Fibromyalgia Podcast‪®‬ Tami Stackelhouse

Movement is not a way to pay for what you’ve eaten or shrink your body. It’s a way to care for your body and feel how you want to feel in it. If we reframe our thinking, moving away from focusing on what we want our bodies to look like and toward what we want them to do, it becomes easier to treat ourselves with kindness and respect.
You can’t control your health just by eating a certain way and exercising. There’s so much more to overall health, and you can’t measure it on your bathroom scale. Instead, by setting goals that are meaningful to your life and experiences, like improving your sleep or increasing your mobility, you can shift focus to where it matters most and will have the biggest positive impact on your life.
Today, Tami is joined by size-inclusive fitness specialist Kim Hagle to talk about diet culture and movement as self-care. Kim was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia just six months ago, and her work and fitness routine has had to shift as a result. If you’ve ever felt hesitant to exercise because of the pain or you feel like your self-image is holding you back, this one is for you.
In this conversation, Tami and Kim discuss Kim’s journey to becoming a size-inclusive fitness specialist, her recent fibromyalgia diagnosis, how her symptoms impacted her physical activity and mental health, the importance of rest and listening to your body's needs, conquering the fears of weight gain, muscle loss, and pain from exercising, Kim’s “all or something” approach to movement, changing how we think about exercise, recognizing movement as a form of self-care, honoring where your body is today, shifting body image and finding self-acceptance, practicing gratitude for your body, how diet culture impacts our beliefs, recognizing that we can’t measure health on the bathroom scale, personal responsibiltiy in health, creating your own definition of health, measuring health improvements based on outcomes that matter to you, practical steps to define your health goals and take small actions to improve your health, benefits of working with a coach, when to work with a physical therapist, the importance of self-compassion, embracing a slower pace, and more.
You are worthy of feeling good and being treated with kindness and respect, especially by yourself. It starts by meeting yourself where you're at, being compassionate, and taking one step at a time.
 
 
 
Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.
To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.
For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.
Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.
Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Today, I'm sharing the other half of my conversation with Dr. Andrea Moore. In the previous episode, I interviewed Dr. Andrea about her work. Dr. Andrea has her own chronic pain story, and she now helps those suffering from chronic pain find harmony and safety within their bodies.
Today's bonus episode is a replay from her podcast, Unweaving Chronic Pain, where she interviewed me.
Dr. Andrea and I explore the interaction between mind and body, especially when chronic pain is persistent. We address common misconceptions and highlight the importance of setting realistic goals that respect our current limitations. The conversation sheds light on the potential of incremental healing and the value of celebrating small victories for sustainable progress in managing fibromyalgia.
In this candid discussion, we also cover the various symptoms associated with this condition and the range of solutions that can provide relief. Topics include the role of the subconscious in personal growth, the high incidence of sleep apnea in fibromyalgia patients, and the importance of a holistic approach to treatment. The episode concludes with an invitation to view our bodies as allies in our health journey, emphasizing that every step forward, no matter how small, is progress towards reclaiming our well-being.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out Dr. Andrea's Unweaving Chronic Pain podcast.
 
 
 
 
Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.
To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.
For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.
Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.
Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.
 

“Sometimes taking care of yourself means not doing all the things.”
When you have chronic pain, it’s easy for self-care to become a job where you have to do all of these things, or else you haven't taken care of yourself. But self-care should nourish you and fill your cup; it shouldn’t feel like a burden.
Healing requires us to develop a toolbox of techniques that work for our individual needs, and one of the biggest game-changers on the journey to getting better is getting in tune with the right energy for approaching our healing.
Today, Tami is joined by Dr. Andrea Moore to explore how self-care can turn into self-sabotage and why focusing too much on eliminating pain can, in fact, amplify it. Dr. Andrea has her own chronic pain story, and she now helps those suffering from chronic pain find harmony and safety within their bodies. If you find yourself constantly chasing new wellness trends or ticking off an endless list of self-care rituals, this episode is for you.
In this conversation, Tami and Dr. Andrea discuss Dr. Andrea’s chronic pain story and journey to finding relief, potential pitfalls of self-care and healing practices, the frantic energy that can come with pursuing treatment after treatment, finding balance when pursuing wellness, balancing self-care and living life, recognizing that self-care should feel nourishing and not burdensome, the vicious cycle of pain, physiological changes that happen when you experience chronic pain, the power of getting help, the concepts of body harmony and respect, redefining feeling safe in your body, accepting the unpredictability of life, the symbolism of cherry blossoms and Tami’s connection to them as a symbol, our tendency to repress and judge emotions, understanding what nervous system regulation really means, creating a balanced approach to emotional healing work, getting better at doing hard things, allowing yourself to take a step back and accept your current reality, building your capacity for intense emotions, the role of self-compassion in taking accountability, playfully engaging with your emotions, building trust and connection with your body, why we need individualized self-care strategies, limitation sof group work and when one-on-one time is needed, Dr. Andrea’s invitation to take a moment to pause and self-reflect, and more.
If you find yourself stressing that you can't do everything you need to do instead of being excited about living your life, that’s a good sign that it's time to seek support.
 
 
 
 
Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.
To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.
For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.
Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.
Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In this special bonus episode, I'm sharing a recent guest appearance I made on the Beyond Diagnosis podcast hosted by Rita De Michele.
Beyond Diagnosis helps women over 40 who are not getting the solutions or outcomes they would like to see from traditional medical care.
Rita is a Mindset and Empowerment Coach and, in this interview, we actually start at a pretty basic level since she has listeners who might not understand what fibromyalgia is.
In the interview, we discuss what fibromyalgia is, what the research is that shows fibromyalgia is real, the first things I did when I started working on improving my symptoms, and some of the things you can do to begin improving your fibromyalgia symptoms, and the mindset shifts that are needed in order to become an empowered patient.
If you enjoy this episode, please check out the rest of Rita's podcast here.
 
 
Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.
To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.
For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.
Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.
Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.
 

“We can help almost anyone feel better because we have so many tools at our disposal.” - Dr. Robin Pfaff
Managing fibromyalgia requires a holistic approach that goes beyond physical symptoms and equally addresses emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Our well-being is multidimensional, and each aspect requires attention and care.
To explore this approach further, today Tami is joined by Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® Dr. Robin Pfaff. Tami and Robin are talking about her new book, Living Your BEST Life with Fibromyalgia: A Compassionate Approach to Reclaiming Your Heath and Reimagining Your Purpose, which Tami found to be very powerful.
Robin’s book is an incredible resource for people living with fibromyalgia. As with all aspects of our health, the most lasting change comes when we dedicate ourselves to participating in the activities, reflections, and exercises shared. By engaging at that level, you can cultivate a deeper understanding of yourself and take meaningful steps towards a fulfilling life despite the challenges of fibromyalgia. Robin doesn’t advocate for ignoring our fibromyalgia or pretending that our trauma doesn't exist. It’s not about the toxic positivity we often see and hear. Instead, Robin gently coaches us on how to embrace the full spectrum of emotions and experiences to foster genuine healing and resilience.
In this conversation, Tami and Robin discuss Robin’s journey from psychotherapist to Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, how starting a coaching practice has changed everything for Robin, why being a fibro coach is a critical element in my remission, fundamental differences between psychotherapy and coaching, the three pillars of mindful self-compassion, the critical role of self-compassion in managing chronic illnesses, the profound value of sharing your unique journey with fibromyalgia, learning that there’s always something to be grateful for even when we’re suffering, building a toolkit so that you don’t get stuck in a negative cycle, avoiding toxic positivity and finding practical ways to avoid unnecessary suffering, Robin’s experience writing Living Your BEST Life with Fibromyalgia, Tami’s advice for anyone thinking about writing a book, the power of going deep instead of wide, what it means to live your B.E.S.T. life, using the B.E.S.T. model to improve your symptoms, how you can use Robin’s B.E.S.T. assessment tool, and more.
 
 
 
Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.
To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.
For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.
Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.
Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In this special bonus episode, I'm sharing a recent guest appearance I made on the Power in Motion Podcast hosted by Kim Hagle.
Kim is a Certified Personal Trainer, Non-Diet Nutritionist and Body Image Coach – who’s on a mission to empower women to break free from tortuous exercise, restrictive eating and body shame, so they can free up their time, energy and resources to pursue their life’s purpose.
Kim was also recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and found her way to me after a disappointing doctor's appointment left her feeling like she needed to do her own research.
Kim and I had such a great time during this interview that I not only wanted to share it with you (with her permission, of course), but I also invited her to a guest on this show. So, tuned for that conversation on July 2nd.
If you love this interview, you'll love her podcast. So, be sure to check it out!
 
 
Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.
To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.
For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.
Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.
Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.