If I Could Wave A Magic Wand

Recently, I was asked a simple question:

“If you could wave a magic wand, what would you change about concussions?”

The easy answer is obvious.
I’d make them go away.

I’ve said many times that I hope to wake up one day completely out of a job.
A world where concussions don’t exist.
Where there’s a pill, a supplement, or a switch you can flip—and everything is healed.

But that world doesn’t exist.
At least, not yet.

So if I could wave a magic wand, what would I change?

I would change how we understand concussions.

Not just medically—but culturally.

I would change public perception so no one ever has to hear the question:
“Why aren’t you better yet?”

Because concussions are a traumatic brain injury.
And they don’t look the same from person to person.

If everyone understood that concussion recovery is individualized, the world would be a better place.

We’d stop assuming someone is faking it.
We’d stop saying—or thinking—“They just don’t want to get better.”

We’d recognize that recovery timelines differ.
That progress isn’t linear.
That healing doesn’t follow a script.

With better understanding, there would be:

• Less judgement.
• Less resentment.
• Less disbelief.

And with that comes something even more important:

Less lost jobs.
Fewer damaged relationships.
Less isolation.

More understanding creates less friction.
Less friction creates space for healing.

If we truly understood concussions, recovery wouldn’t just be possible—it would be easier.

So let me ask you the same question:

If you could change one thing about concussions… what would it be?