Headfirst: A Concussion Podcast

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Dr. Wolf is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and the founder of Healing Response Acupuncture & Functional Neurology in Stillwater, Minnesota. With more than 20 years of clinical experience, she specialises in neurological acupuncture, post-concussion syndrome, and traumatic brain injury recovery. Her approach combines functional neurology and applied clinical neuroscience, supported by post-doctoral training at the Carrick Institute, where she serves as an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine.
Dr. Wolf has also worked as a team acupuncturist for UFC and Legacy fighters at Fortis MMA in Dallas. She is the host of Life After Impact: The Concussion Recovery Podcast and the author of The Art of Concussion Recovery and The Concussion Breakthrough: Discover the Missing Pieces to Recovery.

01:40 - Journey from Acupuncture to Concussion Care 
08:50 – Concussion, What It Means in and Functional Assessments in Dr Wolf’s Clinic 
16:30 – Where it Fits in Concussion
23:00 – Clinical Approach on Female Population
29:20 – Acupuncture Needles Gauge Explained
31:15 – Dr Wolf’s Books
40:30 - Life After Impact: The Concussion Recovery Podcast
48:00 – Where to Find Dr Wolf

Dr Ayla Wolf
https://lifeafterimpact.com/podcast
https://acupunctureneurology.com/about
IG: @lifeafterimpact
FB: https://www.facebook.com/amy.ayla.wolf/

 
Twitter: @first concussion
Facebook: Headfirst: A concussion podcast
Instagram: Headfirst_ Concussion  
Email: headfirstconcussion@gmail.com

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Paul captained the Socceroos throughout the 1990s, earning 84 caps and playing 345 National Soccer League games for clubs including Croydon, Green Gully, Brunswick and South Melbourne. He led Australia from 1990 to 1996, including at the Olympics and through two World Cup qualifying campaigns, and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia.
More recently, Paul has bravely spoken publicly about his diagnosis of probable CTE, linked to repeated head impacts throughout his career, using his experience to advocate for better brain health protections in football.
 
01:40 - Paul's Journey into football
04:05 - Football at Barnsley
06:00 – How Paul and Val Met
08:30 – Diagnosis of Probable CTE
11:30 – Process of Diagnosis
19:40 – Perspective of a Diagnosis and Day to Day life
24:30 – Impact on Work
27:20 – Paul’s Epilepsy 
30:30 – Advocacy, Training with Probable CTE
39:25 – Pauls Favourite Footballing Moments
43:00 – Old National Soccer League/ NLS Day’s
44:50 – Val’s Favourite Moments 
47:07 – Find Paul/ Support 
49:10 – Dad Joke’s
                                                        
 
Paul Wade Life Skills: www.paulwade.com.au
Epilepsy Action Australia / Paul Wade: www.epilepsy.org.au
Dr Rowena Mobbs: www.rowena.mobbs.com.au
ConneCTErs Australia: www.connecters.org.au
Twitter: @first concussion
Facebook: Headfirst: A concussion podcast
Instagram: Headfirst_ Concussion  
Email: headfirstconcussion@gmail.com

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Dr Channon is a Principal Lecturer in Physical Education and Sport Studies at the University of Brighton, UK. His work covers sociology of sport, in particular martial arts and combat sports, examining topics such as gender and sexuality in participation, the role of martial arts in physical education curricula and media portrayals of professional fighters. Dr Channon has authored over 43 publications serves as an editor for the journal of Martial Arts Studies and Special Advisory Board Member, International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development. 
 
01:25 - Journey into Sociology, and Martial Arts
06:10 – What is Edgework/ Consent
12:00 – Fighting and Violence Paradox 
25:10 - Protecting fighters in unregulated combat sports 
36:54 – Mixed Fighting/ Sparing 
46:10 - Sexualisation of the fighter's body 
51:00 – Where to Find Dr Alex Channon and Support His Work

Dr Alex Channon
https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=wVLoke8AAAAJ&citation_for_view=wVLoke8AAAAJ:e5wmG9Sq2KIC
 
Additional Resources for further viewing and context
Lecture 1 – violence/consent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdhWnqo3naQ (starts around 12 mins), 
 
Lecture 2 – risk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddx9VYR0sEo,
 
Lecture 3 – gender: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWnymS6_gEQ.

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Dr. Arena is a neurosurgeon at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in the intersection of clinical neurosurgery, neurotrauma, and neurodegenerative disease. He has authored more than 54 publications in these fields.
Before medicine, he was an accomplished football player at Johns Hopkins University, where he played linebacker in every game of his college career, helped lead the Blue Jays to a 28–6 record, and served as team captain in 2013. Academically, he maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA as a neuroscience major and was named the 2013 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and Capital One Academic All-America Player of the Year for Division III football.
 
 
02:20 - Journey from football into medicine, neurosurgery. 
05:10 - What is CTE and TES/ Probable CTE 
14:48 - Lead author on “Performance of traumatic encephalopathy syndrome criteria in identifying individuals with chronic traumatic encephalopathy”
23:40 – Where to Research Wise
27:23 – Nocebo Effect
31:00 – Where too Find Assistant Professor John Arena
 
Assistant Professor John Arena:
-       Google Scholar - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rBLzm34AAAAJ&hl=en
-       Performance of traumatic encephalopathy syndrome criteria in identifying individuals with chronic traumatic encephalopathy: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04392-9
 
Twitter: @first concussion
Facebook: Headfirst: A concussion podcast
Instagram: Headfirst_ Concussion  
Email: headfirstconcussion@gmail.com

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This episode picks up where our last one left off, brief update new developments in the Geelong concussion waiver case. But the real focus is bigger than one club: we're unpacking what "they accept the risk" actually means, why professional sport gets treated as a calling rather than a job, and what that costs players when it comes to consent, tax structures, and basic workplace protection. We'll hold both sides of that argument up fairly, and test it against how any other Australian workplace would be judged for doing the same thing.
 
 
03:44 – New Developments
08:44 – The Debate on Player Accepting the Risk 
14:27 – Vocation vs Job Perspective in Sport
20:29 – Taxation and Financial Structures in Professional Sports
23:20 – Workers Compensation and Athlete Protections
28:10 – Taxation and Risk
32:53 - Comparative Analysis of Workplace Safety and Sports
38:51 – Conclusion
 
 
REFERENCE LIST
1. “Geelong to face significant financial sanction over concussion waiver.” SEN, 8 August 2026. https://www.sen.com.au/news/2026/08/08/afl-2026-afl-ceo-andrew-dillon-speaks-on-geelongs-secret-concussion-waiver-with-jake-kolodjashnij
2. “Timeline becomes clearer as Geelong Cats prepare response to AFL's please explain over Jake Kolodjashnij concussion waiver.” AFL.com.au. https://www.afl.com.au/news/1582383/timeline-becomes-clearer-as-geelong-cats-prepare-response-to-afls-please-explain-over-jake-kolodjashnij-concussion-waiver
3. “Geelong ‘welcomes’ AFL please explain as captain responds to concussion waiver debacle.” Yahoo Sport Australia / Zero Hanger. https://au.sports.yahoo.com/geelong-welcomes-afl-please-explain-013608927.html ; https://www.zerohanger.com/geelong-cats-patrick-dangerfield-captain-responds-to-concussion-waiver-debacle-backs-in-ceo-181057/
4. “Cats board hold crisis meeting over concussion deal.” AAP, via Inverell Times / Moree Champion. https://www.inverelltimes.com.au/story/9327256/cats-board-hold-crisis-meeting-over-concussion-deal/
5. “Cats board meets to discuss concussion controversy.” K ROCK 95.5. https://www.krock.com.au/national/geelong-cats/cats-board-meets-to-discuss-concussion-controversy/
6. “AFL delivers fresh concussion saga statement.” Zero Hanger, 11 August 2026 (Andrew Dillon's 'club obligations' memo; Craig Drummond's full statement). https://www.zerohanger.com/afl-delivers-fresh-concussion-saga-statement-181096/
7. Nichol, Matt. “Not-for-profit organisations and the tax status of professional sport: Revisiting the exemption status of the Australian Football League and its clubs.” CQUniversity. https://acquire.cqu.edu.au/articles/journal_contribution/Not-for-profit_organisations_and_the_tax_status_of_professional_sport_Revisiting_the_exemption_status_of_the_Australian_Football_League_and_its_clubs/28755494
8. Nichol, Matt. “Australia's major sports codes are considered not-for-profits – is it time for them to pay up?” The Conversation / CQUniversity. https://theconversation.com/australias-major-sports-codes-are-considered-not-for-profits-is-it-time-for-them-to-pay-up-250914
9. “Sporting organisations.” Australian Taxation Office (confirms sporting tax-exemption category distinct from registered charity status). https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/not-for-profit-organisations/your-organisation/does-your-not-for-profit-need-to-pay-income-tax/types-of-income-tax-exempt-organisations/sporting-organisations
10. Windholz, Eric. “Why sports stars get less support than other injured workers – and how we can fix it.” Monash Lens / The Conversation. https://lens.monash.edu/why-sports-stars-get-less-support-than-other-injured-workers-and-how-we-can-fix-it/ ; https://theconversation.com/why-sports-stars-get-less-support-than-other-injured-workers-and-how-we-can-fix-it-200702
11. “Injured sports stars are not entitled to workers' compensation. How we can fix the problem.” SmartCompany (Eric Windholz). https://www.smartcompany.com.au/people-human-resources/injured-sports-stars-not-entitled-workers-compensation/
12. Windholz, Eric. “Professional athletes and injury insurance: A better way forward.” Sport, Business and Management, 2025. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1037969X251337131
13. “The future of injury insurance and workers' compensation in Australian sport.” Monash University Faculty of Law. https://www.monash.edu/law/news/articles/2021/the-future-of-injury-insurance-and-workers-compensation-in-australian-sport
14. “WHS and pro athletes: the next frontier in regulation.” Citation Group. https://citationgroup.com.au/resources/whs-and-the-professional-athlete-the-final-frontier-for-workplace-regulation/
15. “Chapter 4: Coverage and eligibility for benefits” and “Table 4.4: Treatment of sportspersons and sporting injuries.” Safe Work Australia. https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/book/comparison-wc-arrangements-29ed/chapter-4 ; https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/book/comparison-workers-compensation-arrangements-australia-and-new-zealand-2021-28th-edition/chapter-4-coverage-and-eligibility-benefits/table-44-treatment-sportspersons-and-sporting-injuries
16. Riewoldt, Nick. “What happens during AFL contract negotiations?” ESPN, 2016. https://www.espn.com.au/afl/story/_/id/16111020/nick-riewoldt-happens-afl-contract-negotiations
17. Riewoldt, Nick. “My experiences with concussion.” ESPN, 2016. https://www.espn.com/afl/story/_/id/15180632/my-experiences-concussion
18. “Don't knock concussion protocols: Riewoldt.” AFL Players' Association. https://www.aflplayers.com.au/news-feed/stories/dont-knock-concussion-protocols-riewoldt