Fibromyalgia Podcast

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. To learn more about the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, visit the show notes. For daily doses of

Most of us with fibromyalgia have to spend a lot of physical and emotional energy teaching the people in our lives about our condition. From friends and family to doctors and coaches, it can be draining. That’s just one of the ways working with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® transformational. It’s invaluable to have someone in your corner who knows what you’re going through because they’ve been there and have the tools to guide and support you. What would it be like to improve your quality of life significantly? How would your life change if you could improve your symptoms by 50%? Today, in the eighth installment of our Stories of Hope and Healing, Tami shares inspiring excerpts from our January 2024 event. You’ll hear from four graduates about their stories and how they’ve been able to improve their fibromyalgia symptoms. On average, our graduates improve their symptoms by about 50% during the three-month program, and many people’s lives look dramatically different today than they did before starting. In th

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 discus

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

“Taking action and being clear about what we expect does not have to be disrespectful.” - Meredith Holley It’s very common for people with invisible disabilities like fibromyalgia to experience workplace conflict and discrimination because of it. From snide remarks to outright harassment, it can feel so isolating and even make your symptoms worse. Despite that, most people don’t want to file a lawsuit. While it sounds so noble to have civil rights litigation, it’s a stressful process that often damages everyone involved. People want the tools and support to create a healthy workplace culture where issues are resolved so people can keep their jobs and receive the medical care they need. In this episode, Tami is joined by attorney Meredith Holley to talk about speaking up for your needs and handling harassment and discrimination respectfully, whether it’s happening at work or at your doctor's office. They discuss Meredith’s journey into workplace conflict mediation and communication coaching, her experience wit

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

“You can only truly heal once you’ve accepted what's going on.” - Dr. Isabelle Amigues When you’re able to reflect on your fibromyalgia as a teacher, you stop fighting your body and put yourself in the best position to heal. Tami often describes fibromyalgia as the biggest gift life has given her. It’s a sentiment that can be difficult to understand when you’re struggling with getting through each day, but there are things you can do to move forward on your fibromyalgia healing journey. For too many of us, when we received our fibromyalgia diagnosis, the doctor simply gave us the news and sent us on our way. What is omitted in that process is the fact that several rheumatological conditions can occur alongside fibromyalgia, and by treating those, you may experience significant relief. If you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and your treatment is not working well, that’s a sign that something else may be going on. Today, Tami is joined by rheumatologist Dr. Isabelle Amigues to talk about her journey from do

Family stories play a crucial role in shaping our beliefs about health, work, and other aspects of life. In previous episodes, we’ve talked about the way traumatic experiences can impact your health and fibromyalgia. Today, we’re taking it a step further and exploring how the traumatic events that happened to your ancestors can affect your wellbeing. You may have a family story about a great-aunt who is always sick and uses that to escape family obligations. Or maybe you watched your grandfather work himself to the point of illness. Even positive stories can get twisted over time; either way, they matter. They impact our relationship with our bodies, health, money, and even the world around us. The important thing is we can change those stories. Today, Tami is joined by Ruschelle Khanna, a licensed clinical social worker and executive coach, to share her expertise on generational trauma. In this episode, Tami and Ruschelle discuss how Ruschelle came to do this work, how generational trauma can impact fibromya

For a lot of us with fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses, working on our fitness comes in bursts. We’re told exercise is good for us, but when we go out and do what ordinary people do, it’s too much, and we crash. Then, that cycle repeats itself over and over. Tami has found a tool that helped her and many of her students and coaches to shift away from this up-and-down cycle and into a healthy relationship with being active. It’s an app called Gentler Streak, and she’s been using it over the last year, during which it's proven valuable for managing fibromyalgia symptoms while increasing fitness levels.  One of the things Tami loves most about Gentler Streak is that it’s more accurately in tune with how she feels and her normal versus a standard that might apply to someone who doesn’t have fibromyalgia. Today, Tami is joined by Katarina Lotrič, co-founder and CEO of Gentler Stories, the creators behind the app. Katarina and Tami talk about the story behind the creation of Gentler Streak, recognizing that

“How do you do it all?” This question came up during one of Tami’s Ask Me Anything sessions during our annual alumni retreat, and it was so good that she decided to bring it to the podcast. Before we get into the details, the short answer is Tami doesn’t do it all! At first glance, it’s easy to compare your life to what you see others doing. The problem with that is we tend to forget that we’re only seeing their highlight reel. You never know everything that’s going on behind the scenes at the deep level that you know your own life. On top of that, Tami’s fibromyalgia has been in remission for years, and it took a lot of work to get there. It doesn’t make sense to compare your everyday fibro life with that. With that context in mind, in this episode, Tami shares how she chooses where to focus her energy and what to prioritize. She’s discussing the importance of making choices to prioritize the things that move you forward, how I learned to be intentional about choosing what to do, what it means to say no to s

“No woman is going to get to 90 years old without having gone through menopause.” - Jeanne Andrus As women, society has trained us to be afraid of menopause. To view it as yet another trial we have to suffer through. The truth is that if you learn to accept it, menopause is a gift. And to take advantage of it, you need to support yourself through it. This is the time when we get to put ourselves at the center. After decades of people pleasing, it allows you to take yourself from the periphery and make decisions from a point where you are considered a priority. Today, Tami is joined by The Menopause Guru, Jeanne Andrus. Tami and Jeanne discuss how Jeanne became the Menopause Guru, her purpose and passion for helping women navigate this period of their lives, the technical definition of menopause, symptoms and indicators of menopause, the potential connection between perimenopause and fibromyalgia, how hormone levels change from perimenopause onward, the adjustment period at the start of postmenopause, why meno

“The big rule of thumb is to do things that make you feel better.” - Dr. Izabella Wentz Adrenal dysfunction is a significant contributing factor to fibromyalgia, and over the years, we’ve never met someone with fibromyalgia who didn’t also need to heal their adrenals. For Tami, supporting her adrenals and correcting her adrenal function resulted in her feeling much better.  For today’s episode, Tami is joined by Dr. Izabella Wentz, author of the new book Adrenal Transformation Protocol. Tami and Dr. Wentz discuss Dr. Wentz’s experience with adrenal dysfunction, how she found solutions at different stages of her life, why it’s essential to address both thyroid and adrenal health together, the interactive relationship between cortisol and thyroid hormones, the distinction between between adrenal fatigue and adrenal dysfunction, sources of stress that are often overlooked, dealing with medical gaslighting, the frustrating but common pattern of disrupted cortisol levels affecting sleep, how to regulate cortisol p

“Whenever there's a lot of interest and dollars put into fibromyalgia research, patients only stand to benefit.” - Dr. Ginevra Liptan During the pandemic, a potentially game-changing research article showed us that the immune system is involved in creating fibromyalgia pain. The results of this study were remarkable and began to address one of the most common questions about fibromyalgia - whether it is an autoimmune condition. It’s a huge question and an important one for us to keep asking because, at the end of the day, we need more research. For this episode, Tami interviews Dr. Ginevra Liptan, fibromyalgia specialist and author of The Fibro Manual and The Fibro Food Formula. Tami and Dr. Ginevra discuss the game-changing mouse antibody study that showed the involvement of the immune system in fibromyalgia pain and the potential autoimmune component, how the study could potentially change the treatment approach for fibromyalgia, why Dr. Ginevra is hopeful for significant progress within a decade, fibromyal

When we have an interest or a passion, but we're not pursuing it, we don't feel good. Creativity is a vital part of wellness; for many people, it helps them manage their illness and feel better. No matter how you’re feeling, it’s important to know that staying creative and vibrant is possible. Today, Tami welcomes Wellness Coach Jenni Grover to talk about how you can do more crafting, making, and creating. Jenni has a passion for making sure that people get to keep being themselves and expressing themselves through their creativity while also taking good care of their bodies. In this conversation, Tami and Jenni discuss why Jenni created her ChronicBabe project, her passion for helping people feel better despite chronic illness, why she made the shift to being a wellness coach, the connection between physical and mental health and creativity, what it has been like for Jenni to adapt her life to support her love for writing without sacrificing her health, why we need to let ourselves evolve to meet our current

A certified Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is not a doctor. We can’t prescribe or diagnose, but we can help fill the gap in fibro knowledge for you and your doctors. IFC graduates have received hundreds of hours of fibromyalgia-specific training. We can teach you and your providers more about fibromyalgia and help you advocate for yourself and get better results. Today, as we continue the seventh installment of our Stories of Hope and Healing, Tami interviews two more graduates of our Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® training program. After going through both our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® and Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® training programs over the last two years, Penny and Ann are nearly symptom-free. In this episode, you’ll hear about their journeys and how they got where they are today. They are sharing Penny’s two-year journey to becoming almost symptom-free, the huge difference it made to work with the right providers, her experience going through early menopause as a result of a hysterectomy, how she

For many of us, the fibromyalgia diagnosis left us feeling like, “Who am I now?” Fibromyalgia changes how we see ourselves, relate with others, and interact in our lives. What if you could significantly improve your quality of life? Or have the energy to do the things you love? Or to travel and enjoy yourself? Today is the seventh installment of our Stories of Hope and Healing. Tami interviews five recent graduates of the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, and they share their journeys from pre-diagnosis to where they are now after graduation. One graduate even improved by 87%, going from the most symptomatic student in class to being essentially symptom-free today. In this episode, you’ll hear how Lisa’s fibromyalgia diagnosis led to an existential crisis and feelings of being spiritually unmoored, how her coach, Robin, helped to support her healing journey and build her healthcare team, celebrating the little wins with a “ta-da” list, the various approaches that contributed to Lisa’s 63% improvement i

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 th

As patients, we must take control of some aspects of our health care to get what we need. Many fibromyalgia patients are familiar with the feeling that we know more about fibromyalgia than our healthcare providers do. How can you get help from someone who knows less about your condition than you? When you combine that feeling with the broken healthcare system in the US and things like fibro fog, many of us leave our appointments feeling like we’re no better off than when we went in. Today's episode is a segment from our July Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope and Healing event featuring our special guest commencement speaker, Dr. Ginevra Lipton. In her speech, Dr. Ginevra breaks down the three main friction points and how you, as a patient, can help overcome them and help your doctor to help you. Dr. Ginevra discusses the knowledge gap between healthcare providers and patients and how it impacts fibromyalgia treatment, challenges of the fragmented and struggling US healthcare system, how fibro fog and other fibro f

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. To learn more about the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, visit the show notes. For daily doses of

Having been through the Western medical system for 20 years without meaningful change,  Gisèle McDiarmid decided to take her health into her own hands. She felt the need to explore further and find specialists who knew about invisible illnesses, and she finally received a diagnosis and the help she needed to rebuild her health. With that, she finally had enough energy to focus on empowering herself to maintain her health and well-being as much as possible without invasive interventions. That’s when she learned about the International Fibromyalgia Coaching Institute (IFC) and our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program. Today Tami welcomes Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® Gisèle McDiarmid to share her experience in our training programs. In this conversation, Gisèle and Tami discuss Gisèle’s journey with fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivities, and chronic fatigue syndrome, the struggle to find the right treatments and support, the importance of self-care and learning to prioritize your own wellbeing, the b