Welcome back, dear listeners. In this episode I got to reconnect with a colleague I met in Canada in a program where we shared our stories and our work out loud on stage. Kristi McLeod totally blew me away when she did a demo of her work with an audience member. And I knew that I had to have her on this podcast — partly so that you could learn about the work she does, and selfishly, so that I could be her client for a demo, which you’ll hear in this episode.

Kristi is a multidisciplinary healer, mentor, and teacher who is here to help shift the paradigm of how wellness and mental health is viewed. Kristi is on a mission to guide practitioners, entrepreneurs, and organizations to becoming regulated AF so that they can be more at ease, effective and efficient in their business.

With a foundational focus on nervous system regulation, she guides you to a felt sense of safety while teaching you about your nervous systems responses. And to take it a step further, she helps reveal and resolve the root of what is causing dysregulation, which, as we know, is often the underlying root of so many different kinds of symptoms.

In our conversation, Kristi shared about how she came to this work through her own journey of recovery from depression and how she uses the very same processes to work with chronic pain as well.

I felt so safe and supported by Kristi during the demo she did, where I sat in as the client, and there was some raw emotion that came up for me. Just a content warning, the subject matter that I shared about as Kristi’s client has to do with a traumatic sexual experience in my teen years. We don’t go into much detail about it, we were working mainly with present-time emotion, but if that could be a triggering topic for you, please use your own discernment when choosing to listen. With that said, I so enjoyed recording this episode with Kristi. I think you’ll get a ton out of it, as I did, and I am honored to be sharing her work with you!

You can find Kristi at:

Website: https://www.somaskyewellness.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somaskyewellness/

And you can find me at:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com⁠

Welcome back, dear listeners. On this episode, I sat down for a chat with Andrew. Andrew is someone I met through Instagram — it’s funny that how that happens. Once you start sharing your own story, it’s like you become a lighthouse and when other people who see the light you’re shining resonate with your story or with the work you’re doing, they will seek you out. And if you relate to their story too, you can wind up months later feeling like you know this person just from exchanging messages about a common experience that you share. And that was the case with Andrew. He first reached out to me when he was quite a bit earlier along in his journey, struggling with pelvic pain that was diagnosed as pudendal neuralgia, often known as cyclist syndrome, which was fitting in his case, because Andrew is an avid cyclist. So, you can imagine how much this type of pain interfered not only with his life in general, but also more specifically with cycling, an activity that he’s passionate about. So, when Andrew reached a stage in his process where he’s now sharing his recovery story with others to give them hope and direction, I really wanted to get him on this podcast to share his experience with you! And without further introduction, here is our conversation.

You can find Andrew at:

https://www.instagram.com/andrewmbcyclist/

And you can find me at:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com

Welcome back, dear listeners. On this episode, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Harry Macansh, a speaker and wellness coach who recovered from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) after initially being told that this condition was incurable. He now helps others to recover as well. 

Over more than half a decade, Harry has spent upwards of a quarter of a million dollars in the US & Australia acquiring an arsenal of knowledge and modalities that he now affordably delivers to others, both from stage through 1-to-1 coaching.

When Harry reached out to me, I immediately jumped at the

You can find Harry at:

https://www.instagram.com/harrymacansh/

And you can find me at:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com⁠

Welcome back, dear listeners. It was so fun to record this chat with someone who’s both a good friend and a colleague. May Flam is a leadership coach with nearly 10 years of experience helping busy professionals who are parents to curb their resentment and burnout at work and at home. She is based in Hoboken, New Jersey.

During our conversation, we talked about May’s chronic pain recovery story and how that journey relates to the work she does as a coach, specifically in helping people learn the principals of a method called Fair Play, which shows parents and couples how to co-create a more equitable distribution of household work, so that they can free up space in their brain to let go, un-scrunch their shoulders and cut their nervous systems some much needed slack. I have personally benefited from May’s wisdom in this area, and we talked about that too! So if you wanna pick up some truly useful tips and get a peek into both of our personal home lives, take a load off and join us!

You can find May at:

Website: mayflam.com

Free Domestic Strengths Quiz: https://mayflam.lpages.co/domestic-strengths-quiz/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayflam/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayflam/

TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@mayflamthecoach

And you can find me at:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com⁠

Welcome back, dear listeners, before we get into today’s episode, I wanted to invite you to a live online workshop that I’m hosting called Journaling for Chronic Pain Relief. Journaling was a hugely important tool in my recovery, and I’m going to teach you how to release emotions, tension and pain from your body through writing in a way that’s gentle and safe and won’t overwhelm your nervous system. I hope that you’ll join me, I would love to see and meet you there. The workshop will take place online on Thursday May 2nd at 12pm Eastern (and yes, there will be a replay, but it’s only available to you if you register. And you can do that by going to: ⁠www.annaholtzman.com/WritingWorkshop

And now, I’m bringing you an epic episode today. I got to

He’s also a co-creator of the 2016 film All The Rage: Saved by Sarno, which documents the work of Doctor John Sarno, a pioneer of mind-body medicine working both within and against the tide of the mainstream western medical system. The film also documents Michael’s experience of recovering from chronic pain as Sarno’s patient.

In our conversation, Michael and I talked about everything

If you choose to enter the journey with us — which

Welcome back, dear listeners, before we get into today’s episode I wanted to invite you to a live online workshop that I’m hosting called Journaling for Chronic Pain Relief. Journaling was a hugely important tool in my recovery, and I’m going to teach you how to release emotions, tension and pain from your body through writing in a way that’s gentle and safe and won’t overwhelm your nervous system. I hope that you’ll join me, I would love to see and meet you there. The workshop will take place online on Thursday May 2nd at 12pm Eastern (and yes, there will be a replay, but it’s only available to you if you register. And you

My guest today is Dr. Jin Lee, PsyD, MSCP, BCB, a licensed pediatric psychologist with a deep specialization in chronic pain and functional neurological disorder in children and adolescents. With extensive training, including a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) and Master’s degree (MA) in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and a Postdoctoral Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Psychopharmacology from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Dr. Lee has honed her expertise to become a leading expert in the field. Her passion for pediatric psychology and dedication to improving the lives of young patients are evident through her clinical practice, teaching, and research endeavors.

As a founder of her private practice based in Colorado, Your Pediatric Psychologist, Dr. Lee delivers direct clinical care to pediatric patients and collaborates closely with medical teams, school personnel, and community providers to ensure comprehensive care coordination and treatment. Moreover, as the founder of Teen FND Academy, Dr. Lee provides an innovative online psycho-education program and coaching support to adolescents and their families, focusing on resolving chronic pain and functional neurological disorders. Through evidence-based intervention approaches and compassionate care, she empowers teens and their parents to overcome challenges related to chronic pain and FND and achieve better outcomes.

Dr. Lee’s impact in the field extends beyond her clinical practice through her work as an educator, clinical supervisor and policy advocate in her field.

I was so thrilled to have this conversation with Dr. Lee, so without any further intro, I’ll invite you to listen in.

You can find Dr. Lee at:

Website: https://www.yourpediatricpsychologist.com/

Group program: https://www.teenfndacademy.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TeenFND

And you can find me at:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com⁠

In this episode, I tell three raw, personal stories about how the body can react to fear with a wide range of surprising symptoms — and how we can help our body feel safe again so that symptoms can subside.

Story #1: How a gut renovation triggered a gut reaction.

Story #2: How a bus driver's kindness was all the medicine I needed.

Story #3: An allergic reaction to my own anger, and how I moved through it.

I hope these stories help you normalize the ways that your body responds to everyday stress, and soothe your body back into regulation.

With love,

Anna

You can find me at:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com

Welcome dear listeners to this solo episode! It's been a while since I did an episode without a guest, and I wanted to chat one on one with YOU today about a topic that's been coming up in a lot of my groups, including my recent Healing with Purpose program, which just wrapped (thank you for all who joined, it was a fantastic group!)

This topic is exposure therapy for chronic pain recovery. What I find is that many people on the chronic pain recovery path are familiar with the concept of exposure therapy, but might not realize that there are two very different styles of exposure therapy for chronic pain: Flooding and Graded Exposure.

It's important to understand the differences between these two approaches so that you can better assess which one might be a fit for you. And that's what I'll talk about in today's episode, so I hope you'll listen and let me know what you think and what questions come up for you!

You can find me at:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com

Hello dear listener, welcome to today’s episode, in which I was interviewed by my colleague Catherine Courtice about the importance of self-compassion in healing from chronic symptoms.

Catherine is a writer, speaker, advocate and educator empowering those facing chronic pain and life-altering diagnoses. Her background in Kinesiology, Education, mobility, therapy, and coaching provides deep insight into the human experience. Having journeyed through chronic pain herself, she brings empathy, insight, and resilience to everything she does. Her 'wholistic' approach combines practical strategies, spiritual principles, and mindfulness techniques, guiding clients to find hope amidst life's challenges. Catherine's inspiring debut book, Embracing Life After Diagnosis:When Life Gives You Lemons, Choose the Lime, invites readers to embrace their unique healing journey and discover their limitless potential to live a fulfilling life after a life-altering diagnosis. Catherine lives and works in Wolfe Island, Ontario.

I was honored to be interviewed by Catherine as part of her Overcome Chronic Pain interview series, and I hope you’ll enjoy our conversation about the key role that self-compassion plays in healing.

You can find Catherine at:

Website: https://www.catherinecourtice.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/overcomechronicpain/

And you can find me at:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com

Hello dear listener, welcome to today’s episode, in

My guest, Dani Fagan, specializes in the care of the chronic

Dani has a fantastic website called mytmsjourney.com, which is a go-to resource for mind-body healing, and I highly recommend it. I couldn’t get enough of our conversation, because Dani is so real and raw and truly herself, and that felt like a great big permission slip to be myself. It might just feel that way to you too, so take a listen.

You can find Dani at:

Website: https://mytmsjourney.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mytms_journey/

And you can find me at:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com