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2026 Mind Matters Agenda

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Thursday, March 26

Time/Location	Session
(Central Time) 8:30 — 9:30 am Orchid Rose Lily	Welcome, Rebecca Quinn Silver Learnings: Lessons from 25 Years of Living with Brain Injury Carole Starr, MS In this unique keynote, Carole Starr, MS, shares wisdom she's learned from her 25 years of living with brain injury. The speech focuses on 25 "silver nugget" lessons Carole has identified from her experience. These lessons have applications for survivors, caregivers and professionals.
9:30 — 9:50 am Lilac	Break and Exhibits
9:50 — 10:50 am Orchid Rose Lily	The Importance of Neuroplasticity in Life after Brain Injury Renee Mills, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIST Coping with the long-term consequences of acquired brain injury (ABI) is complex and multi-faceted for families, survivors, and healthcare professionals. Recent research related to quality of life, social engagement, and neuroplasticity in chronic brain injury will be briefly reviewed in this presentation. A national peer support group model led by a brain injury survivor will be presented as well as parameters for successful neuroplastic exercises to maintain and improve cognitive function after brain injury.
10:50 — 11:10 am Lilac	Exhibits
11:10 am — 12:10 pm   Orchid Rose Lily	An Occupational Therapy Approach to Health Maintenance Brooke Johnson, AOTA, CBIS, LSVT BIG, PAM This presentation explores health management as an occupational therapy approach for adults with neurological conditions. Emphasis is placed on achieving optimal function and supporting engagement in meaningful occupations.
12:10 — 1:10 pm Pre-Function Area	Lunch Provided
1:10 — 2:10 pm Orchid Rose Lily	Feeding the Injured Brain Shylah Schauer, ND Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ABI initiate a cascade of neuroinflammation that disrupts neural repair, impairs cognition, and worsens emotional regulation. This presentation explores the science linking the gut-brain-microbiome axis with post-injury neuroinflammation and recovery. Attendees will gain an integrative framework for understanding how microbiome health shapes brain resilience after injury and leave with actionable nutrition and gut-based strategies to optimize healing in TBI and ABI patients.
2:10 — 2:30 pm Lilac	Exhibits
2:30 — 3:30 pm Orchid Rose Lily	Recycling Pain Luke Bohnenberger, Brain Injury Coach Living with a brain injury often means living with pain. Sometimes it’s physical, sometimes emotional and sometimes it shows up in our relationships or sense of identity. In this presentation, Luke shares his own journey through brain injury and recovery to explore the difference between pain and suffering, something he didn't learn from a book, but from living it. Through honest storytelling and brain-based insight, this session helps people understand why pain can feel so heavy and how perspective plays a powerful role in whether pain keeps us stuck or helps us move forward.
3:30 — 3:50 pm Lilac	Break and Exhibits
3:50 — 4:50 pm Lilac	Empowering Hope: Beyond the Injury with Three Perspectives on One Journey – Brain Injury Awareness and Acceptance Nan Kennelly, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIST, and Heidi Fiskness, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIS The goal of this presentation is to discuss what awareness and acceptance looks like from multiple perspectives. We will discuss what these terms mean from the perspective of a brain injury survivor, a caregiver to those with brain injury, and also medical professionals who work with these individuals. Strategies and supports for building on awareness and supporting acceptance will be discussed.

Friday, March 27

Time/Location	Session
(Central Time) 8:30 — 9:30 am Orchid Rose Lily	Welcome, Rebecca Quinn Humor As a Coping Mechanism Brody Lavelle In this raw, real, and unexpectedly funny presentation, Brody Lavelle takes attendees on a journey through severe traumatic brain injury recovery—one that started with a near-fatal motorcycle crash on May 21, 2023, and continues every day on job sites, in therapy rooms, and behind the camera of his YouTube channel, BrainBooBooBrod. Attendees can expect a refreshingly unfiltered conversation about identity after injury, the mental grit required to rebuild a life, and the surprising ways comedy can become a coping mechanism.
9:30 — 9:50 am Lilac	Break and Exhibits
9:50 — 10:50 am Orchid Rose Lily	C.A.R.E. Checklist: Applying a Consent and Capacity Framework for Individuals Living with Brain Injury Megan Dooley, OTD, OTR/L Originally published in 2025 as a framework for dementia care, the Context of Autonomy, Relationship, and Engagement (C.A.R.E.)™ checklist provides an evidence-informed, behavior-based approach that can be adapted to support decision-making for brain injury populations as well. Attendees will learn how to apply the C.A.R.E. checklist to assess observable indicators of comfort, distress, and voluntariness while balancing person-centered care, autonomy, and safety.
10:50 — 11:10 am Lilac	Exhibits
11:10 am — 12:10 pm   Orchid Rose Lily	NDBIN and NDDSVC: Collaboration for Better Survivor Outcomes Carly Endres, MS, CBIST, and Kayla Jones In North Dakota, the North Dakota Domestic and Sexual Violence Coalition (NDDSVC) and the North Dakota Brain Injury Network (NDBIN) collaborated with several domestic violence agencies across North Dakota for a Learning Practices Academy over the past year. This co-presentation by NDDSVC and NDBIN highlights the work and continued growth anticipated in the area of brain injury and domestic violence. This session will provide practical strategies for incorporating brain-injury-informed and trauma-informed practices into advocacy, healthcare, tribal programs, behavioral health, and criminal justice settings.
12:10 — 1:10 pm Pre-Function Area	Lunch Provided
1:10 — 2:10 pm Orchid Rose Lily	Acute Care Management of TBI – Optimizing Interventions that Promote Recovery Sarah Ring, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIST Goals for management immediately following TBI include minimizing complications, identifying sequelae, and optimizing long-term outcomes. This session will review the predictable course of recovery after brain injury through the framework of the Rancho Los Amigos Scale of Cognitive Recovery-Revised, highlighting typical presentations and treatment goals across the early and middle phases of recovery. Participants will explore foundational principles of acute care management, including strategies for supporting ongoing physical and cognitive recovery, and understanding behavioral responses in the recovering brain.
2:10 — 2:30 pm Lilac	Exhibits
2:30 — 3:30 pm Orchid Rose Lily	The Intentional Brain – Six Pillars of a Healthy Brain Luke Bohnenberger, Brain Injury Coach This presentation takes a real and practical look at what it means to rebuild the brain after an injury. Through the framework of The Six Pillars of a Healthy Brain: Connection, Movement, Diet, Novelty, Environment, and Reset (Sleep/Pause), attendees will learn how small intentional actions can create big changes in how the brain heals and adapts.
3:30 — 3:50 pm Lilac	Break and Exhibits
3:50 — 4:50 pm Orchid Rose Lily	Beyond the Injury: The Overlooked Role of Sensory Processing in Brain Injury Rehabilitation Allyson Grimley, OTD, CBIS, PAMCA, LSVT BIG, PWR! In this presentation, we will explore the relationship between the sensory system and the nervous system, and how that relationship directly shapes healing after brain injury. Emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary collaboration, patient-centered interventions, and creating predictable, regulated therapeutic environments that optimize neuroplasticity, and engagement. Participants will leave with practical tools to recognize sensory dysregulation and develop individualized sensory plans that enhance outcomes across the continuum of care.
4:50 — 5:00 pm Lilac	Conference Wrap Up Awards/Recognitions/Drawings for Prizes/Evaluations Carly Endres, MS, CBIST