Explore every episode of the podcast Fibromyalgia Podcast®

We often underestimate what we can accomplish in a year. The goal can seem so massive that we think we'll never get there and don't even bother to try.

That's why it's so important to hear stories of hope from people who have been where you are. There is so much you can do in a year; whether or not you go for it, the year will go by. It's up to you to decide what you want to do between now and then.

Today, we're having a special bonus episode where Kim Osborne, a current student in our Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® training program, joins Tami. In September 2022, when Kim came to Tami, she was struggling. She was at the end of her rope and didn't know what else to try. Many of the things that used to help her cope weren't working for her anymore, and even with her training as a health coach and yoga instructor, she was still feeling miserable. In this episode, Kim shares what worked for her and how her life transformed over the past year.

In this conversation, Tami and Kim discuss Kim's fibromyalgia diagnosis and the start of her journey, her experience with prescribed medications and struggle with the recommendations from her rheumatologist, the downward slide many of us experience where our lives get smaller and smaller, why Kim decided to explore alternative solutions including seeking a fibromyalgia coach, the decisive moment when you realize life can get better, the feeling of finding hope and support in a community who truly understands you, the powerful impact of being coached by the right person, surprising lessons that came from working with Kim's fibromyalgia coach, Robin, the drastic difference between a trip Robin took a year ago and again this year, being open to changing goals and expectations when we recognize what our bodies need, Kim's progress in the past year, the importance of taking action between now and the future, recognizing the real role of a coach, why seeing a functional medicine doctor was game changing for Kim, the subtle difference between wanting to fix fibro and wanting to help yourself feel as good as possible, why Kim decided to take the  Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® course instead of only working with a coach, Kim's plans for the upcoming year, her experience working with clients during her Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® internship, remembering that each person's fibromyalgia journey is unique, Kim's message of hope and encouragement if you're struggling with your fibromyalgia journey, and more.

If you don't have your own hope, borrow Kim's. You can find ways to feel better, and we would love to help.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"You need to make room for yourself." - Lauren Vazzano

If you're struggling with fibromyalgia and juggling the responsibilities of motherhood, you're not alone. The good news is that you can feel better with the right strategies and support. Making yourself a priority and improving your health is the best way to support your family and help them to be in good health and good spirits.

Focusing on yourself can feel much easier said than done when you're in the thick of things, and that's where a coach can make a huge difference. You don't need to go on this journey alone.

Today's guest, Lauren Vazzano, joins Tami to talk about how she was able to drastically improve her fibromyalgia symptoms as a stay-at-home mom with two young children. Diagnosed in the fall of 2020, Lauren's story is a testament to resilience and the power of being proactive about your health.

In this conversation, Lauren and Tami discuss Lauren's fibromyalgia diagnosis timeline, how she was affected by the pandemic, the difficulties of homeschooling her young children while managing her health, Lauren's journey through different doctors and treatments in search of relief, the value of lifestyle changes alongside medication for managing fibromyalgia, balancing dietary changes for fibromyalgia with managing family meals and preferences, strategies for accommodating kids' picky eating, how dietary changes affected her fibromyalgia symptoms, working with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® for support and guidance, modifying daily activities to reduce pain and improve quality of life, building a supportive team of specialists for managing fibromyalgia symptoms, overcoming overwhelm on the healing journey, focusing on healing rather than illness, Lauren's decision to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, Lauren's fibromyalgia impact questionnaire scores and their significance, the rewarding experience of helping others with fibromyalgia, how coaching addresses the various life aspects affected by fibromyalgia, Lauren's message for other mothers with fibromyalgia and family responsibilities, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

With fibromyalgia, balancing acceptance and hope can sometimes feel a little like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Acceptance isn't about staying where you are. It's about embracing the unknown and allowing your body right now while being open to letting her be who she needs to be and become who she needs to become. On the other side, having hope for feeling better means that you believe life will get better, and you're open to trying different options and seeing what works.

Today, Tami is exploring how to balance the here-and-now focus of acceptance and the forward motion of hope. She's talking about her GPS analogy for understanding the balance between the acceptance of where you are and the hope of feeling better, what it looks like to aim for being accurate about your goals rather than aiming for perfection, making continuous assessments and adjustments on your journey, accepting your current reality, the moment Tami finally accepted where she was and the struggle to get there, the danger of getting stuck in acceptance, benefits, and challenges that can come with support groups, getting the proper support to help you move toward your goals, how being overly focused on feeling better can keep you stuck, giving treatments a long enough try to honestly know if they are working or not, recognizing that little bits of improvement stack up, how you can start to get unstuck, the benefits of working with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, resources you can tap into if you're not ready to work with a coach, rethinking self-care, and more.

Tami's number one goal is that everyone living with fibro will feel like they are in partnership with their body. If you're not quite sure how to get there yet, this one is for you.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Waiting until you feel better to start working on your health is like waiting until you're in shape to start exercising."

Have you ever wanted your life or your health to change, but at the same time, you weren't ready to change? Whether it feels like it's going to be too hard, that you need to prepare more first, or you're just not ready to give up something you enjoy, oftentimes our brain tries to protect us by putting up this resistance.

Tami has been there - and she's still there in some areas of her life! In today's episode, Tami is sharing her struggles with making necessary changes in her life and her strategies for creating a fibro life you love. She's talking about struggling with the desire to change while feeling resistance, the pivotal moment when Tami realized that waiting to feel better actually holds back your health, the flawed logic behind feeling "not that sick" or "too sick" to start making changes, starting with small steps and being willing to make mistakes, the necessity of actively engaging in health improvement, how our natural resistance to change protects us, understanding your Fibromyalgia Wellness Style℠, the conflict between wanting change and the reluctance to put in the necessary work, the stages of change model, moving through the stages of pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, and action, creating sustainable changes that you can maintain over time, the potential for relapse and common triggers, why we prefer to coach our clients for a full calendar year, Tami's experience with relapse and lessons learned, the difference between taking action and maintaining changes, aiming for continuous improvements in your health and well-being, starting before you're ready, immediate actions you can take, strategies for starting when you don't feel ready, recognizing feelings and habits before making changes, recognizing that building new habits takes practice and patience, how a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® can help, and more.

You can't wait until you're well before you start to work on your health. You just have to start.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Whether we're talking about pain, fatigue, or brain fog, there's a massive difference between preventing your symptoms and trying to treat them after they've flared up. Getting your symptoms back to a manageable place in the middle of a fibro flare is like trying to catch a runaway train. Sometimes, when that happens, the only thing to do is to let the flare run its course.

Feeling helpless or out of control in a flare is not a position any of us like to be in, and that's where prevention comes in. When we take the prevention route, we develop systems and strategies ahead of time that set us up to feel our best. It means being aware of early warning signs so you can nip symptoms in the bud before they balloon into a flare.

Today, Tami is talking about how to shift your thinking from treating after you experience those symptoms to preventing those symptoms in the first place. In this episode, Tami shares what it is about fibromyalgia that makes prevention difficult, how explosive synchronization and central sensitization show up in our fibromyalgia symptoms, recognizing warning signs of an impending fibro flare, the importance of mindfulness and body awareness, what it means to write your body's owner's manual, how to start identifying your triggers and effective responses to manage your symptoms, practical strategies to switch from treatment to prevention mode, how the Pomodoro® Technique can help with balancing work and rest to prevent fatigue, how blood sugar imbalances can affect pain, modifying activities to make them more comfortable and manageable, speaking up for your needs early and clearly, increasing your self-awareness, planning ahead with strategies for preventing pain in specific situations, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Whether we're talking about pain, fatigue, or brain fog, there's a massive difference between preventing your symptoms and trying to treat them after they've flared up. Getting your symptoms back to a manageable place in the middle of a fibro flare is like trying to catch a runaway train. Sometimes, when that happens, the only thing to do is to let the flare run its course.

Feeling helpless or out of control in a flare is not a position any of us like to be in, and that's where prevention comes in. When we take the prevention route, we develop systems and strategies ahead of time that set us up to feel our best. It means being aware of early warning signs so you can nip symptoms in the bud before they balloon into a flare.

Today, Tami is talking about how to shift your thinking from treating after you experience those symptoms to preventing those symptoms in the first place. In this episode, Tami shares what it is about fibromyalgia that makes prevention difficult, how explosive synchronization and central sensitization show up in our fibromyalgia symptoms, recognizing warning signs of an impending fibro flare, the importance of mindfulness and body awareness, what it means to write your body's owner's manual, how to start identifying your triggers and effective responses to manage your symptoms, practical strategies to switch from treatment to prevention mode, how the Pomodoro® Technique can help with balancing work and rest to prevent fatigue, how blood sugar imbalances can affect pain, modifying activities to make them more comfortable and manageable, speaking up for your needs early and clearly, increasing your self-awareness, planning ahead with strategies for preventing pain in specific situations, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Listening to your body is one of the key things you need to do to make everything else work."

Over the past ten years of teaching people about fibromyalgia, Tami has seen certain issues repeatedly come up that get in the way of the healing journey. Last week, during our Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® training class, a student raised an important question about how we identify these issues when we have a client who isn't improving as we would like them to.

The more you learn about fibromyalgia, the more aware you are of tools that could help you and why your symptoms may not be improving. At the same time, some less obvious issues often go unnoticed but must be addressed to make progress. Things like working with a doctor who doesn't quite know what to do with us, being in a season of life that doesn't allow us to prioritize ourselves, or unconscious trauma responses that block us from making the changes we need to.

In today's episode, Tami is sharing the top three hidden reasons why your fibromyalgia symptoms might not be improving. She discusses why not listening to your body can block healing (whether or not it's unintentional), the key difference between consciously ignoring your body and being unaware of what it needs, the benefits of writing your body's owner's manual, how trauma can make it harder to manage your symptoms, acknowledging that rest and awareness are essential for healing, how undiagnosed or undertreated health conditions can get in the way of your healing journey, underlying conditions that Tami had to address as a part of her fibro journey, advocating for yourself and finding medical professionals who listen, how fibromyalgia amplifies other sources of pain, the importance of being realistic and managing expectations, why some people may not be ready, willing, or able to do the work required for improvement, when it's okay not to do the work, support for those facing financial or geographic limitations, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Good care changes how your body experiences what's happening to you." - Tami Stackelhouse

Have you ever felt tension as you walked into a medical appointment, already bracing yourself for a bad experience? Tami talks about a sort of "doctor PTSD that comes with too many experiences with practitioners where you had to explain your fibromyalgia symptoms for the hundredth time just to feel dismissed, minimized, or just passed along. After enough difficult experiences, it's easy to start believing that good care is a bonus instead of something we genuinely deserve.

When you live with a chronic illness like fibromyalgia, care matters on a nervous system level. Feeling safe, informed, supported, and understood doesn't just change your emotions. It changes how your body experiences pain, stress, fear, and recovery. The way you're cared for can completely shape how your body responds to that experience. The same is true for how you care for yourself. Rest, preparation, support, comfort, medication, boundaries, asking for help - that's support for a nervous system that's already carrying a lot.

In this episode, Tami talks about why good medical care changes the entire physical, emotional, and nervous system experience for people with fibromyalgia, her fantastic experience getting a mammogram-assisted biopsy, how lived experience can deepen empathy in healthcare, practicing unapologetic self-care, the importance of planning for recovery time, recognizing the nervous system impact of medical stress, advocating for your needs with family, employers, and your support system during difficult periods, how the right care can physically change the body's experience, whole-person care that recognizes both physical and emotional realities, practicing more self-kindness and challenging the harsh inner critic, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Your doctor not having answers doesn't mean there aren't answers." - Tami Stackelhouse

One of the hardest parts of living with fibromyalgia is what happens after the diagnosis. Maybe you finally get a name for what's happening, but then instead of clarity, you're handed a pamphlet, a prescription with no explanation, or generic advice to manage stress and exercise more. You're left with unanswered questions that over time can make you start believing that maybe this is just how things are have to be.

Unfortunately, most medical training doesn't spend much time on treating fibromyalgia so even doctors who want to help may never have been taught how to do so. That doesn't mean your situation is hopeless. It just means there are gaps in the system and you probably have to expand your support system to get the best possible outcome for your life with fibromyalgia.

In this episode, Tami discusses the common experience of feeling dismissed, unheard, or neglected by doctors, how repeated disappointment can slowly create a sense of hopelessness, why many doctors don't have better answers for fibromyalgia despite wanting to help, the little pain management training many medical schools provide, why a doctor not having answers doesn't mean there are no answers, the importance of becoming an expert on your own body, why the goal is has to be more than just symptom management, the value of building an fibro support team, how the Fibromyalgia Wellness Style℠ Quiz can help identify your strengths and challenges, why we need to redefine fibromyalgia awareness, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"If I could give you one thing for Fibromyalgia Awareness Month, it wouldn't actually be awareness… it would be your life back." - Tami Stackelhouse

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day and Month can feel emotionally complicated. Awareness matters. Better research, education, and medical care matter. But at the same time, constantly explaining yourself, proving your symptoms are real, and revisiting painful experiences can be exhausting for people actually living with fibromyalgia.

In this special 2026 Fibromyalgia Awareness Day episode, Tami shares a personal message to the fibro community about why awareness matters, why many people with fibromyalgia are already more than aware, the long gap between research and real-world patient care, why a lack of answers is not the same thing as a lack of options, and why improvement is absolutely possible.

Other resources mentioned:

• Register for the Fibromyalgia Association's 25th annual Fibromyalgia Awareness Day conference at ManageFibromyalgia.org. This event features Dr. Andrea Chadwick and Sharon Waldrop, NBC-HWC, and is held via Zoom so anyone can attend no matter where you live. The Fibromyalgia Podcast is proud to be a sponsor of this event.
• Episode 105, Talk To Your Doctor Effectively with Dr. Andrea Chadwick

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"This isn't just you being a hot mess… this is real." - Tami Stackelhouse

Have you ever found yourself in a moment where everything feels a little off? Your energy is lower than usual, your brain is foggy, and you keep dropping the ball. At the same time, because nothing obvious has happened, it's easy to start questioning yourself. "Why can't I get it together right now?"

What we often overlook is the huge impact that uncertainty can have on us. Not just emotionally, but physically too. When there are unresolved issues hanging in the background, your body doesn't just ignore them. It uses energy to process and hold on to it. For those of us already living with fibromyalgia, that drain can show up quickly as fatigue, brain fog, and a lower capacity for everyday life. You're not making excuses, it's not a lack of effort, and it's not a character flaw. Your body is responding to something very real.

In this episode, Tami shares a very personal peek into what she's navigating in her life right now and how uncertainty has been impacting her energy, focus, and capacity. Tami discusses what happened to trigger her realization of how exhausting constant uncertainty can be, why she had to shift away from her podcasting plans, recognizing the difference between an excuse and a response to real life, the weight of not knowing, how uncertainty can intensify fibromyalgia symptoms, how the different Fibromyalgia Wellness Styles℠ respond to uncertainty, learning to adjust your expectations, finding ways to create calm when life feels unpredictable, living with the everyday uncertainty that fibromyalgia brings, giving yourself grace and flexibility, focusing on the type of support your body needs, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

When symptoms don't fit neatly into one box, it's hard to know where to turn. Many women with fibromyalgia are also dealing with things like painful or irregular periods, stubborn weight changes, fatigue, mood shifts, or feeling like something is off even when tests come back "normal." When every symptom gets treated as a separate issue, it's easy to end up with pieces of advice that never quite come together.

So often, the problem isn't that you aren't trying hard enough. It's that no one has helped you step back and look at the bigger picture. Bodies are connected systems, and when hormones, stress, inflammation, nervous system patterns, and daily habits all influence each other, healing usually needs a more whole-body approach too. Sometimes the most important shift is moving from fighting symptoms one by one to learning what your body has been trying to say all along.

Today, Tami is joined by Lindsie Vizethann, a former nurse, health coach, host of the PCOS Unfiltered podcast, and author of Healing Beyond the Diagnosis. After navigating her own health challenges and seeing firsthand how many women with PCOS feel dismissed or stuck, Lindsie now helps women understand the deeper patterns behind their symptoms. In this conversation, she and Tami explore the overlap between PCOS and fibromyalgia, why common approaches often fall short, and what can change when you start working with your body instead of against it.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"You're not failing because you're not trying hard enough. You're probably just doing the right things at the wrong time." - Tami Stackelhouse

Have you ever felt the frustration of doing everything you're supposed to be doing, but nothing seems to be working? You're following the advice and showing up for yourself as best you can, but instead of things getting easier, it feels like you're stuck or even sliding backward. That's a really hard place to be.

Over the years, what Tami has seen time and time again is that managing your symptoms is not about doing more or trying harder. Pushing into habits, routines, or even healthy changes before your body or your life is ready can actually backfire. When the foundation isn't ready, even good habits won't help. Understanding where you are and what your body needs at that stage can change everything.

In this solo episode, Tami introduces the Fibro Hierarchy of Needs, a framework designed to help you understand why progress can feel so inconsistent and what to focus on instead. She walks through the different layers, from stabilizing your body and environment, to rebuilding connection, trust, and eventually expanding your life beyond symptom management. This episode offers a clearer path forward for anyone who feels stuck, overwhelmed, or like nothing is working, and a way to start aligning your efforts with what your body actually needs right now.

In this episode, Tami introduces the Fibro Hierarchy of Needs, a framework designed to help you understand where to focus your efforts at different stages of your fibro journey. She shares the stages of the Fibro Hierarchy of Needs, why progress depends on building from the right foundation, why your body needs to feel safe before habits can stick, reducing chaos and creating a supportive setup around you, the importance of belonging and connection, rebuilding trust in yourself after unpredictable symptoms, expanding your life beyond just managing symptoms, why feeling stuck is usually a problem of perspective, how to identify your next step based on where you are in the hierarchy, guidance and support in moving forward with clarity, giving back and becoming a helper once you have walked the path, remembering that the goal is not just symptom management but building a meaningful life, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Anxiety from insomnia triggers our fight or flight reaction and that's not conducive to falling asleep." - Dr. Leon Lack

There's a particular kind of exhaustion that comes with fibromyalgia, the kind where your body feels completely drained, but your brain just won't turn off. You lie there, waiting for sleep to come, watching the clock, knowing how much you need rest and feeling your body become more tense the longer it doesn't happen. Over time, bedtime itself can start to feel stressful, like something you're doing wrong instead of something your body naturally does.

What makes this even more frustrating is that the harder you try to sleep, the more awake you can feel. Worrying about sleep, thinking about tomorrow, and calculating how many hours you have left can quietly activate your stress response. Once that cycle starts, it tends to repeat night after night. Understanding why this happens can be incredibly validating and helps explain why sleep struggles aren't a failure on your part, but a pattern your body has learned and can also unlearn.

Today, Tami is joined by Dr. Leon Lack to take a deep dive into insomnia and what you can do to start retraining your sleep. Dr. Lack is a sleep researcher and professor emeritus at Flinders University in Australia, who has spent decades studying insomnia and circadian rhythms, and his research has helped shape many of the behavioural treatments used for insomnia today.

In this conversation, Tami and Dr. Lack discuss what insomnia actually is, why common sleep hygiene advice often misses the mark, how insomnia becomes a vicious cycle, the different types of insomnia, the need to distinguish between fatigue, sleepiness, and tiredness, why conditioned arousal sits at the center of most insomnia cases, pros and cons of sleep medications, the difference between acute and chronic insomnia, how circadian rhythm disruptions contribute to insomnia, CBT-I and why behavioral strategies are often the starting point, sleep efficiency training and how it helps consolidate sleep, using melatonin and morning light to support circadian rhythm and sleep timing, options for accessing support, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"It kind of felt like it was just her and I against the world." - Ann Garner

When a child develops fibromyalgia or another chronic pain condition, it can feel incredibly isolating for the whole family. Parents are trying to understand the condition themselves while also advocating for their child with doctors, teachers, and even extended family members who may not fully believe what's happening. As a parent without a community, it feels like you're navigating everything on your own.

For kids living with fibromyalgia, that isolation can be even harder. Their pain is invisible, and they're quietly managing limitations their peers can't see. Finding others who really understand that experience can be life-changing. Connecting with people who are on a similar journey often brings community, validation, and hope for the future.

In this episode, Tami is joined by Ann Garner, a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®  and mom raising a teenager with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, to talk about her family's experience attending family camp held by the Pediatric Pain Warriors program from the US Pain Foundation. Tami and Ann talk about her daughter Lily's early symptoms and the long road to receiving a fibromyalgia diagnosis, Ann's experience as a mother with fibromyalgia watching her daughter develop similar symptoms, the importance of learning to advocate for your child, how Ann discovered the Pediatric Pain Warriors program, what it was like to attend their first camp, how adaptive activities, sports, and support groups create an inclusive environment where kids with chronic pain can feel capable and supported, the strong support network that formed with other families at the camp, navigating the challenge of learning to be authentic about pain, how the camp experience changed Ann's perspective as both a coach and a parent, why community and shared experience matter so much for families navigating chronic illness, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"We don't go from severely symptomatic to fibro-free overnight, right? Improvement with fibromyalgia can be subtle, and it does take time." - Tami Stackelhouse

Going through life with fibromyalgia, many of us quietly hope that one day we'll wake up without pain, fatigue, or brain fog. Unfortunately, in reality, improvement is small and can be hard to see while it's happening. Sometimes you might feel better for a week or two and then you have a flare and you feel like you're back at square one. It can feel like nothing is changing, even if things actually are.

Improvement with fibromyalgia often shows up in quiet ways. Flares might not hit as hard as they used to. Recovery may happen a little faster. You might start noticing patterns that help you support your body before symptoms spiral. These shifts can be subtle, making them easy to overlook, especially when memory, brain fog, and emotional bias color our perception of our bad days. Learning how to track your symptoms in a simple, sustainable way can help you see those patterns more clearly and recognize progress that might otherwise go unnoticed.

In this solo episode, Tami walks through why tracking symptoms can be one of the most powerful tools for understanding your fibromyalgia. Tami talks about what improvement looks like in fibromyalgia, why progress doesn't usually mean immediate symptom elimination, how daily symptom tracking can make a significant difference on your healing journey, Tami's tips for making tracking sustainable, how to use your tracking and symptom logs, how the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire can help measure meaningful changes in symptoms, the role of assessment, personalized planning, and ongoing adjustments in a wellness framework, normalizing setbacks and course corrections using the analogy of a GPS recalculating the route, common mistakes we make once we start improving, what remission actually means in fibromyalgia, what progress really looks like, the idea of the "sticky middle," when improvement is happening but hard to recognize, recognizing the real life signs of improvement, when it may be helpful to seek specialized support or coaching, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Asking for and receiving help is not about being less capable. It's about using your limited energy for what matters most." - Tami Stackelhouse 

If you've been living with fibromyalgia for some time, you can probably identify with remembering how different thing were before when you were the capable and dependable one who everyone relied on. Shifting from being the helper to being the one who needs help can feel uncomfortable at best and heartbreaking at worst. That's why for so many of us, asking for help brings up feelings of guilt, fear of being a burden, and a quiet voice saying we should be able to do more.

The uncomfortable truth we have to learn is that asking for help is not failure. It's about choosing where your limited resources will go instead of spending it all on things that leave you wiped out and unable to show up for what matters most. Being able to name what you need clearly and accept help when it's offered with kindness and grace is good for our health but it can also strengthen relationships and model healthy boundaries. Receiving help cleanly, without over-explaining or apologizing, is a skill. And like any skill, it takes practice.

In this episode, Tami discusses the emotional shift when we become less independent, how poor timing makes seeking help more complicated, what happens when you don't ask for help and overextend yourself, what her childhood experience with a house fire taught her about community, recognizing thatreceiving help is a gift that strengthens relationships, how asking for help models empathy, responsibility, and healthy interdependence for children, how delegating can empower others, rewiring early messages we received about the value of doing it all alone, reframing help as a protecting your energy for what matters most, practical steps to start building the skill of asking for and receiving help with grace, accepting help imperfectly, beginning with safe people and low stakes situations, allowing yourself to learn through imperfection, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Welcome to the final episode of our special Be a Coach series. So far, I've answered questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Some of the topics covered in the first three parts of this special series were what a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® and a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is, the difference between the two, who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® and who is better suited to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®, what you need and don't need to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why the world needs fibro coaches, and why you should consider becoming one.

In this final installment, I'm digging into the nuts and bolts of how you can become a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®; including the exact steps you need to take.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

• Did you catch our Virtual Open House? Tami answered the top six questions about our classes, plus the differences between our Advisor and Coach training paths, and which one might be right for you. Discover our tuition and payment options, and how our classes are tailored for fibro brains and bodies. Catch the replay of the event here.
• Don't like waiting? Get the full Be A Coach series NOW! Register to access the complete 'Be A Coach' series, along with several bonus episodes, delivered straight to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to sign up for FREE.
• Interested in hearing from our alumni about their journey in our courses? Register to receive our complimentary 'Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope' collection, automatically delivered to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to subscribe. Use this link to subscribe.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

There aren't enough stories out there of people with fibromyalgia who actually got better. Too often, we're told that we'll need to learn to live with the symptoms we're experiencing and that that's going to be our new normal. But while fibromyalgia can be debilitating and will change your life, it's not true that nothing can be done, and the stories we're sharing today are proof of that.

Hope doesn't come from pushing harder or pretending symptoms aren't real. It comes from learning how to listen to your body, making small shifts that add up over time, and recognizing that improvement can look different for each person. For some, it means finding the right medical care. For others, it's creating routines that protect their energy or realizing that healing can include both self-care and practical changes. Growth is possible even when the path forward feels uncertain.

Today, in the twelfth installment of our Stories of Hope and Healing, you'll have another opportunity to hear directly from people living with fibromyalgia who have found ways to feel better. You're going to hear stories from four recent graduates about the growth they've experienced through coaching and what they've learned from our programs. 

In this episode, you'll hear about why these stories of hope and healing need to be shared, Sabina's journey to realizing that not all her pain was fibromyalgia, when healing can start with greater awareness and what feels like a step back, Kirsten's fitness background and how fibromyalgia forced her to rethink her ideas on self-care, redefining what is possible with fibromyalgia, what's behind Kirsten's 80% symptom improvement, blending lived experience with coaching, Biani's decision to act quickly after diagnosis, what's behind her 48% symptom improvement, her decision to focus on non-medication strategies, sleep hygiene, and routine adjustments, the importance of consistency and being open to trying different things, choosing supportive communities on your fibromyalgia healing journey, working with personalized coaching support and tailoring strategies to individual needs, Megan's continued improvement even after thinking she had plateaued, the impact of supplements, mindset shifts, and combined strategies on sleep and energy, Megan's coaching goals, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Welcome to episode 03 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In episode one of the series, I explained what a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® is and what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is.

Episode two of the series was all about who makes a good coach and who is better suited to be an advisor. I also covered what you need and don't need to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In this episode, we're taking a deeper look at why someone would want to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why the world needs fibro coaches, and why you should consider becoming one.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

• Did you catch our Virtual Open House? Tami answered the top six questions about our classes, plus the differences between our Advisor and Coach training paths, and which one might be right for you. Discover our tuition and payment options, and how our classes are tailored for fibro brains and bodies. Catch the replay of the event here.
• Don't like waiting? Get the full Be A Coach series NOW! Register to access the complete 'Be A Coach' series, along with several bonus episodes, delivered straight to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to sign up for FREE.
• Interested in hearing from our alumni about their journey in our courses? Register to receive our complimentary 'Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope' collection, automatically delivered to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to subscribe. Use this link to subscribe.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"A fibro-friendly, fresh start isn't about staying on track forever. It's about gently correcting your trajectory when things drift off." - Tami Stackelhouse

Fresh starts are supposed to feel hopeful, but with fibromyalgia, they can feel heavy instead. The start of a new year brings many of us pressure to get it together, do better, and somehow reset everything at once, even when we're already exhausted. Then, when our bodies don't cooperate the way the plan expected them to, we start wondering what's wrong with us.

The truth is, most fresh start advice isn't made for fibro bodies. They have quiet assumptions of consistent energy, predictable capacity, and unlimited willpower. But when your nervous system is sensitive, and your energy fluctuates, pushing harder usually makes things worse, not better. A fibro-friendly fresh start looks different. It's gentle, flexible, and based on today's reality, not who you wish you were. Small steps, compassionate restarts, and creating space for healing often matter far more than motivation or perfection.

In this episode, Tami shares what a fibro-friendly fresh start looks like and why discipline-based plans don't work for those of us with chronic illness. She explains why discipline-based plans fail for people with fibromyalgia, how the just-do-it mindset activates our threat response and worsens fibro symptoms, why it's not your fault when fresh starts fail, what a fibro-friendly fresh start looks like, why small steps matter more than motivation, recognizing that rest and space are essential for healing, checking in with yourself and choosing one realistic next step, letting go of perfectionism and rules about productivity, focusing on one small change at a time, how to restart gently when things go off track, why kindness is the key to sustainable progress, why rest is not a reward, personalizing your fresh start instead of copying what works for others, understanding your Fibromyalgia Wellness Style℠ and what fits you, why long-term planning can be hard with fibromyalgia, how getting a little better every day adds up over time, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Welcome to episode 02 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®. I cover all the basics… the who, what, when, where, why, and even the how.

Don't understand what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Adviser is? No problem. Just pop on over to episode one of the series because that is exactly what we covered in that episode.

In this episode, I'm covering the who. Who makes a good coach? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®? And, how do you know which one you might be?

I also cover what I look for in the applications I accept into the training program and what you need and don't need to join us a become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Advisor yourself.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

• Join us at our next Virtual Open House! Tami will answer the top six questions about our classes. Learn the differences between our Advisor and Coach training paths, and uncover which one is right for you. Discover our tuition and payment options, and how our classes are tailored for fibro brains and bodies. Register for the FREE event here.
• Don't like waiting? Get the full Be A Coach series NOW! Register to access the complete 'Be A Coach' series, along with several bonus episodes, delivered straight to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to sign up for FREE.
• Interested in hearing from our alumni about their journey in our courses? Register to receive our complimentary 'Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope' collection, automatically delivered to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to subscribe. Use this link to subscribe.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Pay attention to what your body is telling you and treat yourself with kindness." - Dr. Robin Pfaff

The end of the year can be a lot and by the time January arrives, we're already worn out. There were big demands on your time and energy to meet holiday expectations, the darker days don't help and, once we reach the new year, there's pressure to reset, improve, and push forward as if our bodies didn't come with limits. When you're living with fibromyalgia, the "new year, new me" pressure often leads to flares, overwhelm, and the feeling of starting the year already behind.

For fibro bodies, pushing harder usually isn't the answer. When your nervous system is already sensitive, what it needs most is safety, not force. Slowing down, listening more closely to your body, and treating yourself with kindness instead of criticism can shift how pain, energy, and even emotions show up day to day. Sometimes the most meaningful changes don't come from doing more, but from softening your expectations and meeting yourself where you are.

Today, Tami is joined by Dr. Robin Pfaff, a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, national board-certified health and wellness coach, and author of Living Your Best Life with Fibromyalgia. Robin has lived with fibromyalgia for nearly 30 years and brings both professional expertise and lived experience to this conversation. In this conversation, Tami and Robin talk about why traditional New Year's resolutions often backfire for people with fibromyalgia, how mindful self-compassion helps calm the nervous system, the three core elements of mindful self-compassion, why January is especially hard for so many people and why that context matters for fibro bodies, treating yourself with the same kindness you would offer a close friend, the difference between traditional goal setting and a fibro-friendly approach, using micro-practices and tiny steps instead of big resolutions, reframing self care as experimentation, simple and practical tools and why small, consistent practices are often more effective than big changes, giving yourself permission to slow down and do less, rethinking routines and noticing when you're over scheduling why fibromyalgia coaching can make a big difference, creating an internal sense of safety that supports healing, finding micro-joys and small rituals that offer comfort and meaning, stories from Robin's clients and how they found renewed hope, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

As a master Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, author, and fibro podcaster, the questions I'm asked more than any others are:

How do I get better?

How do I improve my Fibromyalgia so I can get back to living the life I want to live?

While those sound like simple questions, they do not have simple answers. We all have similar symptoms, what helps you feel better may not be the thing that helps me feel better. We all have to find our own magic formula for what makes us feel best.

I know from personal experience just how overwhelming it can be to find that formula on your own. That's why I created a training program in 2015 that would teach people just like you how to improve their own Fibromyalgia, and how to help others do the same.

In this first episode of a special series where I'll be answering a lot of questions I get about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and about becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, I want to start super basic.

We're going over what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is, how that's different from a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®, why you should consider the Advisor class if you're a patient who just wants to feel better, who else the Advisor class is perfect for, what the certification aspect really means, the staggering statistics on how many participants see significant improvements in their symptoms by the end of the Advisor class.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

• Join us at our next Virtual Open House! Tami will answer the top six questions about our classes. Learn the differences between our Advisor and Coach training paths, and uncover which one is right for you. Discover our tuition and payment options, and how our classes are tailored for fibro brains and bodies. Register for the FREE event here.
• Don't like waiting? Get the full Be A Coach series NOW! Register to access the complete 'Be A Coach' series, along with several bonus episodes, delivered straight to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to sign up for FREE.
• Interested in hearing from our alumni about their journey in our courses? Register to receive our complimentary 'Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope' collection, automatically delivered to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to subscribe. Use this link to subscribe.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Fibromyalgia patients have lived with, 'Well, it's nothing. We're giving you nothing, and don't come back.' We're not doing that anymore." - Dr. Andrew Holman

Living with fibromyalgia, you know what it feels like to live in a body that never really settles down. Even when we're resting, there's a background tension that doesn't fully release. Sleep doesn't restore us the way it should, stress lingers longer than it seems to for other people, and pain feels louder than it should. It's exhausting feeling like your nervous system is always braced for impact, even on the days when you're doing everything "right."

This constant feeling of being on edge isn't about mindset or resilience. It's about how our nervous system has learned to respond over time. When your body stays stuck in fight-or-flight, it interferes with the deep, restorative sleep you need and amplifies pain and sensitivity throughout the day. That's why getting a deeper understanding of how your nervous system is reacting and supporting it to move away from the fight-or-flight state is often a significant piece of the puzzle in managing your fibro symptoms.

Today, Tami is joined by Dr. Andrew Holman, a board-certified rheumatologist with decades of experience working with fibromyalgia patients. Dr. Holman is the co-founder of Inmedix and has spent years studying how stress biology and autonomic nervous system imbalance affect pain, sleep, and healing.

In this conversation, Tami and Dr. Holman discuss Dr Holman's clinical observations on fibromyalgia, patterns he noticed over decades treating patients with fibromyalgia, why heart rate variability (HRV) matters, his response to skepticism about fibromyalgia, his perspective on the question of whether fibromyalgia is autoimmune, how sleep deprivation can drive symptoms, why deep restorative sleep matters for pain and cognition, how the autonomic nervous system affects your body, what HRV measures and why it's a useful window into the stress response, how newer HRV tech aims to separate sympathetic and parasympathetic activity more precisely, using HRV and resting heart rate to spot overexertion and help pace activity, what clinical outcomes can look like when autonomic balance improves, HRV as a potential missing vital sign, the usefulness of HRV data for guiding more individualized treatment decisions, autonomic medicine as a growing frontier, practical steps you can take to better support your nervous system, the critical link between sleep apnea and fibromyalgia, addressing comorbidities that may be contributing to your symptoms, cervical cord compression as a possible contributor to autonomic dysfunction, why tenderness matters in diagnosis, where Dr. Holman's new HRV tech is in the rollout process, what he sees for the future of fibromyalgia research, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Fibromyalgia can completely break your relationship with yourself when your symptoms are unpredictable." Tami Stackelhouse

For many of us with fibromyalgia, goal setting doesn't just feel hard. It feels painful. You make a plan on a good day, only to wake up the next morning in pain or exhausted, and suddenly everything falls apart. After that happens enough times, it stops feeling like bad luck and starts to feel personal. You start doubting your body, your brain, and eventually yourself.

This is not a character flaw. It's a natural response to living in a body that changes the rules without warning. Traditional goal setting assumes predictable energy, consistent capacity, and stable days; things that fibromyalgia simply does not offer. Instead of trying to force ourselves into systems that don't fit, we need tools that are designed for fibro bodies in the first place.

In this episode, Tami shares a completely different approach to goal setting that actually works with fibromyalgia instead of against it. She talks about why starting small is essential when living with fibromyalgia, how managing unpredictable symptoms can slowly erode self trust, why traditional goal setting often fails for fibro bodies, the ferocious turtle metaphor and why steady progress works, why slow is smooth and smooth is fast when managing flares, making goals easier to climb by using small, close rungs, reducing overwhelm and prevent push crash cycles, focusing on rebuilding self trust, not pushing harder, what it really means to set stupidly small goals, how tiny wins rewire the brain, adapting SMART goals so they actually work with fibromyalgia, why flexibility matters, turning SMART goals into SMARTER goals, why awareness is often the first and most important goal, a simple five-step system for setting fibro friendly goals, choosing one small thing and adjusting as you go, how consistent tiny wins rebuild self trust over time, embracing the ferocious turtle mindset, trusting small steps forward, and more.

A gentler, more realistic approach to your goals can help you rebuild your confidence and take small steps forward. Remember: slow, steady progress really does count.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"The general public and even health professionals are not fully aware of the power of our circadian rhythms." - Dr. Leon Lack

If you've ever felt tired, foggy, and flared up when the seasons or the clocks change, you are not alone. Light is one of the most powerful signals to the brain, and when your body's internal clock, your circadian rhythm, becomes disrupted, that can influence your energy, pain levels, mood, and focus. For those of us already living with fibro's sensitive nervous system, even small shifts in daylight can have a significant impact.

Understanding your circadian rhythm can help you find balance with your energy, sleep quality, and other fibro symptoms. Morning light, evening routines, timing your wake-up, and even the type of light you're exposed to all influence how your body functions. When you understand how they all work together, light can become one of the simplest and most effective fibro-friendly tools for improving sleep, stabilizing your mood, and boosting your energy all year.

Today, Tami is excited to be joined by Professor Leon Lack, one of the world's leading experts on sleep, circadian rhythm, and light therapy, to talk about why light affects us so deeply  and how light therapy can support you. Dr. Lack is also the co-inventor of the Re-Timer light therapy glasses, one of Tami's favorite things for 2025.

In this conversation, they discuss what a circadian rhythm is, how it drives daily sleep and wake patterns, how light exposure shifts the body clock, the effects of social jetlag, inconsistent schedules, and sleep debt on mood, alertness, and pain, why some people are true evening types with delayed sleep phase challenges, how strategies like Tami's Lights Out Sundays can help reset body timing, what studies show about how natural light rapidly resets sleep, why morning light timing matters, how to identify your circadian low point to shift your rhythm more effectively, how light therapy works in cloudy or low-sunlight regions, the evolution from early light boxes to modern wearable devices, how light entering the eyes resets the brain's clock, Tami's experience using Re-Timer glasses, which wavelengths are most effective for shifting the body clock, why consistent morning light matters most, practical steps for shifting your sleep earlier, how winter darkness worsens mood and sleep, why jetlag adjustment varies from person to person, strategies for travel recovery, how evening light therapy can help early risers sleep later, best practices if you tend to sleep in, the risks of driving during circadian lows, why shift work remains so dangerous, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Fibromyalgia can take a lot from us, but it doesn't have to take everything." - Tami Stackelhouse

One of the hardest parts of living with fibromyalgia is how much joy can quietly disappear from your life. Activities you used to love start feeling out of reach and even simple things like going out with friends or spending time on a hobby can feel too draining. Over time, it's easy to lose sight of what brings you happiness when most of your energy is going toward managing your pain and getting through the day.

But joy is not something you "earn" once you feel better. Joy is part of what helps you feel better. It plays an essential role in calming your nervous system, lowering pain levels, and helping your body shift out of constant survival mode. When fibromyalgia makes your world smaller, joy often feels like the first thing to go, but it's actually one of the most powerful tools you have for healing. The good news is that joy doesn't need to be big or complicated. It just needs to be intentional.

In this episode, Tami walks you through her Joy List exercise, a simple and meaningful practice to help you identify personal sources of joy. She talks about how fibromyalgia can lead to a loss of hobbies, work, and social connection, the emotional weight that follows these changes, the biology of joy, how dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin support pain relief and healing, three reflective questions to help you rediscover what brings happiness and meaning, practical tips for creating your Joy List, why certain activities bring joy and how to adapt them in new ways, accepting that joy may look different now and that change is part of healing, focusing on the feeling of joy rather than trying to recreate past experiences, finding new forms of joy through creativity and flexibility, six simple ways to add joy into your daily life, reframing your understanding of joy as a muscle, why reconnecting with joy is crucial for managing fibromyalgia, why now is the best time to start or revisit your personal joy list, supportive resources you can utilize on your journey of rediscovering joy, knowing when to seek help from a coach or community, and more.

Remember, the parts of you that feel lost are still there, waiting for you to reach for them again.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Last year, Tami introduced her favorite things list. The list highlighted the top seven things from 2024 that she used in her everyday life and wouldn't want to live without.

Now, she's sharing a sneak peek of her list for 2025.

If you've ever heard of Oprah's Favorite Things list, this is like that, but with a fibro focus.

Some important things to keep in mind are that this is not a random list and companies cannot pay to be on it. Every item on this list is something Tami has personally tested, used, and loved enough to recommend to her clients and now you.

These items are the real deal. They're tools that support better sleep, less pain, steadier energy, and add a little extra sparkle to your day.

This year's list is grouped into three categories:

• Fibro Game Changers: Science-backed tools that truly make a difference in how your body feels and functions.
• Everyday Comforts: Small luxuries that make life a little more comfortable and fun.
• Daily Life Helpers: Practical tools you use every day that make life just a little bit easier.

In this episode, Tami shares one favorite from each category. For the complete guide with her curated picks, why she chose each item, direct purchasing links, and some discount codes, click the link below.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

Each year, Tami curates her Favorite Things — fibro-friendly tools, comfort items, and simple upgrades that make daily life easier and more enjoyable. Get this year's 2025 Favorite Things Guide, plus links to past years' lists and early access to future editions.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Have you ever wished people could truly understand what fibromyalgia feels like, or what it's like to live with a condition that never really goes away? You are not alone. Explaining fibromyalgia to the people you love is one of the hardest parts of living with an invisible illness.

From the outside, you might look perfectly fine, but inside, you feel like you've been run over by a truck. It's even harder when your symptoms change from day to day. You might manage errands or a social event one day and need to rest the next, leaving people confused or questioning what's going on. Trying to explain that experience to someone who has never experienced chronic pain feels impossible.

Today, Tami is sharing tools you can use to make these difficult conversations a little easier without wearing yourself out in the process. Using the right strategies and language can make a world of difference. Whether it's a simple analogy, a short story that captures the daily challenges, or setting clear boundaries around what you can and can't explain, these conversations can make all the difference in whether you feel supported or alone.

In this episode, Tami shares why fibromyalgia is so hard to explain, how its invisibility, fluctuating symptoms, and emotional weight affect daily life, simple, relatable analogies others without chronic pain can relate to, the power of using tactile demonstrations to show pain and sensitivity, the Spoon Theory and other analogies to explain daily limits, sharing books and other media to educate others, how you can use stealth tactics to help your loved ones understand what you're experiencing, understanding the three circles of trust, setting boundaries and learning to say no without guilt, resources that help with explaining fibromyalgia to children, how growing up with a family member with a chronic illness can teach empathy and resilience, choosing the right time and place to have these fibro conversations, accepting imperfect help and building a supportive team, why you need to create a flare survival plan, how professionals and coaches can help to improve your quality of life, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

Join us for the Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition. This is a completely free, 10-day virtual event happening October 13th through 24th, designed to help you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

If you've ever wanted to take a class from Tami Stackelhouse — but it wasn't in your budget or schedule — this is your chance!

The Living Well With Fibromyalgia: Holiday Edition event is happening now, and it's completely free to join.

You'll get nearly three months of professional-level fibromyalgia education, focused on helping you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy — and discover simple, proven strategies to help you take back control of your body and your holidays.

Register free at FibroWellnessSummit.com and start listening today!

Join us for the Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition. This is a completely free, 10-day virtual event happening October 13th through 24th, designed to help you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"You don't have to do it all this holiday season. Do the things that matter most to you." - Tami Stackelhouse

The holidays can be a difficult time of year for people living with fibromyalgia. Between shopping, cooking, decorating, family gatherings, and endless to-do lists, it's easy to push yourself too far and end up in a massive fibro flare. You want to show up for the people you love, but your body will remind you that there's only so much you can give.

Luckily, a memorable holiday season doesn't just come from doing everything you've always done. Instead, it should be about doing what matters most. By learning to prioritize, pace yourself, and let go of the "shoulds," you can create a season that's joyful and supportive of your health instead of draining it. As we head towards the holidays, take your time, slow down, choose what feels right for you, and give yourself permission to rest without guilt.

In this episode, Tami talks about why it's time to start thinking about navigating the holiday season, balancing energy and prioritizing what matters, planning buffer/recovery days before and after events, fibro-friendly food strategies, tips for eating safely, setting boundaries, mindset shifts for a less stressful holiday, time-savers to reduce stress this holiday season, why you should think ahead about dressing for comfort and creating a sensory-friendly environment for yourself, the impact of focusing on meaningful decorations and simplifying your holiday decor, the importance of accepting help, prioritizing joy over holiday "shoulds," letting go of old traditions and creating new ones, and more. You'll also get a sneak peek into the upcoming Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition, featuring talks from Certified Fibromyalgia Coaches® on areas like balancing commitments, setting boundaries, and creating joyful new traditions.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

Join us for the Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition. This is a completely free, 10-day virtual event happening October 13th through 24th, designed to help you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

I'm taking a break from the podcast this week celebrate my husband's birthday on a cruise to Alaska! I'll have a new episode for you on October 7th. In the meantime, feel free to check out any of the previous episodes to hold you over until then.

Also... don't forget to register for the Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition happening October 13–24, 2025!

Join me and seven of my coaches for 10 days of gentle, fibro-friendly talks designed to help you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy.

👉 Get all the info and sign up free at FibroWellnessSummit.com

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Be honest — are you already wondering how you're going to survive the holidays this year without ending up in a flare that takes weeks, or even months, to recover from?

We know that feeling all too well — and that's exactly why we've created something brand new this year: the Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition.

This is a completely free, 10-day virtual event happening October 13th through 24th, designed to help you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy.

You'll learn:
✨ How to reduce pain and flares during the holidays
✨ How to save your energy — and your sanity
✨ How to handle stress without ending up in bed
✨ And how to actually enjoy the moments that matter most

If you're ready to step into the holidays calmer, more joyful, and flare-free, we'd love for you to join us.

Sign up today at FibroWellnessSummit.com

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Have you been hearing the buzz about the new medication approved for the treatment of fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia can come with a myriad of symptoms that make everyday life more difficult. With the limited pharmaceutical options available, the addition of another FDA-approved medication is a ray of hope. Tonmya™ is the first medication approved for fibromyalgia in over 15 years, promising a new option for those of us with fibromyalgia.

Today, Tami is joined by Dr. Seth Lederman, one of the co-founders of the company that developed Tonmya™, to talk about the journey from idea to FDA approval and what it could mean for the fibromyalgia community. With decades of experience in rheumatology, immunology, and drug development, Dr. Lederman has been focused on helping people with fibromyalgia for much of his career.

In this conversation, Tami and Dr. Lederman discuss his medical and research background, why he focused on fibromyalgia, advances in fibromyalgia research, the FDA approval process, why Tonmya™ targets non-restorative sleep and Dr. Harvey Moldofsky's influence, clinical trial design, dosing studies, and FDA requirements, outcomes measured in trials and the focus on pain reduction and sleep challenges, challenges in developing Tonmya™ including high placebo response and financial risks, how Tonmya™ differs from Flexeril, side effects of Tonmya™ and how it compares to other treatments, how quickly patients may see benefits, tolerability and safety considerations, when Tonmya™ will be available and how it will be distributed, how patients can access Tonmya™ and find more information, efforts to make Tonmya™ affordable, the need for advocacy and raising awareness, future steps for Tonmya™, what you need to know about the criticisms of early Tonmya™ studies, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Welcome to the final episode of our special Be a Coach series. So far, I've answered questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Some of the topics covered in the first three parts of this special series were what a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® and a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is, the difference between the two, who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® and who is better suited to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®, what you need and don't need to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why the world needs fibro coaches, and why you should consider becoming one.

In this final installment, I'm digging into the nuts and bolts of how you can become a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®; including the exact steps you need to take.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

• Did you catch our Virtual Open House? Tami answered the top six questions about our classes, plus the differences between our Advisor and Coach training paths, and which one might be right for you. Discover our tuition and payment options, and how our classes are tailored for fibro brains and bodies. Catch the replay of the event here.
• Don't like waiting? Get the full Be A Coach series NOW! Register to access the complete 'Be A Coach' series, along with several bonus episodes, delivered straight to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to sign up for FREE.
• Interested in hearing from our alumni about their journey in our courses? Register to receive our complimentary 'Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope' collection, automatically delivered to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to subscribe. Use this link to subscribe.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

*Trigger Warning: This episode contains content about suicide*

"Getting well can be expensive. Too often, the things that help us most are the things insurance won't cover." – Tami Stackelhouse

For too many of us living with fibromyalgia, our quality of life and access to care depend on what we can afford, not what we actually need. Coaching, acupuncture, mobility aids, functional testing, and even travelling to see the right doctor often aren't covered by insurance. That gap leaves countless people stuck, unable to move forward on their healing journey simply because of finances.

This is why The Sherri Little Foundation was created. Founded in honor of one of Tami's clients who recognized how financial privilege shaped her fibromyalgia care, the foundation provides micro-grants to help people with chronic pain get the support they need but can't otherwise afford. From mobility scooters to travel expenses, accessibility modifications, or certain therapies, these grants are designed to remove barriers and give you the chance to reclaim your life.

In this episode, Tami discusses how financial barriers impact chronic pain patients, why The Sherri Little Foundation was created, Tami's experience with out-of-pocket medical costs, Sherri Little's story, the mission of the foundation to support those with limited resources, Tami's personal connection to its work, the story of Lily, a 14-year-old grant recipient from 2024, examples of how grants have helped fill systemic gaps in accessibility and care, eligible uses for these grants, details of the 2025 grant cycle, including exactly how you can apply,  financial and age requirements for applicants, the application process, tips for preparing application materials in advance, how the grant selection committee prioritizes applications, how you can get involved and support the mission, Tami's hopes for the future of the foundation, and more.

This year, the application window will open at midnight on September 1, 2025. The window will close on September 7, 2025, or when 50 applications have been submitted, whichever comes sooner. Tami expects the foundation to reach its application limit on the day of opening or the following day, so don't delay!

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Welcome to episode 03 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In episode one of the series, I explained what a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® is and what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is.

Episode two of the series was all about who makes a good coach and who is better suited to be an advisor. I also covered what you need and don't need to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In this episode, we're taking a deeper look at why someone would want to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why the world needs fibro coaches, and why you should consider becoming one.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

• Did you catch our Virtual Open House? Tami answered the top six questions about our classes, plus the differences between our Advisor and Coach training paths, and which one might be right for you. Discover our tuition and payment options, and how our classes are tailored for fibro brains and bodies. Catch the replay of the event here.
• Don't like waiting? Get the full Be A Coach series NOW! Register to access the complete 'Be A Coach' series, along with several bonus episodes, delivered straight to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to sign up for FREE.
• Interested in hearing from our alumni about their journey in our courses? Register to receive our complimentary 'Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope' collection, automatically delivered to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to subscribe. Use this link to subscribe.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Self-care is the beginning of a path to hope." - Micky Beaton

When life feels chaotic, self-care is usually the first thing to go (if it was even there in the first place). But for those of us living with fibromyalgia, that's when you need it the most. Deprioritizing the practices and tools that help you feel your best will lead to fibro flares, more pain, and less energy, making it even harder to keep up.

Self-care doesn't have to be complicated, expensive, or time-consuming. It doesn't have to be treating yourself to something extravagant. At the core, self-care is about prioritizing your health and your body and treating yourself the way you'd treat someone you love. It means listening to your body, making small, deliberate choices that support your well-being, and letting go of the guilt that often comes with putting yourself first. When you make yourself one of your "favorite people," you create the best chance for you to have a better quality of life.

Today, Tami is joined by Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® Micky Beaton to talk about how you can create a reliable self-care routine that is sustainable and fits into your life. Micky was diagnosed with fibromyalgia over 20 years ago and spent many of the years since searching for answers. Recognizing that there were many other people out there with fibromyalgia who needed the right support, Micky joined the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® and then Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® training programs.

In this conversation, Tami and Micky explore Micky's diagnosis experience and early struggles with fibromyalgia, the push-crash cycle she found herself stuck in for a long time, her path to life coaching, further education, and discovering fibromyalgia coaching, why what works for one person may not work for another, finding positives in chronic illness, Micky's ongoing learning and passion for coaching, her experience of mutual growth with clients since becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, how coaching helps clients maintain self-care and accountability, creating flexible self-care plans, what self-care really means, myths about self-care, the connection between independence and community, practical tips for delegating and overcoming perfectionism, the importance of building a support team, the pillars of self-care, why you should be having conversations with yourself, how self-care became Micky's passion, how self-care supports medical treatments and calms the nervous system, where to start with self-care without feeling overwhelmed, how to fit self-care into already busy lives, why it's important to begin with easy actions and celebrate small wins, why you should trust in the process and stay hopeful, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Welcome to episode 02 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®. I cover all the basics… the who, what, when, where, why, and even the how.

Don't understand what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Adviser is? No problem. Just pop on over to episode one of the series because that is exactly what we covered in that episode.

In this episode, I'm covering the who. Who makes a good coach? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®? And, how do you know which one you might be?

I also cover what I look for in the applications I accept into the training program and what you need and don't need to join us a become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Advisor yourself.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

• Join us at our next Virtual Open House! Tami will answer the top six questions about our classes. Learn the differences between our Advisor and Coach training paths, and uncover which one is right for you. Discover our tuition and payment options, and how our classes are tailored for fibro brains and bodies. Register for the FREE event here.
• Don't like waiting? Get the full Be A Coach series NOW! Register to access the complete 'Be A Coach' series, along with several bonus episodes, delivered straight to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to sign up for FREE.
• Interested in hearing from our alumni about their journey in our courses? Register to receive our complimentary 'Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope' collection, automatically delivered to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to subscribe. Use this link to subscribe.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

There aren't enough stories out there of people who have fibromyalgia and who have found ways to feel better. Many of our doctors tell us there's nothing we can do, and it's not uncommon to hear about how terrible life with fibromyalgia is. But while it can be debilitating, it's not a life sentence.

There's always something else you can try to manage your fibromyalgia symptoms. Life adjustments will have to be made, but feeling better is absolutely possible, and all of our students have experienced this for themselves. After taking the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, graduates see an average of 50% improvement in their symptoms, and after taking the Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® program, are often nearly symptom-free. Most fibromyalgia medications only offer 15-30% improvement, if they work for the individual at all.

Today, in the eleventh installment of our Stories of Hope and Healing, you're going to hear the stories of four recent graduates, as told by them. For this class, the Advisor students showed an average improvement of 66%, while our Coach students achieved scores that align with what some people consider remission.

In this episode you'll hear about how Jeannette overcame perfectionism and what she did to pace herself, why Jeannette wanted to become a coach, what she's learned from both client wins and challenges, the tools and strategy that most helped Jeannette improve her Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) score, Jeannette's ideal coaching clients, her advice for perfectionists just starting their healing journey, why Shelly chose community and coaching for her fibromyalgia journey, how her coach, Kim, helped her learn to manage her pace and setbacks, how Shelly achieved a 59% FIQR improvement through small, sustainable changes, Shelly's advice for listeners who feel overwhelmed, what it was like for Jacqui to start the class during her worst fibro flare, the major differences in Jacqui's life before and after coaching, the specific steps Jacqui took with her coach around medication, nutrition, and mindset, what inspired Jacqui to become a coach and help other fibromyalgia patients, Lauren's experience being diagnosed during the pandemic and with two young children, Lauren's two-year journey of gradual healing and the long-term strategies that made a difference, success stories from Lauren's clients, how Lauren supports mothers of neurodivergent children, Lauren's encouragement for moms navigating both fibromyalgia and caregiving, how you can get support on your fibromyalgia journey, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

As a master Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, author, and fibro podcaster, the questions I'm asked more than any others are:

How do I get better?

How do I improve my Fibromyalgia so I can get back to living the life I want to live?

While those sound like simple questions, they do not have simple answers. We all have similar symptoms, what helps you feel better may not be the thing that helps me feel better. We all have to find our own magic formula for what makes us feel best.

I know from personal experience just how overwhelming it can be to find that formula on your own. That's why I created a training program in 2015 that would teach people just like you how to improve their own Fibromyalgia, and how to help others do the same.

In this first episode of a special series where I'll be answering a lot of questions I get about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and about becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, I want to start super basic.

We're going over what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is, how that's different from a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®, why you should consider the Advisor class if you're a patient who just wants to feel better, who else the Advisor class is perfect for, what the certification aspect really means, the staggering statistics on how many participants see significant improvements in their symptoms by the end of the Advisor class.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

• Join us at our next Virtual Open House! Tami will answer the top six questions about our classes. Learn the differences between our Advisor and Coach training paths, and uncover which one is right for you. Discover our tuition and payment options, and how our classes are tailored for fibro brains and bodies. Register for the FREE event here.
• Don't like waiting? Get the full Be A Coach series NOW! Register to access the complete 'Be A Coach' series, along with several bonus episodes, delivered straight to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to sign up for FREE.
• Interested in hearing from our alumni about their journey in our courses? Register to receive our complimentary 'Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope' collection, automatically delivered to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to subscribe. Use this link to subscribe.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"It's never too late for your second spring." - Angi McClure

Have you ever felt like you were losing your physical independence because of your fibromyalgia? Maybe you struggle with tasks like climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or getting up off the floor? For many of us living with fibromyalgia, even simple daily tasks can feel draining.

Strengthening your resilience is the key to adapting through life's seasons. The good news is that, no matter what age or stage of your life you're in, there are gentle, practical, and sustainable ways to reconnect with your body, build resilience, and enhance your physical independence.

Today, Tami is joined by Angi McClure, a neuro-based movement therapist and founder of Bamboo Bodies. Angi specializes in age science and supports her clients through functional Chinese medicine, nutrition, and seasonal lifestyle habits. While Angi's work focuses on age training and longevity, the principles apply perfectly to those of us with fibromyalgia.

In this conversation, Tami and Angi discuss how Angi became interested in exploring age training and her personal and professional journey into supporting older adults, the parallels between aging and living with fibromyalgia, adapting to life's changes, why we should redefine physical independence as an athletic pursuit, recognizing the resilience of those with chronic illness and pain, why "training like an athlete" is more about mental and emotional resilience than physical exercise, the meaning of neurological resilience, why community is a crucial element in reconnecting with your body, energy management and The Spoon Theory, seasons of life and how they relate to aging and fibromyalgia, insights from Chinese medicine on life's seasons and their impact on health, the "second spring" and why it's never too late to adapt, how Angi bridges neuroscience and Chinese medicine, why pain is a brain output, how mindset and working on yourself builds resilience, the "threat bucket" analogy for stress and pain, practical ways to lighten your load, practical tools you can start using to support resilience, how to find joy in movement, the need for a personalized approach to movement, the benefits of qigong and playful movement, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Listening to your body is one of the key things you need to do to make everything else work."

Over the past ten years of teaching people about fibromyalgia, Tami has seen certain issues repeatedly come up that get in the way of the healing journey. Last week, during our Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® training class, a student raised an important question about how we identify these issues when we have a client who isn't improving as we would like them to.

The more you learn about fibromyalgia, the more aware you are of tools that could help you and why your symptoms may not be improving. At the same time, some less obvious issues often go unnoticed but must be addressed to make progress. Things like working with a doctor who doesn't quite know what to do with us, being in a season of life that doesn't allow us to prioritize ourselves, or unconscious trauma responses that block us from making the changes we need to.

In today's episode, Tami is sharing the top three hidden reasons why your fibromyalgia symptoms might not be improving. She discusses why not listening to your body can block healing (whether or not it's unintentional), the key difference between consciously ignoring your body and being unaware of what it needs, the benefits of writing your body's owner's manual, how trauma can make it harder to manage your symptoms, acknowledging that rest and awareness are essential for healing, how undiagnosed or undertreated health conditions can get in the way of your healing journey, underlying conditions that Tami had to address as a part of her fibro journey, advocating for yourself and finding medical professionals who listen, how fibromyalgia amplifies other sources of pain, the importance of being realistic and managing expectations, why some people may not be ready, willing, or able to do the work required for improvement, when it's okay not to do the work, support for those facing financial or geographic limitations, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In this special bonus episode, Tami is sharing a recent guest appearance she made on the To Your Health podcast hosted by Esther Avant.

Esther is a health industry veteran with 20 years of experience, passionately helping people stop starting over so they can build the consistency and confidence to create the kind of life they want — starting with their health.

Through her work, Esther shares practical tools and new ways of thinking to help audiences focus on what matters, lean on those who can help, and take compassionate ownership of the process.

With the To Your Health podcast, Esther empowers women to make meaningful, lasting changes for their physical, mental, and emotional health.

In the interview, Tami and Esther discuss everything from the basics of what fibromyalgia is, to how to tell the difference between fibromyalgia and other conditions like menopause. Tami also gives you some tips to better budget your energy and how to communicate better with your loved ones. Tami also discusses some mindset shifts that can really make a difference as you're learning to manage your fibromyalgia.

If you enjoy this episode, please check out the rest of Esther's podcast here.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"It's pretty amazing how much stress, emotion, memory, and trauma the pelvic bowl itself holds." - Dr. Desiree Cassell

Pelvic floor health is important to all of us. We all have a pelvic floor, and pelvic floor dysfunction can contribute to everything from incontinence and painful sex, which you might expect, but also knee, back, and hip pain, and even TMJ.

This dysfunction can stem from many different types of triggers, and the signs are not always obvious. Seeking out a specialized pelvic floor PT who is trauma-informed and understands the importance of an internal assessment can be life-changing for many women experiencing pelvic floor issues, as Tami has seen for many of her fibro clients.

Today, Tami is joined by Dr. Desiree Cassell, an expert pelvic floor physical therapist. After her first pregnancy, Dr. Desiree suffered from her own pelvic floor dysfunction, which she was able to resolve completely during her second pregnancy. This experience led to her passion in educating, empowering, and supporting other women throughout their lifespan, so that they don't have to accept these common issues as part of life.

In this conversation, Dr. Desiree and Tami discuss how to find a qualified pelvic floor physical therapist and why in-person exams matter, what the pelvic floor is, how it works, and how pelvic PT differs from traditional physical therapy, why internal pelvic floor assessments are important, how they help to break stigma, what to expect during an internal assessment, what these assessments can reveal about your pain, how to choose a trauma-informed pelvic floor therapist, why comfort and trust are essential, common symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, why the condition is often misunderstood, the connection between your pelvic floor and the rest of your body, the impact of surgeries like C-sections and hysterectomies on pelvic health, the lack of follow-up care, how fascia, scar tissue, and emotional trauma can affect your pelvic floor and overall well-being, what to do if you've had surgery or trauma without pelvic floor rehab, breathwork to support pelvic floor healing and nervous system regulation, practical breathwork tips for identifying and releasing tension in your body, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In this special bonus episode, Tami is sharing a recent guest appearance she made on the Manders Mindset podcast hosted by Amanda Russo.

Also known as The Breathing Goddess, Amanda is a Breathwork Detox Facilitator, Transformative Mindset Coach, and Divorce Paralegal.

Amanda's journey into mindset and empowerment began by working with children in group homes and daycares. She later transitioned to family law, helping people navigate the challenging emotions of divorce. During this time, Amanda also overcame her own weight and health challenges through strength training, meditation, yoga, reiki, and plant medicine.

The Manders Mindset podcast is where real people tell how shifting their mindsets—and often their words—has dramatically changed their lives.

In the interview, Tami and Amanda discuss the realities of living with a chronic illness that most doctors don't know how to treat, the emotional toll of being dismissed, the myths around fibromyalgia, what true healing looks like, the role radical self-awareness plays in that true healing journey, and why Tami decided to become the coach she wishes she would've had when she was first diagnosed.

If you enjoy this episode, please check out the rest of Amanda's podcast here.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Autism is not a problem that needs to be solved. Our co-occurring conditions are what need to be solved or accommodated." - Dr. Angela Kingdon

Did you know 41% of people with strong autistic traits also have fibromyalgia? It works the other way around, too, with 10 to 20% of people with fibromyalgia having autistic traits. Even for those of us who only have one of the two, there are many parallels, and our shared experiences are numerous. Embracing this as part of our identity and accepting the strengths and challenges associated with fibromyalgia and autism is the key to finding new levels of joy and healing.

Today, Tami is joined by Dr. Angela Kingdon to talk about the connection between autism and fibromyalgia and clear up the rampant misinformation around autism. Angela is a dynamic autistic advocate, author, and speaker renowned for her impactful work in promoting neurodiversity and supporting autistic individuals. 

In this conversation, Angela and Tami discuss Angela's experiences from late diagnosis to burnout, statistics on fibromyalgia and autism, understanding the concept of autistic traits, the challenges in obtaining an autism diagnosis for women and people of color, the importance of self-diagnosis in managing your health, how masking can complicate autism diagnosis, risks associated with high masking, the growing recognition of fibromyalgia and autism in healthcare, the stigmatization and misunderstanding of autism, why it's important to research and request accommodations the causes of autism, debunking the vaccine controversy, the impact of genetics vs. environment in developing autism, the need for more research to support autistic individuals, the prevalence of fibromyalgia and other conditions among autistic individuals, creating an inclusive environment that benefits everyone, recognizing autism as a different way of processing information, synaptic pruning in brain development and its relation to autism, differences in sensory processing in autistic brains, the uniqueness of each autistic individual's experience and the need for personalized accommodations, managing overwhelming situations and their impact on the nervous system, how societal factors influence the expression of autism, what do to next if you think you may be autistic, reasons for seeking a formal autism diagnosis, challenges associated with having a fibromyalgia or autism diagnosis, common misconceptions related to autism, navigating the pressure to conform, social challenges faced by autistic individuals and the desire for connection, comparing experiences of autism and fibromyalgia, the shift from viewing autism as a medical issue to embracing it as part of your identity, the role of coaching, the correlation between identity acceptance and mental health outcomes, accepting your identity as the first step in the healing process, the benefits of having a supportive community of people with similar experiences, the challenges of labels in the autistic community, understanding the spectrum concept in autism, how autism and fibromyalgia symptoms can vary from day to day based on numerous factors, finding joy in your identity, the bond between fibromyalgia and autism communities, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Inflammation is one of the root causes of many of our health issues, and we have the power to overcome it."

Western medicine has a toolkit that can be very effective, but, especially as fibromyalgia patients, we need options. Whether it's a prescription, practice, or natural supplement, expanding our fibro toolkit means that we're prepared no matter how life shifts on us. That's where natural options like turmeric can be an important addition to your fibro toolbox for managing symptoms like pain and inflammation.

In this Ask the Coach episode, Tami is joined by Dr. Shivani Gupta, an Ayurvedic practitioner who has her PhD in turmeric. In a world where conventional pain medications are no longer our first choice, the powerful anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric and its active compound, curcumin, have gained significant attention as natural alternatives.

In this conversation, Tami and Dr. Shivani discuss Ayurveda, its history, and its holistic approach to health and healing,  key principles of Ayurveda, why Dr. Shivani chose to study Ayurveda, her PhD research on turmeric, the difference between turmeric and curcumin, curcumin's potency and why consuming turmeric itself is probably not enough, how Dr. Shivani developed her products, the role of sleep in reducing inflammation and overall health management, the importance of sourcing high-quality curcumin, the lack of regulation in the supplement industry, why she chose to have her products third-party tested, Tami and Dr. Shivani's experiences with supplement quality and safety, the surprising statistics around loq quality and counterfeit supplements, the high standards required for supplements used in functional medicine, balancing natural remedies with conventional medicine for effective treatment, how to start supplementing with curcumin, who should avoid taking curcumin, the role of health coaches in simplifying health management, what to look for in your search for high-quality supplements, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

1 in 16 people in the US are affected by fibromyalgia, and 1 in 13 women specifically—that's about 6.4% of the population. To put these statistics in perspective, breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women, cervical cancer affects 1 in 13 women, and colon cancer affects 1 in 25 women and 1 in 23 men. Despite the similarity in prevalence, fibromyalgia has a long way to go in terms of awareness and medical training when compared to these other conditions. 

In our mission to improve this, a critical avenue for increasing awareness has been obtaining official proclamations for states to recognize May as Fibromyalgia Awareness Month and May 12th as Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. Governor's Proclamations are powerful tools that help advocates validate the struggles faced by fibromyalgia patients and garner support from state officials. This can lead to increased funding for research and better resources for those of us living with fibromyalgia.

Today, Tami is joined by her best friend and fellow advocate, Melissa Swanson. A few years ago, Tami and Melissa decided to bring together their communities, along with several other fibromyalgia organizations, and coordinate the efforts to obtain a Governor's Proclamation in every state. Their goal is to "color the map purple" for fibromyalgia awareness, and Melissa is the coordinator for this effort.

In this conversation, Melissa and Tami discuss what a Governor's Proclamation is, how it helps to raise credibility and awareness, the steps involved in requesting a Governor's Proclamation, the criteria we make sure to cover in Proclamation requests, why May 12th was chosen as Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, working with various fibromyalgia organizations to obtain Proclamations, how Melissa helps individuals with the application process, their progress on the goal ot "color the map purple", the benefits of coordinating with various groups in obtaining Proclamations, how you can help in your state, how collective efforts strengthen the push for fibromyalgia awareness, reasons for denial of Proclamation requests, the application timeline and how the process varies by state, Melissa's preparations for the next round of applications, the ongoing need for help regardless of your state's status, Tami's experience requesting a Governor's Proclamation in Oregon, statistics on fibromyalgia's prevalence among the U.S., why we need your help, upcoming events related to Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, and more.

Every voice matters in the fight for awareness and support for fibromyalgia. Let's work together to make a difference.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.