In this episode, Sophia (age 18), Bridget (age 16), and Brooke (age 23) describe how they talk with friends, family, and teachers about pain. They share how they grew their ability to talk about pain in a healthy, productive, and empowering way and how this ultimately inspired them to spread awareness and education about chronic pain management.

In this episode Brooke (age 23), Sophia (age 18), and Bridget (age 16) come together to talk about their experiences navigating school, academic demands, and chronic pain.  They share tips and tricks from their own experiences, talk about setting realistic expectations, and find common ground in realizing that a small step back was part of everyone’s path forward.

In this episode Fiona (25), Brooke (23), Bridget (16), and Sophia (18) talk about strategies for managing pain.  They share their unique experiences with active coping, their preferred strategies and tools (big and small!), and how their use of different strategies has changed over time and across various contexts of life.

In this episode Sophia (age 18), Brooke (age 23), and Bridget (age 16) are joined by Dr. Rachael Coakley and Dr. Bobbie Riley, a physician at Boston Children’s Hospital in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine. Sophia, Brooke and Bridget share some of their early misconceptions about pain and challenge Dr. Coakley and Dr. Riley to set the record straight.

In this episode Fiona (age 25) talks to Dr. Rachael Coakley, a pediatric psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital in the Pain Treatment Service and the creator of the Comfort Ability Program. Fiona and Dr. Coakley discuss the development of the Comfort Ability Program, its many resources, and the impact of the workshop on Fiona’s pain journey and life. Plus, there’s a special stress-relieving guided exercise from Dr. Coakley at the end!

In this episode, you will meet Sophia (age 18), Brooke (age 23), Fiona (age 25), and Bridget (age 16).  These four members of the Comfort Ability Program Peer Advisory Board open up about their experiences learning to manage chronic pain and how they never thought they would be where they are today. Learn what skills and tools have helped them most and what inspired them to make this podcast series.