The LoveYourBrain Foundation’s co-Founder and Executive Director, Adam Pearce, has been named a 2023 CNN Hero, a year-round initiative honoring everyday people for their selfless, creative efforts to make the world a better place.
“To be named a CNN Hero is deeply humbling and an honor – and in that, it’s a reflection of my community,” said Pearce. “I look around at the thousands of people affected by TBI – including caregivers – who are supported by LoveYourBrain each year, and I see a community that represents the qualities of heroes. After significant change, it takes immense resilience and compassion to lean into what’s difficult and unlock what’s possible for deeper meaning and growth. This is what the TBI community shows up with each and every day. They are the heroic humans that inspire me, the reason I am called to grow and nurture what my brother and I began 8 years ago, and they are with me in this honor.”
In 2010, Adam Pearce stepped away from his career to provide full-time care to his brother, professional snowboarder Kevin Pearce, who suffered a near fatal traumatic brain injury (TBI) while training for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Adam, like so many millions of caregivers across the country, played an integral and ongoing role in supporting his brother’s healing journey, documented in the 2010 film “The Crash Reel” by Lucy Walker. This film brought to light the prevalence and complexity of TBI around the world. In meeting millions of people on the film’s global tour, the brothers began to realize that while each person’s injury and story are unique, the pathway to healing depends on community and resilience. In 2014, they founded the LoveYourBrain Foundation, with Adam assuming day-to-day leadership of the nonprofit.
Under Pearce’s direction, the Foundation expanded to serve and train more than 35,000 individuals affected by TBI, including concussion, through free in-person and online programs and resources offered throughout the year. Along with Pearce’s wife, Dr. Kyla Pearce, who serves as the senior director of programs for the Foundation, Adam grew the Foundation from a partnership with one yoga studio in Vermont to a global organization serving people across the US, Canada, and – as of 2023 – 31 countries throughout the world. LoveYourBrain also completed the largest study to date on the effectiveness of yoga and mindfulness for the TBI community, and published an impressive body of research.
“Adam’s been there every step of the way,” reflected Kevin Pearce, who still works with the Foundation as its co-founder. “It takes compassion, patience, and persistence to walk the journey with someone healing after a brain injury. These are also the qualities of great leaders – so it’s no surprise to see what LoveYourBrain has evolved into under his guidance.”
About LoveYourBrain
The LoveYourBrain Foundation is a national non-profit improving the quality of life of people impacted by traumatic brain injury (TBI) and raising awareness about the importance of brain health. Guided by their family’s experience, brothers Kevin and Adam Pearce established LoveYourBrain in 2014 following Kevin’s severe TBI from a snowboarding accident before the 2010 Olympics. Kevin’s remarkable resilience was transformed into the award-winning HBO Documentary, “The Crash Reel,” which brought to light the challenges and prevalence of TBI. In response, LoveYourBrain developed programs and resources designed to create community and foster resilience for the TBI community. Now, LoveYourBrain offers research-based programs at no cost across the globe to empower the TBI community with new tools, resources, and connections. Visit http://www.loveyourbrain.com to learn more.
