Brain Wellness - the Podcast

Mandi Swanson
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Weekly

Hosted by Mandi, a Nurse Practitioner with 20+ years in healthcare (nearly all in neurology), this show started with a plan to cover all things related to brain health & wellness, but morphed into being mostly concussion & traumatic brain injury (TBI) related topics after the host's own TBI experience. You'll hear strategies for recovery from both the practitioner and patients' points of view. Whether you're a healthcare provider, person with a brain condition, or family/caregiver, you'll find something useful in these episodes. Learn more about the host at www.brainwellnesssolutions.com

  1. 5d ago

    199. Raising NFL sons & concussion/CTE risk with Lee Schwartz

    Lee Schwartz is a speaker, author, advocate and proud father of two NFL sons, Geoffrey and Mitchell. In his inspiring book, Raising Giants, Lee shared the real-life story of how love, discipline and vision shaped his sons into elite athletes—and grounded men. Lee sits on the West Coast Advisory Board of the Concussion & CTE Foundation. Founded in 2007, the Foundation has been deeply committed to researching and studying the cause of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) with the goal of it one day—hopefully sooner than later—being diagnosed in the living (currently only diagnosable post-mortem) leading to prevention, treatment or even a cure.   Find Lee at: www.raisinggiantsbook.com Foundation Helpline: https://concussionandcte.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576356579694 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raising_giants_book/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-schwartz-2b45717/   Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/ Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

    199. Raising NFL sons & concussion/CTE risk with Lee Schwartz

  2. Aug 7

    198. TBI community supports in Nebraska with Peggy Reisher

    Peggy Reisher, MSW is the Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Nebraska, where she has led the organization since 2013. With more than 30 years of experience in brain injury, Peggy is a passionate advocate dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with brain injury and their families through education, advocacy, support, and systems change. She has helped develop innovative initiatives in resource facilitation, juvenile justice, domestic violence, and public policy, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Brain Injury Association of America. Peggy is a nationally recognized speaker who enjoys helping professionals better understand the often-hidden effects of brain injury and practical strategies for improving outcomes.   Find Peggy/BIANE at: https://biane.org/ Email: info@biane.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrainInjuryNebraska Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bianebraska/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brain-injury-alliance-of-nebraska/   Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/ Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

    198. TBI community supports in Nebraska with Peggy Reisher

  3. Jul 31

    197. How stress affects TBI recovery

    Mandi Swanson 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

    197. How stress affects TBI recovery

  4. Jul 24

    196. Montana TBI resources & personal story with April Ildvad

    April Ildvad is a licensed mental health therapist in Montana and Minnesota, she is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist through the American Brain Injury Association, a board member of the Montana Brain Injury Alliance and the Governor's TBI Advisory board. She is also a 27 year brain injury survivor.   Find April at:  Email: mountainviewtherapy.aci@gmail.com BIA Montana: 406-541-6442 BIA Montana Helpline: 800-241-6442   Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/ Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

    196. Montana TBI resources & personal story with April Ildvad

  5. Jul 17

    195. A snowboarder with TBI saving brains with Kelsey Boyer

    Kelsey Boyer is a brain health advocate, former professional snowboarder, and the founder and Executive Director of Save A Brain, a nonprofit dedicated to concussion and traumatic brain injury prevention, education, and awareness. After a traumatic brain injury ended her professional snowboarding career, Kelsey made it her mission to help others better understand, protect, and care for their brains. Today, she speaks around the country, develops educational programs for schools and communities, partners with healthcare organizations and brands to expand brain injury awareness, and creates resources that make brain health more accessible to people of all ages. Through Save A Brain, Kelsey has helped donate thousands of helmets, reached hundreds of thousands of people through education and advocacy, and continues to build a movement that empowers people to prioritize brain health before and after injury. Her mission is simple: to help create a world where brain health is valued just as much as physical health—because we only get one brain, and it makes us who we are.   Find Kelsy at: https://saveabraininc.com/ Email: contact@saveabraininc.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsey-boyer-4a4077138/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelseyboyer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saveabrain/   Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/ Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

    195. A snowboarder with TBI saving brains with Kelsey Boyer

  6. Jul 10

    194. Introducing 'Concussion Help' & my tools (solo episode)

    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

    194. Introducing 'Concussion Help' & my tools (solo episode)

  7. Jul 1

    193. Brain injury & self determination with Dr. Amy Coopersmith

    Dr. Amy Coopersmith, OTD, OTR/L, MA Ed, FAOTA is an internationally recognized occupational therapist, educator, researcher, speaker, and children's author who has dedicated more than 30 years to helping youth become confident, capable, and self-determined. Dr. Coopersmith's groundbreaking research and published scholarly work focus on self-determination—the ability to make choices, solve problems, set goals, and believe in yourself. She is the founder of Self Determined Kids, creator of the Captain Me educational program and the Self-Determination Strategies Toolkit, and author of the award-winning children's book I'm Stuck. Through her engaging presentations, practical resources, and passion for empowering youth, parents, educators, and therapists, Dr. Coopersmith is changing the way we think about helping individuals move from dependence to independence.    Find Amy at: https://www.selfdeterminedkids.com/ Email: amycoopersmithotd@gmail.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dramycoopersmith/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selfdeterminedkids/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrAmyCoopersmith TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@captainmekids   Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/ Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

    193. Brain injury & self determination with Dr. Amy Coopersmith

  8. Jun 26

    192. AVM & Stroke survivor story with Kristin McKenzie

    Kristin McKenzie is an AVM and stroke survivor, former scare actor and video director working every day to recover from a life altering incident and bring awareness to aneurysm & stroke symptoms to save others from a condition that almost ended her life in 2024. Find Kristin at:  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kristinstrong24 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mckenzii/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristinwillis?mibextid=wwXIfr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krwillis/   Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/ Support the show with Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brainwellnessnp

    192. AVM & Stroke survivor story with Kristin McKenzie
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About

Hosted by Mandi, a Nurse Practitioner with 20+ years in healthcare (nearly all in neurology), this show started with a plan to cover all things related to brain health & wellness, but morphed into being mostly concussion & traumatic brain injury (TBI) related topics after the host's own TBI experience. You'll hear strategies for recovery from both the practitioner and patients' points of view. Whether you're a healthcare provider, person with a brain condition, or family/caregiver, you'll find something useful in these episodes. Learn more about the host at www.brainwellnesssolutions.com

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