Before we get into the episode, I wanted to let you know about an interview I did on the Optimize Yourself podcast, hosted by my friend Zack Arnold.  He’s actually doing a three part series on chronic pain specifically related to how it affects creative professionals — so I highly recommend that you check it out!  

The series will consist of three experts talking about chronic pain from different perspectives. Zack interviewed a bodyworker and Somatic Movement Instructor (Julie Fahrbach) who explains how to release emotions from the body and get your system out of fight or flight. He also spoke with a medical doctor and mindfulness meditation teacher (Christiane Wolf) who uses mindfulness-based practices to change our relationship to pain.

And in my interview with Zack, you’ll hear an extended conversation about my personal journey with chronic pain from my days as a reality tv editor to how I ended up where I am today as a chronic pain therapist.  You’ll hear parts of my story that you probably haven’t heard before and you’ll hear me coach Zack through some of his own pain story while also learning some of the tools and techniques that I use to unwind tension in stress from my body.

My episode of the Optimize Yourself podcast aired on Tuesday July 11 and you can find it by going to optimizeyourself.me/podcast or searching Optimize Yourself on your podcast app of choice!

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And now for today’s episode! A short while back, I received a message from someone whose work I was familiar with, but we’d never spoken before. And she shared a story with me that I thought was just perfect for this podcast. It’s a story about her journey from chronic pain to passion. And that person is Fleur Chambers.

Fleur is a multi-award-winning meditation teacher, Creator of The Happy Habit app, author of the book Ten Pathways and her second book Wholehearted Confidence and she’s also a philanthropist.  Using her experience of living with chronic pain, Fleur is helping others to see that happiness isn’t an imaginary place free of disappointment, regret, insecurity or any other uncomfortable emotion. In contrast, real happiness is the ability to live wholeheartedly alongside our challenges and to learn from them.

With proceeds from The Happy Habit funding charitable grassroots projects around the world, Fleur is using meditation as a tool for social change. She believes that we meditate not only to alleviate our own suffering, but also to improve the lives of others.

The personal story that Fleur shared with me is all about the fears that come up and create symptoms just as we’re about to share our creative gifts with the world. And I hope that hearing her talk about how she navigates those experiences will inspire you with the courage to share your creative gifts as well.

You can find Fleur at:

website: www.thehappyhabit.com.au

IG: @thehappyhabitwithfleurchambers

Book: The Ten Pathways

And you can find me at:

Instagram: ⁠@anna_holtzman⁠

Website: ⁠www.annaholtzman.com