For almost two years after his brain injury, Paul Jamieson could not eat or drink anything. When his speech pathologist finally decided he was ready to try, she asked him what he wanted. He said mangoes. He still remembers exactly what it tasted like.
Nearly nine years ago, Paul was wakeboarding on a lake in Victoria when a fall headfirst into the water caused a severe brain bleed. He was helicoptered to the Alfred Hospital, where surgeons drilled a hole in his skull to relieve the pressure. The surgery saved his life, but the brain injury had already happened. In the weeks that followed, Paul was absent from his own body, existing but not present, with doctors at one point considering palliative care. Then, without explanation, he started to get better.
Host Daniel Dougherty sits down with Paul to trace the nine years since: the speech pathologist who worked on his swallowing muscles for months before the mango was possible, the physiotherapist who pressed her body weight onto his knees to get one revolution on a stationary bike, the ex-partner who sat beside him every day when he could not respond, and the hand squeeze that told that partner he was still in there. Paul also talks about moving into his own apartment in Brunswick, training for a 40-kilometre bike ride, co-authoring a research paper, and pursuing motivational speaking and allied health work. He is, by his own account, happier now than he was before the accident. He knows how that sounds.
This is a conversation about acquired brain injury, rehabilitation, independent living, the people who make recovery possible, and what it means to appreciate the smallest things.
Key Takeaways
– Recovery is measured in small, specific milestones. From one revolution on a stationary bike to a 30-kilometre ride on an electric tricycle, Paul’s progress has been built on incremental goals set by a team of therapists who had a vision for him that he could not always see himself.
– The people beside you matter as much as the therapy. Paul’s family, his ex-partner Adam, and his support workers Rachel and Isabelle each played a distinct and named role in his recovery. He is specific about what each of them gave him, and careful to credit them.
– Positivity, for Paul, is not a choice but a condition. Paul describes the brain injury as having knocked the negativity out of him. Before the accident he was struggling. After it, something shifted. He does not frame this as inspiration; he describes it as something that happened to him.
– Independent living is a system, not a solo act. Paul’s apartment in Brunswick has 24-hour on-site support staff. He calls them when he needs them and does not when he does not. That structure is what makes his independence possible, and he is clear about that.
– Contribution is part of the recovery. Paul is pursuing motivational speaking, a traineeship at Jigsaw, a short course in medical reception, and a co-authored research paper. He sees each of these as a way of giving something back, not just as personal milestones.
Guest Bio
Paul Jamieson is a Melbourne-based speaker and advocate who sustained a severe acquired brain injury in a wakeboarding accident nearly nine years ago. After an extended period of rehabilitation that included relearning to speak, swallow, and move, he now lives independently in Brunswick with on-site support. He has produced a five-part podcast series about his recovery, Beyond the Impact, available on Spotify, and speaks at universities and workplaces about resilience, positivity, and life after brain injury. His website is pauljamieson1.com.
Resources Mentioned
– Beyond the Impact, Paul’s Recovery Story, https://open.spotify.com/ (Paul’s five-part podcast series on Spotify featuring his speech pathologist, OT, and physiotherapist)
– Paul Jamieson’s website, http://pauljamieson1.com (Information on Paul’s motivational speaking services and background)
– Jigsaw (Organisation where Paul is completing a traineeship in preparation for allied health reception work)
– Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI), https://www.wehi.edu.au (Medical research institute where Paul worked in the breast cancer lab prior to his accident)
– The Alfred Hospital, https://www.alfredhealth.org.au (Melbourne hospital where Paul received emergency surgery following his brain injury)
– Kintsugi Heroes, https://kintsugiheroes.com.au (Tax-deductible donations to support the podcast)
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and welcome
01:47 The wakeboarding accident
03:14 Surgery at the Alfred, and the brain injury
07:02 Life since the Beyond the Impact podcast
08:52 Moving into his own apartment in Brunswick
13:56 Being absent from his own body
15:47 The therapists who changed his recovery
17:34 Two years without eating, then the mango
20:01 The stationary bike and the electric tricycle
25:20 Adam, the hand squeeze, and a friendship that held
30:38 How the brain injury changed …