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Ann Zuccardy

New York, NY

2-time TEDx talker, keynote speaker, accidental neuroscientist, and chocoholic.

Interests: Writing (creative non-fiction), food and wine, reading, teaching, tennis, and keeping my brain healthy for the next 50 years.

Recent Activity

How Humor Relieves Stress

Last month, I was in California for business. I had to drive into San Francisco during rush hour for a meeting. I found myself in bumper-to-bumper traffic at a standstill for 15 minutes, directly under a humongous bridge. As I gazed up at the steel structure and tapped my fingers... Continue reading

Posted Mar 31, 2017 at I Want My Brain Back

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How Not to be a Tiger's Lunch

As technology allows us to do more things at once than we ever could, the myth of multitasking grows too. And there's neuroscientific research to prove multitasking is as much of a myth as the tooth fairy. Continue reading

Posted Aug 24, 2016 at I Want My Brain Back

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3 Ways to be Smarter: 30 Minutes with Ann Zuccardy

Smart means different things to all of us. To me, it means ability to adapt on the fly, eagerness to learn, and resilience. I discovered many neurological facts about how people can become smarter after a brain injury in 2011. I call my discoveries The New Smart. Do you want... Continue reading

Posted Aug 21, 2016 at I Want My Brain Back

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I Want My Brain...Better

I was pissed off when I created this blog. I got my brain back (the title and reason for this blog's existence). I never lost it, but it changed. A lot. I've not nurtured this blog as I had intended when I created it almost five years ago. I created... Continue reading

Posted Aug 21, 2016 at I Want My Brain Back

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Why Humor Trumps Positive Thinking

Positive thinking, the kind touted in so many self-help books as a cure-all for every problem, can be psychologically dangerous, when overdone. Studies show that people who feel badly may feel worse when confronted with relentless positive affirmations. Continue reading

Posted May 2, 2016 at I Want My Brain Back

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How Will You be Unsafe Today?

I’m a crab. In a big bucket full of squirming, scuttling beautiful crabs. I want to climb over the edge and do my upcoming keynote differently, but the safety of the bucket feels okay when it isn’t driving me crazy. And that’s the problem – more often than not the... Continue reading

Posted May 19, 2015 at I Want My Brain Back

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So You Want to Do a TEDx Talk...?

I've been hearing a lot of "I'm thinking about doing a TEDx talk" lately. It's a great goal that requires a lot of work. I've been finding that many who express interest don't really understand the platform or the process. If you're thinking about doing a TEDx talk, take a... Continue reading

Posted Nov 22, 2014 at I Want My Brain Back

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Have You Used Neurofeedback for mTBI Recovery?

I found this article in Psychology Today's The Resilient Brain blog about neurofeedback to treat a variety of symptoms associated with concussion, stroke, Parkinson's disease, ADD, ADHD, sleep problems, anxiety, and to promote general brain fitness. I have not used neurofeedback in my treatment so I cannot speak to its... Continue reading

Posted Nov 19, 2014 at I Want My Brain Back

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Do You Keep a Journal?

If you are a female who grew up in the 1960s and 70s, you may remember the coveted five-year diary into which many tweens of that time, poured out our hearts. My diary was about the size of a wallet and had a shiny lock on it. Each page was... Continue reading

Posted Nov 18, 2014 at I Want My Brain Back

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How Being Unsafe Makes You Smarter

It's been a long time since I last updated this blog. With good reason. I've been busy speaking and clarifying my direction. My brand. What I do for a living and with whom I do it. I was invited to do my second TEDx talk at TEDxBattenkill in September of... Continue reading

Posted Nov 17, 2014 at I Want My Brain Back

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My Guest Post on the Tallspeaking Blog

Love the name of my friend Keith Scott's business - Tallspeaking. Keith really is tall, but we can all command a room like a tall person when we have good communication skills. Keith offers group and one-on-one speaking training for professionals. Posting this here instead of my AZ Communications blog... Continue reading

Posted Feb 11, 2014 at I Want My Brain Back

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Starting over at 50...with a brain injury

It's never too late to learn something new. Check out the written and audio interview I recently did with Stephanie Kathan from Identity Magazine. Thanks for the opportunity, Stephanie! Continue reading

Posted Jan 23, 2014 at I Want My Brain Back

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TBI: To drug or not to drug?

I gave birth at home. I'm not one to pop a pill for every problem. And living in Vermont, a mecca of alternative and wholesome approaches to dealing with illness sometimes colors my willingness to share my views for fear of judgment from some. I don't believe drugs or high... Continue reading

Posted Nov 15, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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My TEDx talk, How a Brain Injury Made Me Smarter, is live on the TEDx YouTube channel

I am excited because the official, professional, TEDx-sanctioned video of my TEDx talk, How a Brain Injury Made Me Smarter, is now live on the TEDx Talks YouTube channel as of yesterday. Now I have a professional video that spotlights me speaking about my passion to share with my friends... Continue reading

Posted Nov 6, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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What I Learned from a Bathtub

My article "What I Learned from a Bathtub" was published in the fall edition of Brain Injury Journey. If you're not familiar with Lash & Associates Publishing, they're probably one of the best online resources for brain injury education and (concussion, PSTD, traumatic brain injury) around. And if you're not... Continue reading

Posted Nov 4, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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Interview with Elise Coursey, creator of c'est la vie, etc. wearable art

Way back in May of this year I asked my friend, Elise Coursey, who I met through Facebook to be an interviewee on my blog. Elise graciously agreed and answered my questions about her TBI via email. Then I got really busy. My top priorities were my TEDx and Ignite... Continue reading

Posted Nov 1, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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WDEV Interview: TEDx, Brains and Life

Mark Johnson stares intently during an interview. He prefers to interview in person. And I know exactly what he's up to. He's watching body language and facial expressions for cues about what's important to the interviewee - and formulating his next question based on that in-the-moment feedback, rather than some... Continue reading

Posted Oct 14, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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Why Would I Choose This?

The solo sailboat has absolutely nothing to do with brain injury, but it's a good image to describe how I've been feeling a lot lately. I shot this image in the summer, in Connecticut. I'm coming up on two years post injury and in some areas, I feel my brain... Continue reading

Posted Sep 18, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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TEDx, Ignite, My Book, and Stopping to Smell the Sunrise

I was out of Vermont more than at home this summer, but as summer draws to a close, I am drawn back to my house - to catching up on client work and preparing to launch my book and a couple of big speaking gigs. I love getting up in... Continue reading

Posted Aug 27, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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My Invisible Disability

I've been struggling with writing this post for two reasons. 1) It's humiliating. 2) Someone always says, "Oh, I forget things too." (and that makes me want to smack people) I have documented short term memory problems. Not the usual "oh, where did I leave my keys" stuff, but I... Continue reading

Posted May 7, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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A Wounded Warrior's Experience with "mild" TBI

TBI and military concussion are getting a lot of press these days - as they should. In this interview, I talked to "Matthew", who served in Iraq. He shared his experience with his "mild" TBI. Thanks for your candor, insights, and willingness to chat with me, Matthew! How/when did you... Continue reading

Posted Apr 22, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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This is what a "mild" traumatic brain injury #mTBI looks like

What, you say? That's not a brain; it's a leg! Oh yeah, so it is. It's my leg on October 11, 2011. It's what my brain injury looked like three days after I slipped and fell in a bathtub. By most standards, I look pretty normal. Many people who deal... Continue reading

Posted Apr 4, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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I've been a fool (about my mTBI and reading books)

I've been foolish and it's not an April 1st prank. I've been foolish because I've been telling myself (and others) that I haven't read a book since October of 2011 when I whacked my head. I was the kid in grade school who always scored in the 99th percentile in... Continue reading

Posted Apr 1, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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I AM...in love with my brain!

A week ago, on a Saturday morning, I was poking around the TV channels. I grabbed my remote and punched in the channel number for a re-run of Everybody Loves Raymond. I thought I needed laughter. As it often goes, when I enter a number on a keypad, I pressed... Continue reading

Posted Mar 26, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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Writing Cathartic Letters: mTBI Healing

"Forgive and forget," goes the old saying. I say, "Forgive, but never forget the lesson." Better yet, "If you can't forgive, write a letter about it, then let the letter go as part of your healing." One of the sections of my book that I've struggled with writing is the... Continue reading

Posted Mar 16, 2013 at I Want My Brain Back

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