On A Good Day is the podcast delving into brain injury and its impact on all involved. Hosted by Elizabeth Callaghan and Julia Ajayi, our lives changed forever after our husbands suffered a brain injury. It also had a ripple effect on others in our wider family and community. We’ll be sharing our experiences to help others feel more connected, get inspiring stories from people affected by brain injury and learn more about the condition from our specialist guests. Expect honest conversations ...
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#40 The Former Stuntman Rewriting His Story After Brain Injury - with Joe Watts
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Joe Watts was a successful stuntman working on films such as Mission Impossible and the Star Wars franchises when it abruptly ended after a stunt went horribly wrong. Joe fell 25ft onto concrete and was left with a severe brain injury, ending the career he so loved. In this episode, Joe opens up to Elizabeth and Julia about what happened on the day…
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#39 The Changing World of Loving Someone After Acquired Brain Injury - Elizabeth Callaghan, Julia Ajayi and Able To Care podcast host Andy Baker
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Brain injury changes lives in an instant and not only for the survivor but those closest to them. In this episode of On A Good Day, Elizabeth and Julia share an episode from the Able To Care podcast which they were invited on to talk about their experiences as a carers. Hosted by Andy Baker, they talk to him about their personal journeys and how th…
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#38 How Can Independence Be Achieved After Brain Injury? - with Special Guests From Independence Day Brain Injury Conference Hosted By Irwin Mitchell
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Becoming independent is one of the most important things brain injury survivors strive for - but how can independence be achieved? In this special episode, Elizabeth and Julia go on the road to a Brain Injury Conference and speak to some of the speakers and those in attendance about how they are helping support brain injury survivors and some of th…
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#37 Brain Injury Progress In One Year - With Survivors Paul Callaghan and Hector Ajayi
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How much progress can brain injury survivors make over time? It has been six years since Paul had his brain injury, and nearly 15 years for Hector, and despite that, they both identify things that they feel have improved for them over the last year. In this episode, they join Elizabeth and Julia (their wife's) to talk about the progress they have m…
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#36 What Benefits Could You Be Entitled To After Brain Injury? - Benefits Advisor Alice Hamilton, Citizens Advice
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What benefits could you claim after you've had brain injury or are a carer? The system in England and Wales can be mind-boggling, especially if it's your first experience of applying for benefits. In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia speak to Alice Hamilton from Citizens Advice to get her insight into what financial help the government can provide.…
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#35 Living With Locked In Syndrome, a Daughter's Story - Georgie Tyler-Collings
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What is locked-in syndrome? How does it affect someone? Locked-in syndrome might be a condition you have heard of - but may not know much about. This episode will help you understand more about locked-in syndrome and what it is like to live with or support a family member with the condition. To shed a light on the topic, Georgie Tyler-Collings join…
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#34 On A (Not So) Good Day: Our Challenges With Brain Injury - Elizabeth Callaghan and Julia Ajayi
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What's it like to be the partner of a brain injury survivor? The truth is, some days are not so good. There are times which can be challenging, frustrating and upsetting. In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia acknowledge the (not so) good days and share with honesty some of the challenges they face living with a brain injury survivor. They share the…
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#33 Managing Mindset To Recover From Brain Injury - with HelloSelf Founder Charlie Wells
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What part does mindset play in recovering from brain injury? In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia are joined by entrepreneur Charlie Wells. He was running a 5km race, dressed as Santa, when he had subarachnoid haemorrhage, aged 30. He underwent ground-breaking surgery to keep him alive. With sheer determination and a strong mindset, Charlie's recov…
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#32 Facts And Myths Of Epilepsy - with Professor Ley Sander, Neurologist Specialising in Epilepsy
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Epilepsy is a common side effect following brain injury and a condition which affects 600,000 people in the UK. In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia speak to Ley Sander, a Professor of Neurology and Clinical Epilepsy and Medical Officer with the Epilepsy Society. Some of the questions we ask include: what is epilepsy? Why do some people get seizure…
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#31 Living Life With Hope and Humour After Brain Tumour - with Andy Tudor, Host Of Let's Talk About Brain Tumours
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Andy Tudor thought be might be getting early onset dementia or having a stroke when he was eventually admitted to hospital. When he was told he had a huge 7cm tumour in his brain it was almost a relief, he tells Elizabeth and Julia in this episode released during Brain Tumour awareness month. Seven years ago Andy had life-saving neurosurgery to rem…
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#30 Claiming Compensation After Brain Injury - with Richard Biggs & Adam Shelverton, Irwin & Mitchell
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Getting legal advice is not usually your first priority after a traumatic brain injury but, as Elizabeth and Julia discover, making that call could help hugely with a person's recovery - and an initial call costs nothing. In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia look at the importance of getting specialist legal advice and the difference it can make to…
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#29 How Can Friends Support Families After Brain Injury? - With Emma Carrington and Helen Gettings
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When someone has a brain injury, families need more support than ever with friends rallying to help at a very difficult time. But what are the best ways friends can help when someone has a brain injury? In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia are joined by their close friends Emma and Helen as they discuss how the friendships helped them in dark days …
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#28 How Family Therapy Can Help After Brain Injury - With Family Therapist & SLT Susie Hayden
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The impact of brain injury on the family is at the centre of this podcast and one of the reasons Elizabeth and Julia started On A Good Day, so they knew the next guest would be a good match. In this episode, they are joined by Susie Hayden, a neuro speech and language therapist with 23 years experience working in the NHS. Specialising in aphasia, S…
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#27 Navigating Parenthood With A Brain Injury - With Allison and Rob Allan
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Navigating parenthood with young children can be a huge challenge for all parents but even more so when you are living with the affects of brain injury. In this episode, Julia and Elizabeth talk to Allison and Rob Allan. The couple had been together for just two years when Allison had a stroke, aged 25, leaving her with some physical and cognitive …
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#26 Life After Brain Injury - with The Brain Tumour Charity
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Elizabeth and Julia talk about their journey with brain injury as guests of the Brain Tumour Charity's podcast, Let's talk about Brain Tumours. In the episode, they open up about their experiences as partners of brain injury survivors, detailing some of the challenges they have faced along the way and the progress made. Co-host of Let's Talk About …
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#25 Resilience & Gratitude After Brain Injury and Loss - with Chevaun Greenhill
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Chevaun Greenhill was still in primary school when her father had his first stroke. Over the years, she helped care for her beloved dad. In this episode, she talks fondly of Barry's persistence to live his life as he had done before - sometimes with hilarious results. As well as the humour, she also tells Elizabeth and Julia about the pain and stru…
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#24 Twelve Days Of Christmas With Brain Injury - Elizabeth Callaghan and Julia Ajayi
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Christmas can be a very stressful time of year for everyone but for someone with a brain injury and their family it can cause additional pressures. In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia give On A Good Day's 12 days of Christmas with brain injury. They look at aspects of the festive season, sharing their experiences and strategies on how to deal with…
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#23 The 'Catastrophic' Impact Of Brain Injury: How Jenny And Emilia Clarke Are Challenging The Stigma - With SameYou Co-founder Jenny Clarke
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SameYou co-founder Jenny Clarke talks to On A Good Day about the day she found out her actress daughter, Emilia Clarke, suffered a brain injury in her early 20s and the family's "disbelief". Emilia had just finished filming the first season of Game of Thrones, with a starring role as Daenerys Targaryen, when she had her first brain aneurysm. She la…
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#22 'Why My Stroke Was A Blessing' - With The NeuroNerds Co-Host Joe Borges
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Joe Borges tells Elizabeth and Julia how his brain injury gave him a new appreciation for life and why he believes it was a 'blessing' allowing him to have a life "reset". The NeuroNerds co-host divulges his feelings of being lost and 'surviving' rather than living prior to having a brain injury but how he is now able to live a purposeful life. He …
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#21 Welcome To Season 2: Continuing Our Brain Injury Journey
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Elizabeth and Julia return with a second season of On A Good Day raising more questions around brain injury and continuing to seek answers. In this new series, they'll be hearing more about the lived experiences of guests to help them with their mission to raise awareness of the impact of brain injury on all involved. In this episode, they reflect …
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#20 Acceptance, Positive Risk Taking: Our Highlights Of Season 1 - With Elizabeth Callaghan and Julia Ajayi
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As season one of On A Good Day comes to a close, Elizabeth and Julia look back at some of their highlights and how the podcast has positively impacted them. Julia reveals how listening to episode 3 on positive risk helped shape her decision to take a family trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar. While Elizabeth reflects on the episode when she spoke about …
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#19 The Actor Who Had A Brain Injury On Stage - with Conor Madden
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Conor Madden was playing his dream role of Hamlet when a sword fight went wrong and he suffered a brain injury on stage. In this episode, the Irish actor, who was 24 when it happened, tells Elizabeth and Julia his honest story of living with brain injury for the past 12 years . With humour and ease, Conor opens up about the challenges he has faced …
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#18 'More Than A Job': Striving To Improve Brain Injury Services For Everyone - with Headway CEO Luke Griggs
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"With the right help, at the right time, there can be life after brain injury," says Luke Griggs, the Chief Executive of Headway, the UK's leading brain injury charity. In this episode, he speaks to Julia and Elizabeth about his vision for Headway which provides much needed support and information for all affected by brain injury. The charity helps…
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#17 Carers Week: Celebrating The Work Carers Do - With Elizabeth Callaghan and Julia Ajayi
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On Carers Week, Elizabeth and Julia pay tribute to the incredible work unpaid carers do and speak about their own personal experiences of caring for someone. There are 5 million carers in England and Wales who contribute a staggering £162bn to the economy but as Elizabeth and Julia discuss, the true number is likely to be far higher. New research f…
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#16 The Benefits Of Volunteering After Brain Injury - with Kate Phizaclea, Hector Ajayi and Paul Callaghan
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Volunteering has a huge range of benefits which Elizabeth and Julia explore in this episode of On A Good Day with their guests. They discuss how taking on a volunteer position, especially after brain injury can give survivors purpose, boost confidence, help improve communication and can positively impact the people they are in contact with. Elizabe…
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#15 Writing About Stroke In Fiction - with Lean Fall Stand Author Jon McGregor
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Award-winning author, Jon McGregor, set out to write about the Antarctic but it was to become a novel about stroke. Jon sat down with Julia and Elizabeth for On A Good Day to discuss the book, Lean Fall Stand, with many of its themes resonating with both hosts. Lean Fall Stand looks at the impact of stroke on survivor Robert and his wife who sudden…
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#14 Strengthening Recovery From Aphasia - With Cognitive Neurologist Professor Alex Leff
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Aphasia may not be a familiar word for many but it IS a common condition which affects many brain injury survivors. So what is aphasia and how can it be improved? In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia are joined by Professor Alex Leff who explains more about the condition which impacts language and how it affects lives. He gives advice on how carers…
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#13 How Partner Roles Change After Brain Injury - Elizabeth Callaghan and Julia Ajayi
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After a brain injury, family roles and dynamics can change significantly with the partner of the survivor usually taking on a caring role as well as additional responsibilities. In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia discuss how their roles changed after their husbands, Paul and Hector, had a brain injury. Some of their discussion covers being the so…
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#12 Relationships After Stroke: One Couple's Inspiring Story- Joy Alliy and Ross Methven
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On this episode Elizabeth and Julia speak to an inspiring couple, Joy Alliy and Ross Methven, who were impacted by brain injury when Joy suddenly had a stroke aged 42. She was living in Tanzania at the time with Ross who initially found it hard to believe she'd had a stroke because she was so young. They share their story of what happened in Septem…
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#11 Identity, Social Connections And Wellness After Brain Injury - With Clinical Neuropsychologist Dr Fergus Gracey
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Elizabeth and Julia are joined by Dr. Fergus Gracey, a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Associate Professor at the University of East Anglia. In this episode, they discuss a wide range of topics from identity, connection and wellness. Fergus shares his knowledge and research into brain injury rehabilitation, giving guidance on creative ways to get th…
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#10 Life and Relationships After Brain Injury: 5 and 13 years on
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How do relationships and life change after a brain injury? In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia talk openly about their changing lives following the brain injuries sustained by their husbands. Elizabeth shares some of the realisations which have hit her as she marks five years since Paul had his stroke. In a raw and emotional episode she talks abou…
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#9 Finding The Positives For Family Life After Stroke - with Serena Banfield
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Serena Banfield was studying for her A-levels when her dad, John, had a stroke, changing her family's life forever. In this honest and uplifting episode, she relives the events surrounding her dad's stroke with Elizabeth and Julia, finding that going to school and continuing her daily routine helped her get through the difficult times. Serena revea…
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#8 How to Improve Communication After Stroke - with Speech and Language Therapist Bindi Patel
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What can you do to communicate better with someone who has aphasia following a stroke? In this episode, speech and language therapist Bindi Patel explains some of the techniques she uses with stroke survivors to communicate with them and improve their speech. She talks to Julia and Elizabeth about strategies to help loved ones recover both in hospi…
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#7 Who Cares For The Carer? - with Author Sara Challice
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Author and speaker Sara Challice cared for her husband, Neal, for 13 years after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. She knows first hand how many carers can fall ill looking after a loved one as she reached crisis point herself. In this episode, she talks honestly about her experience and how putting herself last led to her becoming mentally and…
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Elizabeth and Julia reflect on 2022 and some of its highlights and what they have been grateful for in the past year. They share their plans, intentions and strategies for 2023 to help them have more of the good days. Inspired by episode #3 with Occupational Therapist, Roisin Hyde, Julia is going to take more 'positive risks' citing one of our insp…
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#5 Crisis After Brain Injury: What to Do When a Loved One is in Hospital
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When brain injury hits your life it's a time of huge uncertainty with days, weeks, even months spent in hospital. In this episode, we look at that time of crisis following brain injury and how best to support family members, friends and the patient themselves when they are in hospital. Joining us to discuss the topic is Suzy Barker, an adviser at A…
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#4 Life as a Brain Injury Survivor with Paul Callaghan and Hector Ajayi
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What's it like to live with a brain injury? In this special episode, Julia and Elizabeth’s husbands, Hector and Paul, join them in an honest conversation about life as a brain injury survivor. They share the moment they realised they had suffered a stroke and speak candidly about how it has impacted them and the people around them. Paul shares his …
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#3 How Can Family and Friends Help Brain Injury Survivors? - with OT Roisin Hyde
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In this episode, Specialist Occupational Therapist, Roisin Hyde, talks to Elizabeth and Julia about how families and friends can help brain injury survivors in their rehabilitation, months and years down the line. She advises on continuing to reset goals, working on achievable tasks and helping survivors push themselves further - but she also revea…
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#2 From Brain Injury to Doctor: Living a Fulfilled Life with Dr. Satinder Sanghera
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This guest episode features the inspirational Satinder Sanghera whose life was turned upside down when she had a brain injury aged 20 while studying medicine. With hard work and determination, she defied many members of the medical board by qualifying as a doctor and going on to have a successful GP career. Satinder tells Elizabeth and Julia her st…
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#1 How Brain Injury Came Into Our Lives - and Changed Them Forever
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Elizabeth and Julia tell their stories of brain injury and why they were inspired to create On A Good Day podcast. Both had young children when their husbands suddenly suffered severe brain injuries. Miraculously, both men survived although the impact has reverberated long afterwards. In an honest and deeply personal episode, they talk about the mo…
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On A Good Day is the podcast delving into brain injury and its impact on all involved. Hosted by Elizabeth Callaghan and Julia Ajayi, our lives changed forever after our husbands suffered a brain injury. It also had a ripple effect on others in our wider family and community. We’ll be sharing our experiences to help others feel more connected, get …
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continue reading