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. 3d ago

    Why Some Concussions Never Fully Heal | A Neuropsychologist Explains with Dr. Shan Patel

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. What happens when concussion recovery doesn't follow the timeline everyone promises? Clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Shan Patel joins Wendy Lurrie to explain why traumatic brain injuries are far more complex than most people realize. They discuss the psychological effects of concussion, why no two brain injuries are alike, how outdated advice continues to delay recovery, and why individualized treatment is essential for people living with persistent symptoms. The conversation also explores confidence, identity, behavioral health, and why healing isn't simply about waiting for symptoms to disappear. If you've ever been told your scans are normal or that it's "just a concussion," this episode is for you. 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/

  2. Jul 27

    From TBI Survivor to Neuroscientist: Making Sense of Brain Injury

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. At 18 years old, Daniel Avesar survived a severe traumatic brain injury that left him unable to think, reason, or experience the world in ways he recognized. Doctors could explain his double vision, but they couldn't explain why his mind no longer felt like his own. Determined to understand what had happened, Daniel spent decades rebuilding his cognition and eventually earned a PhD in neuroscience to study the very organ that had been ruptured. In this deeply thoughtful conversation, Daniel and Wendy explore identity, grief, cognition, accommodation, and the invisible realities of brain injury. Together, they ask what becomes possible when we stop asking people to return to who they were before and begin listening to who they are now. Because sometimes making sense of rupture begins with acknowledging that it changed us. 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/

  3. Jul 20

    The Rupture of Losing Your Job | When Work Becomes Who You Are

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. Who are you when the role disappears? Modern culture teaches us to define ourselves by what we do. We introduce ourselves by our jobs, tie our worth to our productivity, and often struggle to separate our identities from our careers. So what happens when that role suddenly disappears? In this episode of Rupture, Wendy Lurrie speaks with organizational psychologist and cultural behaviorist Dr. Lauran Star about job loss, workplace trauma, and the profound rupture that can occur when our professional identities are stripped away. Having experienced layoffs from both sides of the desk, Dr. Star offers a rare perspective on the emotional realities of losing a job, the systems that fail us, and how we begin rebuilding when we're forced to answer a different question altogether: Who are you when you're no longer who you used to be? This conversation explores grief, identity, mental health, generational differences in our relationships with work, and why perhaps our jobs were never meant to define us in the first place. 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/

  4. Jul 13

    Designing Better Clinical Trials for Brain Injury Patients | Patient Advocacy Part 2

    Submit a dispatch. BestGuessistan wants to hear from you. There is still no standard treatment developed specifically for concussion. In this episode of Rupture: The World of Best Guessistan, Wendy Lurrie continues her conversation with clinical trial experts Kelly McKee and Mindy Cameron to explore why that is, and how clinical research could better serve people living with traumatic brain injuries. From decentralized clinical trials and home visits to caregiver support, accessible informed consent, wearable technology, and patient-centered study design, this discussion examines how reducing patient burden could improve both participation and scientific discovery. If we want better treatments for brain injury, we need to stop asking patients to adapt to research and start adapting research to patients. 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/

  5. 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/

  6. 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/

  7. 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/

  8. 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/

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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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