In this episode of The Internal Shift Show, Debbie Longo speaks with Nancy Dayo about chronic pain, disability, opioid addiction, identity loss, resilience, and the internal shifts that helped her rebuild her life after going from Silicon Valley CEO to bedridden chronic pain patient.

Nancy shares how her entire identity was built around achievement, endurance, pushing harder, and constantly proving herself through work and performance. After selling her business to a competitor, she attempted to reclaim her sense of strength by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Instead, the climb triggered a devastating spinal injury that completely changed the course of her life.

After collapsing in severe pain on the mountain, Nancy spent months searching for answers while doctors repeatedly told her nothing was wrong. By the time doctors finally discovered crushed vertebrae and severe spinal damage, she had already become heavily dependent on opioids, including OxyContin, while struggling with extreme chronic pain and physical limitations.

Throughout the conversation, Nancy openly discusses losing her independence, becoming bedridden, isolation, addiction, emotional despair, and the repeated cycle of trying to “push through” her condition only to experience even greater setbacks. She explains how years of believing resilience meant forcing herself harder eventually became destructive both physically and emotionally.

The major internal shift came when Nancy realized the medical system could not fully solve her situation and that she needed to redefine what resilience actually meant. Instead of continuing to fight against her limitations, she slowly began accepting a “new normal” and focusing on what she could still do rather than obsessing over everything she had lost.

Nancy shares how she returned to graduate school while lying down on a portable army cot because sitting remained too painful. Despite embarrassment and fear of judgment, she re-entered society in a completely different way and discovered that her disability did not erase her ability to contribute, learn, travel, advocate, and create purpose.

Today, Nancy writes and speaks about chronic pain, resilience, disability, identity, and emotional transformation. Her story reinforces the idea that life crises may completely change how people move through the world, but they do not have to eliminate purpose, possibility, or future growth.

This episode explores chronic pain, opioid addiction, emotional healing, disability, resilience, identity loss, personal transformation, mental health, self-acceptance, and redefining success after trauma. It reinforces the idea that healing does not always mean returning to a previous life — sometimes it means creating a completely new one.

Contact Debbie Longo, Executive Behavioral Coach:

Website: https://www.debbielongo.com/

Email: debbie@lifeinbloomny.net

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-longo-life-in-bloom-ny/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.longo.2025

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debbie.life.in.bloom.ny/?hl=en

Contact Nancy Dayo:

Email: nancysdeyo@gmail.com