a unique brand of concussion care in her current practice as a brain injury Nurse Practitioner at Minneapolis Clinic of Neurology. She is an Ambassador for the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center, an elected Board Member for the MN Brain Injury Alliance, and Certified Brain Injury Specialist through the Brain Injury Association of America.

Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/

Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

Kelly Tuttle joined the "head injury survivors club" (as she described it) in 2015, the night another car pulled in front of her as she was driving. It wasn't until three months later that she realized something was seriously wrong. Kelly's traumatic brain injury (TBI) marked the beginning of a new life and a personal journey of self-discovery. Kelly Tuttle is the author of After the Crash: How to Keep Your Job, Stay in School, and Live Life after a Brain Injury and Getting Behind the Wheel. Her books offer readers strategies and tools to continue working while their brains and bodies heal. Kelly Tuttle wants TBI survivors to know they're not alone and there's hope of getting better. She got better, and they can too. Kelly is a member of the California Association for Nurse Practitioners, the California Association of Nurses/National Nurses United, and the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Gonzaga University and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University, Fresno. A longtime martial arts student, Kelly has a second-degree black belt in kenpõ karate and a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She is also an obsessed knitter without enough storage space for her yarn and a lover of adult coloring books and pencils.

Find Kelly at: https://kellytuttle.org

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainlovingnp

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brain_np_/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-tuttle-72589810/

Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/

Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

Vance Mattzela is an Alaskan born, traveling millwright that was in a massive motorcycle accident in Florida in 2017, which broke his body and brain. He moved to Michigan in 2020 in order to be closer to family and to get treatment for his back and TBI. He started B4B in 2023 in order to bring better visibility to TBI among bikers and the general public.

Find Vance at: https://www.b4busa.org/

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568457067148

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vance-mattzela-47870138b/

Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/

Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp