Fibromyalgia Podcast®

GLP-1 medications like Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro are all the rage right now. Originally marketed as drugs to help diabetics with insulin resistance, they were later discovered to help people lose weight.

With those possibilities, GLP-1 meds are positioned to revolutionize health in the US since about two-thirds of the population is either overweight or obese and at risk for conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

But there’s been another new discovery—GLP-1 medications also have anti-inflammatory properties. Several different studies have since shown that GLP-1 medications help to reduce inflammation in the liver, kidneys, heart, and even the brain (which is of particular interest to fibromyalgia patients).

Today, Tami is joined by rheumatologist Dr. Isabelle Amigues to talk about GLP-1 medications and how they can potentially help those of us with fibromyalgia. In this episode, Tami and Dr. Amigues discuss the unusual way Dr. Amigues is incorporating GLP-1 medications in her practice, what you need to know about GLP-1 medications, the anti-inflammatory effects of GLP-1 medications and the implications, the link between inflammation and adipose tissue, the potential impact of GLP-1 medications on aging-related complications and inflammatory conditions, GLP-1 medications as a tool to get you over the final hurdle to fibromyalgia remission, utlizing mindful eating to help you make better food choices, tapping into the virtuous cycle of weight loss, breaking the stigma and releasing the judgment around our weight, factors to consider before taking GLP-1 medication, who should avoid these medications, putting the horror stories of bad experiences and side effects into context, next steps if you’d like to consult with your doctor about taking a GLP-1 medication, why it’s crucial to work with a qualified specialist, the affordability of GLP-1 medications medications, 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®.

“How do you propose we help low-income individuals with CFS and fibromyalgia? Self-care and wellness are rooted in privilege, choice, fellowship, support, time, and money to invest in themselves.”

So many people living with chronic illnesses are forced to navigate the issue of how best to support themselves with limited resources. While you’ll often hear Tami talking about coaching and our training programs on this podcast, that’s not everything available in the fibromyalgia community. Tami and other organizations offer many resources that allow people from all income levels to access tools and support to improve their quality of life.

It’s also valuable to recognize that while wellness is often rooted in the privilege of having money to invest in ourselves, self-care doesn’t have to be. Self-care is about how we treat ourselves, and it’s not a direct link to our income level. In today’s Ask The Coach installment, Tami answers how low-income individuals can access help with CFS and fibromyalgia and whether you can still work with a fibro coach if you haven’t been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

In this episode, Tami discusses the connection between wellness, self-care, and privilege, why I believe self-care has nothing to do with your income level, challenges faced by low-income individuals with fibromyalgia who rely on state healthcare programs, free resources and support provided by Tami and the International Fibromyalgia Coaching Institute, organizations that can help you implement the suggestions for improving your symptoms, patient assistance programs that can help with covering the cost of medications, tips for accessing lower-cost options for supplements and services, advocacy and support offered through organizations like Support Fibromyalgia Network, Fibromyalgia Care Society of America, and the Sherri Little Foundation, how you can advocate for fibromyalgia awareness and support, working with a fibromyalgia coach without a fibro diagnosis, training to work with conditions outside of fibromyalgia, 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®.

Exercise is one of the foundational pillars of health, but with fibromyalgia, we have extra sensitive bodies and nervous systems, and we need to be gentle. That means finding the right exercise to meet our needs can be tricky.

Today, Tami is excited to introduce you to a tool helping her feel even better and that she’s recently been obsessed with: a T-Zone Vibration machine. These machines use whole body vibration, a modality used for decades to increase muscle strength, bone density, and more. In fact, several studies have shown the benefits of whole body vibration for improving fibromyalgia symptoms.

To explore this further and share the results of a small informal study with our students and coaches, Tami is joined by Sarah Aboody, the Owner and General Manager of T-Zone Vibration. In this conversation, Sarah and Tami discuss how whole body vibration works and its uses for improving muscle strength, bone density, flexibility, mobility, and circulation, why oscillating vibration works best for fibromyalgia, benefits and uses of whole body vibration, the results of the informal study on the use of the T-Zone Vibration with Tami and some of our students and coaches, exercise as a pillar of health and how the T-Zone Vibration machine can help to build the habit, guidance for optimizing the use of the machine, why pain and fatigue might temporarily increase after whole body vibration, adapting whole body vibration for different needs, benefits of T-Zone Vibration machines, comparison of the smaller and larger vibration machines, special offers if you want to try a T-Zone Vibration machine, guidelines for getting started with whole body vibration, important considerations and precautions for individuals for whom whole body vibration may not be suitable, 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®.

Welcome to the final episode of our special Be a Coach series. So far, I’ve answered questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Some of the topics covered in the first three parts of this special series were what a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® and a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is, the difference between the two, who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® and who is better suited to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®, what you need and don’t need to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why the world needs fibro coaches, and why you should consider becoming one.

In this final installment, I’m digging into the nuts and bolts of how you can become a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®; including the exact steps you need to take.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Rest is not a luxury. It’s required for healing your mind, body, and soul.

A month and a half into the new year, everything around us is about making this your best year ever. From classes to articles, social media posts, and podcast episodes, there’s so much messaging about becoming a new and better version of yourself.

While growth is a good thing, and the transition into a new year can be a great time to make the changes to move closer to the life you want, you might find that these messages aren’t resonating. What if you’re feeling exhausted or frustrated? What if you can’t figure out where on earth you’d scrounge up the energy to make these changes?

Today, Tami talks about the power of rest and embracing life’s winter seasons. In this episode, you’ll learn about the significance of rest and its impact on healing, exploring life's seasons and how they relate to personal growth, spring as a season of new growth, what it looks like to open yourself to new experiences, summer as the season of maturing, why we’re often more comfortable in the summer seasons of our lives, how these seasons relate to our fibromyalgia, fall as a season of harvest, acknowledging the process of letting go and accepting change, winter as a time to embrace rest as a necessary component for healing and growth, the power of winter rest, understanding what rest means, using the 80/20 rule for managing your energy, practical tips for embracing more rest in your life, the concept of deep relaxation, the benefits of embracing moments of a "blue mind state,” how to cultivate a “blue mind state,” aligning your actions to embrace the season you’re in, remembering the inevitability of spring’s arrival, things to consider leaving behind during your personal winter, ways to nurture that power of rest, the delicate balance between self-care as work and self-care as compassion and grace for individuals with fibromyalgia, and more.

While you're waiting for spring to come, lean into your winter season and accept it for what it is. It’s an essential part of life and carries a lesson for you. Get the rest you need and reach out for help to move forward into spring growth.

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®.

Welcome to episode 03 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In episode one of the series, I explained what a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® is and what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is.

Episode two of the series was all about who makes a good coach and who is better suited to be an advisor. I also covered what you need and don’t need to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In this episode, we’re taking a deeper look at why someone would want to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why the world needs fibro coaches, and why you should consider becoming one.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Most of us with fibromyalgia have to spend a lot of physical and emotional energy teaching the people in our lives about our condition. From friends and family to doctors and coaches, it can be draining.

That’s just one of the ways working with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® transformational. It’s invaluable to have someone in your corner who knows what you’re going through because they’ve been there and have the tools to guide and support you.

What would it be like to improve your quality of life significantly? How would your life change if you could improve your symptoms by 50%?

Today, in the eighth installment of our Stories of Hope and Healing, Tami shares inspiring excerpts from our January 2024 event. You’ll hear from four graduates about their stories and how they’ve been able to improve their fibromyalgia symptoms. On average, our graduates improve their symptoms by about 50% during the three-month program, and many people’s lives look dramatically different today than they did before starting.

In this episode, you’ll hear about Julie’s diagnosis and how she went from years of just one to two down days per year to four years of barely being able to get out of bed, why the journey of becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® was transformational for Julie, learning to give yourself grace on your bad days, why Julie wrote Chronic Illness at Work, her passion for advocating for the fibromyalgia and chronic illness communities, how she’s set and surpassed goals she never believed she ever could, the importance of setting goals and celebrating your successes, why Kaylynne ultimately decided to join the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, what surprised her (as a skeptic) about working with her fibro coach Brenda, why being able to address her fatigue had a massive knock-on effect on many areas of her life, prioritizing your energy for restoring yourself, the changes that made the biggest impact on improving her fibromyalgia symptoms, developing a positive relationship with your body, Kaylynne’s message to high achievers and perfectionists who are struggling with their fibromyalgia, Viktoriia’s early symptoms of fibromyalgia and how traumatic events in her life made it more difficult to manage, her move to Canada and search for relief from her increasing symptoms, the huge reduction in symptoms Viktoriia experienced after joining the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program and working with fibro coaches, the series of difficult events and experiences that led Viktoriia to join the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program for a second time and what she did differently, her recognition that she has to actively choose to support her body every day, Viktoriia’s new approach to life management, the tools that have made the most significant impact on her fibromyalgia, the impact of food on her well-being, how her coach Robin helped her with emotional overwhelm and her mental health, the challenges of managing stress and emotions, letting go of perfection, Deb’s decision to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, how changing her approach resulted in an improvement in symptoms of 68%, the value of experimentation and her experiences working with clients, what it’s like living with an invisible illness, why being a coach helps you with your fibromyalgia,  the significance of focus and tools to manage fibromyalgia symptoms, focusing on living in the current body you’re in and making necessary changes for managing fibromyalgia, reducing stress and allowing time for the body to heal, how you can join the next Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, what you can expect from the course, and more.

If you're looking for ways to feel better, you’ll be inspired to hear their stories.

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®.

Welcome to episode 02 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®. I cover all the basics… the who, what, when, where, why, and even the how.

Don’t understand what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Adviser is? No problem. Just pop on over to episode one of the series because that is exactly what we covered in that episode.

In this episode, I’m covering the who. Who makes a good coach? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®? And, how do you know which one you might be?

I also cover what I look for in the applications I accept into the training program and what you need and don’t need to join us a become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Advisor yourself.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

As a master Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, author, and fibro podcaster, the questions I’m asked more than any others are:

How do I get better?

How do I improve my Fibromyalgia so I can get back to living the life I want to live?

While those sound like simple questions, they do not have simple answers. We all have similar symptoms, what helps you feel better may not be the thing that helps me feel better. We all have to find our own magic formula for what makes us feel best.

I know from personal experience just how overwhelming it can be to find that formula on your own. That’s why I created a training program in 2015 that would teach people just like you how to improve their own Fibromyalgia, and how to help others do the same.

In this first episode of a special series where I’ll be answering a lot of questions I get about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and about becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, I want to start super basic.

We’re going over what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is, how that’s different from a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®, why you should consider the Advisor class if you’re a patient who just wants to feel better, who else the Advisor class is perfect for, what the certification aspect really means, the staggering statistics on how many participants see significant improvements in their symptoms by the end of the Advisor class.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

“Taking action and being clear about what we expect does not have to be disrespectful.” - Meredith Holley

It’s very common for people with invisible disabilities like fibromyalgia to experience workplace conflict and discrimination because of it. From snide remarks to outright harassment, it can feel so isolating and even make your symptoms worse.

Despite that, most people don’t want to file a lawsuit. While it sounds so noble to have civil rights litigation, it’s a stressful process that often damages everyone involved. People want the tools and support to create a healthy workplace culture where issues are resolved so people can keep their jobs and receive the medical care they need.

In this episode, Tami is joined by attorney Meredith Holley to talk about speaking up for your needs and handling harassment and discrimination respectfully, whether it’s happening at work or at your doctor's office. They discuss Meredith’s journey into workplace conflict mediation and communication coaching, her experience with sexual harassment in the workplace, arming yourself with tools to empower yourself at work, how workplace conflict can worsen your fibromyalgia symptoms, the three pillars of empowered communication and how you can use them to handle workplace harassment and discrimination, acknowledging the impact of harassment and our tendency to minimize its effects, the weight of experiences that our cultural values label as “little”, the concept of internalizing blame and responsibility for others' actions, the importance of setting boundaries, the emotional impact of carrying labels and experiences related to disability, the three steps for bystander intervention, strategies for handling harassment and discrimination with respect and self-focus, listening to your body and taking actions to ensure personal safety in challenging situations, the value of understanding the best ways to communicate with your healthcare providers, navigating challenges with requesting workplace accommodations, embracing open-mindedness and flexibility and a focus on desired outcomes, navigating the balance between self-advocacy and collaborative decision-making with healthcare providers, using professional expertise as a tool, resources you can access, Meredith’s message for you, and more.

If you’re experiencing workplace conflict, know you are not alone and did nothing to deserve it. There are steps we can take to ease the pain and energy drain. This is a problem that’s worth solving.

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 often underestimate what we can accomplish in a year. The goal can seem so massive that we think we’ll never get there and don’t even bother to try.

That’s why it’s so important to hear stories of hope from people who have been where you are. There is so much you can do in a year; whether or not you go for it, the year will go by. It’s up to you to decide what you want to do between now and then.

Today, we’re having a special bonus episode where Kim Osborne, a current student in our Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® training program, joins Tami. In September 2022, when Kim came to Tami, she was struggling. She was at the end of her rope and didn’t know what else to try. Many of the things that used to help her cope weren't working for her anymore, and even with her training as a health coach and yoga instructor, she was still feeling miserable. In this episode, Kim shares what worked for her and how her life transformed over the past year.

In this conversation, Tami and Kim discuss Kim's fibromyalgia diagnosis and the start of her journey, her experience with prescribed medications and struggle with the recommendations from her rheumatologist, the downward slide many of us experience where our lives get smaller and smaller, why Kim decided to explore alternative solutions including seeking a fibromyalgia coach, the decisive moment when you realize life can get better, the feeling of finding hope and support in a community who truly understands you, the powerful impact of being coached by the right person, surprising lessons that came from working with Kim’s fibromyalgia coach, Robin, the drastic difference between a trip Robin took a year ago and again this year, being open to changing goals and expectations when we recognize what our bodies need, Kim’s progress in the past year, the importance of taking action between now and the future, recognizing the real role of a coach, why seeing a functional medicine doctor was game changing for Kim, the subtle difference between wanting to fix fibro and wanting to help yourself feel as good as possible, why Kim decided to take the  Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® course instead of only working with a coach, Kim’s plans for the upcoming year, her experience working with clients during her Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® internship, remembering that each person's fibromyalgia journey is unique, Kim’s message of hope and encouragement if you’re struggling with your fibromyalgia journey, and more.

If you don't have your own hope, borrow Kim’s. You can find ways to feel better, and we would love to help.

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®.

“You can only truly heal once you’ve accepted what's going on.” - Dr. Isabelle Amigues

When you’re able to reflect on your fibromyalgia as a teacher, you stop fighting your body and put yourself in the best position to heal. Tami often describes fibromyalgia as the biggest gift life has given her. It’s a sentiment that can be difficult to understand when you’re struggling with getting through each day, but there are things you can do to move forward on your fibromyalgia healing journey.

For too many of us, when we received our fibromyalgia diagnosis, the doctor simply gave us the news and sent us on our way. What is omitted in that process is the fact that several rheumatological conditions can occur alongside fibromyalgia, and by treating those, you may experience significant relief.

If you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and your treatment is not working well, that’s a sign that something else may be going on.

Today, Tami is joined by rheumatologist Dr. Isabelle Amigues to talk about her journey from doctor to patient and why it’s crucial to have the correct diagnosis. In this episode, Tami and Dr. Isabelle discuss Dr. Isabelle’s struggle with early parenthood and recognition she was feeling sad and unfulfilled in her life, her stage three breast cancer diagnosis and how it changed her approach to medicine, reframing cancer as a gift that’s here to teach her something, why her diagnosis taught her to live with meaning and intention, the self-love that came out of Dr. Isabelle’s cancer journey, looking at fibromyalgia as a teacher and why Tami believes it’s the biggest gift life has given her, Dr. Isabelle’s appreciation for her patients and why it’s important to her to empower them, why she created a holistic practice, common conditions associated with fibromyalgia, symptoms that suggest something else may be happening in addition to your fibromyalgia, challenges patients face when seeking a proper diagnosis, why it’s often a good idea to have at least one visit with a rheumatologist, Dr. Isabelle’s message for you, finding the right doctor for you, a doctor’s role as a coach, listening to what your body needs, 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®.

Family stories play a crucial role in shaping our beliefs about health, work, and other aspects of life. In previous episodes, we’ve talked about the way traumatic experiences can impact your health and fibromyalgia. Today, we’re taking it a step further and exploring how the traumatic events that happened to your ancestors can affect your wellbeing.

You may have a family story about a great-aunt who is always sick and uses that to escape family obligations. Or maybe you watched your grandfather work himself to the point of illness. Even positive stories can get twisted over time; either way, they matter. They impact our relationship with our bodies, health, money, and even the world around us. The important thing is we can change those stories.

Today, Tami is joined by Ruschelle Khanna, a licensed clinical social worker and executive coach, to share her expertise on generational trauma. In this episode, Tami and Ruschelle discuss how Ruschelle came to do this work, how generational trauma can impact fibromyalgia and overall wellbeing, why Ruschelle decided to write her book, the concept of inheriting memories and traumatic experiences, Ruschelle’s experience with fear stemming from her mother’s early memories, the impact of family stories and peripheral experiences on generational trauma, how trauma affects the fascia and its connection to fibromyalgia pain, a recent example from a client of Ruschelle’s demonstrating the release of stored emotions through somatic therapy, how trauma affects the body's flow of energy and information, looking at whether the muscular system, hormonal system, and energetic systems are flowing correctly, parallels between money management and fibromyalgia symptoms, the connection between strained family relationships, childhood trauma, and the development of chronic illnesses like fibromyalgia, what to do if your family isn’t supportive, why you need fo focus on and cultivate the areas where life is supporting you, talking to your body and acknowledging the thoughts and sensations in different body parts, why tapping is an excellent modality for working on the physical aspects of generational trauma, tracing family narratives and rewriting memories, where to find a genealogist or family constellation therapist for help in addressing generational trauma, the difference between coaching and therapy, healing through writing and connecting with ancestors, 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®.

For a lot of us with fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses, working on our fitness comes in bursts. We’re told exercise is good for us, but when we go out and do what ordinary people do, it’s too much, and we crash. Then, that cycle repeats itself over and over.

Tami has found a tool that helped her and many of her students and coaches to shift away from this up-and-down cycle and into a healthy relationship with being active. It’s an app called Gentler Streak, and she’s been using it over the last year, during which it's proven valuable for managing fibromyalgia symptoms while increasing fitness levels. 

One of the things Tami loves most about Gentler Streak is that it’s more accurately in tune with how she feels and her normal versus a standard that might apply to someone who doesn’t have fibromyalgia.

Today, Tami is joined by Katarina Lotrič, co-founder and CEO of Gentler Stories, the creators behind the app. Katarina and Tami talk about the story behind the creation of Gentler Streak, recognizing that everybody’s normal is different, the unique features of Gentler Streak that make it suitable for individuals with fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses, the evolution of Gentler Streak to focusing on a holistic approach to activity and wellbeing, challenges with existing health and fitness apps, making room for balance and self-compassion, launching the Gentler Streak app, privacy and how the app works with your Health app, the metrics that are tracked in the wellbeing section of the app, why the decision was made to use sleeping heart rate, the limitations of heart rate variability on the Apple Watch, factors that can impact your sleeping heart rate, how Gentler Streak determines when you’re doing too much activity, insights that can be drawn from heart rate data, the ongoing improvement of the algorithm and the app, tracking other activities and exercise minutes, why it’s important to log your activities at exercises, the special offer you can take advantage of for two free months of Gentler Streak, the important of getting good data in the app, feedback from Tami’s students and coaches about the app, becoming your own companion, how Gentler Streak can help you to treat yourself with kindness, why there isn’t an Android version of the app at the moment, why Tami checks the wellbeing tab in Gentler Streak first thing in the morning, how Tami tracks activity in Gentler Streak, Tami’s goal for using the app, and more.

Tami is so excited to share about Gentler Streak because it's a gentle and fibro-friendly way to track physical exercise and body movement, and it does it without making you push too hard or feel like you're not doing enough.

Gentler Streak — Use this link to get a two-month free trial exclusively for listeners of the Fibromyalgia Podcast®! https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=1576857102&code=FIBRO

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®.

“How do you do it all?”

This question came up during one of Tami’s Ask Me Anything sessions during our annual alumni retreat, and it was so good that she decided to bring it to the podcast.

Before we get into the details, the short answer is Tami doesn’t do it all! At first glance, it’s easy to compare your life to what you see others doing. The problem with that is we tend to forget that we’re only seeing their highlight reel. You never know everything that’s going on behind the scenes at the deep level that you know your own life. On top of that, Tami’s fibromyalgia has been in remission for years, and it took a lot of work to get there. It doesn’t make sense to compare your everyday fibro life with that.

With that context in mind, in this episode, Tami shares how she chooses where to focus her energy and what to prioritize. She’s discussing the importance of making choices to prioritize the things that move you forward, how I learned to be intentional about choosing what to do, what it means to say no to say yes, the challenges of choosing between two good options, how to add more joy into your life, recognizing that you need to choose one habit to build at a time, why it’s worth it to prioritize improving your sleep quality, delegating tasks that are not in your zone of genius, offloading tasks in your personal life, how you can reduce your load with minimal resources, embracing imperfections in life, seeking support from others to reach your goals, the difference between talking to a coach versus a friend, finding the right professional help, and more.

As you continue to move forward into the life that you want to have, don’t be afraid to take a step back. Sometimes, that’s precisely what you need.

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®.

“No woman is going to get to 90 years old without having gone through menopause.” - Jeanne Andrus

As women, society has trained us to be afraid of menopause. To view it as yet another trial we have to suffer through. The truth is that if you learn to accept it, menopause is a gift. And to take advantage of it, you need to support yourself through it. This is the time when we get to put ourselves at the center. After decades of people pleasing, it allows you to take yourself from the periphery and make decisions from a point where you are considered a priority.

Today, Tami is joined by The Menopause Guru, Jeanne Andrus. Tami and Jeanne discuss how Jeanne became the Menopause Guru, her purpose and passion for helping women navigate this period of their lives, the technical definition of menopause, symptoms and indicators of menopause, the potential connection between perimenopause and fibromyalgia, how hormone levels change from perimenopause onward, the adjustment period at the start of postmenopause, why menopause should be viewed as a journey with unpredictable experiences and changes in the body, testing hormone levels to determine menopause status, special considerations for identifying where you are in the menopause journey if you’ve been on hormonal birth control, why Jeanne suggests working with your doctor to taper off your birth control gradually regardless of menopause status, Tami’s experience with suddenly stopping her birth control pills, how the pituitary and thyroid glands work together to regulate hormone production, why it’s crucial to remember that menopause is a natural process, supporting yourself naturally through the menopause transition, the overlap of fibromyalgia and menopause symptoms, how hormone replacement therapy can help, the shift in perspective that many women experience in their early 40s, how biology influences our roles in life, Jeanne’s resources for women on the menopause journey, why you should start thinking about menopause in your mid-30s, embracing menopause as a gift, how fibromyalgia can impact menopause symptoms, and more.

For those of us with fibromyalgia, many symptoms of menopause overlap, like insomnia, brain fog, pain, and fatigue. You cannot blame all of your symptoms on fibromyalgia because they can be coming from many other places, including hormones. If you’re a woman who’s 30 or above, it’s time to start thinking about menopause.

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®.

“The big rule of thumb is to do things that make you feel better.” - Dr. Izabella Wentz

Adrenal dysfunction is a significant contributing factor to fibromyalgia, and over the years, we’ve never met someone with fibromyalgia who didn’t also need to heal their adrenals. For Tami, supporting her adrenals and correcting her adrenal function resulted in her feeling much better. 

For today’s episode, Tami is joined by Dr. Izabella Wentz, author of the new book Adrenal Transformation Protocol. Tami and Dr. Wentz discuss Dr. Wentz’s experience with adrenal dysfunction, how she found solutions at different stages of her life, why it’s essential to address both thyroid and adrenal health together, the interactive relationship between cortisol and thyroid hormones, the distinction between between adrenal fatigue and adrenal dysfunction, sources of stress that are often overlooked, dealing with medical gaslighting, the frustrating but common pattern of disrupted cortisol levels affecting sleep, how to regulate cortisol production and optimize your circadian rhythm, why we need natural light exposure where possible, Dr. Wentz’s passion for empowering people to take charge of their health, the Adrenal Transformation Protocol, different ways you can send your body safety signals, making time to minimize stress triggers in daily life and add pleasurable activities, different patterns of adrenal dysfunction, when exercise is beneficial versus detrimental for individuals, strategies for building resilience, the value of positive affirmations and the need to address unresolved trauma, the impact of self-talk on inflammation and stress in the body, the cumulative power of small changes, Dr. Wentz’s message for you, 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®.

“Whenever there's a lot of interest and dollars put into fibromyalgia research, patients only stand to benefit.” - Dr. Ginevra Liptan

During the pandemic, a potentially game-changing research article showed us that the immune system is involved in creating fibromyalgia pain. The results of this study were remarkable and began to address one of the most common questions about fibromyalgia - whether it is an autoimmune condition. It’s a huge question and an important one for us to keep asking because, at the end of the day, we need more research.

For this episode, Tami interviews Dr. Ginevra Liptan, fibromyalgia specialist and author of The Fibro Manual and The Fibro Food Formula. Tami and Dr. Ginevra discuss the game-changing mouse antibody study that showed the involvement of the immune system in fibromyalgia pain and the potential autoimmune component, how the study could potentially change the treatment approach for fibromyalgia, why Dr. Ginevra is hopeful for significant progress within a decade, fibromyalgia as an orphan disease that no speciality wants to claim, the relationship between antibodies and fibromyalgia symptoms, Dr. Ginevra’s hypothesis on how and why central sensitization is triggered in fibromyalgia, the complexity of the immune system and the challenges in understanding it, the misconception that inflammation is not involved in fibromyalgia, potential benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for fibromyalgia and other conditions, the upcoming Stanza app which uses behavioral therapy techniques to calm the fight or flight response, Tonix pharmaceuticals' phase three trial for a new fibromyalgia medication, exploring the possibility of transmitting fibromyalgia symptoms through blood donation, the search for effective fibromyalgia treatments, how to navigate the overwhelming and confusing nature new fibromyalgia research, the role of intuition and personal research in choosing treatment, recognizing that there is no magic bullet solution, why we advocate for combining different approaches for better results, 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®.

When we have an interest or a passion, but we're not pursuing it, we don't feel good.

Creativity is a vital part of wellness; for many people, it helps them manage their illness and feel better. No matter how you’re feeling, it’s important to know that staying creative and vibrant is possible.

Today, Tami welcomes Wellness Coach Jenni Grover to talk about how you can do more crafting, making, and creating. Jenni has a passion for making sure that people get to keep being themselves and expressing themselves through their creativity while also taking good care of their bodies.

In this conversation, Tami and Jenni discuss why Jenni created her ChronicBabe project, her passion for helping people feel better despite chronic illness, why she made the shift to being a wellness coach, the connection between physical and mental health and creativity, what it has been like for Jenni to adapt her life to support her love for writing without sacrificing her health, why we need to let ourselves evolve to meet our current circumstances, embracing a growth mindset, the vast difference it makes when we surround ourselves with supportive individuals from friends and family to a coach, how to getting started with accessible crafts, getting out of the comparison trap, pacing strategies and making sure you’re honoring them, tips for staying creative on low-energy days, how timers help with preventing burnout and maintaining productivity, balancing urgency and context, being intentional about taking breaks and enlisting the help of others, the empowering feeling of making conscious choices, two pacing tools Jenni loves, practical ways to get back to making things again, taking care of your brain which is your most important tool, finding balance in self-care, finding beauty in everyday life and how it can inspire creativity, what it’s like to work with Jenni as a wellness coach, and more.

Even if you're not a crafter or a maker, Tami and Jenni’s conversation can apply to any project and fibro life in general.

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®.

A certified Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is not a doctor. We can’t prescribe or diagnose, but we can help fill the gap in fibro knowledge for you and your doctors. IFC graduates have received hundreds of hours of fibromyalgia-specific training. We can teach you and your providers more about fibromyalgia and help you advocate for yourself and get better results.

Today, as we continue the seventh installment of our Stories of Hope and Healing, Tami interviews two more graduates of our Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® training program. After going through both our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® and Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® training programs over the last two years, Penny and Ann are nearly symptom-free.

In this episode, you’ll hear about their journeys and how they got where they are today. They are sharing Penny’s two-year journey to becoming almost symptom-free, the huge difference it made to work with the right providers, her experience going through early menopause as a result of a hysterectomy, how she finally got to the root causes of her pain, recognizing that each person’s fibro treatment recipe is unique, why becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® has been so rewarding for Penny, the challenges of navigating medical systems, the positive ripples of working on our fibromyalgia, the massive changes in Ann’s personal life since starting the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, why she feels like she’s finally come full circle, the changes which have made the most significant positive impact on Ann’s fibromyalgia, how helping other people as a fibromyalgia coach has been helpful for Ann on her fibro journey, some of her favourite things to recommend to her clients, Ann’s message for anyone struggling with fibromyalgia, how a fibromyalgia coach can help you on your journey, what it looks like to work with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, 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®.

For many of us, the fibromyalgia diagnosis left us feeling like, “Who am I now?”

Fibromyalgia changes how we see ourselves, relate with others, and interact in our lives.

What if you could significantly improve your quality of life? Or have the energy to do the things you love? Or to travel and enjoy yourself?

Today is the seventh installment of our Stories of Hope and Healing. Tami interviews five recent graduates of the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, and they share their journeys from pre-diagnosis to where they are now after graduation. One graduate even improved by 87%, going from the most symptomatic student in class to being essentially symptom-free today.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Lisa’s fibromyalgia diagnosis led to an existential crisis and feelings of being spiritually unmoored, how her coach, Robin, helped to support her healing journey and build her healthcare team, celebrating the little wins with a “ta-da” list, the various approaches that contributed to Lisa’s 63% improvement in her fibromyalgia impact questionnaire score, the recognition that healing requires energy, resources to learn more about low-dose naltrexone, Lisa’s message for anyone dealing with a spiritual crisis, Kim’s post-diagnosis struggle with improving her symptoms after recognizing that the FDA-approved drugs were not a good fit for her, learning how to listen to what your body needs, how Kim’s coach, Robin, helped her to tune into your body’s voice, getting honest with yourself about the impact that fibromyalgia has on your life, how Kim used the tools she learned in class and her healthcare team to get through a recent significant fibro flare, the holistic changes that helped Kim improve her symptoms by 46%, recognizing the significance of an individual approach to symptom management, the far-reaching positive impact we can make by sharing what we know, the significant changes Connie has felt since going through the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program and improving her symptoms by 87%, how Connie’s coach, Brenda, helped her in numerous ways throughout her healing journey, Connie’s thyroid health, the huge difference that finding the right diet has made for Connie, Susan’s experience of trying various integrative and regular doctors, diets, and treatments, the frustration of not finding a solution until discovering the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, how Susan’s symptoms impacted her career as a kindergarten teacher, techniques and strategies that helped to improve Susan’s quality of life, the ways that her coach helped with implementing the new strategies, giving yourself permission to take care of yourself without guilt, staying on top of your pain, Lauren’s deep dive into fibromyalgia resources right after her diagnosis, deciding to work with her coach, Julie, early in her journey and the impact she’s had on Lauren’s fibromyalgia journey, why coaching has been Tami’s secret weapon in managing her fibromyalgia, how you can join the next Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, and more.

If you've been looking for new ideas on your fibromyalgia healing journey, you’ll definitely find some in today's episode.

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®.

Welcome to the final episode of our special Be a Coach series. So far, I’ve answered questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Some of the topics covered in the first three parts of this special series were what a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® and a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is, the difference between the two, who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® and who is better suited to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®, what you need and don’t need to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why the world needs fibro coaches, and why you should consider becoming one.

In this final installment, I’m digging into the nuts and bolts of how you can become a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®; including the exact steps you need to take.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

As patients, we must take control of some aspects of our health care to get what we need.

Many fibromyalgia patients are familiar with the feeling that we know more about fibromyalgia than our healthcare providers do. How can you get help from someone who knows less about your condition than you? When you combine that feeling with the broken healthcare system in the US and things like fibro fog, many of us leave our appointments feeling like we’re no better off than when we went in.

Today's episode is a segment from our July Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope and Healing event featuring our special guest commencement speaker, Dr. Ginevra Lipton. In her speech, Dr. Ginevra breaks down the three main friction points and how you, as a patient, can help overcome them and help your doctor to help you.

Dr. Ginevra discusses the knowledge gap between healthcare providers and patients and how it impacts fibromyalgia treatment, challenges of the fragmented and struggling US healthcare system, how fibro fog and other fibro factors affect the patient-doctor interaction, how resources like the Fibro Manual can help you bring the correct information to your provider, taking a curious, collaborative approach to your relationship with your healthcare provider, Dr. Ginevra’s tips for getting around the fragmented and siloed healthcare system, why you might want to request an extended appointment, the benefits of telemedicine especially for fibromyalgia patients, how you can maximize your appointment time regardless of fibro fog, why you should consider tracking your symptoms, taking control of certain aspects of your healthcare to ensure you receive the necessary support and treatment, and more.

In addition to these tips, studies have shown that the more you work with a coach, the better your results will be. A fibro coach can help you prepare for your doctor visits and implement what your doctor has asked you to do. You don’t have to take this journey alone.

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®.

Welcome to episode 03 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In episode one of the series, I explained what a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® is and what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is.

Episode two of the series was all about who makes a good coach and who is better suited to be an advisor. I also covered what you need and don’t need to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In this episode, we’re taking a deeper look at why someone would want to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why the world needs fibro coaches, and why you should consider becoming one.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Having been through the Western medical system for 20 years without meaningful change,  Gisèle McDiarmid decided to take her health into her own hands. She felt the need to explore further and find specialists who knew about invisible illnesses, and she finally received a diagnosis and the help she needed to rebuild her health.

With that, she finally had enough energy to focus on empowering herself to maintain her health and well-being as much as possible without invasive interventions. That’s when she learned about the International Fibromyalgia Coaching Institute (IFC) and our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program.

Today Tami welcomes Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® Gisèle McDiarmid to share her experience in our training programs. In this conversation, Gisèle and Tami discuss Gisèle’s journey with fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivities, and chronic fatigue syndrome, the struggle to find the right treatments and support, the importance of self-care and learning to prioritize your own wellbeing, the benefits of working with a coach, how Gisèle discovered the IFC and her decision to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, empowering yourself with knowledge and communication tools for doctors, the ins and outs of fibromyalgia, its symptoms, and management strategies, how having a support group can make a huge difference in your quality of life, what made the program pandemic-proof, how self-care benefits us and those around us, benefits of becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, two of Gisèle’s client success stories with breast implant illness and long COVID, the value of having a coach that truly understands the experiences and challenges faced by fibromyalgia patients, recognizing that it is possible to have a better quality of life if you’re committed to taking better care of yourself, and more.

For both Tami and Gisèle, being a coach has been their secret weapon in managing their fibromyalgia and helping others. No matter where you are now, don’t give up. You can find the right tools and support to manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life.

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®.

Welcome to episode 02 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®. I cover all the basics… the who, what, when, where, why, and even the how.

Don’t understand what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Adviser is? No problem. Just pop on over to episode one of the series because that is exactly what we covered in that episode.

In this episode, I’m covering the who. Who makes a good coach? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®? And, how do you know which one you might be?

I also cover what I look for in the applications I accept into the training program and what you need and don’t need to join us a become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Advisor yourself.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

As coaches, we get a lot of questions from people trying to understand their insurance coverage. From prior authorizations to deductibles, coinsurance, and patient assistance, many moving parts need to align to maximize our healthcare benefits.

To help gain some clarity around all things insurance, Tami is joined by Doctor of Pharmacy Dr. Chelsea Liebowitz. A pain patient herself, Dr. Chelsea also works for an insurance company making determinations on prior authorizations and helping with self-funded plans.

In this conversation, Dr. Chelsea and Tami discuss her pharmacy background, understanding the open enrollment period, defining common insurance terms such as deductible and copay, the relationship between your premium and your deductible, recognizing that the best plan really depends on how you utilize healthcare, differentiating between an HMO and a PPO and why a PPO is often better for someone with chronic illness, why insurance plans vary widely from one employer or individual to another, how to find out if your medications and treatments are covered when choosing your insurance, when a secondary insurance plan can be helpful, understanding drug tiers and how copay cards work, applying to a drug manufacturer for patient assistance, why you might need prior authorization for certain medications, getting insurance on the exchange, the benefits of working with an insurance broker, the prior authorization process, how you can increase your odds of having certain medications and procedures approved by your insurance company, Dr. Chelsea’s advice for reducing your headache woes, options to consider when insurance doesn’t cover your medication, and more.

While this discussion focuses on the US healthcare system, many of the ideas and concepts apply to other countries and healthcare options. If you’re confused and overwhelmed by all the insurance options, this episode is for you.

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®.

As a master Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, author, and fibro podcaster, the questions I’m asked more than any others are:

How do I get better?

How do I improve my Fibromyalgia so I can get back to living the life I want to live?

While those sound like simple questions, they do not have simple answers. We all have similar symptoms, what helps you feel better may not be the thing that helps me feel better. We all have to find our own magic formula for what makes us feel best.

I know from personal experience just how overwhelming it can be to find that formula on your own. That’s why I created a training program in 2015 that would teach people just like you how to improve their own Fibromyalgia, and how to help others do the same.

In this first episode of a special series where I’ll be answering a lot of questions I get about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and about becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, I want to start super basic.

We’re going over what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is, how that’s different from a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®, why you should consider the Advisor class if you’re a patient who just wants to feel better, who else the Advisor class is perfect for, what the certification aspect really means, the staggering statistics on how many participants see significant improvements in their symptoms by the end of the Advisor class.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

One of the questions Tami gets most often is, “When are we going to have new fibromyalgia treatment options?” With only three FDA-approved fibromyalgia medications, many of us are on the alert for new options to address our symptoms better.

To answer that question, Tami invited Dr. Seth Lederman, CEO and founder of Tonix, to talk about the fibromyalgia medication currently in phase three trials, TNX-102 SL. Dr. Lederman has dedicated his career to fibromyalgia research and has worked on this drug for almost 25 years. Today he’s sharing all the details about how TNX-102 SL could help fibromyalgia patients and walking us through the process of developing a new medication.

In this conversation, Tami and Dr. Lederman talk about the process of creating a new medication and the FDA approval process, the significant challenges in the medication creation process, TNX-102 SL - the new fibromyalgia medication Dr. Lederman has been working on for almost 25 years, how TNX-102 SL is different and improved over Flexeril, the importance of improving sleep quality for fibromyalgia patients, the benefits of improved sleep quality, unrefreshing sleep in fibromyalgia patients and how it relates to the pain perception system, the current phase three trial of TNX-102 SL and how you can find out more, next steps after the successful completion the current study, preliminary results showing the positive effects of TNX-102 SL on the quality of life of fibromyalgia patients, the overlap between long COVID and fibromyalgia, the varied factors that can lead to the development of fibromyalgia, a new drug under development for depression that could also have activity in fibromyalgia, positive progress in fibromyalgia research and treatment, Dr. Lederman’s message for you, 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®.

An objective test for fibromyalgia will change everything. As a researcher, Dr. Jarred Younger’s mission to figure out fibromyalgia has led him to study neuroinflammation as a primary suspect. “What I think is happening in fibro is an overly robust immune response, an abnormal reaction to low level, daily insults to the immune system.” Having seen so much suffering with no effective treatment options, Dr. Younger has become driven to solve the mystery of fibromyalgia by scientifically uncovering the root cause.

Key Points

Dr. Jarred Younger is the director of the neuroinflammation Pain and Fatigue Laboratory at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He is currently funded by the National Institute of Health to study new techniques for diagnosing and treating neuroinflammation, which is inflammation in the brain and nervous system. Dr. Younger completed postdoctoral fellowships at Arizona State University and Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Younger's goal is to end the chronic pain and fatigue that is caused by inflammation in the brain. 

Links & Resources

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®.

With the lack of awareness and education about fibromyalgia, many of us go through years of chronic health issues without finding answers. You might even find that the medications, supplements, and treatments that are supposed to help you to get better are making you worse.

Today’s guest, Gisèle McDiarmid, went through all of that, and today she’s sharing what she uncovered that made all the difference. While her health deteriorated over 20 years, Gisèle received multiple diagnoses and treatment options, but nothing worked. So what do you do when everything makes you feel worse?

In this conversation, Gisèle and Tami talk about Gisèle’s life as a nurse, mother, and caregiver, managing her Hashimoto’s diagnosis, her deteriorating health and experience with injuries, chronic infections and allergic reactions, severe reactions to flu shots and what she learned about her ability to tolerate vaccines, why fibromyalgia awareness and education are so important, Gisèle’s health crash which turned out to be a massive fibro flare, the long journey to receiving her fibromyalgia diagnosis, her struggles with conventional medications and natural treatments, unlearning her disconnected body mindset, the power of tuning in and recognizing that you and your body are on the same side, learning about multiple chemical and environmental sensitivity, common triggers of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), why we need to become aware of our individual body burdens and all the things we’re exposed to, the increase in MCS diagnosis worldwide, why green initiatives matter, resources you can use if you think you may have MCS, Gisèle’s message for you, and more.

If it feels like nothing is working for you, Gisèle and Tami hope that her story gives you some new ideas of things to try. Always remember that it doesn’t matter if other people don't believe you as long as you know what you're going through is real. Even when we have a chronic illness, our life isn't over. Gisèle went from a crisis to living a full life again, and you can do it too.

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®.

Everyone with fibromyalgia understands how challenging it can be to explain the invisible pain and fatigue that comes with it. Despite affecting millions of people, there’s still a lack of understanding and awareness about fibromyalgia. That's where the documentary "Invisible” comes in.

Through personal stories and expert interviews, "Invisible" explores the impact of fibromyalgia on people's lives and the challenges caused by the lack of understanding and research. For today’s episode, filmmaker Nick Demos joins Tami to discuss his feature documentary on fibromyalgia, Invisible. Nick and Tami have been waiting to do this interview ever since they began working on the film eight years ago. Not wanting to give away the ending before people could watch, a lot had to be kept secret during the production process. Now, they finally get to talk about it publicly.

In this conversation, Nick and Tami talk about how Nick became involved with the making of Invisible, its evolution into a documentary about the fibromyalgia community, challenges with finding men when casting the film, how the perception of fibro as a woman’s disease has contributed to the lack of research and understanding, the difficulty balancing creating a piece of art with making a film that would educate and inspire action, Nick’s on-camera life-changing diagnosis, the unfairness of being discriminated against for something outside your control, why this film is vital to the fibro community, Tami’s experience being a part of the film, why it was especially tricky to visually explore stories about an invisible illness, why community is essential, why Tami and Nick consider some aspects of fibromyalgia as a gift, what most surprised Nick while making the film, the truth behind the lack of research on fibromyalgia, upcoming premiere events, how Nick manages his fibromyalgia, Nick’s message for you, and more.

Invisible is the film that the fibro community has wanted and needed, and we know you’ll love it.

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®.

With the sheer volume of information online, it can be challenging to know which sources are legitimate. Since ChatGPT’s launch in December 2022, we must be even more careful.

While it’s an incredibly useful tool for increasing efficiency for writing blog posts, generating book outlines, and more, the problem lies with the fact that it will create a response to whatever you prompt, regardless of the facts, potentially spreading misleading information.

Since many of us search for information about our health online, it’s crucial that we know that the sources we turn to are reliable. For today’s episode, Tami shares tips to help you understand who you can trust online. Tami talks about what you need to know about ChatGPT and information generated by AI, why adding the human element is critical, creative, and valuable ways ChatGPT is being used in different industries, how to figure out whether an information source is trustworthy, recognizing that the title of “doctor” doesn’t always equate to expert, website red flags, why it’s worth it to take a closer look at the underlying data and sources, tips on how to figure out which studies are valid, what you can learn by cross-referencing articles, being wary of content that’s overselling or over-generalized, building a list of trusted sources, how to use AI effectively, 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®.

Fibromyalgia can feel like an endless taking away of things. Whether you’re newly diagnosed and struggling to find your way, or you think you have it all figured out, boom, life happens.

We’ve all had hopes and dreams that ultimately died or were taken away. Living your best life doesn’t mean avoiding anything terrible happening - that's impossible. Instead, the key is knowing how to take care of yourself when life implodes.

For this episode, Tami interviewed Dr. Ginevra Liptan, fibromyalgia specialist and author of The Fibro Manual and the Fibro Food Formula. While in medical school, Dr. Ginevra was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and has since devoted her career to helping other fibro patients. With all her expertise, it’s easy to assume her fibro would be permanently under control, but none of us are immune from life’s ups and downs. In this conversation, Tami and Dr. Ginevra discuss how Dr. Ginevra’s life fell apart during the pandemic, dealing with the worst fibro flare since she first got sick, the power of reconnecting with your deeper purpose, Dr. Ginevra’s drive to help people with fibromyalgia, giving yourself the grace to slowly build the pattern of accomplishing things, figuring out who you are after your diagnosis, finding meaning and direction from the pain, how Frida Kahlo has inspired Dr. Ginevra, why therapy was life-changing after her divorce, how to separate your vision from your purpose, what it was like for Dr. Ginevra to lose the Freedom Center so close to getting her divorce, the struggle to find a new identity after a life implosion, why Dr. Ginevra doesn’t identify with the typical Western medical doctor-patient dynamic, the terrible experience Dr. Ginevra had when taking her son to the doctor to investigate potential fibro symptoms, her work to help other doctors improve their standard of care for fibro patients, how you can help your doctor help you, why so many primary care doctors are burned out, the magic combination of a fibromyalgia health coach with a fibromyalgia doctor, Dr. Ginevra’s message for anyone dealign with a life implosion, and more.

If you're struggling on your fibro journey, Tami hopes today's interview will help you feel less alone. Be kind to yourself, take advantage of every available resource, and take small steps toward your goals. Brighter days are possible, and there can be a silver lining to the clouds you face.

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®.

Having good conversations with doctors can be difficult for many fibromyalgia patients. Whether it’s dealing with fibro fog or the fear of being labeled as a drug seeker, we often leave these interactions without feeling understood or confident in the action plan.

So how do we have better conversations with our doctors? By finding the right practitioner and arming yourself with tools to support you during your appointment.

Today Tami is joined by Dr. Andrea Chadwick to talk about current fibromyalgia research, the hallmarks of a good doctor, and simple strategies to get the most out of your doctor visits. In this episode, Tami and Dr. Chadwick discuss why she chose to work with chronic pain, the mission behind Dr. Chadwick’s Fibromyalgia and Centralized Pain Exploration Lab, the overlap between fibro and other chronic pain conditions, why it’s essential to tell our stories, research into how and why heat therapy helps with pain, advocacy for fibromyalgia research, the value of recording your pain journey and details of interventions you’ve tried, the types of conversations Dr. Chadwick has with new patients, figuring out your goals for your therapeutic relationship, how you can create space for grace, finding the version of you that works best in your fibromyalgia body, getting comfortable with moving on from a doctor who isn’t a good fit, how Dr. Chadwick became involved wth Swing Care and what you can expect from their virtual clinic, the advantages of telehealth, how you can register your interest in Swing Care expanding to serve your area, Dr. Chadwick’s message for people struggling to find good doctors, bonus resources you can use to make doctor visits easier, and more.

Dr. Chadwick wants you to know that there’s hope out there, and you can advocate for yourself to get better care. Getting better with fibromyalgia is a journey and a process. Trust the process, and more importantly, trust yourself.

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®.

Welcome to the final episode of our special Be a Coach series. So far, I’ve answered questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Some of the topics covered in the first three parts of this special series were what a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® and a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is, the difference between the two, who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® and who is better suited to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®, what you need and don’t need to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why the world needs fibro coaches, and why you should consider becoming one.

In this final installment, I’m digging into the nuts and bolts of how you can become a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®; including the exact steps you need to take.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

“If it’s in you, it’s for you.” - Katy Suik

With fibromyalgia, we can’t do things the way we used to. That can trigger a loss of purpose and identity. “Who am I when I can’t do this? Can I still contribute?”

While we tend to think of our purpose as a single thing that will make our lives perfect, the reality is much more expansive. Purpose is not external to you. It’s about tuning into yourself and aligning with what’s already in you. When you lean into who you are, what’s meant for you will find you.

Today Tami is joined by Certified Professional Coach Katy Suik to talk about uncovering your higher purpose. Katy believes we are all born with the seeds of purpose within us, and it's our job to nurture those seeds to help make the world a better place. In this episode, Tami and Katy talk about how Katy’s quest to find herself led to developing a career helping others overcome their limitations and unpacking their purpose, the gifts that come through our experiences, recognizing that purpose is multifaceted, the connection between identity and purpose, reclaiming your power utilizing Katy’s pebble in a pond model, the danger of putting too much emphasis on what you do versus who you are, the difference between egotism and self-love, what you can expect from Katy’s upcoming free Entrepreneurial Purpose & Prosperity Masterclass, why many of us get stuck in a stagnant place, the three pillars that will be covered in the masterclass, the power of seeing real-life examples of people living in their purpose, what to do if you feel like you’re made for something more, Tami’s Joy List activity, shutting down your inner critic, why it’s helpful to have a coach on the journey with you, Katy’s message for you, and more.

When we feel worthy and love ourselves in a celebratory way, we can bring so much wonderfulness to this world. Whatever the circumstances in your life, you get to have the life of your dreams.

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®.

Welcome to episode 03 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In episode one of the series, I explained what a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® is and what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is.

Episode two of the series was all about who makes a good coach and who is better suited to be an advisor. I also covered what you need and don’t need to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In this episode, we’re taking a deeper look at why someone would want to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why the world needs fibro coaches, and why you should consider becoming one.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Treating your thyroid is a critical piece of managing fibromyalgia. It’s so crucial that Tami dedicates a whole week of the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® training program to teaching about thyroid.

It’s also an issue that’s near and dear to Tami’s heart because it’s a significant part of her story. After years of classic thyroid symptoms being dismissed because her labs were “normal,” Tami was fortunate to discuss the problem with her fibromyalgia doctor, who ordered a full thyroid panel. That was when they discovered that she had Hashimoto’s, and treating it was a major step forward in getting her fibromyalgia under control.

Today Tami has invited her thyroid doctor, Dr. Kaley Bourgeois, to the podcast to talk about thyroid issues in fibromyalgia patients. In this conversation, Tami and Dr. B discuss what the thyroid is and what it does, what thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) signals, common symptoms of hypothyroidism, why Hashimoto’s is often missed, why Dr. B always includes thyroid screening for her fibro patients, how thyroid hormones are made, the role of T3 and T4 in your body, why it’s common for fibro patients to have issues converting T4 to T3, Dr. B’s recommendation to ask for a full thyroid panel with antibodies, huge differences between optimal versus lab ranges, treating thyroid issues, what you need to know about iodine, the three essential thyroid nutrients, considerations for thyroid hormone therapy, different medication options, why medicine needs to be individualized, your thyroid needs shift throughout your life, how to find the right practitioner for you, why most doctors aren’t well-versed in treating thyroid conditions, dietary changes to support your thyroid, lifestyle and nutritional factors to avoid, and more.

If you’ve ever had a doctor tell you that your thyroid is normal despite your symptoms, Dr. B is here to share why your doctor probably doesn't know how to treat your thyroid and the steps you can take to move forward on your healing journey.

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®.

Welcome to episode 02 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®. I cover all the basics… the who, what, when, where, why, and even the how.

Don’t understand what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Adviser is? No problem. Just pop on over to episode one of the series because that is exactly what we covered in that episode.

In this episode, I’m covering the who. Who makes a good coach? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®? And, how do you know which one you might be?

I also cover what I look for in the applications I accept into the training program and what you need and don’t need to join us a become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Advisor yourself.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

One out of five children in the US suffers chronic pain.

From the prick of a vaccine to stomach pain, headaches, and chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia, children's pain is being undertreated. Today Tami is joined by Dr. Anna Wilson and Rachel Rabkin Peachman to discuss the research on pediatric pain and simple ways you can help children manage their pain. Anna and Rachel are the authors of When Children Feel Pain: From Everyday Aches to Chronic Conditions, a powerful book that covers a wide range of pain-related topics in children.

In this conversation, Tami, Rachel, and Anna discuss why Rachel and Anna became interested in researching children’s pain, how they first found each other and connected over their overlapping pursuits, limitations of the ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) framework, the increasing cultural awareness of the impact of medical trauma, what research shows about non-verbal signs of pain in babies and infants, the problem with clinicians relying on physiological pain symptoms alone, shocking statistics on the number of children having chronic pain, how Anna and Rachel are hoping to improve the long-term outcomes for children feeling pain, the horrifying stories of babies in recent history getting surgery without anesthesia, how long it takes for breakthroughs in research to move into practice, teaching kids the tools to cope with pain through needle pricks, Tami’s insights from the way her body reacted to the traumatic stories shared in When Children Feel Pain, what research shows about babies’ bodies storing the memories of painful events, the non-genetic connection between kids and parents with chronic pain, how parents can create empowering messaging around pain for their children, why coaching is so helpful for navigating these situations, resources for parents with kids dealing with pain, why it’s crucial to manage your child’s pain, the issue of diagnostic uncertainty, tools parents can use, Rachel and Anna’s messages of hope for parents and children living with chronic pain, and more.

As someone who felt alone as a child in pain, Tami believes anyone who influences young lives can benefit from reading the book. While it’s a hard truth to read in places, it’s also full of hope and offers practical suggestions for what we can do to change the future. 

Each exposure to pain builds on the last, and it’s never too late to course-correct.

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®.

As a master Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, author, and fibro podcaster, the questions I’m asked more than any others are:

How do I get better?

How do I improve my Fibromyalgia so I can get back to living the life I want to live?

While those sound like simple questions, they do not have simple answers. We all have similar symptoms, what helps you feel better may not be the thing that helps me feel better. We all have to find our own magic formula for what makes us feel best.

I know from personal experience just how overwhelming it can be to find that formula on your own. That’s why I created a training program in 2015 that would teach people just like you how to improve their own Fibromyalgia, and how to help others do the same.

In this first episode of a special series where I’ll be answering a lot of questions I get about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and about becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, I want to start super basic.

We’re going over what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is, how that’s different from a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®, why you should consider the Advisor class if you’re a patient who just wants to feel better, who else the Advisor class is perfect for, what the certification aspect really means, the staggering statistics on how many participants see significant improvements in their symptoms by the end of the Advisor class.

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 Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

When we hear stories we can relate to, it brings hope that healing is possible for us.

In the sixth installment of our Stories of Hope and Healing, Tami shares the stories of three recent graduates of the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program. During the program, these women improved their fibromyalgia symptoms by an average of 51% in only three months. That’s right in line with the improvement we typically see with our graduates.

What would your life look like if you cut your symptoms in half? What could you do that you can't do now? Today’s graduates prove that you can go beyond your limitations once you know them.

Today you’ll hear from three real people who have fibromyalgia about their experiences. They share their history with fibro, why they decided to join the program, and the impact it’s had on their lives.

In this episode, Tami interviews graduates Kerstin, Laura and Tamy and they share the differences between listening to the podcast and being a part of the classes in the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, why working with a coach made all the difference for Kerstin, what it was like for Kerstin - a fitness coach herself - to be coached, why Kerstin fired her doctor, the fibro knowledge and personal choices that brought about Kerstin’s 10% improvement in her symptoms, the supplements that have helped Kerstin on her healing journey, Kertin’s top two tips, Tamy’s experience feeling stuck on the struggle bus, how the program helped Tamy reconnect with her authenticity as a wellness coach, why getting vulnerable was a crucial element in Tamy’s fibro journey, what it means to build your fibro team, recognizing that it’s normal for your needs to evolve along your healing journey, working through self-care guilt, the factors that helped Tamy to decrease her severe symptoms by 51%, dealing with breast implant illness alongside fibromyalgia, Tamy’s message to other people who feel like they’re on the struggle bus, why Laura took the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program a second time, why Laura decided that going forward she wants to have a coach for the long haul, budgeting your time and making the space to care for yourself so you can live the life you want, the elements that helped Laura to improve her symptoms by 75%, acknowledging that many of us need external accountabilty, and more.

Tami’s wish is that hearing their stories will give you some new ideas you can take back and share with your doctors and some encouragement and hope that you can feel better too.

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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

So much healing happens when you talk to somebody who truly understands you.

One of the more common questions Tami receives is a variation of “Can you actually help me?” Sometimes this comes up because you’re worried that you're too sick; sometimes, it's the opposite. Maybe you've tried so many things that you're afraid to get your hopes up and try something new. At the core, all these questions come up because people feel uncertain about whether fibromyalgia coaching would work for their unique situation.

For today’s episode, Tami talks through the most common questions about working with a fibromyalgia coach and shares the key areas to think about when considering whether to work with a coach. Her intention for today is to help you gain clarity on what might be the right choice for you.

In this conversation, Tami shares the core principle of fibromyalgia coaching, what it means for a coaching relationship to be client-led, the two elements that must be in place for you to see positive results from coaching, what to do if your resources are limited, why working with a coach is the best way to see results, remembering that scheduling a consultation is only a commitment for showing up for that consultation - nothing more, what you can expect from fibromyalgia coaching, how a coach can support you in different phases of your health journey, how long it takes to see results, the typical level of improvement Tami sees with her clients, the critical distinction between a coach and a doctor, what it would look like to have a fibromyalgia coach on your team, the advantages of working with someone who understands what you’re going through from personal experience, what a coach is not, who is a good fit for hiring a coach, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

I need to take a break from the podcast this week to practice good self-care, so I don't have a new episode for you today. I'll have a new episode for you on January 17th. In the meantime, feel free to check out any of the previous episodes to hold you over until then.

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®.

When you're healthy, you can be more you and bring your special magic to the world.

Over twenty years ago, when today’s guest Ann Garner Coulter was diagnosed, we were in what Tami describes as the dark ages of fibromyalgia. There were no FDA-approved medications, and it was even more challenging to find a doctor who knew enough about the condition to help. As a result, Ann had very few resources to help her manage her fibromyalgia, and she struggled for a long time. While dealing with those symptoms, including pain consistently in the seven to nine range, Ann continued working full-time but eventually lost her job due to her health.

Around the same time, her young daughter received a ME/CFS diagnosis. Ann stepped in as an advocate for her and discovered a side of herself she never knew existed. That discovery led her to more extensive advocacy work and her decision to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®. Ann has a remarkable recovery story, and she’s now taken her pain down to a two or three most days. She’s also returning to work and working her way off of disability.

In this conversation, Tami and Ann discuss Ann’s journey to her fibromyalgia diagnosis over 22 years ago, Ann’s symptoms in the lead up to her diagnosis, what it was like navigating her diagnosis in what Tami calls the dark ages of fibromyalgia, the treatments and therapies Ann tried before finding a doctor who was able to help her, why it’s often hard to find doctors with the proper knowledge and experience, being pregnant with fibromyalgia, dealing with fibromyalgia alongside postpartum depression, working full-time while struggling with fibromyalgia symptoms then losing a job because of her health, why Ann finally filed for disability, how learning to advocate for her daughter helped Ann advocate for herself, Ann’s decision to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, what made the most significant difference in turning down her pain, how being a coach and helping other people has helped Ann, the vital role of faith in Ann’s journey, peeling back the layers and finding who she really is, what’s next for Ann, her impactful advocacy work, Ann’s message for someone struggling with fibromyalgia, what to expect from a coaching call with Ann, recognizing that it takes time to heal, 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®.

Kids are curious, and they’ll ask anything and everything about what’s different about you.

Today Tami is sharing a fabulous resource that will help you explain fibromyalgia to the little ones in your life. After leaving an office job of twenty years, Melissa started a new career working with young children. While working with little kids, they inevitably noticed the signs of her pain and would keep asking all these different questions. Recognizing that this wasn’t a unique situation, Melissa was inspired to create something that could help people better explain what they’re going through in a way that kids can understand. From there, her book, Ravyn’s Doll, was born.

In this episode, Melissa and Tami talk about the process from idea to publication of Melissa’s book, Ravyn’s Doll, the story that’s told in the book, the significant impact Melissa saw in her school district, which age group will get the most from reading Ravyn’s Doll, how the book has helped children and family members connect with their loved ones who are struggling with fibromyalgia, ways to introduce the book to kids at different ages, diving deeper into invisible illnesses and symptoms with older kids, supporting resources to help you get started with these discussions, paper doll lessons for younger kids, why it was important to Melissa to create the Spanish edition of Ravyn’s Doll, how you can purchase copies of Ravyn’s Doll, and more.

Ravyn’s Doll has been a fantastic tool for many people in helping their loved ones better understand them. Both Tami and Melissa have heard many stories from friends and clients about the huge difference this book has made. We hope that you will share these resources with the people in your life who have little ones, whether that’s your relatives, your students, or your pediatrician’s office; it’s essential to get these out into the world.

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®.

Around one-third of fibromyalgia patients also have Sjögren's Syndrome, yet most don’t know about it.

Sjögren's Syndrome is an autoimmune condition that affects the moisture-producing cells in your body. Today Tami is excited to share her conversation with Brenda Faverio, a graduate of the first Fibromyalgia Coach training class and one of the first Certified Fibromyalgia Coaches®. As someone with Sjögren's and fibromyalgia, Brenda shares the insights she uncovered on her healing journey and the experiences of the many women she’s coached.

In this conversation, Tami and Brenda discuss what happens to the body with Sjögren's Syndrome, common symptoms and associated risks of Sjögren's, the overlap between fibromyalgia and Sjögren's, Brenda’s journey to Sjögren's diagnosis, her family history of autoimmune disease, how the Schirmer tear test works, the importance of a supportive and knowledgeable medical team, the evil sidekicks that Brenda experienced alongside her Sjögren's, her experience with testing and treatment from a top Sjögren's specialist, the massive car accident that dramatically increased her symptoms, Brenda’s fibromyalgia diagnosis, how Brenda found her “why”, transforming from a dutiful patient to a proactive patient, the importance of taking action in addition to education, how Brenda found Tami and the decision to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why she believes it takes a village to get through your autoimmune healing journey, how Brenda keeps her Sjögren's and fibromyalgia well-managed, building the skillset for managing your symptoms, red flags that suggest you should explore a Sjögren's diagnosis, how fibromyalgia symptoms show up differently from Sjögren's symptoms, first steps to take if you recognize Sjögren's red flags, how you can work with Brenda, words of encouragement for you wherever you are in your fibro journey, 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®.

People with fibromyalgia are significantly more likely to experience a sleep disorder. On top of that, some particular issues tend to happen when it comes to sleep and fibromyalgia.

Last week Tami and her friend, sleep expert Sovann Pen, talked about the importance of sleep for your healing journey and how you can get better sleep. In today’s special episode, Tami dives deeper into the specifics of fibro sleep, from research studies to books, supplement recommendations, and more.

In this episode, Tami talks about what research shows about the connection between poor sleep and pain, why not getting good sleep can make you feel more hungry and less satisfied after eating, the three ways sleep is different in people with fibromyalgia, different ways fibromyalgia impacts sleep, diagnosing fibromyalgia looking at the alpha brain wave/delta brain wave ratio, the 45% higher incidence of sleep disorders with fibromyalgia, why getting a sleep study done is probably a good idea, medications and supplements that can help you to get more and better sleep, causes and treatment of restless leg syndrome or periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), sleep is essential for healing, things that can help you to fall asleep, lowering the overactive fight or flight response, increasing the amount of deep sleep you’re getting, practices you can try to lower your stress response before bed, and more.

The information Tami shares in this episode is just the tip of the iceberg. If you’re interested in learning more, consider joining us for our next class of the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® training program, where she goes much deeper into sleep and many other topics specific to fibromyalgia.

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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Unrefreshing sleep is one of the hallmarks of fibromyalgia, and it’s hard to face the day when you wake up feeling depleted.

With Fibromyalgia, we find three significant sleep issues that we must address: struggle with getting to sleep, problems with staying asleep, and calming the overactive fight or flight so we can get restful sleep.

Sleep is essential for having the mental and emotional energy to do the things we need to do to feel better, and Tami believes that her fibromyalgia would not be in remission without tackling her sleep issues. Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution; everyone has to find the right recipe for their sleep. Today’s guest, Sovann Pen, joins Tami to talk about why sleep is vital to our overall health and how you can get better sleep.

In this conversation, Sovann and Tami discuss Sovann’s 25-year sleep career, how different people are affected by poor sleep quality, thinking about how your life could be better with better sleep, don’t assume your symptoms are solely due to fibromyalgia, how not getting enough sleep leaves us vulnerable to burnout, the high correlation between fibromyalgia and sleep apnea, the four stages of sleep, why people with fibromyalgia often struggle with getting restful sleep, Tami’s experience with sleep studies, what a sleep study entails, the three main sleep issues people with fibromyalgia experience, why you need to start sleep hygiene as soon as you wake up, when to consider meeting with a sleep specialist, the right place for sleep aids and medication for sleeping, when to take melatonin, figuring out what’s waking you up in the night, negative sleep thoughts, social media has a negative effect on many people’s sleep, digging deeper into the symptoms to address the core problem, how you can use the Wellness Wheel, Sovann’s tips for making friends with your CPAP machine, the need to slow down and take care of yourself, and more.

Be sure to tune in to next week’s special bonus episode, where Tami will share fibro-specific sleep information, including studies, supplements, and topics she teaches in her Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor™ class.

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®.

As an eternal optimist, Tami likes to keep this podcast positive, often focusing on ways you can feel better with fibromyalgia. But you can't talk about fibromyalgia without exploring the darker side of things, like the grief many of us experience.

Grief affects all of us physically, emotionally, and energetically. Fibromyalgia can often seem like an endless taking away of things, from living in a body that doesn't function the way it used to, to the loss of our jobs, family, or friends who don’t understand. It’s natural to experience grief over the way life used to be.

Today Tami is happy to share a conversation she’s been looking forward to for months: her interview with grief coach Pat Sheveland, where they explore the intersection of grief and fibromyalgia. In this episode, Tami and Pat talk about how grief often shows up for those of us with fibromyalgia, Pat’s journey to grief coaching, the experience of writing four books, how grief affects us physically, the science of the grieving brain, why our fibromyalgia symptoms are amplified by grief, defining grief, the many different ways grief and loss show up in our lives, the grief of losing your life before fibromyalgia, the fallout that happens in various aspects of our lives when we have fibromyalgia, how to distinguish between sadness and grief, finding a safe space to talk about your grief, there is no timeline for grief, learning to coexist with grief, Pat’s recommendations for supporting yourself through grief, getting rid of the stigma of seeking help with managing grief, the benefits of working with a trained grief professional instead of relying on family or friends only, next steps for you if you’re ready for support with your grief, Pat’s beautiful message to you, 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®.

If you’re struggling right now with working with fibromyalgia or other chronic illnesses, there is hope.

Whether you’re an employer or an employee, today’s interview will be fabulous for you. Tami is thrilled to share this interview with Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® Julie Hamilton about her new book, Chronic Illness at Work. One of the most important things about this book is that it not only helps those of us with chronic illnesses but shows companies that it's in their best interest to support their employees.

In this episode, Tami and Julie talk about Julie’s fibromyalgia diagnosis, becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, the inspiration behind Chronic Illness at Work, how supporting good employees benefits everyone involved, Julie’s favorite parts of writing her book, what it’s like writing a book with fibromyalgia, the deep emotions that came up when the book was published, how Chronic Illness at Work helps HR professionals and employers to support staff with chronic illnesses, why people working with chronic illnesses can also benefit from Chronic Illness at Work, the importance of ergonomics, exploring options for job accommodations, key facts on the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Job Accommodations Network, how Julie works with employees and employers, Julie’s passion for helping other people with chronic illnesses, how you can get a free copy of Chronic Illness at Work, success stories from Julie’s clients, benefits of working with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, 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®.

After our last Ask the Coach episode, where Tami covered the three FDA-approved medications for fibromyalgia, we received many follow-up questions from listeners.

Questions like: What’s the difference between being addicted and being physically dependent? How can you safely come off your medication? When is it time to reduce or discontinue certain medications?

In today’s episode, Tami is excited to be joined by Doctor of Pharmacy Chelsea Liebowitz, who’s here to clear up all these questions and more. As a pain patient herself, Chelsea spent years seeking answers for her chronic pain, and she knows your pharmacist's vital role as part of your healthcare team.

In their conversation, Chelsea and Tami talk about what it was like growing up with chronic pain and the medical gaslighting Chelsea experienced, how frustration with a lack of answers led Chelsea on a journey to figure it out herself, the discovery that copper toxicity was behind a lot of her symptoms, it requires determination and grit for people with chronic illnesses to get answers, Chelsea’s training in pharmacy, how pharmacists help patients, why you should build a relationship with a small independent pharmacy, the difference between addiction and physical dependence, most medication is not curative - it helps you manage your symptoms, viewing medicine as a tool to help you accomplish what you want, Chelsea’s tips for tapering off of your medications, how to know when it’s time to taper off your medicines, how coaches can help you to heal medical trauma, removing the stigma of withdrawal, distinguishing between temporary withdrawal symptoms and still needing your medication, empowering yourself around potential side effects, Chelsea’s experience with medical PTSD, things doctors say and what they really mean, 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®.

Many of the symptoms people blame on fibromyalgia are actually due to coexisting conditions.

Too many people go too long with the wrong diagnosis, taking inappropriate medications, and following unnecessary protocols because their provider didn’t identify the correct cause.

This topic came up a lot in the last cohort of Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® training. As we went through the program, the students had many lightbulb moments and realized much more was happening than just fibromyalgia.

By getting to know fibromyalgia deeply, it becomes a lot easier to spot when those symptoms are from something else.

After living with fibromyalgia since 2007 and being a coach for over ten years, Tami often picks up clues in client conversations that indicate something else is going on. Today, she’s sharing a brief overview of some of the most common conditions that tend to get overlooked after someone has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. 

In this episode, Tami talks about how she spots the clues that something else is at play, the problem with the lack of training about fibromyalgia in medical school, symptoms of other conditions often get blamed on fibromyalgia, why it’s critical to identify and address the root cause of your symptoms correctly, clues she typically sees that suggest Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), respiratory issues, Sjogren's syndrome, sleep apnea, thyroid conditions, lupus, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, neuropathy, and other common conditions we see alongside fibromyalgia, why testing TSH alone isn’t enough to assess your thyroid function, what you need to know about chronic fatigue syndrome/ME and fibromyalgia, viruses and bacterial infections that have similar symptoms to fibromyalgia, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

“I’d like to try Lyrica, but I worry about if I ever had to come off. Should I try it?”

For today’s Ask The Coach episode, I’m answering this question sent in by Sarah in the UK.

When treating fibromyalgia, we have to attack it from two sides. The first is addressing the fibromyalgia itself and the amplification of pain signals; the second is treating the pain that your fibromyalgia amplifies.

In most cases, fibromyalgia medications are more helpful than harmful and can be a valuable tool to break the pain cycle.

That said, the question of medications is complex and impossible to cover in detail in a podcast episode. Tami’s primary focus for this answer will be on fibromyalgia medications that address the amplification of pain signals, how they work, and the most important aspects you’ll want to consider.

In this episode, Tami discusses the FDA-approved medications for fibromyalgia, the fact that no single drug is capable of managing all fibromyalgia symptoms, Tami’s two-pronged approach to treating fibromyalgia, the main goal of fibromyalgia medications, Lyrica’s history and previous versions, how Lyrica and Neurontin work to reduce our experience of our pain, common side effects of Lyrica, physical dependency versus addiction, how serotonin and norepinephrine affect pain levels, why the anti-depressants Savella and Cymbalta also help to address fibromyalgia symptoms, the mode of action of other anti-depressants that are sometimes prescribed for fibromyalgia, Cymbalta is known for being challenging to come off of, the importance of very slowly weaning off of medications, the gradual process Tami used when she was ready to come off of her medications, why we hear more stories about negative experiences, the fact that there’s no morality in taking medication, 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®.

So often with fibromyalgia, we’re given negative news: there’s no cure, your life has changed, and the list continues. Once again, we’re on a mission to break that trend and show you that there are still adventures for you.

Tami is excited to be joined by Melissa Swanson to share the recent epic hiking adventure that, not too long ago, neither of them would have thought possible. Melissa and Tami met about eight years ago at the Leaders Against Pain Scholarship Training in 2014; since then, so much has changed.

In this episode, Melissa and Tami share what their fibromyalgia symptoms were like when they met, what it was like to have their sole focus be on getting through the day, why Melissa needed to wear sunglasses all the time, how Melissa’s bad knee acted as a trigger for a lot of other pain, the anxiety around having surgery and the potential impact it might have on your fibro, Melissa’s amazing recovery following total knee replacement surgery, the significant improvements Melissa experienced after joining the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, Tami and Melissa’s recent hiking adventure to the middle of nowhere and navigating “steep but manageable trails,” the surprisingly light after-effects of Tami and Melissa’s adventure, what Tami and Melissa did to boost their recovery, Tami and Melissa’s recognition that they are doing better than they realized, the shifts that made the most significant differences on Melissa’s fibro journey, and more.

After their adventure, Tami and Melissa were blown away by what they could actually accomplish now with their fibromyalgia. We hope their story and journey will inspire you.

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®.

There’s so much hope that comes from hearing the healing stories of other people on the fibromyalgia journey. Often, that’s where we first recognize that a better future is possible for us.

Today in our fifth installment of Stories of Hope and Healing, we’re sharing the inspiring stories of four recent graduates of the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program.

During these conversations, you’ll hear Tami and the graduates refer to their Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire score (FIQ), which measures the impact of fibromyalgia symptoms on a scale of zero to 100, with lower scores referring to milder symptoms.

When this tool was created, the average fibro patient’s score was around 58. In future studies, researchers found that the three FDA-approved fibro medications typically gave about 20% improvement, acceptance and commitment therapy showed around 27% improvement, and general health coaching brought around 35% improvement after a year.

On average, our students improve their scores by about 50%. For this cohort of graduates, the average improvement after our 3-month program was 62%, and in the individual interviews, you’ll hear each person's journey.

In this episode, our graduates share how they’ve improved their fibromyalgia over the last few months, the considerable role mental health plays in their healing journey, why even coaches need coaches, a game-changing supplement to transform your sleep, the significant shift that comes from slowing down and being more intentional, why it’s necessary to dig deeper to figure out if all your symptoms are from fibromyalgia, the key insights they found during the program, and more.

We hope this episode inspires you, encourages you, and simply shows you that it is possible to feel better than you do right now.

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®.

Don’t blame everything on your fibromyalgia.

Your pain, fatigue, sleep issues, and brain fog might not be from your fibromyalgia. We need to dig deeper.

Tami encountered this topic a lot in the last few months of the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® training program. We’re not saying you don’t have fibromyalgia - what we mean is, sometimes symptoms can be caused by something else in addition to or instead of fibromyalgia.

Why does it matter? Assuming that fibromyalgia is the blanket reason behind every symptom, you might be missing out on opportunities for healing. By finding the true source of your symptoms, you’ll be able to get the right treatment to help you.

In this episode, Tami is talking about the common areas outside of fibromyalgia that might be causing similar symptoms. She shares why you should learn to read your labs, what it might mean if none of the typical medications are helping, common symptoms of mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), the huge difference a CPAP machine made for her, why Tami believes myalgic encephalomyelitis, also called chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS, is separate from fibromyalgia, the importance of testing for chronic infections, why advocating for yourself is essential, how a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® can help you on your fibro journey, 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®.

Everyone can get better.

Even in remission, Tami feels that there is always something we can do to feel better on our fibromyalgia journey. And because we have to focus on taking care of ourselves, in many ways, we can get to a place where we feel better than the average person.

Tami is excited to share this interview with Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, Julie Schiffman, where she shares her story of going from thinking she was dying to feeling healthier than ever.

In this episode, Julie talks about her long health journey and years of painful symptoms, her diagnosis with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome over 20 years ago, the mental toll of chronic pain, how to deal with guilt, frustration, and uncertainty around a vague diagnosis, Julie’s medication rollercoaster, finding hope for living a great life with fibromyalgia, why becoming a coach brought Julie so much healing, the confidence that comes with knowing you can control your symptoms, why Julie decided to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® after completing the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, what it looks like to do the best we can with the bodies we have, balancing helping others with taking care of yourself, the deep meaning Julie has found in her life since becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, what it would look like to work with Julie as your coach, and more.

I hope you enjoy this conversation with Julie and that it sparks new ideas and brings you encouragement and inspiration.

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®.

To get better, we have to change.

Maybe you’re trying to make healthier food choices or exercise more. Maybe you’ve realized you need to be firmer with your boundaries in certain relationships. Whichever area of your life it might be, the closer you get to the edge of your comfort zone, the more uncomfortable it’s likely to be.

That’s where self-sabotage or Upper Limiting comes into play. The concept of Upper Limiting was made famous by Gay Hendricks in his book, The Big Leap, which Tami highly recommends. It speaks to the idea that as we reach the limits of our comfort zone, we start to do things to bring ourselves back.

Tami has experienced this and seen it a lot with fibromyalgia clients. In this episode, she’s sharing why we self-sabotage, how you might be sabotaging yourself, digging deep into why you want to improve your fibromyalgia, developing a step-by-step plan that leads you out of your comfort zone, what it might look like when you’re sabotaging your fibro journey, the benefits of having help through this process, the importance of starting with self-reflection, how to find the support you want and need, 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®.

Many people with fibromyalgia also deal with a lot of anxiety.

With your nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight mode, you have a diminished capacity that can put you closer to the panic threshold. What that looks like in day-to-day life is that you might find yourself often pushed over the edge by something objectively small.

To help you learn more about managing anxiety and panic attacks, Tami is delighted to bring Ramses Rodriguez back to the podcast to share his expertise. Ramses has a great way of blending research and science with the down-to-earth and practicalness of someone who has lived through it themselves.

In their conversation, Tami and Ramses discuss his journey with panic attacks and anxiety, how anxiety impacted every facet of his life from career to relationships, how Ramses has gotten to a point where his panics are in remission, common symptoms of a panic attack, why it’s crucial to see a doctor if you think you have panic attacks, the key to getting your panics in remission, the physical toll of having anxiety, the metaphysical aspect of anxiety, practical steps you can take to bring down your anxiety baseline, exposure therapy for treating anxiety, why some breathing exercises make anxiety worse, the three major factors that cause anxiety, creating a regular practice to manage your anxiety baseline, the benefits of having a coach and a personalized strategy, 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®.

So much has changed in the seven years since my first book, Take Back Your Life, was released. I'm excited to announce that I have just expanded, updated, and released a second edition!

From a new chapter on brain fog to massive progress on my fibromyalgia journey, I’m excited to share this updated version with you.

To celebrate the release, I invited my friend, Ramses Rodriguez, to interview me.

In this episode, Ramses and I talk about the exciting changes you’ll find in the new edition of Take Back Your Life, why it was so important for me to include a whole chapter on brain fog, how I break down the science into practical tools for everyday life, the story behind the title of the book, how getting a health coach changed my life, red flags that might mean you need more support than your current doctor can provide, how a fibromyalgia coach can support you as part of your health team, and more.

I hope you enjoy my interview with Ramses and that you enjoy the new book. I’d love to hear what you think.

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®.

Quitting is a key skill.

Understanding when it’s time to put something down temporarily or permanently is an important skill. Strategically quitting for the day, the weekend, or even for an hour or two might be just the thing you need for your sanity.

Tami quits frequently and considers that to be one of the keys to her success and to keeping her fibromyalgia in remission.

In this episode, Tami shares what’s different for her about this year’s Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, why she uses strategic quitting and how you can too, the harmful nature of our culture’s all or nothing view of success, some of the exciting events and documentaries coming up in the world of Fibromyalgia advocacy, 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℠.

Befriending your nervous systems starts with recognizing the unique patterns that may not be serving you and empowering yourself while getting to a place of balance.

Tami is excited to share this conversation with coach and Somatic Experiencing expert, Sarah Kleiner. Sometimes these techniques can sound a little bit woo-woo or like magic but Sarah shares the science behind the therapy as well as practical tips you can try to begin to tune back in with your body.

In this episode, Sarah shares how Somatic Experiencing helped her on her journey with anxiety, people-pleasing, and burnout, why working it’s important to work on both mind and body, the science behind somatic experiencing therapy, how trauma impacts our nervous system, the importance of creating small moments of safety for the nervous system that are felt, not mental, why you don’t need to justify how you feel, the reason certain breathwork techniques may not be working for you, why calm may not be what your body actually needs, physical symptoms of nervous system imbalance, and more.

I hope you enjoy this conversation and that the information Sarah shares will not only give you some new ideas but, more importantly, that you will be very validated in how you feel in your body. 

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℠.

“When will the pain end?” For this entry in my Ask The Coach series, I’m answering this question which was sent in by a listener.

It’s such a loaded question and there are so many details I’d need to know to give a full answer but today I’m going to answer it in a broader way.

The thing about fibromyalgia is that it’s not the type of illness that shows up for a while and runs it’s course then resolves itself like a cold. It’s also not something that you’ll outgrow or that goes away when you get to a certain age. It just doesn’t work that way.

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do - you’re going to have to change your path if you want a different outcome.

For most people, with the right treatment and lifestyle changes, your fibromyalgia can be in remission and you can feel better.

In this episode, I share several resources you can use on your journey of helping the pain to end, the major turning point in my fibromyalgia journey, how you can teach your body not to process everything as pain, why you should reframe your journey as a marathon, not a sprint, how you can educate yourself about fibromyalgia, the importance of becoming a student of your own body, and more.

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℠.

Long COVID, sometimes called "long haulers" or "post-COVID syndrome", describes the lingering symptoms patients have after contracting COVID-19 and recovering from their initial illness. The experience of these patients often mirrors our experience with fibromyalgia and other conditions, such as ME/CFS.

In this episode, Tami talks with Dr. Jessica Drummond about her personal experience with Long COVID. You may remember Dr. Drummond from Episode 68, where Tami interviewed her about endometriosis. What you probably didn't know was that she was dealing with Long COVID even as that episode was recorded!

As someone with a chronic invisible illness, you'll appreciate and relate to Dr. Drummond's experience. Even as a medical professional, she dealt with colleagues, friends, and providers who kept trying to figure out what she did "wrong". Why does she have Long COVID when others don't?

In this episode, Dr. Drummond shares how she contracted COVID-19, how the first seven days of her experience vastly differed from everything else, the ups and downs of her journey with Long COVID, the eight typical categories of things people with Long COVID experience, the various treatments and management plans she’s implemented to aid in her recovery, what it was like for her getting the vaccine while having Long COVID, and more.

At the time of this episode's release, Dr. Drummond is still working on compiling the resources mentioned in this interview. This site will be updated as soon as those recourse become available.

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 episode, Tami is giving you a little peek behind the curtain by walking you through an assignment she gives her students in her Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor℠ training program. During this assignment, she’ll help you create your Flare Survival Plan. Tami is also sharing a worksheet to help you create your plan, some ideas for what can go in your kit (not all of which are physical items), and some thought exercises to help you figure out what needs to be part of your plan.

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℠.

Tami is so excited to bring you this conversation with her friend and personal physician, Dr. Kaley Bourgeois. In this episode, Tami and Dr. Bourgeois chat about what a Naturopathic Physician is and how it’s different from a regular physician, what functional medicine is and how it’s different from conventional medicine, how Dr. Bourgeois’ mother’s lack of comfort with doctors led to an early passion for the work she does now, Dr. Bourgeois’ approach to working with clients who have fibromyalgia or other chronic illnesses, what IV therapy is and how glutathione is Dr. Bourgeois’ “most favorite thing ever”, what medical ozone therapy is and how it differs from cortisone injections, things she frequently sees in her clients that often get missed by other doctors, Dr. Bourgeois’ own journey with chronic pain, what Dr. Bourgeois wants you to know about working with multiple doctors, Dr. Bourgeois’ advice for people who feel hesitant to go to a new doctor for fear of repeating past experiences with doctors who weren’t a good fit, Dr. Bourgeois’ suggested resources for where to do your own research, what being in fibromyalgia remission actually means, 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℠.

Welcome to our fourth Stories of Hope and Healing episode!

In this special episode, you’re going to be hearing from five different women who are from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.

All five of these women will be sharing information on what they’ve done over the last few months to improve their fibromyalgia.

As you hear their stories, you’ll notice they all have done different things as there’s no one-size-fits-all magic formula.

We hope these conversations inspire you and give you hope.

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℠.

It struck Tami recently that if you only ever focus on treating your fibromyalgia, but don’t pay enough attention to your general health, you’re leaving some pretty significant things out.

With the leading cause of death for women being heart disease, and February being American Heart Month, Tami feels it’s the perfect time to bring you her conversation with Lisa Steele George.

In their conversation, Tami and Lisa discuss a shocking statistic about how many women will die of a heart attack, the common symptoms of a heart attack and how to tell them apart from your fibromyalgia symptoms, Lisa’s experience having a heart attack even though she was considered on paper to be very healthy, why Lisa wrote her book, how they both felt betrayed by their bodies at times, the role your family history plays in your risk for having a heart attack, the importance of having a wide variety of tools in your toolbox to help you manage the stressors in your life, how sometimes the hard work of taking care of yourself can look like rest, 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℠.

I’m so excited to be bring you this first new episode of 2022!

Today, we’re going to be talking a little bit about perfectionism. Specifically, how it’s actually holding you back from feeling as good as you could.

In this episode, I share some examples where perfectionism may have gotten in your way, how the social media highlight reels of others help fuel our desire for our lives to be perfect, my own experience letting perfectionism get in the way of my doctor-recommended diet, the exercise I want you to perform to gauge how often perfectionism is getting in your way, my wish and goal for you in 2022, a quote from Teddy Roosevelt that perfectly sums up today’s topic, 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℠.

We don't love New Year's Resolutions, but it’s that time of year. A lot of people are making resolutions, like: I'm going to get in shape, I'm going to eat better, I'm going to get control over my finances. Well, the ideas and intentions are good, but resolutions don't really set you up for success. In this episode, Tami will teach you how to create the foundation that you need, the support that you need, and the structure that is needed in your life to allow change to happen, and to happen easily.

Key Points

Note: This episode’s show notes and transcript contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we will likely receive a small commission. Read about what we do and don’t promote here.

Links & Resources

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℠.

The experience of chronic pain can bring you to your knees. When our suffering is acute and unceasing, we often start asking questions that medicine and science can’t answer. Tami gently wades into these waters with us, offering viewpoints from a range of faith perspectives. Perhaps we can find a little solace in these true stories. Perhaps we can begin to develop and share a more robust theology of suffering and prayer.

Some Unsettling Questions

Links & Resources

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℠.

"Don't be sorry for me. Fibromyalgia is the best thing that ever happened to me." This may seem like a radical statement, and I know most of you aren’t in this space yet, but even small gestures of gratitude can make a big difference. A growing body of research shows that people who practice gratitude are more optimistic and have greater satisfaction in their lives. They have been shown to make fewer visits to the doctor and have improved immune system responses. More than just a Thanksgiving observance, counting your blessings and giving thanks can make a difference all year long.

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℠.

The holidays can be super challenging, no matter who you are. Often we invest so much of our time and moxie into the holidays that the celebration begins to feel more like obligation. Add fibromyalgia to that picture, and it’s even more tiring and stressful, because we have limited energy to begin with. There is a way to make the holidays meaningful without all of the overwhelm. Follow the tips in this episode and see how your holiday season can a little richer, a little calmer, and a little less painful and exhausting.

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℠.

Do you ever have those days or periods in your life where it seems like everything is going wrong? If so, you’re not alone.

That’s why, this week, Tami is talking about what she does when everything goes wrong for her.

In this episode, Tami shares how it’s okay to not be okay, the stressful situation she’s been experiencing with her beloved cat that has resulted in more than one sleepless night, how it can be a struggle to find a balance between our reality of experiencing fibromyalgia symptoms and not giving into negativity, the main thing she does when everything is going wrong, how she takes care of the essentials during these times, the bio hacks involving brain chemistry she utilizes to help her get through times when things go wrong, the difference between a coach and counselor (and which one might be more appropriate for you), 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℠.

Tami is continuing this week with the What Does Tami Do series by answering a question one of her clients asked her a few weeks ago.

In this episode, Tami explains whether or not she follows a particular protocol to manage her fibromyalgia or if she continually tries new things, how she knows if a particular treatment is working for her, six things people do wrong when they’re trying new fibromyalgia treatments, 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 the last episode, Tami answered a listener’s question about what she does to keep her fibromyalgia in remission. Since releasing that episode, she received quite a few follow-up questions about her migraines and chronic headaches.

So, consider this episode a sort of part two of WDTD (What Does Tami Do) where she’s giving more details about her journey with headaches and what she does to manage them now.

In this episode, she shares how the chronic migraines she experienced as a teen led to her first chronic diagnosis, why she generally ignored her headaches for most of her life, the anti-seizure medication her doctor prescribed to help treat her migraines, why she had to stop taking that medication after a year even though it was actually helping to ease her migraines, how her husband was the catalyst for seeking additional treatment for her migraines back around 2013, how getting Botox injections were the first game-changer for her, the second game-changer that came in the form of a monthly injection, common headache triggers, some general suggestions for reducing your headaches, 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℠.

Do you wonder exactly what Tami does to keep her fibromyalgia in remission? Are you looking for an example of what life really looks like when you're successfully managing your fibromyalgia?

You're not the only one! A listener recently asked — and Tami answered — these exact questions.

In this Ask the Coach, Tami covers exactly what she has done over the last 14 years to bring her fibromyalgia into remission:

And yes — you will actually hear the specific medications and supplements Tami took at the beginning of her journey, and what she takes now. (You'll be surprised!)

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℠.

Have you been recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia? Did you leave your doctor's office with more questions than answers? Or are you overwhelmed with information? Are you wondering, "What do I do now?"

In this episode, Tami covers the first steps of her own journey, as well as where she begins working with her students and clients. The ten steps in this episode include five things you can begin doing right away, on your own, with or without your doctor's help; the other five you'll want to work with your doctor on to get the best results. Tami has also included a list of Fibromyalgia Podcast episodes and resources perfect for anyone who is newly diagnosed, or simply wants to get back to basics.

There is so much that can be done to improve fibromyalgia symptoms and pain. Information can be confusing and overwhelming. Start with the steps in this episode to build a solid foundation that will help you feel your best — and help your providers help you more effectively!

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/69.

Due to circumstances beyond her control, Tami was unable to record a new episode this week. Join us on September 14, 2021 for our next episode.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com.

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus — the endometrium — grows outside the uterus. It's one of the most common causes of pelvic pain and infertility. Many women with fibromyalgia who are experiencing pelvic pain, painful periods, and more may also be dealing with endometriosis.

Listen in as Tami interviews Dr. Jessica Drummond about what endometriosis is, how to distinguish between fibromyalgia pain and endometriosis, and how she addresses endometriosis in her clinic.

You may have fibromyalgia, but that doesn't mean all of your pain is only fibromyalgia. Conditions like endometriosis are very treatable. Addressing these other causes of pain help to lower your overall fibromyalgia pain levels.

For more information, links to Dr. Drummond's clinic and books, plus free copies of Tami's books, visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/68.

On average, the clients interviewed in this episode have reduced the impact of fibromyalgia on their lives by 50%. Their average FIQR scores went from 52 down to 26. In this episode, they share how they were able to accomplish this.

You’ll hear how Dawn took immediate steps to feel better after her diagnosis — and how some tough love from her coach helped her make some necessary changes.

Nichi shares why she chose to hire a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach℠, even though she has one of the top fibromyalgia doctors in the world as her personal physician. She also shares how learning the "why" behind everything helped keep her motivated.

After dealing with fibromyalgia symptoms for 20+ years, Penny discovered just how much there was to learn, and how many ways to feel better that her doctors had never explored with her.

Listen to these interviews and be encouraged on your healing journey!

To schedule a consultation with a coach, download free copies of Tami's books, view the interview videos and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/67.

After Episode 64, we received a question from a listener about using a weighted blanket — or asking to keep the x-ray shield on — during her dental visit. This led Tami to have a conversation with her favorite hygienist, Julie, and six more tips.

If you haven't yet, make sure you check out Episode 64 for even more tips. In the meantime, know that your dentist wants you to be as comfortable as possible. Ask for what you need!

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/64.

EFT — the Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as tapping — has long been recognized as a powerful tool for reducing pain, stress, and emotional trauma. A 2020 study showed that a one-hour group EFT session reduced cortisol production by 43%. EFT can also be an effective pain management strategy that can be used alongside other medications and therapies with no side effects.

Since fibromyalgia is a condition known to keep patients stuck in a state of fight-or-flight, it makes sense to explore tools that can help reduce this overactive fight-or-flight stress response.

Listen in as Tami interviews Lauren Fonvielle, EFT Practitioner and coach, and hear how you can add EFT as a powerful tool in your fibromyalgia toolbox. Be sure to listen through to the end of this episode to hear Lauren's guided "tap-along" session that you can try for yourself!

Lauren has generously offered a complimentary 30 minute session to listeners of this podcast. For Lauren's scheduling link, more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/65.

Visiting the dentist when you have fibromyalgia is almost never fun — right now it's even more stressful because many of us put off seeing the dentist during the COVID pandemic! Since it may have been a year or two since your last dental exam, you may fear what the dentist will find.

Tami found herself in this situation recently, with an emergency dental visit and a brand-new dentist. That experience led her to record this episode with the tips she uses regularly to make her dental visits less painful.

Whether you're dreading going to the dentist after an extended time away due to COVID — or your fibromyalgia makes seeing the dentist more painful — utilizing these tips will help you have a much easier time on your next visit.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/64.

Have you gotten your COVID vaccine yet? If not, you'll definitely want to hear this episode! Even if you've only received one of two shots, the information in this episode could help you minimize reactions from the vaccine.

In this episode, Tami shares her experience getting her own vaccine, including what other clients, friends, and family have experienced. In fact, between all the members of Tami's family, they've tried all three COVID vaccines!

With special permission from her doctor, Tami will also share a protocol designed to support your immune system, reduce any overactive immune response, and minimize any negative effects of the vaccine. Tami followed a similar protocol prior to and during her vaccine. Consider taking this the information to your doctor to see if it's right for you and your situation.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/63.

Improving your fibromyalgia is really hard to do all on your own; you need a team of people to support you, including various providers, friends, and family. So... what happens when your family doesn't support you? Aren't they the ones who should be giving you the most support?

Listen in as Tami interviews Heather Kent, psychotherapist and author of two books on toxic relationships, about what to do when your family isn't supportive. You'll learn how to tell if it's a lack of support which can be improved through education and communication, or a more toxic and unhealthy type of non-support, including the signs for a toxic or abusive relationship.

Heather and Tami want you to know: Your fibromyalgia doesn't have to be the thing that keeps you stuck in a toxic relationship — and a toxic relationship doesn't have to be the thing that keeps you stuck in your fibromyalgia pain and fatigue. There is hope. You can feel better and feel safe.

For more information, free copies of Tami's and Heather's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/62.

What did you feel when you were diagnosed with fibromyalgia? Relief? Shame? Frustration?

These were all things Regina Frisch felt when she was finally diagnosed after 15 years of struggling. When she was ready to take action and asked what the treatment plan would be, her doctor told her they didn't really have one.

Sound familiar?

It takes an integrative approach to treat fibromyalgia effectively. An integrative approach means treating the whole person, not just your parts.

When Regine learned that Norway's medical system couldn't provide what she needed, she used her contacts as a social worker and therapist to draw together a team of like-minded practitioners. Together, they founded FibroFokus, Norway's first outpatient fibromyalgia clinic.

Listen in as Tami interviews Regine and co-founder Dr. Hege Tønnesen about their journey and the integrative approach they use with their patients at FibroFokus.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/61.

When you're diagnosed with fibromyalgia, it can be a huge hit to your confidence. You may have trouble doing many of the things that have defined you: career, hobbies, friends.

In addition, let's not forget the unpredictable nature of fibromyalgia! It can be difficult to make plans because you never know if you're going to have a good day or a bad day. When you do make plans, you may have to cancel -- another hit to your confidence.

But it doesn't have to be this way. You can become more confident, knowing that whatever happens, you have the tools and knowledge needed to cut your fibro flares short and get back to feeling your best.

In this Ask the Coach episode, Tami answers the foundational question, "How Can I Rebuild My Confidence?" and gives three tips for how you can reclaim your confidence in your fibromyalgia body.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/60.

How many times has your doctor told you all your lab tests were normal? If you're like most of us with fibromyalgia, this has happened more times than you can count.

So what then? Do we keep testing? Or do we accept that the test is normal, in spite of the fact we feel that something is wrong?

After 20 years of certain tests coming back as "normal", Tami recently decided to try one more time as a way of "checking the box" with a new provider.... and ended up with completely different results! She shares her experience as well as five basic reasons your own "normal" lab test results may be wrong.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/59.

We can find evidence of fibromyalgia going back more than 200 years in medical literature.... and yet there there seems to be more fiction than fact surrounding it.

People are told things like, "There isn't much that can be done about fibromyalgia." Or, "Fibromyalgia is a middle-aged woman's disease." (Hint: Both of these things are FALSE.)

In this episode, Tami tackles seven of the most common myths about fibromyalgia, as well as the truth behind those myths.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/58.

Have you ever wondered what you should tell others about your fibromyalgia? Do you find yourself going back and forth between saying, "I'm fine" and telling them how you really feel? If so, this episode is for you!

We all intuitively understand that there are some people we can share more with than others. In this episode, Tami interviews Kimberli Wicks, a professional counselor who has lived for years with her own chronic illness. Kimberli outlines a simple way of categorizing the people in your life which will help you know how much to share about your diagnosis.

Tami and Kimberli also include several suggestions on ways you can build a support network, how to test the waters with how much to tell new people in your life, and ways to ensure you don't overburden the people you love.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/57.

Three Clients Share Their Fibromyalgia Stories

Tami interviews three clients on the ways that they have found to improve their fibromyalgia symptoms over the last few months. You’ll hear how Petr, a self-proclaimed "King of Fibro", discovered just how much he didn't know. You'll also hear how Petr's Fibromyalgia Coach, Micky, helped him in ways his two previous health coaches couldn't. Julie shares how much her life has changed in the last year and a half, including how she no longer feels guilt and shame over her illness — and how being a coach keeps her accountable. Creating her own perfect life balance helps Viktoriia feel her best, plus a word of encouragement from Viktoriia to our Russian-speaking fibromyalgia community.

You’ll also hear from our commencement speaker, Amy Velasquez Rempel of The Integrative Women's Health Institute, as she shares her journey from pain and confusion to hope and purpose with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and endometriosis.

Listen to these interviews and be encouraged on your healing journey!

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/56.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com.

Many people are confused about the differences between emotional support animals, service animals, and the laws and rights that each type of animal has under the ADA, especially with the recent Department of Transportation ruling defining emotional service animals as pets.

In this episode, Tami interviews Jennifer Kolar, founding member of Atlas Assistance Dogs, about these differences and laws. Listen in to hear several ways a service dog could help someone with fibromyalgia live a richer and more fulfilling life. Learn what it takes to have a service dog, what businesses have a right to ask you about your service dog, and the rights service animals have under the ADA.

Atlas Assistance Dogs provides an affordable way for individuals to train their dogs to be qualified service dogs.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/55.

Make no mistake, fibromyalgia is a physical condition causing widespread body pain, unrelenting fatigue, brain fog, and poor sleep. There really are things going wrong in your body that need to be corrected.

At the same time, how we think about our bodies, our fibromyalgia, and how we approach life all affect our health and the quality of the life we live.

In this episode, Tami talks with mindset coach, Courtnajé, about practical ways you can cultivate a mindset that supports you living your best fibro life. Courtnajé also shares from her personal health journey, including how her mindset practice has helped her navigate life with chronic health conditions, including a scary new diagnosis.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/54.

Many of us started off 2020 with goals to end the year healthier and happier.... only to have a global pandemic mess up all our plans!

For the last year, you may have had to set your own health aside to take care of kids who are now doing school at home. Or maybe you haven't had access to the types of therapies that have helped you feel your best. Maybe the stress of it all made your fibromyalgia worse.... or maybe you learned some things in 2020 that you want to carry forward into 2021.

In this episode, Tami walks you through the process she uses to set her goals and intentions for the new year — and why she's not a fan of New Year's resolutions!

This is the perfect time to reset and make your plan to make 2021 the year that you take back control of your life and health.

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/53.

Have you arrived at the end of the year wondering, "What just happened?" Are you thinking, "Next year will be different!".... but wondering exactly how you will make next year different?

Good news! In this episode, Tami will teach you how to implement a year-end review process. This review will help you capture what worked from the year that's ending, including what you enjoyed, what worked, and what you want more of in the new year. You will also review what didn't work, what you want less of in the new year, and what kind of help you'll need to make those changes stick.

Grab your journal, your favorite pen, and a cup of tea and settle in for your year-end review. In our next episode, we will begin creating the plan for you to have your best year ever next year!

For more information, free copies of Tami's books, and full show notes visit: FibromyalgiaPodcast.com/52.