Episode 14: Pain, Purpose, and the Timeline Shift

In this deeply moving episode, Barb returns to the mic for the first time since her life-threatening fall from a horse. What unfolds is a raw, luminous conversation between two lifelong psychologists—and friends—about pain, meaning, and the strange ways life reroutes us.

Inside this episode:

• Barb’s harrowing account of her injuries, surgeries, and recovery—including the thirty minutes she spent in unbearable pain without medication.
• How pain changes identity: from professional achiever to someone forced into stillness.
• The privilege of medical access, and the despair of realizing how many don’t have it.
• What happens to creativity when pain (or pain medication) becomes a constant companion.
• The parallels between physical pain and psychological trauma—and how both demand meaning.
• The eerie synchronicity of both Barb and Robyn starting TikTok accounts the same week as the accident.
• A conversation about timelines, fate, and “spooky action at a distance.”
• The intersection of psychology and spirituality: knowing when to apply science, and when to allow for mystery.
• The question that lingers: When the future crumbles, do we crumble with it—or create something entirely new?

Quotes from the episode:

“Pain has been my constant companion. The best it gets is background noise; the worst is thunder.” – Barb“We construct meaning with the universe, not in isolation.” – Barb“When the future collapses, we can despair—or we can build what’s never existed before.” – Robyn

Mentioned in this episode:

• Chronic pain and pain management
• Psychological trauma and creativity
• Existential therapy and meaning-making
• Cultural privilege in healthcare access
• TikTok as a platform for midlife reinvention
• Quantum entanglement, spirituality, and science

Hosts:

Dr. Robyn McKay & Dr. Barbara Kerr

Recorded live from Kansas and California

Produced by sheology by dr robyn mckay

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