Can exercise help your brain and body adapt when you’re living with MS? In this episode of Living Well with MS, host Geoff Allix speaks with Dr Gretchen Hawley, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist, about movement, neuroplasticity and living well with MS.

Dr Hawley explains how exercise can support strength, balance, walking and everyday confidence. She shares why movement quality, repetition and rest all matter, and how functional exercises can help with daily activities such as stairs, getting into a car or standing up from the floor.

The episode also explores fatigue, heat sensitivity and how to adapt exercise to your own symptoms and energy levels.

Originally broadcast in 2020, this episode has been edited to remove out-of-date content and reuploaded in 2026 to ensure it remains relevant and useful.

MS is not a “white person disease”. In this episode of Living Well with MS, host Geoff Allix speaks with Minnie St. Claire, a Canadian entrepreneur, digital content creator and advocate living with multiple sclerosis and bipolar disorder. 

Minnie shares her MS journey, including early symptoms, years of denial, relapse, treatment decisions and learning to take her health seriously. She also talks about managing more than one chronic condition, building resilience, using therapy tools, finding BIPOC peer support, and creating routines that protect her mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. 

The conversation explores Canada’s disability benefits system, financial independence while receiving support, working from home with MS, meal planning, movement, hormonal changes, healthcare gaps for people of colour, and why inclusive research and representation matter. 

Minnie’s perspective is honest, practical and rooted in lived experience. 

Watch this episode on YouTube. Keep reading for the topics, timestamps, and our guest’s bio. 

01:59 Minnie’s first MS symptoms and diagnosis journey 
03:00 Denial, relapse and learning to take MS seriously 
06:22 Navigating Canada’s complicated disability benefits system 
09:23 Managing MS, bipolar disorder and mental health needs 
12:39 Choosing self-care, rest and boundaries without guilt 
14:42 Why ten minutes of movement can still count 
17:51 Meal planning, vegetables and making healthy food easier 
20:11 Adding fish and trying new plant-based options 
21:25 Therapy tools, peer support and stress management 
23:40 Scheduling stillness, faith and creative self-care 
24:57 Building an online business while managing MS 
27:41 Turning transferable skills into flexible income streams 
28:56 Hormones, mood changes, sleep and symptom tracking 
31:41 Healthcare trust, race and choosing the right doctor 
35:02 Why inclusive MS research and resources matter 
36:57 Finding friendship, mentorship and support online 
39:50 Education, confidence and advocating for your body 

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Dr Aaron Boster, an award-winning, board-certified MS neurologist, answers practical questions from the Overcoming MS community on symptoms, treatment and living well with multiple sclerosis. 

The conversation covers supplements, fatigue, menopause and HRT, gut health, inflammation, DMTs, stable MRI scans with worsening symptoms, weather sensitivity, bladder and bowel issues, swallowing problems, Epstein-Barr virus and cancer risks linked to MS medications. 

With warmth, clarity and energy, Dr Boster explains complex topics in a way that feels useful and reassuring, while encouraging people with MS to work closely with their healthcare team and take an active role in their care. 

This episode is a webinar highlights special – originally recorded as a live Overcoming MS webinar and now edited for the podcast to bring you the key insights, questions and takeaways in one place. 

 Watch this episode on YouTube. Keep reading for the topics, timestamps, and our guest’s bio. 

02:52 Supplements, food quality and MS health 
05:42 When symptom-specific supplements may be useful 
07:18 Six practical ways to reduce MS fatigue 
10:06 What the Octave MS test may show 
13:23 Menopause, HRT and MS progression risk 
17:18 How inflammation works in multiple sclerosis 
20:24 Gut health, microbiome changes and MS symptoms 
24:41 Practical bowel strategies for constipation in MS 
27:07 Do DMTs still help older people with MS? 
27:55 Stable MRI scans but worsening MS symptoms 
31:23 Objective tests neurologists can use to track MS 
35:28 DMT myths, pharma concerns and clinical trials 
40:35 Why heat and cold can worsen MS symptoms 
43:17 Bladder symptoms and practical treatment options 
43:52 Swallowing problems and when to seek help 
44:20 Epstein-Barr virus and future MS prevention research 
45:22 Cancer risk, Ocrevus, Mavenclad and context 

If you enjoy this podcast and want to help us continue creating future podcasts, please leave a donation here.

Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing [email protected].

If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review.

MRI scans are a familiar part of MS care – but what are they actually showing, and what might future scans reveal? In this episode of Living Well with MS, host Geoff Allix speaks with MRI physicist Bhavana Solanky from the Queen Square MS Centre at University College London, where she develops advanced MRI markers to better understand multiple sclerosis. 

Bhavana explains how MRI is used to diagnose and monitor MS, from spotting new lesions to helping clinicians understand disease activity over time. She also explores how different types of MRI scans work, why the same scanner can produce several kinds of images, and how advanced techniques such as sodium MRI and spectroscopy are helping researchers look beyond visible lesions. 

The conversation also covers why research volunteers are so important and how future scans could become faster and more comfortable. 

Watch this episode on YouTube. Keep reading for the topics, timestamps, and our guest’s bio. 

01:20 Meet MRI physicist Bhavana Solanky 

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Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing [email protected].

If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review.

What does your gut have to do with your immune system, your brain and the way you feel day to day with MS?

In this episode of Living Well with MS, host Geoff Allix speaks with Kim Venter about gut health, the microbiome and why food may play an important role in supporting overall wellbeing with multiple sclerosis.

Kim, who lives with MS herself, is a trained teacher, professional psychological counsellor and nutritional consultant. She shares how certain foods have affected her digestion, energy and symptoms, and why gut health has become central to her approach to living well.

The conversation explores what the gut microbiome is, how diet can affect the immune system, and why people with MS may want to pay attention to digestion, food sensitivities and overall gut health. Kim also discusses practical ways to support the microbiome, from eating a wide variety of plant-based foods to trying fermented foods, prebiotics and probiotics.

Originally broadcast in 2020, this episode has been edited to remove out-of-date content and reuploaded in 2026 to ensure it remains relevant and useful.

01:53 What is the gut microbiome and why is it so important? 

03:15 How does what we eat affect our immune system?  

09:01 Is it worth keeping a food diary if you’re having GI symptoms? 

10:15 What is the low FODMAPs diet? 

11:53 What is Leaky Gut Syndrome and how does it effect people with MS? 

19:00 The gut–brain axis: does the blood-brain barrier stop foreign substances from injuring the brain?  

22:12 For people living with MS, what can be done to help the gut and keep it healthy? 

22:51 What are probiotics and prebiotics?  

27:02 What can we to increase both probiotics and prebiotics? 

30:50 How does gut health or lack thereof impact MS? 

39:01 How does intermittent fasting affect gut health? 

After her MS diagnosis, Betsy Mueller ran across America. In this episode of Living Well with MS, Betsy shares how she went from fear and uncertainty after her diagnosis to completing a 3,000-mile run from Santa Monica to Central Park to raise awareness of MS.

Betsy shares the early symptoms that led to her diagnosis, the emotional weight of living with invisible symptoms, and how fear and uncertainty affected her mental health. She also talks about the role of a plant-based diet, exercise, treatment decisions and community support in helping her move forward.

From training in Flagstaff to managing heat sensitivity, fatigue, DMT deliveries and long days on the road, Betsy reflects on what it took to complete her run from Santa Monica to Central Park. She also discusses Active with MS, the nonprofit she founded to help people with MS take part in races and reconnect with movement in a way that works for them.

Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Betsy’s bio.

02:56 How plant-based eating supports Betsy’s health

If you enjoy this podcast and want to help us continue creating future podcasts, please leave a donation here.

Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing [email protected].

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How can movement support you to live well with MS, especially when symptoms like fatigue, pain or balance changes get in the way?

Physiotherapist Jody Barber joins Vickie Hadge and Gina Beach to answer community questions on movement, exercise and living well with multiple sclerosis. Drawing on more than 30 years’ experience supporting people with neurological conditions, Jody explores how physiotherapy can help with fatigue, pain, balance, spasticity, mobility and confidence.

The conversation covers practical ways to adapt movement as symptoms change, why all movement can count, how exercise may support cognition, and when to seek specialist advice. Jody also discusses complementary approaches such as massage, acupuncture, water-based exercise, yoga and relaxation, while emphasising the importance of finding movement that feels enjoyable, manageable and meaningful.

This episode is a webinar highlights special – originally recorded as a live Overcoming MS webinar and now edited for the podcast to bring you the key insights, questions and takeaways in one place.

Watch this episode on YouTube. Keep reading for the topics, timestamps, and our guest’s bio.

Watch the original webinar here: https://overcomingms.org/live-well/resources/past-webinars/ask-the-expert-live-with-jody-barber

02:06 Jody’s experience supporting people with MS

If you enjoy this podcast and want to help us continue creating future podcasts, please leave a donation here.

Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing [email protected].

If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review.

What happens when you experience MS symptoms, but don’t yet have a diagnosis?

In this episode of Living Well with MS, we hear from Maureen Haith, who first experienced neurological symptoms in 2002 but wasn’t diagnosed with multiple sclerosis until 2019. Along the way, she was told she had clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) – a term many people are unfamiliar with, but which can be an early stage of MS.

Maureen shares her experience of recognising early symptoms, navigating uncertainty, and deciding when and how to tell others about her condition. She also reflects on how discovering the Overcoming MS programme influenced her lifestyle, from diet and exercise to building community through local support groups.

This is a thoughtful and reassuring conversation for anyone facing MS diagnosis uncertainty, exploring practical ways to take control and make sustainable lifestyle changes over time.

Watch this episode on YouTube. Keep reading for the topics, timestamps, and our guest’s bio.

02:02 First MS symptoms: fatigue, tingling and early warning signs

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What’s the best way to approach exercise with multiple sclerosis? In this bonus from the archive episode of Living Well with MS, Trevor Wicken explores neuroplasticity, “neural edge” and how to find a movement routine that works for you.

Trevor Wicken is the founder of The MS Gym and a neuromuscular movement specialist who supports people with MS through brain-based movement, mindset, education and community. In this episode, he explores how movement can support confidence, resilience and day-to-day wellbeing, and why progress with MS is often about recognising small victories along the way.

Whether you’re just starting to explore movement with MS or looking for renewed motivation, this episode is a reminder that exercise is not about doing everything perfectly, it’s about finding what works for you.

 Originally broadcast in 2020, this episode has been edited to remove out-of-date content and reuploaded in 2026 to ensure it remains relevant and useful.

01:28 What is The MS Gym? 

04:45 Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, and the journey that brought you to launching The MS Gym? 

13:45 How is your fitness philosophy particularly tailored to people with MS? 

18:53 Is it worth getting an MS specialist approach rather than just a normal physical training instructor? 

21:10 What are the biggest obstacles to getting people – with or without MS – to adopt a regular exercise regimen? 

28:39 For the people you serve under The MS Gym umbrella, how do you measure their success or progress? 

44:06 If you could articulate one specific outcome you can say you really nailed in your work through The MS Gym, what would that be and why? 

54:53 What motivates or inspires you as a human being? 

For many men with multiple sclerosis, diagnosis brings uncertainty and fear – and it’s not always easy to talk about.

In this episode, Steve Rose, a psychotherapist living with MS shares his perspective on men’s mental health, from coming to terms with diagnosis to managing stress, anxiety and changing identity over time. He explores the importance of mindset, the role of mindfulness and rest, and why learning to understand your own patterns and limits can make a meaningful difference.

The conversation also looks at the challenges men can face in opening up, and the value of finding the right support – whether through trusted relationships, therapy or community.

This episode offers a thoughtful, honest look at what it means to live well with MS, emotionally as well as physically.

Watch this episode on YouTube here. Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Steve’s bio.

02:20 Steve’s diagnosis story and early mindset shifts after MS

If you enjoy this podcast and want to help us continue creating future podcasts, please leave a donation here.

Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing [email protected].

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