Greetings! My name is Carlie. +

How I got here +‍

Growing up in Wisconsin, my home was chaotic and so I oriented myself around achievements. I won dance competitions and cattle shows. I went to Wharton to study finance then worked on Wall Street and in software startups.

My ego was destroyed when I obtained a severe traumatic brain injury in 2019, hit by a car as a pedestrian.  About 20% of my brain died. After four months of rehab, I was discharged for "plateauing" and told to accept how my life would be different now (now that I was disabled, for good). I was at the cognitive level of a kindergartener. Gratefully, I found my way to neuroplasticity therapies. These included somatic exercises, psychedelics, and neuromodulation technologies.  I no longer live with symptoms of photosensitivity, vertigo, chronic migraine, fatigue, depression, anxiety, or insomnia. I take no medications! The brain can indeed heal.

Most of my physicians along the way claimed ignorance to the idea of healing - it was either an unknown void, impossible, or worst of all: passive. Bewildered, I went back to school for pre-medicine coursework at the University of Wisconsin. I was preparing to become the lone neurologist who would speak truth about what was possible after brain trauma. I got to work. With the Vemuganti Lab of Neurosurgery, we researched mouse models of traumatic brain injury and neurodegeneration. I began patient advocacy with Concussion Legacy Foundation and Parkython.

Instead of medical school, I'm going to build the neuroplasticity revolution. I'm seeking to learn from neuropsychiatrists, researchers, and clinic operators that are on the same endeavor.

Talk to me about these, please! +

cognitive deficit
vestibular deficit
fatigue
insomnia
chronic migraine
vertigo
photophobia
phonophobia
leaky gut
trigger tolerance
ableism
depersonalization derealization (DPDR)
loss of self
adult autism diagnosis
self advocacy
cold plunging
holotropic breathwork
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
Portable Modulation Stimulator (PoNS)
ketamine
psilocybin
ibogaine
Right To Try Law

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.

Maya Angelou

I've become highly skeptical of ego-clinging. However, I realize that you probably came to this website to learn something about me. Below are some identities I've possessed throughout my life. +

Role models +‍

Nolan Williams - TMS, ibogaine neuropsychiatry
Bob Wold - ClusterBusters
Jack Westin - jackwestin.com
Dean Taraborelli - The Sanctuary Sedona
Norman Doidge - The Brain's Way of Healing
Paul Bach-y-Rita - inventor of the PoNS
Isaac Chen - neurosurgeon
Tehshik Yoon - chemist, educator
Justin McDaniel - scholar, educator, peace warrior
Judy Blume - anti-stigma YA author
Sal Khan - education for all
Philip Glass - light and dark in music
Martin Parr - photography of the everyday person
Osho - leader of Rajneesh movement
Jim Carey - giver of laughter
John Lennon - genre definer, peace warrior
Frida Kahlo - expression of disability
Stephen Hawking - cosmologist, educator despite disability
Rick Doblin - lifelong psychedelic activist
Lady Gaga - multidisciplinary, queer advocate
Dr. Seuss - saw society clearly
Alvin Ailey - founder of BIPOC dance company
Ruth Bader Ginsburg - lifelong anti gender discrimination activist
Aaron Schwartz - information activist