The Brain Game Changer – how heartfelt stories, awareness and education can change the game with host Melissa Gough
Welcome to the first episode of The Brain Game Changer podcast. I am your host, Melissa Gough. If I was to describe myself on paper, I would have to say an avid traveller, a foodie (although would you believe it, I am allergic to coffee) and an educator of young minds. I consider myself a quirky, passionate and authentic individual who wears my heart on my sleeve and has witnessed countless, beautiful and significant moments in my life.
However, it seemed that the Universe had different plans for me and out of nowhere one sunny afternoon on a Sunday in May 2021, I suffered a Subarachnoid Brain Hemorrhage. If there was ever a Brain Game Changing moment, this was it!
I am incredibly fortunate to have received this second chance at life and, this is why I felt called to start The Brain Game Changer podcast. My purpose is to bring resources, awareness and stories to you so you can be reassured that you are not alone or may provide support for someone you know. As I continue to learn and grow, I will share this knowledge with you too. Once we discover how to become Brain Game Changers we can cope and adapt to almost any situation that presents itself to us.
I look forward to walking the journey together.
In unity,
Melissa xxx
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Melissa Gough
Hello and welcome to an episode of the Brain Game Changer: how heartfelt stories, awareness and education can change the game. Each week we delve into the experiences of amazing humans, advocates and organisations from all walks of life, who share their adversities, the triumphs after tragedies, the milestones and those brain game changing moments right here in front of the mic. Through this journey together, we may find that we can learn some valuable tools, knowledge or education that will lead us into becoming game changers for ourselves, or someone around us or even for our community. My name is Melissa, thank you for inviting me into your space. It is great to be here with you.
Here we are the very first episode and first season of the Brain Game Changer: where inspiring heartfelt stories, awareness and education can change the game. And thank you for sharing this experience with me. When I started this journey, I was definitely stepping into the unknown way out of my comfort zone, while taking the necessary steps in healing from a significant event which we'll go into. Some days it felt like racing in the Grand Prix with pit stops, and other days it felt like a slow, leisurely flowing walk along the beach. Let's go into the reasons why we're here. And I'm going to do a little bit of a backstory.
Let me take you back to the year 2021. Boy, don't we all know it well! We're all in the midst of a global pandemic, no matter where you are, no matter where you're living. We're dealing with a lot of anxiety and stress and the unknown, and we're just doing our best to navigate our way through a really concerning and confusing time. There are lockdowns and toilet paper has received more air time since it first became a commercial product to be sold in rolls in the year of 1890! It was all happening at the time!
I'm 48 years young, and even though we are at the forefront of this pandemic, experiencing mandated curfews, lockdowns, and many uncertainties, I was overall happy, healthy, and in a good space within my life. I'm in a job and a career that I love. I'm a primary school teacher finding daily delights in watching young children learn and evolve. And as we know, I'm also bracing myself for whatever is going to come out of the mouth of babes. There's never a dull moment. I'm also actively looking for a new home to buy, and a man had entered my life earlier in the year, who I've been spending a lot of time with, and appreciating getting to know really well. We've been away on holidays, and it was really lovely. During this time, as mentioned, I am happy, healthy and optimistic about this next chapter in my life. To help with this process of being happy, each morning I had a beautiful routine of meditation and gratitude that also helped me to be in tune with myself and to navigate through my life each day. So I was pretty grateful for a lot of things. At the time. If I was asked to describe myself on paper, I would have to say that I was an avid traveller, I have dual nationality. I'm a music lover. I love all sorts of music. I'm a foodie and have been really fortunate to experience some culinary sensations. However, even though I live in one of the self proclaimed coffee capitals of the world, I am actually allergic to the stuff! (the sound of crickets playing in the background).
Hello, are you still there? I get so many comments about being allergic to coffee. If I was given $1 for every time I got a remark, or shocked response, I'd be sitting in the Caribbean happily retired. You're kidding me right? Seriously? Did you just say you're allergic to coffee? How do you even get through the day? I cannot even live without it. I am a much nicer person to myself and to the world, as soon as I've got a coffee!
I'm an educator to young minds. gym goer, sister, auntie, niece divorcee, and a happily self labelled quirky, passionate and wear my heart on my sleeve type of friend. I've already experienced some significant moments in my life. Some really beautiful moments, those aha moments, those game changes. I've witnessed many beautiful friends marry their beloved, and then go on and have some beautiful children and saw so much joy and love when they announced the birth of the child, and then having the blessing, wonderful opportunity of being able to go and hold that bundle of joy. I have also experienced standing on a mountain overlooking Machu Picchu, after trekking the Inca Trail for four days and the journey to get there was just a special memory that I'll hold on to forever. I had also had the opportunity to spend that sacred time with some special people in my life, supporting their endings before they departed Earth for their next adventure. I graduated with my education degree in two different countries both in the UK and here in Australia. I have seen some amazing music bands and artists at festivals and concerts, surrounded by like minded souls and fellow travellers. Yep, those special moments.
However, it seemed that the universe had different plans for me. During an early afternoon, one Sunday back in May 2021, I suffered a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage in the apartment of the man I had been in a relationship with since earlier that year! I have to say I owe my life to the dedicated amazing paramedics and the staff at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. It was my home for nearly two weeks. I was in the ICU, Neurological Ward, High Vision Unit, and then eventually making my way out onto the General Ward. I'm incredibly fortunate at being given this second chance of life. Because in all honesty, when I heard that news, when I came out of consciousness, and they told me that I'd suffered a brain haemorrhage: I did not think that I would see the next day, and I just witnessed my body completely shutting down. Gosh, if there was a lightbulb moment, wake up call a brain game changing moment I was to experience the universe thought, hey, let's give her this one.!
This huge life threatening and traumatic experience and the circumstances surrounding it has navigated and steered me in the direction of birth in this podcast, The Brain Game Changer: where heartfelt stories, awareness and education can change the game. This was certainly an unfortunate, unplanned event. However, I'm open to learning and seeking as much support and knowledge as possible, which then enables me to share it with you. This is not just about brain injuries, it's about all adversities and significant life events and traumas. My purpose is that hopefully, some of these resources and stories may be helpful, really helpful, or reassuring to you, as they have been for me. This process is a continual process and will not be exhaustive, as I'll continue to learn and grow as a result, and I'll continue to share it with you. However, I must specify that I am not a medical expert, doctor, general practitioner, neuroscientist, brain surgeon or any type of medical specialist, nor have I studied to be one. So if you are concerned about any health matters, I'm going to plug what they say on the TV commercials. Please see your medical practitioner for guidance going forward.
When you tune into the weekly episodes, you will hear stories and themes about my journey and recovery and the heartfelt stories and events of others. There'll be interviews with aspiring people from all walks of life, everyone from medical practitioners, Paralympians to Auntie Betty's, cousins, neighbours, dog! We're all on here, we're all on here to share a story. There is so much information out there, and I'm not afraid to ask the why's and the how's and share the wonders and the knowledge.
On a different note, even though I'm very fortunate to be making a good recovery, and having this wonderful second chance at walking this crazy planet we live on, I am still someone recovering with a brain injury. I am still in the process of a long recovery. I have tinnitus in my left ear, I have issues with my left hand, and my cognitive processing can be unique and varied in its daily abilities. I can experience brain fog at times, every day is different. There are times where I might be reading from a script to make it a little bit easier and clearer to get the information to you.
We also have to understand that of course with all these different interviews and everyone's sharing their medical expertise, their resources, their research and their stories, there are different schools of thought on many aspects of healing, acceptance and growth that will be discussed along the way. Game Changing starts first and foremost in our minds and attitudes, and then our actions can follow. My intention is that by creating this awareness and sharing with you my knowledge and the knowledge of others and experiences, that you too may have your game changer towards a better or more abundant life.
So through this journey together, we will find that once we learn how to manage and become game changers that we can cope and adapt to almost any situation that presents us, including this pandemic, because we have the toolkit to make the changes needed. I've also featured an Instagram page @thebraingamechanger, I would love it if you could come and follow, which will feature nuggets and glimpses of education, random facts, awareness, and snippets of heartfelt stories. As we know the human body is a fascinating force of nature, and everyone has had their own journey with it.
Even as we share these stories, there is still that essential ingredient of humour. Some choice language may be expressed at times, although I've made it very clear that certain words are definitely off the table, along with some passionate views, personal opinions, and already mentioned different schools of thought. So if you're allergic to any of that, go to your medical practitioner, get a medical certificate, organise that epi pen and be ready to share the ride with me. Overall, the aim of this podcast is to provide hope after adversity, triumphs after tragedies, the little and big victories, the admiration and resilience of amazing humans. Their determination through the toughest of moments, and optimism after such traumatic events; that life can present a path of a new normal and over time can take us in the most amazing of directions.
Even though I do have a Bachelor of Education in primary teaching, my intention is to provide a different space of awareness and education, should you meet anyone going through their own adversities or game changes, so you can also show up and provide a wonderful space in that moment. There is a beautiful quote, and it says ‘that unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.’
I want to thank you for listening to this episode today and supporting The Brain Game Changer and the guests we interview. I hope it adds some reassurance or valuable tools no matter how big or small, that will continue assisting you in being the wonderful game changer that you are.
The best way to support The Brain Game Changer podcast is to like, share with family and friends or subscribe. So each weekly episode is easily available to you. I'd love to hear your feedback. You can also find me on Instagram @thebraingamechanger. Drop in and say hello and check out the regular posts about awareness and education on various important topics and issues. Until next time, sending lots of love and light your way and looking forward to sharing the space with you again soon. Take care.
