Have you ever left a doctor's appointment wishing you'd remembered to ask one more question? You're not alone. In this episode, Dr. Pam Zelasko joins us to share simple, practical tips for preparing for healthcare appointments, communicating with confidence, and building a stronger partnership with your healthcare team. It's a conversation filled with ideas that can help you feel more informed, empowered, and heard. 

Download our Guide to Getting the Most From Your Healthcare Visit HERE.

Popular symptom trackers: 

https://bearable.app/

https://www.curablehealth.com/

https://managemypainapp.com/

http://www.mypaindiary.com/

https://flaredown.com/

https://careclinic.io/

Chronic Illness Tracker: 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=chronic.illness.tracker&hl=en_US

https://medisafeapp.com/

https://sleepcycle.com/

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Website: LessStressinLife.com/podcast/

Stay tuned for more conversations to empower you to live well, manage stress, and build a thriving, healthy life!

What happens when the person everyone else depends on suddenly becomes the one who needs help? 

In this episode, we're joined once again by professional organizer and Michigan NAPO President Susie Marsh. After an unexpected series of heart health challenges turned her world upside down, Susie shares the realities of navigating chronic illness, accepting support, rebuilding her health, and discovering new priorities along the way. Her story is an honest reminder that healing isn't just about recovering physically—it's about learning to adapt, finding gratitude, and creating systems that help us through life's most difficult seasons. 

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Website: LessStressinLife.com/podcast/

Stay tuned for more conversations to empower you to live well, manage stress, and build a thriving, healthy life!

Follow Us:

Website: LessStressinLife.com/podcast/

Stay tuned for more conversations to empower you to live well, manage stress, and build a thriving, healthy life!

Receiving a diagnosis is often just the beginning of the journey.

In Part 2 of our conversation with certified professional coach Allison Troyer Wiswell, we move beyond the diagnosis to talk about what it really takes to live well with chronic illness. Allison shares her personal experience navigating autoimmune disease, chronic pain, grief, and the challenges of finding answers within the healthcare system.

Together, Deb Timmerman, RN, Lindsay Vertalka, MSPT, and Allison discuss the emotional side of chronic illness, the importance of self-advocacy, the role of caregivers, and why building a support system can make all the difference. They also explore how our thoughts, emotions, and nervous system influence the way we experience pain and healing.

If you've ever felt discouraged by unanswered questions, overwhelmed by medical appointments, or wondered if anyone truly understands what you're going through, this conversation offers practical wisdom and genuine hope.

In this episode, you'll learn:

•  Why receiving a diagnosis doesn't always bring immediate answers. 
•  How to become a stronger advocate for your own health. 
•  The emotional impact of living with chronic illness and chronic pain. 
•  Why caregivers need support too. 
•  How mindset and nervous system health can influence the experience of pain. 
•  Small steps that can help you move forward with greater hope and resilience. 

Whether you're living with a chronic condition yourself or caring for someone who is, this episode is a reminder that while the journey isn't always easy, you don't have to walk it alone.

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Website: LessStressinLife.com/podcast/

Stay tuned for more conversations to empower you to live well, manage stress, and build a thriving, healthy life!

Why does pain sometimes continue long after an injury heals? Why can stress make symptoms worse? And what does the nervous system actually have to do with chronic pain?

In this episode, Deb Timmerman and Lindsay Vertalka take a practical look at the connection between chronic pain and the nervous system and why understanding that connection can change the way people approach healing and recovery.

Together, they explore how the body’s stress response, pain pathways, emotions, movement, sleep, and daily stressors can all influence the pain experience. They also discuss why chronic pain is often far more complex than simply “something being wrong” structurally in the body.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  How the nervous system influences chronic pain 
•  Why pain can persist even after tissues heal 
•  The role stress and overload can play in pain cycles 
•  How the brain and body work together in the pain experience 
•  Why calming the nervous system matters 
•  Practical ways to begin supporting recovery and resilience 

Whether you’re living with chronic pain yourself or supporting someone who is, this episode offers a grounded, hopeful look at how the body responds to stress, pain, and healing.

Video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/UjQrhR0Ocdc

Heart Focused Breathing Tool

Lindsay's Pain Diagram

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Welcome to Season 4 of the Less Stress in Life Podcast.

This season, Deb Timmerman, registered nurse and board-certified reflexologist, and Lindsay Vertalka, master’s-level licensed physical therapist, are focusing on what it really looks like to live well with chronic illness.

Through practical tools, research-backed insights, fresh approaches, and honest conversations with guests who are walking this path, this season is here to help you feel more hopeful, more informed, and more supported.

In this first episode, Deb and Lindsay begin with a practical question: What actually counts as a chronic illness?

Is it only major diagnoses like autoimmune disease, fibromyalgia, diabetes, or multiple sclerosis? What about migraines, chronic fatigue, digestive issues, chronic pain, or symptoms that never seem to fully go away?

Together, they explore what chronic illness really means, why symptoms are often more connected than they seem, and how stress, pain, nervous system patterns, and daily life can all overlap.

Whether you’ve been diagnosed for years, are still searching for answers, or are supporting someone you love, this episode offers a grounded starting point for understanding chronic illness through a more holistic lens.

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Website: LessStressinLife.com/podcast/

Stay tuned for more conversations to empower you to live well, manage stress, and build a thriving, healthy life!

Feeling overwhelmed by stress or stuck in survival mode? In this episode, we unpack the difference between basic self-care and true stress care—and why your nervous system needs more than the occasional bubble bath. Tune in to discover how complementary therapies like reflexology, breathwork, and even decluttering can help your body finally exhale. 

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Website: LessStressinLife.com/podcast/

Stay tuned for more conversations to empower you to live well, manage stress, and build a thriving, healthy life!

What if movement didn’t have to mean hitting the gym? In this episode of the Empowered Wellness Series, we explore how simple, joyful movement—like walking, gardening, or even grocery shopping—can boost your mood, protect your brain, and support your health at any age. Physical therapist Lindsay Vertalka breaks down the difference between movement and exercise, and why both are essential for feeling your best.

🎧 Tune in for practical tips and real-life stories that just might get you moving!

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Website: LessStressinLife.com/podcast/

Stay tuned for more conversations to empower you to live well, manage stress, and build a thriving, healthy life!

Welcome to the Less Stress in Life Podcast – Empowered Wellness Series
Hosted by Deb Timmerman, RN, board-certified reflexologist and natural health practitioner, alongside co-hosts Susie Marsh, LBSW and professional organizer, and Lindsay Vertalka, master’s-level physical therapist.

Episode Summary:

In this episode, we’re diving into fear avoidance—what it is, how it shows up in the body and mind, and why it can hold you back from healing. Whether it's from an injury, a fall, or a painful experience, fear can quietly set the stage for a feedback loop that limits movement, confidence, and recovery.

Together, Deb, Lindsay, and Susie unpack the brain's protective mechanisms, the role of the nervous system, and the importance of small, supportive steps in rewiring fear-based patterns. You’ll hear real-life stories, science-backed strategies, and practical tools to help you or someone you love move through pain—physically and emotionally—with more trust and less stress.

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Website: LessStressinLife.com/podcast/

Stay tuned for more conversations to empower you to live well, manage stress, and build a thriving, healthy life!

In this episode of the Empowered Wellness Series, Deb Timmerman is joined by Susie Marsh, professional organizer, and Lindsay Vertalka, physical therapist, to unpack one of the most common and frustrating wellness challenges: poor sleep. Whether you're struggling to fall asleep, stay asleep, or feel rested, you're not alone—and there's a lot more behind the problem than meets the eye.

This candid, relatable conversation explores the science of sleep, common disruptions, and practical tools for reclaiming rest without depending solely on sleep aids. From CPAPs and weighted blankets to heart rate variability and cluttered bedrooms, we explore the real-life strategies that have helped—and what might help you too.

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Website: LessStressinLife.com/podcast/

Stay tuned for more conversations to empower you to live well, manage stress, and build a thriving, healthy life!