Ep. 20 Aphasia, Brain Health & Recovery with Professor Julius Fridriksson

Ep. 21 Aphasia Relearned with Kent & Leah

In this inspiring episode of When Words Don't Come Easy, Justin and Roger sit down with Kent and Leah, the founders of Aphasia ReLearned, a nonprofit dedicated to helping stroke survivors and people with aphasia access life changing intensive therapy programs. Kent shares his remarkable recovery journey, from struggling to say his children's names after his stroke to continuing to improve through intensive aphasia programs. Leah discusses how their experience inspired them to create Aphasia ReLearned and advocate for greater access to treatment. Together, they explore why intensive comprehensive aphasia programs can be so effective, the financial barriers many families face, and their mission to help more people receive the therapy they need. The conversation highlights hope, neuroplasticity, perseverance, and the belief that recovery can continue long after a stroke. Intensive aphasia programs are designed to provide concentrated, evidence based therapy that helps people improve communication skills and participation in everyday life. Whether you're a stroke survivor, caregiver, clinician, or someone looking for hope on the recovery journey, this episode offers powerful insight into what's possible when people refuse to give up. https://www.aphasiarelearned.org/ https://www.instagram.com/aphasiarelearnedorg/ https://www.aphasiarelearned.org/giving-page-2-1 #Aphasia #AphasiaAwareness #Stroke #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeAwareness #SpeechTherapy #Neuroplasticity #BrainInjury #CommunicationRecovery #AphasiaReLearned #AphasiaAdvocate #StrokeSupport #CaregiverSupport #HopeAfterStroke #RecoveryJourney #DisabilityAwareness #BrainHealth #WhenWordsDontComeEasy #Podcast #HealthPodcast #Inspiration #Rehabilitation #SpeechLanguagePathology #SLP

A Voice for Aphasia Recovery

Leah from Aphasia Relearned is passionate about making intensive aphasia therapy accessible to everyone. She wants more programs built across the country and hope to eventually bring the conversation to Congress. Because recovery shouldn't depend on your zip code. #Aphasia #StrokeRecovery #AphasiaAwareness #AphasiaReLearned #Neuroplasticity #SpeechTherapy #StrokeSurvivor #RecoveryJourney

From Saying Names to Relearning Life

Kent has attended the Michigan Intensive Aphasia Program 7 times and continues to improve. At first, he just wanted to say his kids’ names again.Now he’s relearning reading, writing, and math. Please check out Aphasia ReLearned to find resources on intensive, comprehensive aphasia programs. #Aphasia #StrokeRecovery #AphasiaRecovery #Neuroplasticity #SpeechTherapy #BrainInjuryRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #AphasiaAwareness #RecoveryJourney #AphasiaReLearned

Breaking Barriers to Aphasia Recovery - Aphasia Relearned

Meet Kent & Leah, founders of Aphasia Relearned. They created the program to help people with aphasia access intensive, specialized therapy that is often too expensive and rarely covered by insurance. Because everyone deserves a chance at recovery. #Aphasia #StrokeRecovery #AphasiaAwareness #BrainHealth #Neuroplasticity #SpeechTherapy #WhenWordsDontComeEasy

Ep. 20 Aphasia, Brain Health & Recovery with Professor Julius Fridriksson

This week on When Words Don’t Come Easy, we’re honored to welcome — one of the world’s leading researchers in aphasia and stroke recovery. Professor Julius Fridriksson serves as Vice President for Research at the University Of South Carolina and is the founder of the Aphasia Lab and the Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery (C-STAR), one of the largest collaborative aphasia research initiatives in the world. Over the course of his career, he has helped secure more than $50 million in research funding dedicated to understanding stroke recovery, neuroplasticity, and new approaches to aphasia rehabilitation. His work has helped challenge the long-held belief that recovery plateaus early, showing instead that many stroke survivors can continue improving years after their stroke. In this episode, we talk about: • How the brain creates “back roads” after injury • Why brain health plays a massive role in recovery • The science behind long-term aphasia improvement • Audio-visual speech therapy and rehabilitation • Why the way recovery is measured matters so much • Hope for stroke survivors and families navigating aphasia This conversation hit home for us because so much of Roger’s recovery journey connects directly to the kind of work Professor Fridriksson has dedicated his life to. If you or someone you love is living with aphasia, this is an episode worth hearing. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2026/05/boosting-stroke-recovery. https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/public_health/index.php https://cstar.sc.edu/https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/research/ #WhenWordsDontComeEasy #Aphasia #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #BrainHealth #SpeechTherapy #Neuroplasticity #JuliusFridriksson #CSTAR #AphasiaRecovery #RecoveryJourney #Podcast