The Meningioma Cast

Welcome to The Craniotomy Club — the club no one wants to join, but once you’re in… everything changes. In this episode, I talk about life after brain surgery — the weird, frustrating, sometimes beautiful world of post-craniotomy recovery. From phantom pains and memory glitches to unexpected humor and hard-won perspective, this is a raw, honest look at what it really means to survive a craniotomy.

Whether you’re a fellow brain t...

Episode 8: Tournaments, Tumors, and Tough Crowds.

Welcome back to The Meningioma Cast — the podcast where brain tumors meet real talk.

In this episode, I open up about navigating the mental and emotional chaos that comes after a brain tumor diagnosis — while still trying to be a supportive parent at jiu-jitsu tournaments, dodge awkward conversations in public, and keep my sense of humor intact.

From MRI scans to martial arts mats,...

Episode 7 – ChatPTSD

In this episode of The Meningioma Cast, I step outside my comfort zone (literally) and share a recent run-in with some… let’s call them “colorful” characters while trying to be more extroverted. Spoiler: it was awkward.

I also dive into the real stuff—like what PTSD looks and feels like after living through a brain tumor. From unexpected emotional triggers to that ever-lurking sense of dread, I open up about the ...

Episode 6: Happy Mother’s Craniversary Day

In this heartfelt and thought-provoking episode of The Meningioma Cast, we celebrate Mother’s Day and my 3-year craniversary — three years since brain surgery and still no tumor regrowth. I open up about the emotional side of recovery and what it’s like when friends and family react to a brain tumor diagnosis (spoiler: not always how you’d expect).

We also take a look at how AI is changing t...

Episode 5: Painting Chickens

Before my craniotomy, in the middle of all the anxiety and unknowns, I found myself painting… chickens. Don’t ask why — it just made sense at the time. In this episode, I talk about that surreal stretch leading up to surgery, share a listener’s heartfelt letter, and give an honest check-in about how this past week has been going.

Sometimes it’s the weird stuff that gets us through.

Our Facebook page:

https...

This week on The Meningioma Cast, I’m picking up where I left off — sharing a little more about where I’m at now in my meningioma story, a few of the side effects that stuck around (and a few that surprised me), and what life looks like these days.

It’s not all bad, it’s not all deep — it’s just real.

And I’d love to hear your story too.

Because while no two journeys are the same, talking about it helps.

Please share your story...

Episode 3 – Down by the River: Recovery, Support, and What Angela Remembers

In this episode, I take you with me to the banks of the Hillsborough River, where I sit down with Angela—my friend, caregiver, and the one who was there when I couldn’t be. As we reflect on those early recovery days after my craniotomy, Angela shares memories I’ve forgotten… or maybe blocked out—like what really went down in the ICU, how many people saw my g...

In this powerful and emotional episode of The Meningioma Cast, I walk you through the moment I sat across from the neurosurgeon and saw the tumor for the first time. I talk openly about what it’s like to be told you have a brain tumor—and what happens next when your entire life changes in an instant.

From diagnosis to surgery, and waking up unable to walk, I share the raw reality of recovery, identity, and finding meaning in mom...

Before the diagnosis, before the surgery, before the podcast—there was just me… trying to make sense of a body that wasn’t behaving, and a life that was slowly being rewritten without my permission.

In this first episode of The MeningiomaCast, I share the real story of the year and a half leading up to my brain tumor diagnosis. From confusing symptoms to seizures, misdiagnoses, and that sinking feeling that something bigger was goin...