#247 CTE, Brain Injury & the Hidden Cost of High-Impact Sports | William Person

February 5
1h 5m

Episode Description

Ever wonder how repeated hits affect the brain long after the game ends?

William Person shares his firsthand experience with CTE, sub-concussive impacts, & cognitive decline, revealing why high-impact sports carry hidden risks for mental health & long-term performance.

Meet our guest

William Person is a former nine-year Team USA bobsled athlete whose career left him battling severe CTE symptoms including cognitive decline, depression & debilitating headaches. After discovering Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, he regained mental clarity, vision & purpose, inspiring a new mission focused on brain healing. Today, William is raising awareness around brain injury in sports, the military & beyond while working to open a nonprofit Post Concussion Recovery Center to provide care at no cost.

Thank you to our partners Key takeaways
  • Bobsledding carries serious under-recognized risks for brain injury & CTE even without obvious crashes
  • Repetitive subconcussive impacts accumulate over time, leading to significant neurological damage
  • CTE affects more than professional athletes, impacting military personnel, domestic violence survivors, & others
  • CTE links closely with higher suicide rates & severe behavioral health crises among athletes & veterans
  • Symptoms often appear years later & are frequently misdiagnosed as depression, diabetes, or normal aging
  • Some organizations suppress or erase evidence of risks to protect legal or financial interests
  • Friends & family often notice behavioral or cognitive decline before the individual recognizes it
  • Legal systems & institutions create barriers that slow warnings, prevention, & treatment efforts
  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy delivered dramatic improvements when conventional treatments failed
  • Advocacy & speaking out drive real change, even when efforts begin with a single determined voice
Episode highlights

0:00 Expose Hidden Brain Injury Risks in Elite Sports

6:12 Connect CTE to Mental Health Decline

15:48 Challenge Medical & Organizational Failures

25:36 Understand How CTE Develops Over Time

36:58 Explore Recovery Pathways & Treatment Hope

51:42 Build Advocacy Community & Next Steps

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Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for us? Let me know in the show notes above and one of us will get back to you!

Be an Outliyr,

Nick

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