The Hidden Disability: Talking Aphasia with Jonathan Hirons

On the Tip of My Tongue: Jonathan Hirons on Aphasia, Advocacy, and Podcasting

This episode, Marv sits down with Jonathan Hirons, host of the podcast On the Tip of My Tongue, to talk about aphasia — a communication disorder that affects language but not intelligence or memory — and how it shaped his life and work.

Jonathan shares the story of the sudden stroke that left him with aphasia, the speech and language therapy that followed, and the vital role his wife played early on using flashcards to help rebuild his vocabulary. He and Marv discuss why aphasia remains so poorly understood despite affecting more people than Parkinson's disease, and why groups and community support make such a difference for people relearning to communicate.

The conversation also traces how Jonathan's aphasia documentary evolved into a podcast, why he brought on co-host Rob Edwards to handle scripted segments, and how the show balances lived experience with expert insight. They wrap up comparing notes on production workflows, episode artwork, and the "teaser hook" technique both shows use to draw listeners in.

In This Episode

● What aphasia is, and why it's known as a "hidden disability"

● Jonathan's personal story: sudden onset, hospitalization, and diagnosis

● The road through speech therapy and relearning to read, write, and speak

● Why community groups are key to rebuilding confidence

● How a documentary film became a podcast

● Behind-the-scenes: recording with Zoom, editing in Reaper, publishing via Buzzsprout

● The importance of podcast artwork and episode "teasers"

● Where to find On the Tip of My Tongue and how to support the show

Links & Contact

On the Tip of My Tongue: tipofmytonguefilm.com

Email Jonathan: hello@tipofmytonguefilm.com

Find Jonathan on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn

Pods Like Us

Contact: podslikeus@gmail.com

All links and socials: themarvzone.org