On A Good Day

Elizabeth Callaghan and Julia Ajayi
  • 5.0 (2)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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 about what goes on behind closed doors: the challenges and triumphs, the good days and the not so good days. Come join us as we aim to strengthen the communities of people impacted by brain injury and empower others in a similar situation to help them feel less alone and better equipped to take on any challenges - so we can all have more of the good days.

  1. 11/20/2025

    Career Success After Brain Injury - with Melinda Taylor

    Suffering a brain injury shortly after giving birth to twin boys while living in Nigeria rocked Melinda Taylor's world and that of her family but through the support of her husband and local community she gradually recovered and went on to build a hugely successful career. In this episode, Melinda tells Elizabeth and Julia what she remembers from the time shortly after a routine operation went wrong and put her on a different life trajectory, 25 years ago. She discusses her recovery, bringing up her children whilst very ill in hospital as well as the issues she had with her speech. Plus, how a mentor breathed belief into her, initiating her to have a a hugely successful, global career in education improvement around the world, latterly working with the American department USAID.  Melinda talks about the support she had from her husband John over the years, how she was reluctant to reveal her brain injury to work colleagues and how she is adapting and living life now she has taken a break from working. On A Good Day Thank you for listening to On A Good Day! Please go back and catch up on any missed episodes. For a full recap of Elizabeth and Julia's stories, listen to ⁠⁠episode #1: How Brain Injury Came Into Our Lives - And Changed Them Forever⁠⁠.  Please share this podcast with others it will benefit and subscribe, rate and review to help make it more visible! We'd be so grateful! Connect with Us On ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ @onagood.day and ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ @onagood_day And you can join our ⁠⁠Facebook community too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min

  2. 08/14/2025

    Managing Mental Health After Brain Injury - with Emily Bell, Stroke Survivor

    Brain injury can often leave survivors feeling lost, lonely and suffering from bouts of depression. This is something Emily Bell knows only too well. After her stroke, aged 28, she struggled with her mental health and is now a advocate for speaking out about the issue and sharing some of the strategies she has been using. In this episode, Emily opens up to Elizabeth and Julia about how the stroke caused her to become more irritable, depressed, anxious, sensitive to noise and suffering from neurofatigue. She honestly shares the impact they have had and how she is managing them. Emily also opens up about the affect these have had on the relationship with her husband Josh and how they are overcoming them together. Emily has a background in medicine, working as a physicians assistant. She believes a lot of her past training helped her to identify and improve her situation - and shares the techniques she is using with you in this episode. This episode covers: - How Emily had a stroke - Post-stroke depression and anxiety - Emily's use of medication to help treat depression and anxiety - Neurofatigue - Sound sensitivity - Relationships after stroke - Showing vulnerability Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    48 min

  3. 06/19/2025

    Holidays and Travel After Brain Injury - with Julia Ajayi and Elizabeth Callaghan

    The thought of travelling or going on holiday after brain injury can be overwhelming but with careful planning, going on holiday can prove hugely rewarding. It is a chance to have a break from the norm, reconnect with friends and family and enjoy different scenery, culture and food. In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia share some of the travel they have embarked on so far with their husbands, who are both brain injury survivors. Expect tips and advice on how to plan holidays and some vital aspects to take into consideration when making arrangements and travelling. Some of the issues discussed by Julia and Elizabeth include: - The importance of travel insurance after brain injury - Planning a long haul journey - Taking positive risks when abroad - How to manage medication when travelling - Learn to build flexibility into itineraries. Listen to our previous episode for more on going on holiday, travel insurance and getting ill abroad. On A Good Day Thank you for listening to On A Good Day! Please go back and catch up on any missed episodes. For a full recap of Elizabeth and Julia's stories, listen to ⁠episode #1: How Brain Injury Came Into Our Lives - And Changed Them Forever⁠.  Please share this podcast with others it will benefit and subscribe, rate and review to help make it more visible! We'd be so grateful! Connect with Us On ⁠Instagram⁠ @onagood.day and ⁠X⁠ @onagood_day And you can join our ⁠Facebook community too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    46 min

  4. 05/01/2025

    What to you do if you get injured abroad - with Nathaniel Martindale and James Riley, Irwin Mitchell

    Having a serious illness such as a stroke or brain injury is a terrifying and life-changing experience but it can be even more frightening when it is experienced it while living or travelling abroad?  In this episode, you will find out the best ways to help protect yourself to help safeguard you against huge medical fees and the importance of travel insurance and tips on getting the best policy. Joining Elizabeth and Julia in this episode are Nathaniel Martindale and James Riley, from the solicitor’s firm Irwin Mitchell working in the international serious injury team. Both Julia and Elizabeth have personal experience of their partners becoming seriously ill abroad which they share in this episode. They also delve into the different ethics practised in medical treatment in different countries. A must-listen if you are travelling or going on holiday in the near future. *Since this episode was recorded, Nathaniel has since moved to a different law firm, Leigh Day. On A Good Day Thank you for listening to On A Good Day! Please go back and catch up on any missed episodes. For a full recap of Elizabeth and Julia's stories, listen to ⁠episode #1: How Brain Injury Came Into Our Lives - And Changed Them Forever⁠. Please share this podcast with others it will benefit and subscribe, rate and review to help make it more visible! We'd be so grateful! Connect with Us On ⁠Instagram⁠ @onagood.day and ⁠X⁠ @onagood_day And you can join our ⁠Facebook community too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    37 min

  5. 03/27/2025

    Balancing a Busy Life and Brain Injury - with Julia Ajayi and Elizabeth Callaghan

    Life is busy. We all seem to be living increasingly hectic lives and when you add in brain injury, it can be even more overwhelming. In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia open up about their challenges as they try to balance life, work, children, managing a house and a husband with a brain injury. With searing honesty, the two hosts talk about managing fatigue, communication and trying to plan days and weeks. They also discuss the importance of taking time for themselves, although admit it is often hard to find. They share some of the ways the overcome the challenges but fully admit they don't have all the answers but know talking and listening really helps! They hope this episode helps you! Previous episodes referenced in this show include, Sara Chalice on Who Cares for the Carer, Serena Banfield story of finding the positives after stroke following her dad's brain injury when she was a teenager. Plus, Fleur Iananzzo's episode on how to navigate changing money situations On A Good Day Thank you for listening to On A Good Day! Please go back and catch up on any missed episodes. For a full recap of Elizabeth and Julia's stories, listen to episode #1: How Brain Injury Came Into Our Lives - And Changed Them Forever. Please share this podcast with others it will benefit and subscribe, rate and review to help make it more visible! We'd be so grateful! Connect with Us On Instagram @onagood.day and X @onagood_day And you can join our Facebook community too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    41 min

  6. 02/21/2025

    How to navigate changing money situations - with Money and Wellness Coach Fleur Iannazzo

    What are your emotions around money? How can you navigate changes in your financial situation when faced with a life changing circumstance such as brain injury? In this episode of On A Good Day, Elizabeth and Julia are joined by money coach and author Fleur Iannazzo to get an insight into our behaviours around money and how to recognise and work on changing them. They discuss the impact brain injury can have on finances and how this affects our emotions. Fleur talks about the grief and anger that can be felt following a change in a financial situation and how start having conversations with those close to you. Even though she has been in finance for over 20 years and is a money coach, Fleur is fully aware of her own challenges around money which has enabled to help others with theirs. Fleur is the author of The Money Pizza, the slice by slice guide to being your own money coach, available to buy from AND the founder of WTF money. In this episode we also referred to our conversation with Alice Hamilton from Citizens Advice about how to claim benefits. On A Good Day Thank you for listening to On A Good Day! Please go back and catch up on any missed episodes. For a full recap of Elizabeth and Julia's stories, listen to episode #1: How Brain Injury Came Into Our Lives - And Changed Them Forever. Please share this podcast with others it will benefit and subscribe, rate and review to help make it more visible! We'd be so grateful! Connect with Us On Instagram @onagood.day and X @onagood_day And you can join our Facebook community too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1 hr

  7. 01/23/2025

    How Does a Neurosurgeon Help Fix The Brain? - with Neurosurgeon Kevin Tsang

    It's often perceived as one of the toughest jobs in medicine, but what does a day in the life of a neurosurgeon look like and how is it set to change over the next ten years? In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia speak to Kevin Tsang, a neurosurgeon working at Queen Mary and Charing Cross hospitals in London. He talks to them about some of the difficult conversations he has with patient's family and the tough decisions needed during moments of crisis. Seeing patients in his clinic following their operatinons has given him a renewed perspective on how far people can improve and how everyone's quality of life is different. Kevin also shares his insights into how far neurosurgery has come in the past ten years and what the future looks like with increased used of robots, virtual reality and Artificial Intelligence. On A Good Day Thank you for listening to On A Good Day! Please go back and catch up on any missed episodes. For a full recap of Elizabeth and Julia's stories, listen to episode #1: How Brain Injury Came Into Our Lives - And Changed Them Forever. Please share this podcast with others it will benefit and subscribe, rate and review to help make it more visible! We'd be so grateful! Connect with Us On Instagram @onagood.day and X @onagood_day And you can join our Facebook community too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    45 min

  8. 01/02/2025

    Progress Over Perfection: How to Kickstart 2025 - with Life Coach Kim Stokes

    How would you like your 2025 to look? What small steps could you take to make progress? And what are the key areas you would like to focus on? It's the start of a new year and the time when people reflect on the past year and look ahead to future plans and progressing in life. In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia are joined by life coach Kim Stokes who gives some of her tips on how to set small, achievable goals for the new year ahead. By using the 'Wheel of Life' tool, she breaks down how to help identify parts of your life which you may like to improve and help put in place some manageable steps to achieve them. You can download and print Kim's Wheel of Life to complete and her micro moment tracker too. In this episode you will: Learn how to create your 'Wheel of Life' to help identity key areas to focus on The importance of making progress over perfection Find out how to create 'micro moments' in your life to reduce overwhelm Learn how to deal with potential challenges which could prevent you from taking steps forward How to track and build emotional resilience You can discover more about Kim, her strategies and what she can offer on her website, Kindness for Success and follow her on Instagram and LinkedIn. She has a complimentary 60min ‘Kindness Kickstarter’ you can book with her. Kim is also offering listeners 15% off a coaching package (bundle of 3 or 6) if you reference 'On A Good Day'. ____ In this episode we spoke about the live show we recorded at the Irwin Mitchell brain injury conference about finding independence after brain injury. You can also learn more about positive risk taking in the episode with occupational therapist Roisin Hyde. _______ On A Good Day Thank you for listening to On A Good Day! Please go back and catch up on any missed episodes. For a full recap of Elizabeth and Julia's stories, listen to episode #1: How Brain Injury Came Into Our Lives - And Changed Them Forever. Please share this podcast with others it will benefit and subscribe, rate and review to help make it more visible! We'd be so grateful! Connect with Us On Instagram @onagood.day and X @onagood_day And you can join our Facebook community too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    59 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

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 about what goes on behind closed doors: the challenges and triumphs, the good days and the not so good days. Come join us as we aim to strengthen the communities of people impacted by brain injury and empower others in a similar situation to help them feel less alone and better equipped to take on any challenges - so we can all have more of the good days.

Information

  • Creator
    Elizabeth Callaghan and Julia Ajayi
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    50