“Listen In With KNN” is back with another powerful episode as award-winning host and executive producer Kelsey Nicole Nelson sat down with Dr. Tabia Pope, President and CEO of “Head to Speech” Inc., a Maryland-based nonprofit organization that’s dedicated to educational, scientific, and charitable initiatives in athlete brain health.
With the rise of CTE becoming a central focus in sports conversations, over the next 30 minutes, the duo unpacked the origins of the “Head to Speech”organization and the urgency of turning concussion awareness into a full-scale media movement to address the long-overdue narrative around cognitive training.
Throughout the conversation Dr. Pope broke down brain health in relatable terms. She mentioned it’s about what you eat, how you sleep, and how you think. It involves activities like sequencing, awareness, reaction time, and organizational can and should be trained just like physical skills.
“Athletes already do these things — they just need to be intentional about them,” she said.
She encourages athletes to self-reflect on the question of “What are your cognitive strengths and weaknesses?” This awareness is key to reducing cognitive decline and preparing for a purposeful transition beyond professional sports.
The mission Dr. Pope’s has set out on is clear — to shift the narrative around sports concussions from fleeting media headlines to sustainable awareness and advocacy.
“It really is about the longevity of the athlete’s brain,” Dr. Pope said, stressing the need for proactive approaches to cognitive wellness alongside physical performance.
Dr. Pope is currently spearheading preparations for the 3rd Annual Head To Speech Retreat and Awards Luncheon, sponsored by Fam TV Plus and the C360 Agency. This anticipated event celebrates leaders and changemakers in brain health, honoring professionals across advocacy, innovation, performance, leadership, and the newly introduced category—cognitive resilience.
“Athletes that have really triumphed over, you know, cognitive difficulties they’ve had, or, just athlete brain health,” said Dr. Pope. “ I’m looking forward to celebrating all of the honorees and bringing together a highly vetted community of those that are from, speech pathology, audiology, Allied Health, sports medicine, sports management.
As a Virginia native, Howard University graduate, and professional with experience on both U.S. coasts, Dr. Pope pointed out that the Washington D.C. area is uniquely positioned to lead brain health innovation. From its sports-rich community to housing major player associations and scientific research hubs, the DMV continues to emerge as a national leader in sports medicine and cognitive care.
“You have a lot of the scientific advancements that happen here in the DMV. You have a lot of the associations. For sports you have our players associations that are here, and then you just have the wonderful sports community here. A lot of our athletes are from this area as well.” said Dr. Pope, as she described the athletic foundation that the DMV area has established for itself.
The genesis of “Head to Speech” began as part of Pope’s dissertation at Howard University back in 2014 when she was a graduate student as an avenue to open up the conversation surrounding sports concussions.
“I did a health communications course,” said Dr. Pope. “It was a part of my dissertation to become a health communication specialist, and that’s how Head to Speech became an awareness campaign that later became a nonprofit organization. It really was rooted in, ‘how can we perfect the messaging around sports concussions?’”
The release of the 2015 Oscar-winning film “Concussion” provided a cultural spark.
“It made the conversation mainstream,” Pope said. “But I was already digging into how we can be proactive with messaging.”
Her academic work evolved into a full nonprofit committed to transforming concussion awareness into a lived, daily reality for athletes.
With athletes at the forefront of performance culture, Dr. Pope emphasized the critical link between brain health and long-term success, especially off the field. Her upcoming book, “Protect Your Brand: A Healthy Brain is a Wealthy Brand,” exemplifies that message.
“Brain health needs to be part of the budget.” Dr. Pope said. “I always say it’s the bottom line. So if brain health is not in your line item, you know, what are we really doing? Because it really is about the longevity of the athlete’s brain.”
Dr. Pope advocates for integrating cognitive activities such as memory, attention, and social communication into training regimens, emphasizing that these abilities are essential not just for gameplay but for life after sports.
As mental health gains recognition in athletics, Dr. Pope is glad to see the stigma fade but she insists that brain health should not be left behind.
“If we improve brain health, we also help reduce mental health challenges like depression, isolation, and even the behavioral effects of CTE,” Dr. Pope said.
Dr. Pope’s passion is deeply personal. She is the wife to a retired basketball player who played with the International Basketball Federation and mother of two young children who started playing organized sports. Dr. Pope explained how having these athletes in her home life are major motivators for her current work.
“My husband was definitely an inspiration.We watch sports all the time. And so I’m sitting there with my husband watching football, and I just asked myself,’What is my profession doing about, you know, brain health and concussions?’ That’s really how it started. Rooted in what was happening around me, protecting the people that I see all the time playing sports and being very active.”
Dr. Pope sees the emotional and physical toll athletes experience first hand in her household. This helps her advocate and educate families on concussions since they also experience the mental effects as well.
“You know Dr Pope as a professor and a nonprofit executive, but I’m really a mom, a wife, and I think of how brain health is going to impact the you know, the mothers, the fathers.Those that are brothers and sisters. This is going to help their family, because families also become traumatized. The lack of education and the gaps in knowledge that they don’t know, it can be traumatizing to families.And so my goal is to really educate families that I’m around.” said Dr .Pope.
Her work aims to fill those knowledge gaps and empower families to support the athlete’s health journey—not just during their careers, but long after the final whistle.
Closing the conversation, Dr. Pope drives home a message that should resonate with every athlete and supporter, “You are more than just an athlete… There is life beyond sports, and we have to prepare for it now.”
Through Head to Speech, public speaking, and upcoming educational resources, Dr. Tabia Pope continues to champion a world where athletes don’t just play hard — they think smart, train cognitively, and thrive well beyond the game.
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