Slopes to the Sideline: Emma Pownall on Concussion, Recovery, and Culture Change

Emma Pownall has sustained three diagnosed concussions. The one that changed everything happened at 18, at a ski racing training camp in Collingwood. Two weeks later, still symptomatic, she got on a plane to Switzerland anyway — and spent the next three weeks on dry land while her teammates trained on snow.She didn't tell her doctor the truth. She didn't tell her coaches either. That's the athlete brain, and it's something she and Ryan know well.Now an educator and researcher with PACA, Emma works with students and athletes across the Peterborough community — helping them do what she couldn't at the time: speak up, slow down, and actually understand what's happening to their brain.In this first episode, Emma and Ryan talk through her story, the fear of re-injury that still follows her, the small wins that mark real recovery, and why changing the culture around reporting matters more than any single intervention.It's an honest conversation from two people who've lived it.