Stories of finding ways to live well with chronic conditions.
You don’t have to get worse.
Join George as he speaks with people who have changed their relationship with pain and found joy, purpose and possibility again.
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"The model we're working in is the 'chest infection model'. You take the meds and you get better. But with persistent pain it never works like that. Real recovery starts when we change the approach."
In the first episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast, George speaks with Katy, who shares her experiences and insights in to her journey through chronic pain.
Moving away from the frustration of seeking a "linear fix," they discuss the mindset and systemic shifts that are required to truly navigate life with a long-term condition.
In this episode, we explore:
The "Fixed" Myth: Why the medical expectation of a 100% cure can be a barrier to your progress.
Empathy Fatigue: Dealing with the social pressure of "not being over it yet."
Clinical Honesty: Why it’s vital for healthcare professionals to admit that ambiguity is present.
Agency & Bravery: How recognizing your own power and processing grief are the ultimate acts of bravery.
The Future of Care: Why we should be teaching the biopsychosocial model in schools.
Whether you are living with pain or a clinician looking for a deeper understanding of the patient experience, this conversation offers a authentic, hopeful perspective on what it means to recover.
Connect with Katy:LinkedIn Katy Frost
Website: https://www.bobsyourauntydesign.com
Instagram: swallowandoakwellbeing
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"I was a senior leader in a construction company by day, but my wife got the leftovers of me at night."
Keith Meldrum spent 40 years navigating persistent pain, trapped in a cycle of ineffective medical interventions and trying to maintain a "mask of normalcy."
In this episode, we break down why the traditional model of fixing pain often fails and how Keith changed his approach to reclaim a life that is bigger than his diagnosis.
In this Episode:
The Mask of Normalcy: The hidden exhaustion of appearing fine at work while leaving only the leftovers for the people you love.
The Approach That Changes Everything: Why validation is more than a courtesy. It’s the first condition for recovery.
The Dilution Analogy: Stop trying to shrink the pain. Start increasing the meaning in your life.
Grieving Your Old Life: Why you must mourn the person you used to be to become the person you are now. Body
Fragility vs. Movement: Re-training your nervous system to feel safe after decades of fear. Training over Fixing: How to take control of your own recovery with supported self management.
Connect with Keith:
LinkedIn: Keith Meldrum
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Why do healthcare professionals keep telling chronic pain patients "it's all in your head"? If you are living with fibromyalgia, endometriosis or another invisible illness, you probably relate to the medical system feeling isolating.
In this episode, author and advocate Shabnam Rakhiba shares how she survived a decade of medical gaslighting and found a path to recovery.
If you have ever felt dismissed by healthcare professionals or trapped by box ticking exercises, this conversation exposes the failures of modern pain management and why pain recovery is actually about social justice.
What We Discuss in This Episode:
Your Body Is Not the Enemy: How to break away from the toxic conflict narrative of chronic illness.
The "Mindset" Myth: Why telling chronic pain patients to learn resilience is a privileged lie.
Medical Misogyny Explored: The exhausting barriers women face when trying to get an invisible illness diagnosed.
The Rigged Job Market: The brutal reality of looking for flexible employment and workplace accommodations with a long-term health condition.
Stop Fixing Symptoms: Why true recovery means healing your environment and your life, not just tracking your pain.
Get 25% Off Shabnam's Book 'Learning Through Pain': Website: https://www.chronicwellnesslounge.com/product-details/product/learningthroughpain Coupon Code: CONDITIONSFORRECOVERY
Connect with Shabnam:
Initiatives:
The Chronic Wellness Lounge
Unapologetic Women Collective
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shabnam-rakhiba-coaching/
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“You can’t focus exclusively on one part of your body or mind and neglect the rest.”
In this episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast Carolyn Sullins, PhD shares her journey from decades of medical gaslighting and misdiagnosis to feeling back in control of her symptoms and her life.
Carolyn now has a diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder but it took a long time to reach that outcome. Along the way she faced a huge amount of dismissal, stigma and self doubt.
Carolyn brings her expertise as a researcher to the table to help to increase understanding and support for others living with FND.
Even though Carolyn does not live with persistent pain her insights and experiences will be recognisable to many people with long term conditions and I know that this episode will be exceptionally valuable to many more people than just those with FND.
In this episode, we discuss:
Carolyn’s long journey to an FND diagnosis: The stigma and self doubt that came with being misunderstood.
Why symptoms can be real, life altering and vary significantly without showing up on standard scans or tests.
How collaborative, individualised physical rehabilitation helped Carolyn regain confidence and function.
Why Stress, Trauma and Mental Health Matter: Without being used to dismiss someone’s physical experience.
The Need to Move Beyond One Size Fits All Healthcare: Listening to people as whole individuals.
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"As a healthcare provider, the best instrument you have is your ears. If you really listen to your patients and take on board what they're saying, they give you the clues. You are the detective. You have the medical background to put the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together which is the only way I eventually got my diagnosis. We had to fit every piece together to make the full picture of what was going on."
In the second episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast, George speaks with Tracy Jallow, an expert patient who lived undiagnosed with Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) for nearly two decades.
Moving away from the passive patient model, they discuss the limitations of a healthcare system that isn’t always built for complexity and the transformative power of reclaiming your agency.
In this episode, we explore:
Meaningful Clinical Relationships: Why holistic collaboration, validation and genuine listening are the only ways to solve complex puzzles.
Finding Purpose: How to navigate a life with chronic illness by moving from grief to self advocate.
Self-Advocacy: The responsibility we have to ourselves to find our own personal way forward within the system.
Living Well Alongside Symptoms: Finding the specific tools and mindset shifts needed to enrich life.
Community & Participation: The vital role of finding your people, rediscovering joy and staying connected to your values.
Whether you are living with pain or a clinician looking for a deeper understanding of the patient experience, this conversation offers a huge amount of insight and a hopeful perspective on what it means to recover.
Connect with Tracy:
LinkedIn: Tracy Jallow
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"A zombie went into hospital and a hyperactive teenager came out."
For years Louise Welch's life was dominated by the pain of Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis. Taking 15 different medications including dangerously high doses of strong opioids, reaching 25 stone and confined to an armchair by pain so severe she couldn't even stand light touch. Now she has transformed her life to become one of the leading voices in lived experience.
In this conversation George and Louise explore her journey with persistent pain, the dangers of long term opioid use and the barriers that keep people stuck.
In this Episode:
The Challenge of Medication Only Approaches: Louise’s debilitating journey through opioid induced hyperalgesia (where the medication makes pain worse) and the radical approach that changed everything.
The Benefits System is failing people: How disability assessments punish people who try to do the things which will help them recover.
The Power of a Name: Why a diagnosis like Fibromyalgia can be essential for validation and the damage caused by poor medical communication.
The Conditions for Recovery: Factors like financial stability, a supportive employer and clinician empathy are just as important as any intervention or strategy.
Hope Without Knowing Everything: The diagnosis might remain but your experience of life can drastically improve.
Louise’s story is a wake up call for a healthcare system that often prioritises protocols over the people that are suffering that they are meant to serve. Whether you are living with pain or a clinician looking for a deeper understanding of the patient experience, this conversation offers an authentic, hopeful perspective on what it means to recover.
Connect with Louise:
LinkedIn: Louise Welch
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louise_welch67/
Other resources:
Opioids Aware https://www.fpm.ac.uk/opioids-aware
ReConnect2Life: https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/services/pain-service/reconnect2life/
Flippin Pain: https://www.flippinpain.co.uk/
Live Well with Pain: https://livewellwithpain.co.uk/
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The impact of doing the simple things well, taking a wider view of your condition and moving beyond an ineffective medical model of pain care.
In the third episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast, George speaks with Darrell Price, an expert patient who has transformed his experience of persistent back pain into a mission to support others.
Moving away from the fix it mentality of his engineering background and the traditional clinical route, they discuss the vital role of peer support, the power of the "micro-win" and why true recovery requires a whole life approach.
In this episode, we explore:
The Power of Being Heard: Why standard 10 minute appointments often fail to capture the complexity of persistent pain.
Beyond Just Pills: How Darrell realized that stronger medication wasn't the answer and turned toward lifestyle changes.
The Power of Real Understanding: Why peer support offers a level of validation and solidarity that you simply cannot find elsewhere.
Sleep Readiness: Why your sleep routine doesn't start just before bed but from the moment you wake up.
Zooming Out on Flares: Learning to look at the wider picture rather than hunting for a single physical cause.
The Myth of Inevitable Decline: Why it is essential to challenge narratives of hopelessness and find a way to live well alongside long term symptoms.
Whether you are living with pain or a clinician looking for a deeper understanding of the patient journey, this conversation offers a practical and optimistic perspective grounded in lived experience on reclaiming quality of life.
Connect with Darrell: LinkedIn: Darrell Price
Facebook: Pain Inspired Community
Email: hello@paininspired.co.uk
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"That's what life's all about. We enjoy life and not endure it."
In this episode, globally renowned pain self management advocate Pete Moore discusses his long journey with persistent pain and the techniques he has learned to live well without medication or experiencing “bonkers” pain for nearly 30 years.
After reclaiming his own life Pete turned his pain into purpose by creating the Pain Toolkit a resource that has transformed self management education for both patients and healthcare professionals worldwide. He is now turning his focus to long term conditions.
In this conversation, George and Pete explore his early experiences with persistent pain, the psychological trap of the medical model, realising no one else was going to fix him and the daily habits that keep him in the drivers seat now.
In This Episode:
Escaping the Prison of the Medical Model: Realising that passive treatments aren't enough, why you must break free and find what works for you.
Meaningful Movement vs. Generic Exercise: Why trading a boring sheet of exercises for activities that bring genuine joy, connection and purpose is more impactful.
The Iceberg of Pain: We only see the top third above the water. The hidden factors driving and maintaining chronic conditions are below the surface and why addressing these leads to the greatest improvements.
Redefining Pacing: Why pacing isn't just about energy conservation or doing less but about finding your tolerable baseline to start to build your capacity and confidence back up.
The Missing Ingredient: The vital role that fun and enjoyment play in pain management, and how it's criminally left out of traditional rehab.
Pete’s story is an inspiring reminder that when you stop asking "who is coming to fix me?" and start looking at what you can do for yourself, genuine recovery begins.
Whether you are living with a long term condition or you're a clinician looking for a deeper understanding of the patient experience, this conversation offers an authentic, hopeful perspective on what it means to live well.
Connect with Pete:
The Pain Toolkit: https://selfmgttoolkit.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-moore-b5486613/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pain-&-self-care-toolkits/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paintoolkit/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/paintoolkit.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@paintoolkit?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== -
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"No one is coming to my rescue. I became the support that I needed."
In this Episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast Amber Horrox shares her journey from the collapse of her life to thriving.
Having suffered for 20 years with debilitating migraines which were misdiagnosed she eventually hit rock bottom when she couldn't cope anymore, putting on a façade that she was functioning brilliantly and her life fell apart.
She decided to look to herself to begin to make the changes that healthcare couldn't offer and eventually snowballed to a point where she is now leading a life where migraine does not dictate everything.
If you have ever felt hopeless about your migraines, dismissed by healthcare professionals or that your support network doesn't get it, this conversation is for you.
We touch on issues exposing the communication failings of a healthcare system that doesn't know how to help, the importance of discovering the power you have in the situation and why migraine recovery requires radical optimism.
In This Episode we discuss:
Moving From Medical Gaslighting to Finding Your Own Agency: When the system can't fix you but you have power
Amber's Four Key Realisations: What she had to understand to begin to move forward
The Myth of A Quick Fix: The brutal realisation that everything in recovery is complex can be the first step to finding your way forward
How to Communicate Your Needs Better With Your Support Network: No body can read minds and you have to state your needs
The Five Pillars of Health: How our health is always influenced by multiple things.
The insights Amber shares in this discussion definitely transfer to the wider conversation about pain, fatigue and invisible illnesses so it's worth a listen even if you don't live with migraine.
Connect with Amber:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-horrox-69a94010/
Blog and podcast platform: Warrior Within: Root. Reclaim. Rise. https://substack.com/@warriorwithin
New Book Pre-Order: https://www.waterstones.com/book/migraine/amber-horrox/9781915200839
Connect with the Show:
Links: www.paincoaching.co.uk/links
Follow: @SpecialistPainPhysio
Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your qualified healthcare professional or personal clinician before making any decisions about your medication, treatment or approach to your health.
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“My pain was never there to be seen but it was always there to be heard.”
In this episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast Lee Vaughan shares his journey from 28 pills a day to being a leading voice in the patient advocacy world.
Lee suffered for 30 years with pain eventually leading to the point that he became a person he didn’t recognise.
He was trapped by healthcare in the learn to live with it mindset but couldn’t accept the inadequate feeling “is this really as good as it gets?”
He attended a Pain Management Programme which completely changed his approach and eventually his life and now he is involved in multiple roles and projects to improve pain care.
Hearing Lee speak at a conference in 2024 was a key inspiration for starting this podcast so I’m hugely pleased to have been able to talk with him.
If you have ever felt sceptical about the pain management approaches you are being offered, victimised by the language that healthcare professionals use or that your identity is slipping away from you due to your symptoms then this conversation is for you.
We touch on issues with the expectation management model of pain care, why discovering your own agency is always more impactful than being instructed and the transformative role of gathering credible evidence that your symptoms aren’t your whole experience of life.
In This Episode we discuss:
How Language Shapes Beliefs in Persistent Pain: Words can heal but words can also harm
Paying Attention to the Whispers Before They Become the Screams: How noticing cues earlier can transform your experience of pain by reducing the intense highs and lows
Agency is More Powerful than Empowerment: Why active ownership rather than passive reliance on the expertise of healthcare professionals is an important step towards recovery
Recovery is Always Individual: Recovery is not a single technique or a strategy. It requires an approach that responds to the person’s story
Finding Your Tribe: How well ran peer support groups are a life saver and how sh*t life syndrome competitions do the opposite
Connect with Lee:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-vaughan-ba696a29a/
Partnering Pain: https://www.partneringpain.co.uk/
Connect with the Show:
Links: www.paincoaching.co.uk/links
Follow: @SpecialistPainPhysio
Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your qualified healthcare professional or personal clinician before making any decisions about your medication, treatment or approach to your health.
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“I’d rather sit with a Doctor who says “I don’t know what’s going on” than not to believe me and say that I was trying to avoid work or I was making it up.”
In this episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast globally recognised patient advocate and educator Virginia McIntyre shares her story of being dismissed with accusations of over reaction and just not wanting to work to an “awesome life” full of purpose, participation and community.
Virginia was a high functioning, career focussed Super Mum who ran marathons and had an active social life until a workplace injury and subsequent surgery led to years of chronic pain which stopped her in her tracks.
She endured many disappointing, dismissive interactions with healthcare professionals who wouldn't listen to what she was saying about her pain and trust her story.
She began to see positive improvement once she started to work with people who actually specialised in persistent pain.
She is now President and Executive Director of the People In Pain Network, Chair of the Canadian Pain Society People with Lived Experience Committee, Co-host of The Action on Pain Podcast and member of the Pain Canada National Advisory Committee.
She’s also enjoying being a grandmother and back to running just not quite as far.
Her journey with pain is one which many will be able to relate to and her insights into how she has been able to rebuild her life are invaluable.
In this episode:
Your Pain is Real: The power of being genuinely listened to and believed by healthcare
Losing Trust in Healthcare Professionals: Being trapped in the wilderness of dismissal when “I don’t know” might be more helpful
Improving Early Access to Specialist Pain Care: Before people spiral in to loss of trust, hope, identity, hobbies and relationships
The Need for Better Pain Education for Healthcare Professionals
The Significant Role of Purpose and Participation in Recovery
The Benefit of Community Support: Often dismissed as sh*t life syndrome competitions but can be the missing piece of the puzzle
Recognising your Agency in your Own Health Journey: When there is no simple, medical solution, then what?
Drowning Out the Noise of Unhelpful Communities: Not all support groups are created equal. Some help whilst others might actively harm
Being Open to Opportunities: Trying something that might be helpful does not commit you for life
Individualised Care: Pain is complex and individual and the approaches we take to support people need to mirror that
Rebuilding Identity and Self Worth After a Chronic Pain Diagnosis: finding new ways to feel life is awesome and purposeful.
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"When you live with pain, the first thing you want is your pain gone. The pain might lessen, it might not but let’s figure out how to get back into life and have that energy."
In this episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast Amber Kyliuk who has lived with persistent low back pain for 12 years shares her story of figuring out what she could do next once conventional treatment had failed.
Amber was teaching a yoga class for people living with back pain but couldn’t improve her own pain with the standard advice so she began delving more deeply into pain science.
Amber now works with other people experiencing pain and she's back to living life enjoying many of the activities she loves such as cycling, skiing, hiking and strength training.
Amber shares insight that only people who bridge the gap between clinician and person living with pain can.
In this episode:
Pain Is Real. Tests Are Just One Part of a Bigger Picture: Persistent symptoms are genuine, disruptive and life changing regardless of what your scans or tests show.
The Way We Talk About Pain Can Help or Harm: Language shapes beliefs and oversimplified messages can cause self doubt or blame.
Recovery Needs to be Individualised: One size fits all healthcare is a missed opportunity. Care always needs to respond to the person, not just the diagnosis.
Living Well Matters More Than Chasing Perfect: The goal is not just reducing pain but rebuilding confidence, function and a meaningful life alongside it.
Small Steps Build Lasting Change: Noticing cues early, pacing and doing the work gradually prevents huge variability whilst supporting long term recovery.
Shifting from traditional treatments to understanding mind body approaches.
The common mistake of pathologising normal discomfort.
How emotional stress can trigger real pain without causing physical tissue damage.
How small victories help you get your life back through confidence building.