The Recovery Room with Jackie Baxter

Jackie Baxter
  • 4.7 (71)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to The Recovery Room with Jackie Baxter - a gentle, grounded space for anyone navigating a health challenge. ​ For five years, this show was known as The Long Covid Podcast, supporting thousands of listeners through the uncertainty of post‑viral illness. After my own lived experience and recovery from Long Covid, the conversations naturally grew wider — into ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, Dysautonomia, Trauma, Burnout and the deep nervous‑system work that underpins so many healing journeys. ​ This reimagined podcast honours that evolution. ​ Each week, I explore the science, stories, and small, steady practices that help the body feel safer and more supported. You’ll hear from clinicians, researchers, practitioners and people walking their own recovery paths through the power of honest conversation. ​ Whether you’re at the beginning of your journey or somewhere in the long, winding middle, you’re welcome here. Take a breath. Settle in. This is your recovery room. This podcast will always remain free, but if you like what you hear and are able to, please head along to www.buymeacoffee.com/JackiesRecoveryRoom to help me cover costs. ~ Follow me on socials @JackiesRecoveryRoom  ~ Website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com  Do get in touch - I love to hear from you!

  1. 1d ago

    228 - Commando to Curious: Chris Sykes-Popham's Journey from Scepticism to Openness and Recovery

    Chris Sykes-Popham shares how he goes from an adventurous Royal Marines career into a brutal ME/CFS crash, then back to full recovery and a life rebuilt around balance and self-trust. We explore perfectionism, invisible illness, and why nervous system regulation can feel like the least popular answer yet still be the most practical path forward.  • Early warning signs like post-exertional payback and brain fog  • Losing a former identity and rebuilding meaning after recovery  • Balance as a daily check for kindness and sustainability  • Extreme striving and the hidden costs of perfectionism  • Gender, emotional expression, and the pressure of invisible illness  • Responsibility versus blame and finding agency again  • Openness, curiosity, and why timing matters for mind-body work  • Nervous system regulation as a common thread in recovery stories  • Studying the recovered and looking for repeatable trends  • Testing the nervous system theory symptom by symptom  We would love to continue this conversation - or have the one we originally planned - so please do get in touch with thoughts, questions & scepticism!  Links:  Try Freeme FREE for 6 sessions  https://freemehealth.com/getfreemeCONNECT WITH CHRIS: Website — https://freemehealth.com/getfreeme Instagram —   / the.freeme.app   Message me! (I can't reply to these messages) For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com (music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life) Support the show ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com  Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom **Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

    228 - Commando to Curious: Chris Sykes-Popham's Journey from Scepticism to Openness and Recovery

  2. Sep 23

    227 - Dr Heather Wilde - Listening with Hands: Healing Speeds Up When You Find The Blockage

    I talk with Heather Wilde, a doctor of physical therapy, about why Long Covid and ME/CFS symptoms can be downstream of blocked drainage and disrupted nervous system signalling rather than a single “broken” part. We follow her plumber and electrician framework from real client stories into craniosacral therapy, inflammation, and why hope often returns when someone finally finds the true restriction.  • Heather’s hands-on manual therapy approach and why she keeps expanding her toolkit  • A personal recovery story after decades of ME/CFS and what changed  • The plumber mindset for fluid flow and the hidden source of symptoms  • The electrician mindset for nerves, especially the vagus nerve and gut function  • A case study where a neck restriction links to GI pain and hyperventilation  • How covid-related inflammation can lock down the head and thorax  • Lymphatic drainage, sympathetic regulation and the Perrin theory in plain language  • Why breathwork and manual therapy are hard to research yet powerful in practice  • What craniosacral therapy is anatomically and what “dura restrictions” mean  • Touch, listening and rebuilding a healthy relationship with the body  Links: Connect with Heather: thewildeclinic.com The Perrin Technique: theperrintechnique.com My interview with Dr Perrin: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/16397354 Message me! (I can't reply to these messages) For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com (music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life) Support the show ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com  Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom **Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

    227 - Dr Heather Wilde - Listening with Hands: Healing Speeds Up When You Find The Blockage

  3. Sep 16

    226 - Dan Neuffer - Out of the Box: Living Your Own Blueprint

    Dan Neuffer and I explore authentic living as a practical way to honour our needs without abandoning responsibility, and why that balance matters even more when we are unwell. We look at how fear, perfectionism, and people-pleasing create inner conflict, drain our energy, and can keep our nervous system stuck in threat.  • Defining authentic living as self-honouring with balance  • Why constant selflessness can become self-neglect  • How childhood patterns and social approval shape our “shoulds”  • Telltale signs of inauthentic living such as resentment and emotion management  • The link between internal conflict, safety, and chronic illness recovery such as Long Covid and ME/CFS  • Perfectionism, social media pressure, and the fear of judgement  • Practical steps: honesty with ourselves, clearer communication, and boundaries  • Choosing small wins over drastic decisions to create lasting change  Connect with Dan:  CFS Recovery Stories: https://cfsunravelled.com/me-cfs-recovery-stories-patient-me-cfs-stories-with-a-difference/      ANS REWIRE Free Lessons:  https://ansrewire.com/info-request/  Connect with Jackie:  The Recovery Room website: https://www.jackiesrecoveryroom.com/ Breathing Classes: https://longcovidbreathing.com/  Message me! (I can't reply to these messages) For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com (music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life) Support the show ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com  Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom **Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

    226 - Dan Neuffer - Out of the Box: Living Your Own Blueprint

  4. Sep 9

    225 - 25,000 Chances to Heal: Making Every Breath Work for You

    We explore breath as a practical healing tool for Long Covid and ME/CFS, especially when breathlessness, air hunger, or panic keeps the body stuck in survival mode. I share why “appropriate breathwork” is gentle, flexible, and powerful enough to support both recovery and everyday health.  • Why breathing patterns change during illness and can stay dysfunctional afterwards  • The vicious cycle where breath discomfort signals danger and escalates symptoms  • How better breathing supports efficiency and frees energy for healing and life  • Nervous system regulation through functional breathing and micro moments of safety  • Why a one-size-fits-all protocol can backfire and what “meet yourself where you are” looks like  • What to avoid in recovery, including deliberate hyperventilation and breath holds  • Easing into practices, adjusting dose, and using breath to support pacing and emotions  • Resources for safe breathwork including courses, blogs, videos, and Insight Timer tracks  Links:  Breathing for Long Covid & ME/CFS breathing courses: www.LongCovidBreathing.com Breathing blogs: https://longcovidbreathing.com/blogs Breathe with me on Insight Timer: https://insig.ht/mqSr1s0245b (or search "Jackie Baxter" on the appMore info about working with me: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com/WorkWithMe  Message me! (I can't reply to these messages) Support the show ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com  Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom **Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

    225 - 25,000 Chances to Heal: Making Every Breath Work for You

  5. Sep 2

    224 - From Data to Body Wisdom: When to Use (and Ditch) Heart Rate Monitoring

    In part two of Jackie’s conversation with physiotherapist and Long Covid patient Robin McNelis (“Robin the Physio”), they dig into how heart rate monitors and wearables can support (or sabotage) pacing in Long Covid and ME/CFS. Robin shares both clinical and personal examples of using tech as a behaviour-change tool, not a dictator, and how it can help people eventually trust their bodies more, not less. In This Episode: When heart rate monitoring is helpful and when it becomes stressful and counterproductiveRobin’s concept of “counterintuitive” heart rate monitoring and why some people need to start with higher alert thresholdsReal-life examples of unexpected triggers (like showering, stairs, and bending) and how tiny tweaks made big differencesUsing devices first to learn your boundaries, then turning down or off alerts to lean more on body awarenessHow to decide if tech is right for you right now: What is it helping you change? Is it reducing crashes or just adding pressure? Key Takeaways Tech is optional: it’s the right tool for the right person, at the right time, in the right way.The goal isn’t perfect data—it’s better awareness, steadier pacing, and fewer boom-and-bust crashes. Links: More about Robin: http://www.robinthephysio.co.uk  Check out Part 1 of this discussion: 223 - Holistic Detective Work: Unpicking Breath, Pacing & Fatigue with Robin the Physio  Message me! (I can't reply to these messages) For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com (music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life) Support the show ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com  Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom **Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

    224 - From Data to Body Wisdom: When to Use (and Ditch) Heart Rate Monitoring

  6. Aug 26

    223 - Holistic Detective Work: Unpicking Breath, Pacing & Fatigue with Robin the Physio

    Jackie is joined by Robin McNelis (Robin the Physio), a cardio‑respiratory physio and Long Covid specialist, who went from running marathons and leading hospital services to his own Long Covid recovery journey. In this episode: What happens when all your tests are “normal” but you’re clearly not.Robin’s role as a “holistic detective” for complex breathing, fatigue and Long Covid cases.How ideas from elite sport and marginal gains translate to people just trying to shower or get to the bathroom without crashing.The reality of post‑Covid personal bests and why “small” wins matter.A practical, compassionate look at pacing across physical, cognitive, emotional and social exertion, using the FITT principles.Real‑life stories of patients reclaiming reading, hobbies and daily life through tiny, well‑timed adjustments.This is Part 1 of the conversation - hear part 2 for more on pacing, heart rate, breathing, and tools to support recovery. Links: More about Robin: http://www.robinthephysio.co.uk Message me! (I can't reply to these messages) For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com (music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life) Support the show ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com  Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom **Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

    223 - Holistic Detective Work: Unpicking Breath, Pacing & Fatigue with Robin the Physio

  7. Aug 19

    222 - Jake Hollis - What If Validation Is A Treatment Too

    I talk with clinical psychologist Dr Jake Hollis about recovering from ME/CFS and Long Covid, and why the nervous system offers a more useful frame than the tired “mind versus body” argument. We explore how validation, language, and recovery stories can shift the brain’s predictions and open up real possibilities for change.  • Jake’s lived experience of long-term illness and a slow recovery path  • How neuroplastic recovery therapies fit alongside biology rather than replacing it  • Why recovery stories can create a visceral nervous system shift  • The harm caused when recovered people are disbelieved or silenced  • How the mind body divide shows up in healthcare systems and culture  • Biomarkers, legitimacy, and why absence of a test is not absence of illness  • Mental health stigma as a hidden driver of conflict and miscommunication  • Emotional suppression, shame, and “keep calm and carry on” conditioning  • Blame versus responsibility as a more compassionate recovery framework  Links: More about Jake: www.fatiguepsychologist.com Unlearn Your Pain in the US and in the UK Howard Schubiner chats to Rangan Chatterjee Message me! (I can't reply to these messages) For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com (music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life) Support the show ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com  Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom **Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

    222 - Jake Hollis - What If Validation Is A Treatment Too

  8. Aug 12

    221 - A New Room, The Same Heart. Welcome to The Recovery Room

    Five years after starting the Long Covid Podcast, Jackie introduces The Recovery Room – a wider, gentler space for anyone navigating Long Covid, ME/CFS, Dysautonomia, PoTS, Trauma, Burnout, nervous system overwhelm, and long-term recovery. In this episode, Jackie shares: Why the podcast is evolving and what “The Recovery Room” means.How her own recovery showed that healing is about more than symptoms.How Long Covid overlaps with other conditions, and why this space now holds many experiences, not just one diagnosisWhat’s staying the same: evidence-informed conversations, recovery stories, nervous system insights, and honest, vulnerable discussions held in a way that feels safe.She closes with a short grounding practice you can use anytime: Noticing your breathGently checking in with how you feelAsking, “What would help me feel 1% safer right now?”Remembering that small, consistent, gentle shifts are the foundation of recovery.Practical updates: The podcast is now called The Recovery Room with Jackie BaxterSocial media, visuals, and app names will update over the coming daysThe new website is live: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com Message me! (I can't reply to these messages) Support the show ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com  Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom **Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

    221 - A New Room, The Same Heart. Welcome to The Recovery Room
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4.7
out of 5
71 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Recovery Room with Jackie Baxter - a gentle, grounded space for anyone navigating a health challenge. ​ For five years, this show was known as The Long Covid Podcast, supporting thousands of listeners through the uncertainty of post‑viral illness. After my own lived experience and recovery from Long Covid, the conversations naturally grew wider — into ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, Dysautonomia, Trauma, Burnout and the deep nervous‑system work that underpins so many healing journeys. ​ This reimagined podcast honours that evolution. ​ Each week, I explore the science, stories, and small, steady practices that help the body feel safer and more supported. You’ll hear from clinicians, researchers, practitioners and people walking their own recovery paths through the power of honest conversation. ​ Whether you’re at the beginning of your journey or somewhere in the long, winding middle, you’re welcome here. Take a breath. Settle in. This is your recovery room. This podcast will always remain free, but if you like what you hear and are able to, please head along to www.buymeacoffee.com/JackiesRecoveryRoom to help me cover costs. ~ Follow me on socials @JackiesRecoveryRoom  ~ Website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com  Do get in touch - I love to hear from you!

Information

  • Creator
    Jackie Baxter
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    230
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 © 2026 The Recovery Room with Jackie Baxter
  • Show Website
    The Recovery Room with Jackie Baxter

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