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
returning to work
cold plunging
holotropic breathwork
neurosurgery
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS)
ketamine
psilocybin
ibogaine

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 cattle shows and dance competitions. I went to Wharton to study finance while working on Wall Street and in software startups.

My ego was destroyed when I sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in 2019, hit by a car as a pedestrian.  About 20% of my brain died. After just 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 functional 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 chronic symptoms of photosensitivity, vertigo, chronic migraine, fatigue, depression, anxiety, or insomnia. I take no medications! The brain can indeed heal.

Many 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 a neurologist who could speak truth about what was possible after brain trauma. With the Vemuganti Lab of Neurosurgery, we researched mouse models of brain injury and neurodegeneration. I began patient advocacy with Parkython, Concussion & CTE Foundation, & LoveYourBrain Foundation.

Instead of medical school, I'm building in the neurology neuroplasticity revolution. I'm seeking to learn from and collaborate with neurosurgeons, neuropsychiatrists, neuroscientists, clinic operators, and natural practitioners who are on the same endeavor.

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
Sue Sisely - Right to Try law for for psychedelics
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 Swartz - information activist

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