In this episode of Living Well with MS -- where we explore topics relating to living a full and healthy life with multiple sclerosis -- we are pleased to welcome Laura Crowder as our guest! Laura is a health coach and Overcoming MS facilitator. In this webinar replay she unpacks the psychological impact of an MS diagnosis and practical strategies for improving mental wellbeing.  

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

01:06 Introduction to Living with MS

01:07 Mental Health Strategies for MS

02:14 Understanding the Psychological Impact of MS

07:15 Navigating Emotions After Diagnosis

11:26 Understanding Multiple Sclerosis

13:05 Mind-Body Connection and Its Importance

20:49 Practical Strategies for Mental Wellbeing

28:41 Community Support and Resources

36:06 Q&A Session and Closing Remarks

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An MS diagnosis can bring fear, uncertainty and difficult questions about the future. 

In this episode of Living Well with MS, Geoff Allix speaks with Patrick Bevan, who spent 16 years hiding from his multiple sclerosis diagnosis before embracing a lifestyle approach that transformed how he thinks about living with MS. 

Patrick shares how fear, anxiety and denial shaped his decisions for years, why a relapse became the catalyst for change, and how exercise, healthy eating, community and self-compassion helped him regain a sense of control. 

They also discuss living with ADHD alongside MS, the challenges of building sustainable habits, and why connecting with others can make such a difference after diagnosis. 

Whether you're newly diagnosed with MS or have been living with it for many years, Patrick's honest reflections offer hope, practical encouragement and a reminder that a diagnosis does not define your future. 

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

00:00 Patrick's MS diagnosis and the beginning of his journey 

03:34 Living with hidden fear for sixteen years 

05:18 Why fear delayed lifestyle changes and treatment 

07:02 The turning point that changed everything 

10:19 Challenging public perceptions of living with MS 

11:39 How fear shaped work, confidence and relationships 

13:18 Living with both ADHD and multiple sclerosis 

15:00 Finding motivation through the Overcoming MS Exercise Circle 

18:03 Which lifestyle changes were easiest—and hardest—to sustain 

21:11 Balancing entrepreneurship with protecting long-term health 

25:02 Patrick's advice for anyone newly diagnosed with MS 

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Supporting someone with MS can be rewarding, but it also brings challenges. In this episode of Living Well with MS, Geoff Allix speaks with physiotherapist, mindfulness teacher, coach and Overcoming MS Program Facilitator-in-training Susan Czyzo about supporting people living with multiple sclerosis while also looking after your own wellbeing.

Drawing on both her professional experience and her personal perspective as a family supporter, Susan explores why sustainable lifestyle habits matter, how coaching can help people make lasting changes, and why movement, mindfulness and self-compassion all have a place in living well with MS.

They also discuss the growing evidence for lifestyle approaches alongside MS treatment, the importance of personalised care, and why healthcare professionals should remain open to conversations about healthy lifestyle choices.

Whether you're living with MS yourself or supporting someone who is, this episode offers thoughtful, practical insights into building resilience, hope and wellbeing over the long term.

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

01:49 Meet Susan and her holistic approach to wellbeing

06:25 Why the Overcoming MS programme stood out

08:29 Lessons from becoming an Overcoming MS Program Facilitator

11:16 Lifestyle, evidence and conversations with healthcare professionals

12:21 Moving beyond fixing towards empowering people

16:15 How coaching helps people create lasting healthy habits

19:50 Supporting a loved one through an MS diagnosis

23:09 What living well with MS really means

27:50 Looking ahead as part of the Overcoming MS community

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.

Can tapping help calm MS stress and anxiety? In this episode of Living Well with MS, host Geoff Allix speaks with Lauren Fonvielle, an Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT, Trainer, about tapping as a tool for stress reduction, emotional awareness and nervous system regulation. 

Lauren explains what EFT is, why it is sometimes called tapping, and how it combines gentle pressure on acupressure points with acknowledging thoughts and emotions out loud. She shares how tapping helped her manage anxiety and panic attacks, and discusses how the practice may help people feel calmer, more grounded and better able to process difficult emotions. 

The conversation also explores the science behind EFT, how it may fit into the Overcoming MS stress reduction pillar, when to seek support from a trained practitioner, and why tuning into your own words and feelings matters. 

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

01:54 Lauren and her path to EFT 
03:24 What EFT tapping is, and why emotions matter 
05:44 The science of tapping and calming the nervous system 
08:42 Starting EFT and finding the right words 
09:49 How quickly tapping may help you feel calmer 
10:39 Longer-term benefits and processing past emotional experiences 
12:08 Using EFT daily or in stressful moments 
12:40 When to seek support from a practitioner 
13:21 How tapping fits with mindfulness and meditation 
14:41 EFT, physical pain and emotional contributors 
16:24 Research into EFT, stress and PTSD 
17:55 Client breakthroughs and emotional shifts through tapping 
20:29 Lauren’s advice for anyone curious about tapping

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.

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 

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 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].

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