Merry Christmas, Happy Belated Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year!

Not sure if I'll be doing any more podcasts this year as I'm kind of winging it this season.

I'm just about 6 weeks post surgery and I feel great! Surgery, what surgery?  

It took me a minute to edit this podcast because I picked up a holiday foster dog and he threw me off of everything, so it was slow getting this done but here it is. This episode is about how I used my mindbody practices to help me navigate physical + emotional pain post surgery.  

I think the things that stand out the most are having the ability to witness physical + emotional distress. Recognize the hurts underneath, unmet needs or unfulfilled desires and address them if possible and always use any experience and an opportunity for increasing self love, attunement and care.  

There's something sobering about surgery, even simple ones like a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Having the skills to navigate whatever arises with a sense of compassion, equanimity and curiosity helps keep fear from running the show. It's been a humbling and powerful experience getting to know myself even better in this process of healing. And way to go body, I'm really proud of you for getting it done, celebrating the miracle that is being human and being alive.  

I hope there are some nuggets here for you to use for your own mindbody journey.  

Thank you everyone who sent me sweet messages, I so appreciate your care and affection.

Wishing you ever increasing light and joy as we enter 2026. 

Here's a useful article about the Twin Peaks Model of pain - 
https://spineandsports.clinic/blog/persistent-pain

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

It's been NYC Marathon time and if you're online or even in NYC you can't miss vast amount of marathon related content. I love the marathon even though I have no real ambition to do one. First because it's a super fun collective experience and I think with the current political landscape there's something that's so essential about coming together in public to do something together in celebration that feels very precious.

And because the marathon is chock full of mindbody mastery types of moments that aren't just about pushing through or winning but are much more nuanced and powerful.  

In this episode I cite a short interview with Pauline Larkin, a runner living in Brooklyn who shared her experiences going through chemo and running the marathon. I hope you are able to take some of her pearls of mindbody wisdom that I'm so happy to share. I also link to two of my favorite running content makers, Martinus Evans and Latoya Shauntay Snell.  

Enjoy! And get out and do the thing in the body you have today!

The Instagram Interview with Pauline - 
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQeVTSLjkc7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Also she's raising money for cancer research, please support her - https://www.instagram.com/pauline_larkin_brooklyn/

Latoya's IG - https://www.instagram.com/iamlshauntay

Martinus' IG - https://www.instagram.com/martinusevans/

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

This episode is a replay of a conversation I had with Sean Hershey on his podcast, Mind-Body Medicine for Chronic Pain.  

It was a great way to recap te experience of the talk that I did with colleague Amy Schere. From Sean's perspective our talk created a bit of a stir, but as many of you know, the science is out there about the mental + physical impacts of weight stigma, we're just the first ones to talk about it in relationship with neuroplastic symptoms and recovery.  

We'll be talking more about the research and materials so stay tuned but enjoy this conversation with Sean. And if you're looking for a therapist, he has room in his practice.  

Sean's website:  https://www.mindbodymedicineforchronicpain.com/

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

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

This episode is a chat with my bestie Amber Karnes, a yoga teacher, rukus maker and body empowerment experience maker. We talk about how to safely create engaging exposure experiences to help our brains and bodies update our understanding of what's possible in our today bodies.  

She's one of my treasured inner circle humans and I hope that you are as inspired by her as I am. She's someone makes imaginations into reality both for her students and for other business owners who are stepping into their own visibility. Have a listen and notice what feels like the empowered embodiment invitation for you! 

Amber Karnes is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator who’s obsessed with building community. She hosts adventure retreats where daring women can explore body acceptance through art, yoga, nature, and travel. She also coaches solo business owners how to do marketing without social media. Amber is the creator of Body Positive Yoga and the host of amberhouse, a yoga club for the rest of us. Her newest projects include a surfing retreat for complete beginners and an online community for folks who want to quit social media. Find her at amberkarnes.com.

Website link -https://amberkarnes.com

Instagram link - https://instagram.com/amberkarnesofficial

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

This podcast I take you on a journey into my own health stuff as I notice and map my stress triggers and work with fear, shame and curiosity to help my mindbody system navigate the unknown.

One of the most important practices we can build is to start to decrease our sense of threat by using trauma empowering exercises like Trigger Mapping. I first learned this activity in my Somatica Coaching Training, and of course noticed the similarities with other somatic practices like somatic tracking in Pain Reprocessing Therapy. All of this work has a similar foundation of cultivating non-judgmental awareness, a loving witness, curiosity and a felt sense of safety while doing exposure activities. They might use slightly different language but there's a lot of overlaps.  

One of the foundations of Somatica that I appreciate most is the radical acceptance of emotions and also the prioritization of pleasure. I have found adding an emphasis on pleasure in my own somatic practices have made them, well a whole lot more pleasurable to do.  

Have a listen and start to explore your own Triggers in this way. Where can you start to notice the edges and boundaries of your stress and/or responses?

Here's an article about the Science Behind Somatica - https://www.somaticainstitute.com/science-behind-somatica/

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

Dr. Lilia Graue is a treasured colleague and friend who is both an experienced Mindbody Medicine Practitioner and someone I found as an ally in the unique challenges that people of size face in accessing supportive care on their journey with pain.

This episode she shares her personal pain recovery story as well as some research on weight stigma, dieting, threat physiology and how to approach creating corrective experiences in healing.

Dr. Lilia Graue is a physician, psychotherapist, and mindbody healing mentor.

After living with chronic pain for more than a decade, she found freedom through an integrative mindbody approach grounded in neuroscience, mindfulness, and compassion.

Today, she supports people living with chronic pain, fatigue, long COVID, and other persistent symptoms to reconnect with safety, vitality, and agency. She also mentors fellow practitioners—therapists, coaches, and clinicians—to create trauma-integrative, relational, and sustainable healing spaces.  

With over 25 years of experience in medicine and psychotherapy, Dr. Graue’s work prioritizes consent, curiosity, and co-creation, honoring individual context, systemic influences, and the power of genuine relationship in supporting long-term change and healing. She works with people globally in both English and Spanish.

Originally from Mexico City, she currently lives in London with her husband and the two adorable rescue cats who own them, Ziggy and Lupito. In addition to her work, she loves spending time in nature, baking, reading, traveling, and enjoying live music.

Dr. Lilia Graue's website - https://liliagraue.com/

Take her in-depth mind-body assessment - https://liliagraue.com/in-depth-assessment

Sign up to her newsletter! -  https://liliagraue.com/enchanted-loom 

She also has a couple of spots open for her 1:1 mentorship programs: 

Reclaim Your Life - https://liliagraue.com/reclaim-your-life  

Replenish Your Practice - https://liliagraue.com/replenish-your-practice

Research mentioned in the conversation:

Physiologic Responses to Sensory Stimulation by Food: Nutritional Implications by RICHARD D. MATTES PhD, RD - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002822397001016

What’s Wrong With the ‘War on Obesity?’ A Narrative Review of the Weight-Centered Health Paradigm and Development of the 3C Framework to Build Critical Competency for a Paradigm Shift by Lily O’Hara and Jane Taylor - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2158244018772888

Coming to terms with fear by Joseph E LeDoux - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3939902/

Fear conditioning as a pathogenic mechanism in the postural tachycardia syndrome by Lucy Norcliffe-Kaufmann... - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10200284/

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

In this episode I share some advice I gave to a client today about moving themselves away from creating a ritual or a rigid response to a new symptoms that's showing up for them. When we "thingify" anything, we are teaching the brain a heuristic, a pattern that it will subconsconciously learn and uphold. Since this client and I have worked together for awhile and they've relieved the majority of their symptoms, they were able to catch their pattern of creating safety by controlling and ritualizing their response to symptoms.  

At the heart of mindbody work we are always working with increasing safety and dialing down fear, cultivating a sense of curiosity and self kindness when difficult thoughts, feelings + sensations arise.  

I share a bit of my own health journey, my book writing and the most recent retreat I went on.  

Check it out and find those aha tidbits that help you feel even more brave, more clear on your mindbody healing path.  

I'm always happy for you to reach out and book a curiosity call! 

If you want to know more about Amber's retreats....
https://amberkarnes.com/retreats/

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

Hello my feelers + healers!  

I went on an almost 3 week trip that involved 4 flights, 7 train rides, a few metro rides, 3 countries, 6 cities.  
And a lot of walking.
And some boat rides.
I was definitely nervous before this trip.

I was remembering last year's Galapagos trip which yes was a lot more "adventure travel" than this one.
But yanno part of the brain's job is to try to predict + problem solve the future so that you can be safe.  
So I had some prep work mentally and emotionally to do. Mostly to remind myself that whatever happens on this trip I'll be ok.
It can be a complete disaster and while I might be disappointed I'll be ok.

It's so funny when I was on my trip I had so much to say.
Now that I've been home for a month, I can't remember.

But I can remember how I feel now and I think that's important because it's tied into how I helped myself on the trip and how that subconscious programming has continued to be metabolized and integrated into my beliefs about my body, what it's capable of and how to continue on the journey of expanding my physical and emotional capacity, while decreasing a sense of fear, threat or danger.  

Traveling is definitely a place where I see fear arise for myself and my clients. There's SO MUCH unknown.

And there's so much that's out of our control and out of our routine. AND that's what makes it perfect for creating corrective experiences and new predictive coding for our brain, body + nervous system.

Listen well and think about how you can create those corrective experiences for yourself.

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

I was inspired by my friend and fellow coach Maggie Reyes after listening to a podcast of hers on emotional leadership. I felt like the topic resonated for me personally and for my clients. I am always thinking of how to shift into a state of self connective empowerment no matter what is happening in your body and your life.  

As Vanessa Blackstone said in episode 47, mindbody work is akin to relationship coaching and I know no one better to talk about relationships than Maggie. Please enjoy and listen with the mindset of a what resonates with me and how can I apply these ideas for my highest benefit and deepest self connection.

Maggie Reyes is a Master Certified Life Coach & Marriage Mentor who helps high-achieving women excel in both their relationships and leadership roles without burning out or sacrificing connection. Maggie brings a practical, down-to-earth feminist, and compassionate approach to relationship transformation and personal development.

Through her signature approaches like Soul-Centered Communication and the 5 Relationship Powers framework, Maggie guides women to transform resentment into connection and overwhelm into clarity. Her clients report remarkable results - from feeling happier around their partners and resolving conflicts more quickly, to developing stronger communication skills that transfer directly to their leadership roles.

Her clients are typically executives, business owners, and professionals who read both Harvard Business Review and Brené Brown, and who value both strategic solutions and soulful approaches.

What makes Maggie's approach unique is that she works with women individually to transform their relationships - even when their partners aren't participating in the process. Through a unique blend of cognitive coaching and somatic practices, she helps clients question limiting beliefs and create new patterns that serve them better. The same skills that create extraordinary marriages translate directly to leadership effectiveness, helping her clients become more influential and impactful in all areas of life.

She's committed to helping women lead from their power, not their exhaustion, both at home and at work. Her signature concept of becoming "Sexy Besties" with your partner describes that perfect balance of deep friendship and passionate connection that characterizes thriving relationships.

Maggie met her husband on Christmas Day and has been married for over 17 years. Her Marriage Life Coach Podcast ranks in the top 2% globally, and she's the author of the bestselling Questions for Couples Journal with over 3,000 positive reviews. With more than 2,000 hours of coaching experience, Maggie makes complex concepts delightfully simple while honoring their depth.

Here's links to the episodes we discussed in the podcast - 
Episode 182 – The Hidden Power of Emotional Leadership: Why Going First Transforms Your Marriage
Move With Deb, Episode 69, Embodying Systems Thinking

Website link

https://maggiereyes.com/

Instagram link

https://www.instagram.com/themaggiereyes/

Facebook link

https://www.facebook.com/TheMaggieReyes/

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

Gather around as I share a story of fear and anxiety and how it showed up in my body and how I met the moment through a mindbody lens.

I can be an anxious bunny, with big feelings but I don’t normally have fear like this. Soooooooo not fun but I got to see the opportunity in it to practice self compassion, self connection and collaborating with self through the fear.

In the world in which we cannot and do not control everything, collaboration, connection and trust are essential skills to develop and we all have our own experiences both personally, generationally and historically with these ideas. Learning how to increase your somatic curiosity can help you walk back from panic into security, from fear and flares into self trust and nervous system settling.

The mind and the body are gateways into your whole being and opportunities for healing are ever present. And we never stop being human. So please enjoy a peek into a part of my life in which I again am my own client, soothing my own fears and witnessing with so much love my own 💩.

If you know that you want judgement free support for your own exploration, please book a call and let’s talk about how this work can help you

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com