Kim’s Radio Shows

More than simply a joyful mood, happiness is a state of well-being that encompasses a sense purpose and satisfaction. A growing body of research also suggests that happiness can improve your physical health.

Is happiness a choice? Perhaps a noun, coupled with a few verbs? Your thoughts dictate your emotions and your mental state. Although at times it can seem totally unmanageable, you have complete control over your thoughts. What path do you choose to take with your thoughts? Do you want to choose happiness? Do you believe you CAN achieve happiness after Brain Injury? Our definition of happiness may be transformative, not what we had expected. As we have changed, so too has our perception of happiness. We all desire to love and be loved, feel the euphoria of happiness, and live a good life. The trouble is after a life changing event, we may not immediately be able to discern the road to happiness. Join Simon and I as we raise the lantern to bring light to the path.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ~Viktor E. Frankl

Randy Mortenson – Author, problem solver, and Professional Motivational Speaker around the world, excels at working with professionals to overcome hurdles. His vast experience includes careers in finance and energy, a variety of entrepreneurship experiences, with board of director roles in public, and private companies, as well as non-profits. He is passionate and committed to restoring sanity in conflicted workplaces where compulsive behaviors are dooming success, often mirroring issues effecting the community at large.

His success in being a carrier of important life messages, stems not only from his business experience, but also from grave personal tragedy that propel others to either recoil from life, or to seek how their experience can help others. Randy chose the latter, spreading messages of help, hope, faith for cultivating a better quality of life.

Randy offers solutions to the phrase “I don’t know how”, most recently with his presentations: Integrity in Leadership, What If, and Just Do Something. Randy is a long time member of “The Speakers Hub” with great success in turning challenged situations, into stories of strength and success. For more see: randymortensen.com

Debbie Hampton recovered from decades of unhealthy thinking and depression, a suicide attempt, and resulting brain injury to become an inspirational and educational writer on brain, psychological, emotional, and mental health issues for Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, and more. On her website, Debbie shares how she rebuilt her brain and life to find joy and thrive. She wants you to know that you can do it too! You can quickly learn the steps to a better you in her book, Beat Depression And Anxiety By Changing Your Brain, with simple practices easy to implement in your daily life. Improve your brain, improve your life.

A trauma trigger is a psychological stimulus that prompts recall of a previous traumatic experience. The stimulus itself need not be frightening or traumatic and may be only indirectly or superficially reminiscent of an earlier traumatic incident, such as a scent, sight, sound or feeling. Things can be going well, when suddenly we shift emotionally into a darker place, seemingly without warning or control. A Brain Injury is a Traumatic Event. Some of us have been diagnosed with PTSD post injury, some heal to their threshold and are never bothered emotionally again. Some are a composite of both. At the time of the Anniversary of Our Injury (mine is today), triggers can elicit a variety of emotions. Some years are soley a celebration of gratitude and life, while others, “triggers” can take us back to the place that defined our future carved in isolation and pain. Join me and offer your experience, as I offer mine and some facts to define.

With 2018 in the books and the holidays now behind us, we look forward to the coming year. What will it look like? While we don’t have a crystal ball, we do have a hand in the outcomes. What do we change, what’s worth keeping? Call In, Open Mic .. What if anything, does 2019 signify to you?

HAPPY BOXING DAY!! Kim and Simon discuss how all fared for the holidays, and look ahead at goals for the New Year! Join them as you rest after the Mad Dash of the Holidays, and prepare to move forward into a New Year, with new beginnings. Join them. 🙂

We’re here with you .. Great holidays, or not so much .. Call in and share your season, your heart, your feelings with Kim and Matt.

Dr. Chrisanne Gordon is a physician, author, filmmaker, innovator, and advocate for the successful reintegration of veterans with traumatic brain injury. Her book, Turn the Lights On! A Physician’s Personal Journey from the Darkness of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) to Hope, Healing, and Recovery, was published in January 2018, and documents her own TBI recovery and the research and resources available for TBI diagnosis and treatment.

She founded Gray Matter Innovations, a company focused on creating digiceutical solutions for the treatment of TBI, especially in military veterans.

Dr. Gordon was called to action, beginning with a part-time position at the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic in Columbus, Ohio, where she performed second-level screening for the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suspected with traumatic brain injuries. These experiences led to the production of a documentary to educate the military world about the signs and symptoms of the injury and to educate the civilian world about the difficulties with reintegration our heroes were experiencing as a result of their service.

The film, Operation Resurrection, was completed by Patton Productions in 2013, and demonstrates solutions for health care, education, and employment for our returning 450,000 veterans with TBI.She also founded the non-profit Resurrecting Lives Foundation (RLF), which follows through with the solutions set forth in the documentary, promoting collaborative efforts between military and VA resources, and the civilian community. RLF continues to serve as a voice for our heroes with TBI and the families who struggle to care for them.

Dr. Gordon was invited to discuss the necessity for civilian collaboration in the reintegration of our service personnel in many relevant venues. For more, see website: resurrectinglives.org

Dr. Tim Conway earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Neuropsychology from the University of Florida. His background as a clinical research scientist produced publications on dyslexia, learning disabilities, aphasia, alexia, fMRI, auditory working memory and various cognitive disorders. Dr. Conway is the Director of The Morris Center clinics in Florida, and The Morris Centre Trinidad and Tobago, which serve national and international clientele by providing a transdisciplinary team approach to the assessment and successful treatment of language, learning, motor, sensory, mood, anxiety, behavior and executive function difficulties or other Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Dr. Conway is the CEO of the Neuro-development of Words – NOW!® company, an online EdTech company that provides evidence-based and research-based online tutoring with highly-trained eTutors using the four NOW! Programs™ (reading/spelling, comprehension/memory, grammar/writing and mathematics). For more see: themorriscenter.com

There are a LOT of Holiday geared programs around this time of year. One that I’ve watched every year of my life (REALLY long time), is Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. I began to consider what messages that show was sending. Hmmm .. I guess I could relate to the underpinnings of a few of those differences from a young age. Worse since my brain injury when I couldn’t recognize myself, or communicate “the new me”.

One message is that people who are “different” are less desirable. They are judged, manipulated and controlled. They are lonely and isolated. Thus, holding a perception of not fitting in with the status quo. Even easier to feel like that issue is rubbed in this time of year. Before my brain injury, I took those differences as being “unique” or “out of the box” compared to most folk, as a good thing. That was a special, freeing feeling. There was nothing to measure up to, because being ME was enough. There were no comparisons, because there is none. We are each unique, not to be compelled to conform to someone else’s notion of “normal”. Was that a dream? Some place “different” took on a new meaning, that equates with something bad, ignored or frowned upon. Reasons for being banished from people or groups, realizing fears and insecurities once foreign to me. A challenge of self confidence. We all have our abominal snow men.

In the movie they face their fears and move forward, with all the pieces falling into place. The pain morphs into the happy ending everyone craves, as the screen goes blank. Negative minds were changed. Confidence was restored. The we changed from a bullying sort of dynamic, to a appreciative love and acceptance ever more. So is it only like that in the movie? Can real life mirror the art? Join us, share your take.