The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

The Curious StoryTeller: How a Brain Injury Changed One Man’s Life and Led Him Back to Purpose

1h36 | 10/02/2026|

48

Description

What a Brain Injury Took, What Purpose Gave Back

What happens when the life you built disappears, and you have to figure out who you are from the ground up?

In this episode, I sit down with Herb for an honest conversation about traumatic brain injury, depression, identity loss, and the slow work of rebuilding a life that no longer fits the old rules. He shares what changed after a snowboarding accident, why invisible injuries are so hard to explain, and how he found his way back to focus, purpose, and hope.

We talk about the kind of struggle people often can’t see from the outside: the fear, the shutdown, the frustration of looking capable while feeling anything but. At the same time, Herb also shares the shift that helped him stop chasing his old life and start building a new one with meaning.

If you’ve ever felt like your future got knocked off course, or you support someone living through that kind of loss, I think this conversation will stay with you. You’ll hear the small wins that mattered most, the mindset that kept him moving, and the question many people in pain are quietly carrying.

About the Guest

Herb is an entrepreneur and brain training coach who helps people recover lost capacity after brain injury, stroke, and other life-altering setbacks. His work is shaped by his own lived experience of rebuilding after traumatic brain injury.

Timestamps

0:15 - Herb’s life before the brain injury and the business he was building
2:20 - How everything started falling apart after the accident
5:14 - The turning point that made him want to be alive again
12:17 - When traumatic brain injury became part of the story
15:40 - Why depression was harder than the physical pain
21:53 - What the early days felt like from the inside
30:21 - The first signs that brain training was changing daily life
42:41 - Letting go of the idea of “going back”
56:11 - What rebuilding really looked like in real life
79:52 - Why purpose mattered so much in recovery
86:06 - What Herb hopes others hear when their future feels lost

Herb's Links

Show Affiliate: https://shop.adhddd.com/NEURODIVERGENT_CONNECTION

If this episode speaks to you, listen to the full conversation and share it with someone who may need that extra bit of hope today.

#BrainInjuryRecovery #TraumaticBrainInjury #MentalHealthAwareness #PurposeAfterPain #InvisibleInjury

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

Reid Miles Podcasts

Two shows. One curiosity-driven mission: telling human stories that matter.

Hosted by Reid Miles, this podcast feed is home to two distinct but connected conversations.

The Neurodivergent Connection centers neurodivergent voices lived experience, late diagnosis, advocacy, creativity, and the realities of navigating a world not built for autistic minds. These episodes focus on understanding, accessibility, and belonging, grounded in honesty and real conversation rather than clinical distance.

The Curious Storyteller began as a celebration of remarkable people and the stories that shaped them. It has since evolved into deeper, reflective conversations about identity, resilience, reinvention, and the quiet moments that change us. Guests include creators, athletes, leaders, and thinkers not to be interviewed, but to be heard.

Both shows share the same foundation: unscripted conversations, emotional intelligence, and curiosity over performance. This isn’t about polished success stories or neat conclusions — it’s about connection, reflection, and telling the truth while the story is still being written.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

Reid Miles Podcasts

Two shows. One curiosity-driven mission: telling human stories that matter.

Hosted by Reid Miles, this podcast feed is home to two distinct but connected conversations.

The Neurodivergent Connection centers neurodivergent voices lived experience, late diagnosis, advocacy, creativity, and the realities of navigating a world not built for autistic minds. These episodes focus on understanding, accessibility, and belonging, grounded in honesty and real conversation rather than clinical distance.

The Curious Storyteller began as a celebration of remarkable people and the stories that shaped them. It has since evolved into deeper, reflective conversations about identity, resilience, reinvention, and the quiet moments that change us. Guests include creators, athletes, leaders, and thinkers not to be interviewed, but to be heard.

Both shows share the same foundation: unscripted conversations, emotional intelligence, and curiosity over performance. This isn’t about polished success stories or neat conclusions — it’s about connection, reflection, and telling the truth while the story is still being written.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

What a Brain Injury Took, What Purpose Gave Back

What happens when the life you built disappears, and you have to figure out who you are from the ground up?

In this episode, I sit down with Herb for an honest conversation about traumatic brain injury, depression, identity loss, and the slow work of rebuilding a life that no longer fits the old rules. He shares what changed after a snowboarding accident, why invisible injuries are so hard to explain, and how he found his way back to focus, purpose, and hope.

We talk about the kind of struggle people often can’t see from the outside: the fear, the shutdown, the frustration of looking capable while feeling anything but. At the same time, Herb also shares the shift that helped him stop chasing his old life and start building a new one with meaning.

If you’ve ever felt like your future got knocked off course, or you support someone living through that kind of loss, I think this conversation will stay with you. You’ll hear the small wins that mattered most, the mindset that kept him moving, and the question many people in pain are quietly carrying.

About the Guest

Herb is an entrepreneur and brain training coach who helps people recover lost capacity after brain injury, stroke, and other life-altering setbacks. His work is shaped by his own lived experience of rebuilding after traumatic brain injury.

Timestamps

0:15 - Herb’s life before the brain injury and the business he was building
2:20 - How everything started falling apart after the accident
5:14 - The turning point that made him want to be alive again
12:17 - When traumatic brain injury became part of the story
15:40 - Why depression was harder than the physical pain
21:53 - What the early days felt like from the inside
30:21 - The first signs that brain training was changing daily life
42:41 - Letting go of the idea of “going back”
56:11 - What rebuilding really looked like in real life
79:52 - Why purpose mattered so much in recovery
86:06 - What Herb hopes others hear when their future feels lost

Herb's Links

Show Affiliate: https://shop.adhddd.com/NEURODIVERGENT_CONNECTION

If this episode speaks to you, listen to the full conversation and share it with someone who may need that extra bit of hope today.

#BrainInjuryRecovery #TraumaticBrainInjury #MentalHealthAwareness #PurposeAfterPain #InvisibleInjury

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

Reid Miles Podcasts

Two shows. One curiosity-driven mission: telling human stories that matter.

Hosted by Reid Miles, this podcast feed is home to two distinct but connected conversations.

The Neurodivergent Connection centers neurodivergent voices lived experience, late diagnosis, advocacy, creativity, and the realities of navigating a world not built for autistic minds. These episodes focus on understanding, accessibility, and belonging, grounded in honesty and real conversation rather than clinical distance.

The Curious Storyteller began as a celebration of remarkable people and the stories that shaped them. It has since evolved into deeper, reflective conversations about identity, resilience, reinvention, and the quiet moments that change us. Guests include creators, athletes, leaders, and thinkers not to be interviewed, but to be heard.

Both shows share the same foundation: unscripted conversations, emotional intelligence, and curiosity over performance. This isn’t about polished success stories or neat conclusions — it’s about connection, reflection, and telling the truth while the story is still being written.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

Reid Miles Podcasts

Two shows. One curiosity-driven mission: telling human stories that matter.

Hosted by Reid Miles, this podcast feed is home to two distinct but connected conversations.

The Neurodivergent Connection centers neurodivergent voices lived experience, late diagnosis, advocacy, creativity, and the realities of navigating a world not built for autistic minds. These episodes focus on understanding, accessibility, and belonging, grounded in honesty and real conversation rather than clinical distance.

The Curious Storyteller began as a celebration of remarkable people and the stories that shaped them. It has since evolved into deeper, reflective conversations about identity, resilience, reinvention, and the quiet moments that change us. Guests include creators, athletes, leaders, and thinkers not to be interviewed, but to be heard.

Both shows share the same foundation: unscripted conversations, emotional intelligence, and curiosity over performance. This isn’t about polished success stories or neat conclusions — it’s about connection, reflection, and telling the truth while the story is still being written.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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