Rupture: The World of BestGuessistan

Wendy Lurrie
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Mental Health

A podcast for anyone living in the After—the part of life that begins when injury, illness, burnout, caregiving, or grief rewrites the rules. Conversations with clinicians, thinkers, and survivors about nonlinear healing, updated expectations, and building a life that works with the body and brain you have now.

  1. Jul 6

    She Treated Brain Injuries Until She Had One

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. Mandi Dickey spent years helping patients recover from brain injuries as a board-certified neurology nurse practitioner. Then a car accident gave her a traumatic brain injury of her own. In this deeply personal conversation, Mandi and Wendy explore what happens when medical expertise collides with lived experience. They discuss why so many concussion patients are dismissed, the surprising ways brain injuries affect the entire body, the emotional toll of identity loss, and the financial and healthcare systems that often leave people to navigate recovery alone. Together they challenge outdated assumptions about concussion, explain why "mild" traumatic brain injury can have life-changing consequences, and make the case for bringing lived experience into healthcare. Whether you're living with brain injury, supporting someone who is, or simply curious about how healthcare can better serve patients, this conversation offers compassion, practical insight, and hope. Follow Mandi on her podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/@brainwellnessnp4328/ Check out more of Mandi's work and resources for concussion patients on her website: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/ Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BestGuessistan Subscribe to our Substack: https://bestguessistan.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestguessistan/ Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestguessistan/

    48 min

  2. Jun 29

    What Clinical Trials Really Look Like: A Patient Advocate's Guide (Part 1)

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. Clinical trials can feel overwhelming, confusing, and even frightening, especially for patients navigating a new diagnosis or searching for better treatment options. In Part 1 of this two-part Rupture conversation, Wendy welcomes patient experience expert Kelly McKee and patient advocate Mindy Cameron to explain how clinical trials actually work from the inside out. They break down the terminology, the people involved, and the realities of participating in medical research. Together, they discuss: What clinical trials are designed to proveThe role of placebos and standard treatmentsEndpoints, biomarkers, and informed consentInclusion and exclusion criteriaThe many professionals behind every studyThe real-life burden placed on patients and caregiversDistrust, fear, and misconceptions surrounding research participationWhy patient voices and experiences deserve greater recognitionThis episode offers an honest, patient-centered look at a system that shapes nearly every medicine and treatment we rely on today. Subscribe to Rupture for Part 2 of this important conversation on patient advocacy and the future of clinical research. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BestGuessistan Subscribe to our Substack: https://bestguessistan.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestguessistan/ Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestguessistan/

    29 min

  3. Jun 22

    His Scans Were Clear, His Life Was Not | Rob Baugh on Living With TBI

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. After a traumatic brain injury during the pandemic, Rob Baugh was told what many concussion patients hear: go home, rest, and you'll be fine. He wasn't. Years later, Rob still lives with chronic headaches, aphasia, cognitive challenges, and the ongoing reality of an invisible disability. In this conversation, Wendy Lurrie and Rob explore what happens when medical systems fall short, how brain injuries reshape identity, and why the phrase "just a concussion" can be so damaging. They discuss caregiving, workplace accommodations, emotional changes, advocacy, and the difficult process of learning to live in the "after." For anyone navigating brain injury, chronic illness, disability, or another life rupture, this episode offers validation, honesty, and hope. Check out Rob's podcast, Life Rewired here: https://www.youtube.com/@liferewiredpodcast Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BestGuessistan Subscribe to our Substack: https://bestguessistan.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestguessistan/ Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestguessistan/

    51 min

  4. Jun 15

    What Happens When the Healthcare System Doesn't Believe Women?

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. Women are more likely to have their symptoms dismissed, more likely to be diagnosed later, and more likely to be told that pain, fatigue, or serious medical concerns are "all in their head." In this special Rupture roundtable, Wendy brings together three returning guests, Lara Benjamin, Nina, and Fallon Morey, for a candid conversation about gender bias in healthcare. From traumatic brain injury and chronic illness to pregnancy, autism, military medicine, and motherhood, they share the moments when they knew something was wrong, and what happened when the system refused to listen. This is a conversation about healthcare, but it's also a conversation about power, credibility, and what happens when women are forced to become their own advocates just to receive basic care. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BestGuessistan Subscribe to our Substack: https://bestguessistan.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestguessistan/ Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestguessistan/

    54 min

  5. Jun 8

    Awareness, Affordability, Availability: The Concussion Care Gap

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. Concussion recovery isn't just a medical challenge. It's a systems challenge. In this episode, Wendy sits down with neurorehabilitation specialist Dr. Kellianne Arnella to unpack what she calls the "Three A's" of concussion care: Awareness, Affordability, and Availability. Together, they examine why so many people struggle to access effective treatment, why outdated concussion advice still persists, and how gaps in education, insurance coverage, and specialized care continue to impact recovery. From telehealth and insurance barriers to the importance of patient advocacy, this conversation explores what needs to change and how individuals can better navigate a system that often leaves concussion survivors behind. Whether you're living with a brain injury, supporting someone who is, or working within healthcare, this episode offers a thoughtful look at the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of concussion care. Connect with Dr. Kellianne Arnella Instagram: @‌the.brainbody.ot Website: Evolve Brain + Body Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BestGuessistan Subscribe to our Substack: https://bestguessistan.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestguessistan/ Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestguessistan/

    35 min

  6. Jun 1

    How COVID Destroyed My Career and Triggered a Mental Health Crisis

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. Before COVID, Lindsey Jennings was on the rise. A comedian, performer, and tour manager, she was building the career she'd worked toward for years when the pandemic abruptly changed everything. What followed wasn't one rupture. It was many. After losing her professional momentum, Lindsey sought treatment for ADHD symptoms and was prescribed Prozac. The medication triggered a prolonged manic episode that eventually gave way to a devastating year-and-a-half depression. Along the way she encountered barriers to care, financial instability, hospitalization, predatory self-help programs, and the crushing pressure to "get better" on schedule. In this conversation, Lindsey and Wendy explore the systems that failed her, the support systems that ultimately helped her survive, and why recovery is rarely as simple as society wants it to be. Lindsey is awarded BestGuessistan's Ministry of Bootstraps BS. Because sometimes the biggest lie is that we're supposed to do it all alone. If BestGuessistan helps you feel less alone in your own rupture, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs it. Every conversation helps build a language for experiences that too often remain invisible. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BestGuessistan Subscribe to our Substack: https://bestguessistan.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestguessistan/ Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestguessistan/

    37 min

  7. May 25

    Eating Disorders in Adulthood: The Conversation Women Aren’t Having

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. Eating disorders don’t just affect teenagers. They follow women into adulthood. Into careers, relationships, motherhood, and everyday life. In this episode, Wendy Lurrie sits down with Fallon Morey to talk openly about something rarely discussed. Living with an eating disorder as a grown woman. This conversation explores: The lifelong “voice” of disordered eatingControl, shame, and identityThe impact on daily routines and relationshipsThe role of culture, media, and validationWhy so many women stay silentThis is not a conversation about perfection or recovery. It’s about truth, awareness, and what happens when we finally say it out loud. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BestGuessistan Subscribe to our Substack: https://bestguessistan.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestguessistan/ Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestguessistan/

    1 hr

  8. May 18

    The Rupture of Grief And What Happens When Systems Fail You

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. Grief isn’t just emotional. It’s structural. In this episode, Suzanne Barbetta shares the story of losing her husband to cancer at 45. But what follows is something rarely discussed. The collapse of the systems around her. Healthcare. Insurance. Financial stability. Social identity. With no roadmap and no support, Suzanne was forced to build her own system to survive. This is a conversation about what grief actually looks like. And what happens when everything you depend on stops working. 🔔 Subscribe now for more conversations about rupture, systems, and lived experience. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BestGuessistan Subscribe to our Substack: https://bestguessistan.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestguessistan/ Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestguessistan/

    55 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

A podcast for anyone living in the After—the part of life that begins when injury, illness, burnout, caregiving, or grief rewrites the rules. Conversations with clinicians, thinkers, and survivors about nonlinear healing, updated expectations, and building a life that works with the body and brain you have now.

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