How long have you been doing what you do, and how did you become a Brain Injury Recovery Coach?
To answer this question, it’s probably best that I share with you a defining moment, and a resulting “compelling story”, that brought me to where I am today – coaching people like you on exactly what to do to support yourself and your self-care while you take care of a loved one who is living with a brain injury, mental illness, post-traumatic stress or in addiction recovery. That defining moment in my life happened in 2011.
A few months prior, my husband and I were running our own 5-year old restaurant, which we loved. We were the place everyone came – every night it was like putting on dinner & a fabulous show for people we loved. The vibes were great, the kitchen was open-concept, nothing to hide.
Then one afternoon, my daughter was hit by a car while walking to school. She walked away from the hospital that evening but little did we know of hidden injuries. Then 4 years later one Sunday morning, my husband was rear-ended at a stop light by someone who was texting while driving. The police showed up. He declined emergency care. Three days later, he was a changed man and someone I barely recognized. I didn’t know what happened.
Invisible injuries only started getting worse on both fronts. Family is the most important thing to me in life. Within a year our restaurant was gone, and the bills were piling up. But the most important thing to me was to figure out how to keep my family together.
Between my husband’s injuries and my daughter’s – who both suffered a brain injury from their accidents, I was consumed with worry that the two would kill each other one specific Halloween. There were so many emotions spilling out between the two of them that I only wanted to figure out a way to stop the chaos. I had no support and no idea that this chaos was actually an illness.
All I kept saying to myself was: “How do I keep my family together? What can I do to help them heal? How did I end up at 38 years old being the sole caretaker to figure this out on my own? How will I ever find the answers to help them thrive in their new life? How will I make sure that I am healthy and together as I help them navigate their new realities?
I made a decision right then and there that I was going to figure out this whole “Coping with Brain Injury” issue even if it killed me! At that very moment, I made a commitment to immerse myself in absolutely everything that had to do with Brain Injury, health and wellness: I got into Reiki, law of attraction, meditation, grounding, diet, pet therapy, salt therapy, aromatherapy, sound therapy, releasing trapped emotions, and I took course after course on Brain Injury! Talk about a turnaround! I made my intentions to bring my family together again.
Days turned into weeks, months and years of learning about what I could do to help my family become at peace and have a new normal. Psychologists were helping, but everything happens so slowly and the costs were compiling out of control.
I started putting into action the things I learned in the courses. I learned so much about how to help them thrive and keep myself healthy and sane and started teaching other caretakers how they can do the same: I watched their peace of mind, self-confidence and independence return.
I have since made a commitment to dedicate the rest of my professional life to helping other families or caretakers take care of their loved ones who are navigating life with brain injuries, post-traumatic stress, mental illness or addiction recovery to find answers that help their loved ones live a more independent functional life. I help them learn how to take care of themselves better, prevent burnout and have more of a sense of freedom and possibility to create and maintain the family and love they want – despite these illnesses.
Since then, I went from feeling hopelessly surrounded by chronic pain and anxiety with no income, to being able to teach people what took me over a decade to learn. I’ve worked with many private clients, and I have created “Caretaker Survival: How to Support Your Loved Ones and Yourself and Thrive”, a series of 9 important inner and outer steps every caretaker with loved ones suffering from a brain injury, post-traumatic stress, addiction recovery or mental illness, needs to apply to nurture progress in their loved ones and themselves, and live life with more peace and freedom than they thought possible – and in record time.
Who are your Clients?
I work with people of all walks of life, old or young, women or men. If you have a family member whose health is suffering and it’s affecting you, then I can help. If your loved one:
- has a brain injury
- suffers from chronic pain
- suffers from PTS
- is depressed
- is an addict
What makes you different from other Brain Injury Recovery Coaches?
I have 20 years of experience coping with family members who suffer from a brain injury, in additional to extensive training on how to support those with brain injury. I found a way to keep it all together and work from home as well.
Things may never go back to the way they were is what others will tell you. I’m here to tell you that things will never be the same. Your loved one has changed, and I’m here to educate you on what some of those changes may look like and to help you change with your loved one.
What type of people do you work best with and what is expected of me?
You’ve got to be serious about getting back to a new normal. You understand that your loved one has changed, but now it’s your turn. You will learn new ways to communicate sometimes maybe making you feel as if you are treating your loved one differently, but you have to. You need to grow outside of your comfort zone. You will become educated on the disability your loved one suffers from, which will lead you to gain more confidence, visibility and finally bring you closer to a new normal life that you will become comfortable in again.
Being a loving, patient, caring person myself I work well with others who find it easy to think of others before themselves at times. Consider what you’ll do with me a high-octane crash course on everything you need to know to hold yourself together while supporting your loved one who can at times drive you crazy. You will be expected to take serious and consistent actions within your home. No excuses anymore, just a very different way of thinking and full support while you make it happen.
For what type of people are your program NOT going to work for?
Please know I’m very selective in who I work with, and I cherry-pick my clients, choosing to (gently) turn away people who aren’t suited for my program and won’t get results for which they would have signed up for. (It wouldn’t be fair to them.)
The “Caretaker Survival: How to Support Your Loved Ones and Yourself and Thrive” is NOT for those who have no money coming in and are absolutely, financially desperate, at least not right away. It’s been my experience that people in financial crisis do not trust the recommendations I give them and do not do the work (probably because they spend so much time worrying about where they are going to get next month’s rent check or mortgage payment.) If you fall within this category, it’s absolutely OK. We’ve all been in times of financial crisis at one point or another. Do yourself (3) favors:
- Get some money coming in with a full-time or part-time job at the very least, and then call me. This will take the edge off and provide a little more peace of mind. Mostly, it will de-clutter your mind enough to focus on your Caretaker Survival: How to Support Your Loved Ones and Yourself and Thrive assignments and the BIG picture.
- Sign up for the free email (Click here to subscribe.) The free information will get you started towards your goals until you’re ready to work with me one-on-one.
- Make a point to read the “How to Deal with Brain Injury” bi-weekly tip in my e-zine. The tips are sent over the week and will give you LOTS to think about.
Doing these three things will really help you get primed for our work. When you’re ready, call me, and we’ll get you started. (I’m in no rush and will be here when you need me.) Other types of personalities I won’t work with (without exception) are the whiner or the chronic skeptic, as well as individuals who constantly make excuses for not getting their assignments done or challenging every aspect of the program. If you are one of these people, I gently and respectfully ask that you not call, and I hope you understand why. We’ll probably just not work well together, and I wouldn’t want you to waste your time or money. Is that fair?
What exactly is “Caretaker Survival: How to Support Your Loved Ones and Yourself and Thrive” system and what exactly does it include?
“Caretaker Survival: How to Support Your Loved Ones and Yourself and Thrive” begins with understanding your own limitations. It’s about achieving results to have your family back to a new normal. The people in the relationships are the same, but the people may even feel as if they are not themselves anymore. You will fast track what I’ve learned in my two decades of living with BI and be provided with full support while getting back to a new normal yourself. Here is exactly what the program will get you:
- Finding out where you stand
Here we will look at the basics of life and common side effects of a brain injury. I will share with you parts of an article by Dr. Falconer. You will discover where exactly you’re at and gain a better understanding of the situation you’re in.
- Understand where you are in relation to BI
Most common complaints from family regarding a loved one’s BI. You will learn the basics around treating people with BI. You will be learning about the most common functions that change a person when injured. I will have some homework for you to assess where you are at and identify common issues you share with other families.
- Self Evaluation
We will examine where you are personally at with yourself. You will get CRYSTAL clear about your goals in creating your new normal. You will learn proven techniques for your self-doubt, fear, anxiety, and all that stuff that keeps you from becoming happy with this new life after getting to know first hand about Brain Injury.
- Addiction and Substance use with Brain Injury
We will look at what is being said about BI relating to substance use and addiction by the professionals. We will look at what professional say is the number one sign of suicide and how to get away from it.
- Grounding Yourself
You will learn about grounding and the side effects. This is an age-old remedy the health care professionals hide or deny as it’s free and would lose them millions of dollars. This could be implemented on the Brain Injured person also to help with their recovery process.
- Exercise & Nutrition
Together we will build a schedule to incorporate the musts to achieving your goals of a happy home. We will look at balancing the importance of exercise and good nutrition but getting back to what we learned in ‘understanding where you are relating to BI” and keeping priorities straight.
- Tips and tricks to use in communication
We’ll spend considerable time looking at showing respect and dignity as well as communication tips and examples to solve some of your big problems. By now you probably know changes that need to be made, but we will look at examples of what has worked for others. The number one trick I used in calming the house was getting a dog. Clearly, this is not recommended for everyone; however, the unconditional love provided by a pet can be astronomical.
- Advocating for your loved one
We will look at where to turn for help and how to get it. Your loved one with BI may not have self-awareness of more than just having a BI. You will learn about things to look out for and how to advocate for them to receive appropriate assistance.
- Celebrate!
We’ll focus a lot of your time celebrating wins and creating the new habit of celebrating the improvements in life. Where you place your attention, your energy follows. You are skyrocketing to a happier home.
Does this really work?
Yes! There is a lot of new information being published regarding Brain Injury. I have organized it together in one place where it’s easy to go through on your own time with support for any questions you may have.
What results can I expect?
You can expect to
- stop feeling alone
- communicate more effectively
- find joy in life again
- gain unshakeable confidence in yourself
- learn proven techniques to help with your loved one’s memory
- recognize signs of suicidal thoughts
- locate local support systems
- have membership to share with others in a similar situation
- work smarter not harder keeping everything together
- ground yourself and release trapped emotions
- a sense of unity and wholeness
- create healthy boundaries
- have more ease and grace in your life
- feel empowered and excited about the future
- acknowledge some people will never understand
- end the drama cycles and patterns
How can I know that we can work well together?
I’m here to support you while you learn. You know your family best. My portion of the work is organized to help you step by step, week after week digest the information and not be overloaded. I understand that people with BI can quickly become overloaded but with all the added responsibilities, so can family members.
How quickly can I expect results?
That will depend on your commitment to start with yourself. Each individual is different. How quickly your family member can take in, and process information also will make a difference in how quickly you will see results in their behaviour.
How can I guarantee myself that I will be better able to cope with living with a survivor in record time?
Do all the required reading and work in each week. Be totally committed to yourself first. Understand that this is a process that works if you take action and implement all of the steps. My clients who have diligently applied each step of “Caretaker Survival: How to Support Your Loved Ones and Yourself and Thrive” have seen improvements in their family dynamics and in with much less time and with much less money. You will learn tricks from the perspective of psychologists, occupational therapists, naturopaths and mother earth. These services could add up to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars – and often involve weekly or even bi-weekly appointments. With this program, you will be able to make gentle changes daily for a faster feeling of a happy new normal.
Karen, based on everything I read and heard about you, I know you’re the one I want to learn from. What are my options for getting started with you?
Congratulations on making the decision to transform your life into one you love waking up to everyday. I’m happy to work with you to create a better understanding of your loved one and help you build your family back to a happier new normal. I prefer to work one on one with my clients to really help them achieve FASTER results. To get started on a road to a more peaceful home, sign yourself up for my 1 on 1 : 90-day program.
OK, I’m ready to do this for myself, but I have a couple of more questions. Can I call you? Fantastic, sounds like you’re ready to jumpstart a calmer household. Yes, if you have a couple of questions book an intake call with me at https://SchedulewithKarenCampbell-CopingWithBrainInjury.as.me/ . I’ll be happy to walk you through the process and get you comfortable with helping you with your needs. I can’t wait to help you grow along with your family! Let’s get going!
Brain Injury, Family Recovery Coach 