Finding Your People - Beth Reeves & Vanessa Jewell

Finding Your People - Beth Reeves & Vanessa Jewell

From Spinal Cast by MCPF

August 31, 2025 · 30 min · Season 1 · Episode 38

About this episode

This episode discusses the importance of peer support and community in recovery journeys after spinal cord injuries.

In this episode of Spinal Cast, we explore what it really means to meet someone where they are on their recovery journey. Our guests, Beth Reeves, a clinical social worker and Vanessa Jewell, an occupational therapist from The Institute of Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) Memorial Herman Outpatient Rehabilitation, share how support groups and learning new skills – whether over Zoom or in person opens doors to new confidence and connection after an injury. They discuss how peer-to-peer connections spark inspiration, celebrate shared victories, and make daunting transitions feel doable. From learning new technologies to adapting to a new way of living, the friendships formed in these spaces create a community that says, “you’re not alone.” This conversation is a reminder that you don’t have to go down an unfamiliar road by yourself – you’ve got friends who’ve been there, and they’ve got your back. TIRR Memorial Hermann Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation: https://memorialhermann.org/services/treatments/spinal-cord-injury-rehabilitation Bios for Beth and Vanessa can be found here: https://mcpf.org/tirr-bios/ . Special thanks to Beth and Vanessa for being our guests! This production…

People in this episode

Host: MCPF

Guests: Beth Reeves, Vanessa Jewell

Topics covered

  • recovery journey
  • support groups
  • peer connections
  • community building
  • spinal cord injury

Keywords

  • recovery
  • support groups
  • spinal cord injury
  • peer connections
  • community

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Institute of Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) Memorial Herman Outpatient Rehabilitation, Clientek

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