Hannah, a British doctor, was recently interviewed by ABC in Australia where she is based. This was part of Pain Week. She talks about her experiences of chronic pain, the challenges, what she has done, and the impact on her medical practice. Hannah wrote about her chronic pain in the BMJ when she was a medical student in 2020 — read here. In the a…

Check out my interview last week. Common questions posed on chronic pain.

A brilliant and fascinating conversation about pain -- what is it? Jennifer uses her philosophy skills to really dig down into this vital question. Her answers may surprise you! She is radical by her own admission but I would say that her position is one that resonates with a person-first approach. We explore this and much more. Find out more about…

Orla shares her story of frustration as a dietician trained in a directive way of working with people -- telling them what to do wasn't working. About to change career, she went on a motivational interviewing course and discovered gold! And Steve Rollnick. This set Orla on a new, exciting and fruitful path to where she is now. Hear all about Orla's…

Great to have Prof Manuela Ferreira on the show to talk about her pioneering work on back pain. Manuela is the lead author of a recent study analysing the global burden of low back pain: 'Global, regional, and national burden of low back pain, 1990–2020, its attributable risk factors, and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Bur…

"From a working class, first generation A-level student to recipient of the IASP (International Association for the Study of Pain) Patrick D. Wall award. I owe it all to mentorship. Love and gratitude especially to Tony, Frank & Mac for decades of support" -- Kirsty's words. Shows the importance of having a purpose and a passion, ignited in part by…

Fascinating chat! Irena posted a video on Twitter describing her recent study, Perceived time expands and contracts within each heartbeat, which I thought a brilliant way of sharing. In this episode Irena talks about her work as a postdoctoral researcher in cognitive neuroscience at Royal Holloway, University of London -- how we experience time, wh…

Sabrina (prior episode here) and Peter (prior episode here) are back on the encourager pod -- two of the most popular episodes, so give them a listen! This time they are joined by collaborator Prof Michael Ray. Together the three have recently put out a fascinating paper entitled, "Unpacking an affordance-based model of chronic pain: a video game a…

Tom, musician and artist, generously shares his experience of FND -- functional neurological disorder. As Tom explains, he spent many years being told many things, often unhelpful and some utterly wrong (putting it politely). Then he met Prof Mark Edwards and things started to change. He described his journey with FND but also with chronic pain. At…

Great to catch up with Deepak! Deepak is a pain doctor who listens, empowers, and comes alongside the people who come to see him. It's not a fight or a battlefield. Instead, a journey on which Deepak accompanies the person, if they wish. He realised the biomedical model wasn't enough and so widened his approach, embracing a range of modern ways of …

This week an old friend joins me: musician, guitarist, songwriter, producer, Tim Shoben. Aka, Showbiz. (If you watch the video, you'll see me wearing my guitar hat whilst Tim is suited -- we got it the wrong way round 😂). Tim has been around music all his life, picking up the guitar at an early age. And playing it of course. He talks about his musi…

Louise is a Lived Experience Advocate, Lived Experience Lead Trainer, Past Vice Chair at British Pain Society Patient Voice Committee, Ramblers Wellbeing Walks leader and a successful chronic pain self-manager. She is certainly not being defined by her pain, instead using the experiences she has had since childhood to help others who are struggling…

Inês is a 'bit of a punk', but one who cares deeply about her work making a difference in the world. In other words, translating it into helping people who are suffering. The essence of an encourager. This is a brilliant conversation, especially if you are interested in some of the latest thinking and work on brain/body/behaviour and how they meet …

Communication is at the heart of our work with people in healthcare. Yet the training is typically scant at undergraduate. It appears so simple, yet it is a very complex set of skills that can be learned and practiced. We get into the importance of communication for being an effective clinician, attitude, the different roles we take, some of the ke…

If you're interested in pain and chronic pain, this one is for you. Morten is doing fantastic work in the pain field, including a recent series of editorials called 'Pain Science in Practice'. He tells his story of how he got to where he is now -- he didn't expect to be there 😊 ! Then we get into the detail of what we do with patients who are suffe…

Virginia suffered an injury at work that resulted in surgery and subsequent chronic pain. Her experience of not being heard, told she was fine, that the surgery was a success and that she could return to work were all out of alignment with what was really happening. And that was her pain. Virginia hit some real low points, but despite this kept goi…

Charles Balcombe is the creator and founder of Paind, with the no small mission of 'changing the face of chronic pain treatment'. Why? Because Charles has his own story of chronic pain. It started with leg pain, a visit to the doctor, physio that 'did not work', an MRI and 7 months after the pain began, neurosurgery. Little was he to know that this…

Ultrarunner, author and all-round good bloke who cares about people and the planet, Damian Hall, returns to the show. He talks about his recent adventures at the 330k Tor des Géants, why he runs, how he prepares and keeps going over ultra distances. Then we get into Damian’s new and very important book on the climate emergency: We Can’t Run Away Fr…

Chris, (aka Peck) an old school friend of some 40 years, ran the London Marathon yesterday in memory of family friend Deborah James, Bowel Babe, who sadly passed away this year. Deborah is known for her work, raising awareness and money for bowel cancer, a condition that she suffered despite being healthy and a vegetarian.Whilst Peck has had to com…

If you loved our first chat, this one will blow you away! Mark is back on the Encourager's pod. The basis of our chat today is his new paper looking at wellbeing through the predictive processing lens. But we get into some really juicy stuff. How do we get stuck? What is going on there? This could be with pain, depression or some higher belief. Wha…

This is a recording of an online talk -- essentially me, on my own, talking to my computer :) Persistent pain is a problem in the performing arts. Many performers are affected, meaning that clinicians need to understand pain in order to be helpful and guide them onwards and successfully. It starts by knowing thyself as a clinician. So you may want …

There was so much that had me gripped in this conversation with Glenn. I recommend a pen, paper, maybe a coffee and a readiness to pause and listen again. This is for you is you want to be a better helper as a therapist, clinician, parent, teacher, friend, whatever! The bulk of the chat focuses on the spirit of motivational interviewing (MI). Glenn…

It was great to catch up with Alan and hear his rock n roll story that led to the creation of a business -- he saw the need and took action. We follow Alan's journey from his early rebel years through to the person-focused business coach that he is now, having had a transformational experience -- he calls it 'a stroke of luck'. Alan guides, helps a…

Stuart kicks off Season 3 by sharing his stories of becoming a physio, being curious, and exploring different ways of helping people. I met Stuart some years ago on a retreat he was running in Somerset. It was the most stunning location, perfect for the work we did on ourselves and others. He followed traditional training as a mature student, havin…

A hill walk on a family holiday became two attempts to climb Everest just a few years later for Alex. The second attempt could have been fatal -- it was for some. What did Alex take from this and all his training? He tells me in this fascinating episode. Then, in 2020 he ran 452 miles, not only climbing the 3 Peaks (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike & Snowdo…

Barrie and JoJo Thomson sold their house and headed off in their van. They have reached Ben Nevis, where Barrie was sitting for our chat -- there were a few wifi lapses, but not bad considering :).This is a great story packed with purpose, adventure, uncertainty, authenticity and of course encouragement. We delve into their value-led business, choo…

I recently heard Dan's Do Lecture and was struck by his storytelling, humour and the concept of sch-peel-zoyg. That was in 2015, so it was great to catch up with Dan and see how his thinking has unfolded over the past 6 years. So, we get into sch-peel-zoyg, the feeling, what it is and how it can be used. And much more in this very open and candid c…

Andy Williams was excluded when he was at school. But he became an educator. Then focused on wellbeing and relationships in the school. Andy understood that the punishment/reward system did not work -- there is something better. Now he specialises in helping schools develop a way that embraces and accepts the individual, understanding the self, com…

Why is movement so important? We explore the answers to this question and how people can be encouraged to move from a young age, when many beliefs and habits are born. Science writer, journalist and mover Caroline Williams talks about her new book, Move: The New Science of Body over Mind. Plus becoming a science writer, writing habits and meeting s…

Recently Sabrina published a terrific paper (see below*) describing an enactive approach to acute and chronic pain. Her co-author is Peter Stilwell (see his episode here). This is a must read if you are interested in pain. In this chat we get into Sabrina's thinking on enactivism and pain as a philosopher. Sabrina has been spending time with clinic…

A very human psychiatrist who has a new book: Head First: A Psychiatrist's Stories of Mind and Body. He has been working as a Consultant Psychiatrist, for the last 17 years working at both Guy’s Hospital and The Maudsley Hospital, London. He treats a range of mental health problems, including those that present to a general hospital, such as the me…

Peter is doing fine work in helping us think about pain in different and progressive ways. He tells me about his journey so far, and has a bright outlook for the future of pain. Peter has noticed a significant shift in the student's interests towards people, communication skills and the biopsychosocial model over techniques and practices. Great! He…

Glenn is one of the few people in the world with a Doctorate in coaching, so it was fascinating to dig into his story, thinking and approach. Glenn started his journey as a PE teacher, which he loved. Wanting to progress, he saw an opportunity in leadership coaching and took the plunge. Having delivered programmes, Glenn wanted to formalise his wor…

Richard generously shares his journey as a journalist, writer and runner. Turns out that running was rather transformative for Richard, influencing his writing and career. May well have started with an appearance in Chariots of Fire... (read here). We met when Richard was co-host of a running/writing retreat in 2019 with Adharanand Finn. It was a t…

Jen shares her remarkable journey having battled with anorexia for 16 years. She describes her lived experience from being diagnosed aged 12 through to the present day, now studying for her PhD In Australia, with a specialist interest in eating disorders and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDS). This is a real insight into how an eating disor…

In this fascinating conversation, we talked about the lived experiences of persistent pain, addiction, depression and anxiety, through the lens of predictive processing. We get into horror films and why we seem to love them, having uncomfortable experiences like ultrarunning and the concept of being frozen with a certain stuck belief that is holdin…

Andrew is Player Pathway Coach at Gloucester Rugby Club and U16 Age Grade Coach/Talent ID for Scotland rugby. He also coaches at an independent school in Malvern. I first heard Andrew talk about coaching when he appeared as a guest on a webinar with Prof Steve Rollnick, co-founder of motivational interviewing. I was struck by what he said. Andrew d…

Great to have Chris on the pod to catch up and delve into his career and thinking as a physio in the world of rugby. His underlying philosophy is to be helpful and useful. In this chat we get into the importance of pain education, communication, and building relationships in the sporting world. We explore tendinopathy as an example of a common pers…

Sarah believes that movement provides individuals with possibilities, be it independence, interacting with family, gardening and social activities, work, interests, exercise or amateur and elite sport. Increasing and maintaining physical activity is a key factor for a healthy life. She has recently finished her PhD: The Health of Movement - Recogni…

** warning, sexual content :) Terrific to catch up with Sandy in Chicago. Sandy is a superb physical therapist who primarily works with men and women suffering pelvic pain. We get into all sorts of stuff around this, including intimacy, aka sex. What else? The person-first approach, the importance of listening, creating a safe environment, being 'p…

Dan helps people of all ages and at all levels to perform, in particular in football and golf. Here we explore the different ways players coped with lockdown and how Dan helped them. Dan then gets into the role of sport psychology in professional football -- I reckon much of this can equally be applied to life, amateur sport and school sport. He ta…

Andy Lane is a Professor of Sport Psychology and works with athletes trying to achieve goals. He is a Fellow of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), Health Professional Council registered and a British Psychological Society Chartered Psychologist. -- Great for runners, coaches, teachers and anyone who encourages others to…

Dai puts the individual's wellbeing at the heart of his coaching, teaching and mentoring. What does this look like? Dai tells me how he puts this into practice, giving some great examples and sharing stories that illustrate his learnings and approach. This includes the three C's of wellbeing that Dai co-created. Dai has a clear purpose that comes a…

I have known Jackie since the early 2000's when we were both at Kings College London, reading the Pain Science and Society MSc with Prof Mick Thacker. Jackie has continued down an academic path as a Clinical Doctoral Research Fellow at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, currently engaged with her PhD on the self-management of…

Michelle loves running. So much so that she created a business as a running coach for humans and humans with their dogs -- a canicross trainer. Michelle's passion is clear as she tells me about how she encourages and guides people to achieve their running goals. Fun is at the heart of it. Her approach is truly holistic. She focuses on the person an…

Katie Ledger is a Senior Practitioner at Complete, coaching executives, guiding teams and hosting international conferences. For 12 years Katie worked as a journalist and TV news presenter for the BBC, ITN, Channel 5 News and TVB in Hong Kong, followed by 9 years of running her own communications business. Katie now uses her skills in the business …

Simon created the Training Ground Guru in 2017 for people interested in the latest developments in analytics, coaching, conditioning, leadership and youth development, with news and innovations from practitioners, entrepreneurs and academics. Why? 'We believe the backroom staff are football's unsung heroes and this platform will give those coaches,…

Dani (or Miss Mugridge if you are one of her pupils...) epitomises both the modern director of sport and the positive coach, being an overt advocate for Girl's sport. She runs the department at LEH, a girls' school in Hampton, and is the Assistant Coach of Surrey Storm netball team. Life is full for Dani, so I was lucky to grab her for an hour duri…

Celine started the Wholy Me business in lockdown last year, the idea coming from caring for her mum who was suffering pain from rheumatoid arthritis. Wholy Me is all about natural solutions for health and wellness with a focus on the person and importance of self care to live your best life. Celine tells me about the products, the scrutiny and tran…