The Real Lives of TBI Wives

Erika Brouillette
  • 4.9 (8)
  • Relationships
  • Updated Weekly

Real Lives of TBI Wives is a heartfelt and empowering podcast that gives voice to the untold stories of women who are navigating life as caregivers to husbands with traumatic brain injuries. Hosted by Erika, a wife, mother, and advocate, this podcast offers a candid look at the highs and lows of caregiving, self-care, and balancing the complexities of family life. Each episode features real-life experiences, tips, and encouragement for those walking this difficult path. Whether you’re a fellow TBI wife or someone looking to better understand this journey, Real Lives of TBI Wives is a safe space for support, connection, and healing. Join Erika and other TBI wives as they share their stories, struggles, and triumphs, offering a glimmer of hope for all who listen.

  1. 16h ago

    One Straw Away | Ep. 50

    Fifty episodes. In this solo episode, Erika takes you back to where it all started — the woman who had never shared her story publicly, who hit record scared and unpolished because she knew someone needed to hear it. She walks through what fifty episodes has taught her about TBI wives, identity loss, and what it really means to disappear inside the role of caregiver. And then she shares the wall she hit this past year, he isolation, the weight. The moment she was one straw away and what she chose to do instead. This episode is for the woman who is done surviving but does not quite know how to come back yet. The one who downloads every episode and still puts herself last. The one who is waiting for the right moment to matter. Erika has a message for her  Come join the Reclaim community for a group of women who get it!

    13 min

  2. May 26

    Worthiness Wounds of TBI Wives | Ep. 49

    Ep. 49 | You have been performing strength in public while quietly disappearing in private. And if you are honest with yourself, the exhaustion you are carrying as a TBI wife goes deeper than the caregiving itself. It goes all the way back. In this episode, Erika Brouillette gets honest about the worthiness wound, the deep, quiet belief that your needs come last, that your worth lives in your usefulness, and that wanting more makes you selfish. This is the belief that started in childhood, long before your husband's brain injury ever happened. And caregiving, the relentless, identity-swallowing reality of life as a traumatic brain injury spouse, has a way of making it louder. Of making self-abandonment sound like strength. Erika walks you through where that belief started, how it gets amplified after a TBI, and what it actually looks like to question the programming you inherited. Because caregiver identity loss is real. Caregiver burnout is real. And the ambiguous grief of loving someone whose brain injury has changed everything,  including who you are inside of it, deserves more than survival advice and self care checklists. This episode is for the TBI wife who has stopped dreaming. Who says she's fine when she's drowning. Who cannot remember the last time she wanted something just for herself and felt okay about it. Who has been told, by the world or by her faith community, that wanting more is ungrateful. That good wives give everything. That strong women don't need much. It's time to question that story. If you are ready to stop disappearing inside the caregiving and start reclaiming your identity, your selfworth, and the life that still belongs to you, this episode is your starting point. Join us at Reclaim to start putting this all into action!   Reflection Questions From This Episode Pause the episode and sit with these, or grab your journal. What did you learn about your worth when you were little? What did love require of you growing up? What version of you felt the safest to be? Where did you learn that your needs come last? Where did you learn that asking for help means weakness? What would actually happen if you let something fall? Where did you learn that wanting more is selfish and was that actually true?

    13 min

  3. May 19

    One Fall, A Lifetime of Change with Greg Hayward | Ep. 48

    Ep. 48 | In this episode of Real Lives of TBI Wives, Erika sits down with Greg Hayward, a traumatic brain injury survivor who shares his honest and often humorous perspective on life after TBI. Greg spent 35 years in the oil and gas industry, a career built on hard work, the outdoors, and mechanical skill, until one unexpected night changed everything. What started as a normal evening with a friend before a hunting trip ended in a devastating fall down a basement staircase during a sleepwalking episode, leading to a traumatic brain injury that altered every part of his life. Greg opens up about the long recovery process, from waking up months later with only pieces of memory, to navigating vision and hearing loss, fatigue, balance issues, and the frustrating reality of not always being able to find the words he wants to say. He shares what it was like moving through hospital care, brain injury rehab at Glenrose, and the slow process of relearning his body, his limits, and the way his brain now works. This conversation also dives into life beyond the hospital. Greg talks about the challenges of returning to work, the ways TBI affects relationships, the isolation survivors can feel, and how everyday tasks like going to a restaurant or sitting in a noisy room can suddenly become overwhelming. He also shares the creative ways he has adapted, from using assistive technology to finding new purpose through his Haywire Dry Rub business and his dream of becoming a gunsmith. What makes Greg’s story so meaningful is his honesty. He doesn’t sugarcoat the losses, but he also brings humor, grit, and perspective to the conversation. His story is a reminder that life after brain injury may look very different than before, but there is still room for purpose, creativity, growth, and connection. Be sure to order your Haywire dry rub today!  And we would love for you to join us in Reclaim where there are women who get it and want to do this life along side you!

    56 min

  4. May 12

    The Secrets We Carry and the Weight They Create: Carrie Pullaro | Ep. 47

    Ep. 47 | In this powerful episode of Real Lives of TBI Wives, Erika sits down with Carrie Pullaro, coach and creator of The Whole Woman Method, to talk about the hidden emotional weight women carry long before tragedy ever touches their lives. Carrie shares her deeply personal story of body shame, addiction, secrecy, abortion, herpes diagnosis, destructive coping patterns, and the exhausting cycle of trying to fix what was showing up physically without ever addressing what was happening emotionally. Through years of personal development, recovery work, coaching, and deep emotional healing, Carrie discovered that her struggle was never just about food, fitness, or the number on the scale. It was about the pain she had buried, the parts of herself she had abandoned, and the stories she kept telling herself about her worth, her body, and her identity. She opens up about what changed when she stopped running, started facing her truth, and gave herself permission to heal at the root. Carrie explains how the Whole Woman Method was born from that transformation, a process that weaves together empowered mindset, emotional groundedness, and physical fitness to help women become more whole, more confident, and more connected to themselves. This conversation will resonate deeply with women who know what it feels like to carry emotional pain in the body, feel isolated by their stories, and wonder if healing is really possible. This episode is an invitation to stop abandoning yourself, stop shrinking, and begin rewriting the story underneath the struggle. You can connect with Carrie on instagram To go deeper and connect with women who get it, join us at Reclaim

    37 min

  5. Apr 30

    Finding Light: Community and Courage for TBI Wives | Ep. 46

    Ep. 46 | Host Erika Brouillette shares her experience of facing a life-or-death decision, then becoming an overnight caretaker, provider, and single parent to three boys while managing specialists, therapies, insurance, and daily care tasks like feeding tubes, medications, and hygiene. Overwhelmed, isolated, and unsure of next steps, she held onto a belief she could help others and began learning how to reclaim her life over years of struggle. Because she couldn’t find the support she needed, she created Reclaim, a community for TBI wives focused on reconnecting with self and higher power, rebuilding boundaries and workable systems, and reclaiming identity and needs while being supported monthly without judgment.   Join the Reclaim community!

    7 min

  6. Apr 14

    The Importance of Sloth Day with Teri Holland | Ep. 45

    Ep. 45 | In this refreshing and much-needed episode of Real Lives of TBI Wives, Erika sits down with her friend and podcast mentor, Teri Holland, to talk about something so many caregivers desperately need but rarely allow themselves: rest. While the conversation may feel a little “off topic” from brain injury at first, it quickly becomes clear that intentional rest is one of the most important survival tools for women carrying the emotional, mental, and physical weight of caregiving. Teri opens up about her own experience walking beside her husband through PTSD, the fear and hypervigilance that came with loving someone in crisis, and the way that trauma quietly took up space in her own mind and body. She shares how therapy helped her recognize the impact this was having on her, and how her healing journey eventually led to the creation of “Sloth Day”, a full day intentionally set aside for rest, stillness, comfort, and nervous system recovery. Together, Erika and Teri unpack the guilt many women feel around slowing down, why rest is not laziness, and how taking breaks actually makes us more productive, more present, and more capable of carrying what life asks of us. Teri also explains the three different kinds of rest, why our brains need quiet space to function well, and how even starting with a few hours of intentional rest can make a huge difference. If you are a TBI wife, caregiver, or woman who feels stretched thin and like there is never enough time to stop, this episode will feel like permission to exhale. It is a gentle but powerful reminder that your body, your brain, and your spirit all need rest too.   Be sure to follow Teri at Success in Mind and purchase your Sloth Day swag!

    22 min

  7. Apr 7

    Luke Speaks: How a Brain Injury Survivor Found Purpose in the Pain | Ep. 44

    Ep. 44 | In this powerful episode of Real Lives of TBI Wives, Erika sits down with Luke Bohnenberger, a traumatic brain injury survivor, speaker, coach, and bright light in the brain injury community, to talk about the accident that changed his life forever and the purpose he found on the other side of it. At just 18 years old, a simple decision to remove his seatbelt before getting off an exit led to a devastating rollover accident, a severe traumatic brain injury, and a fight for survival that would reshape not only his future, but the futures of everyone who loved him. Luke shares the heartbreaking details of the crash, the emergency brain surgery that saved his life, and the trauma his parents and family carried while waiting to see if he would survive. He opens up about waking from a coma, the early signs that he was still “Luke,” and the hard reality that came after leaving the hospital, when rage, depression, suicidal thoughts, and emotional dysregulation became some of the most difficult symptoms of his recovery. This conversation also dives into the survivor side of caregiving, something so many TBI wives long to understand more deeply. Luke speaks candidly about how aware he became of the pain he was causing the people he loved, how hard it was to trust his own brain, and the gratitude he carries now for the caregivers who stayed. He also shares the six pillars he uses to care for his brain and help others do the same. You’ll also hear the beautiful and hard parts of Luke’s love story with his wife Jenny, how brain injury impacted dating, marriage, medical decisions, and the fear of not being able to give her the life she dreamed of. Their story is a reminder that hope, healing, and deep love can still grow after brain injury, even when the road is messy and uncertain. This episode is full of truth, humor, heartbreak, and hope. It is a must-listen for TBI wives, caregivers, survivors, and anyone who wants to better understand what life after brain injury can really look like from the survivor’s perspective. Connect with Luke on all social media platforms at Luke Speaks TBI and his website: http://Lukespeakstbi.com

    45 min

  8. Mar 31

    Hope Beyond the Hospital and The Fight for an Assessible Life with Tina Devall | Ep. 43

    Ep. 43 | In this deeply moving episode of Real Lives of TBI Wives, Erika Brouillette sits down with Tina to share the heartbreaking and hope-filled story of her husband Dave’s traumatic brain injury. What began as an ordinary workday on the farm in October 2021 turned into a life-altering accident that left Dave with a severe diffuse axonal brain injury, and left Tina navigating ICU stays, long-term rehab, workers’ compensation battles, full-time caregiving, and the overwhelming realities of bringing home a husband who now needs total care. Tina opens up about what life was like before the accident, the chaos of getting the call while out of state, the long nights in hospital hotels, and the emotional toll of watching the man she loves become trapped in a body that no longer works the way it used to. As a wife, mother, grandmother, and registered nurse, Tina shares the unique challenges of advocating for Dave’s care while also carrying the weight of every decision, every transfer, every feed, every supply order, and every barrier standing between them and the accessible home he desperately needs. This episode is a powerful reminder that the hardest part of caregiving is often not the physical load, but the mental and emotional burden of constantly fighting systems that should be helping. Tina’s faith, fierce love, and unwavering belief that Dave will one day walk again make this conversation both devastating and deeply inspiring. If you are a TBI wife, caregiver, or loved one trying to hold it all together while living in the aftermath of brain injury, this episode will make you feel seen, understood, and far less alone.   Connect with Tina and Dave on their socials Facebook Tik Tok and if you feel led to help Dave and Tina financially with their search for accessible housing here is their GoFundMe

    47 min
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4.9
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Real Lives of TBI Wives is a heartfelt and empowering podcast that gives voice to the untold stories of women who are navigating life as caregivers to husbands with traumatic brain injuries. Hosted by Erika, a wife, mother, and advocate, this podcast offers a candid look at the highs and lows of caregiving, self-care, and balancing the complexities of family life. Each episode features real-life experiences, tips, and encouragement for those walking this difficult path. Whether you’re a fellow TBI wife or someone looking to better understand this journey, Real Lives of TBI Wives is a safe space for support, connection, and healing. Join Erika and other TBI wives as they share their stories, struggles, and triumphs, offering a glimmer of hope for all who listen.

Information

  • Creator
    Erika Brouillette
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    51
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Real Lives of TBI Wives

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