"That's what life's all about. We enjoy life and not endure it."

Work with George (Free 30-Min Consultation): https://www.paincoaching.co.uk/consultation

In this episode, globally renowned pain self management advocate Pete Moore discusses his long journey with persistent pain and the techniques he has learned to live well without medication or experiencing “bonkers” pain for nearly 30 years.

After reclaiming his own life Pete turned his pain into purpose by creating the Pain Toolkit a resource that has transformed self management education for both patients and healthcare professionals worldwide. He is now turning his focus to long term conditions.

In this conversation, George and Pete explore his early experiences with persistent pain, the trap of the medical model, realising no one else was going to fix him and the daily habits that keep him in the drivers seat now.

In This Episode:

• Escaping the Prison of the Medical Model: Realising that passive treatments aren't enough, why you must break free and find what works for you.
• Meaningful Movement vs. Generic Exercise: Why trading a boring sheet of exercises for activities that bring genuine joy, connection and purpose is more impactful.
• The Iceberg of Pain: We only see the top third above the water. The hidden factors driving and maintaining chronic conditions are below the surface and why addressing these leads to the greatest improvements.
• Redefining Pacing: Why pacing isn't just about energy conservation or doing less but about finding your tolerable baseline to start to build your capacity and confidence back up.
• The Missing Ingredient: The vital role that fun and enjoyment play in pain management, and how it's criminally left out of traditional rehab.

Pete’s story is an inspiring reminder that when you stop asking "who is coming to fix me?" and start looking at what you can do for yourself, genuine recovery begins.

Whether you are living with a long term condition or you're a clinician looking for a deeper understanding of the patient experience, this conversation offers an authentic, hopeful perspective on what it means to live well.

Connect with the Show:

• Full Episode Links: www.paincoaching.co.uk/links
• Follow on Instagram/TikTok: @SpecialistPainPhysio

Connect with Pete:

• The Pain Toolkit: www.paintoolkit.org https://selfmgttoolkit.org/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-moore-b5486613/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pain-&-self-care-toolkits/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paintoolkit/
• BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/paintoolkit.bsky.social
• Threads: https://www.threads.com/@paintoolkit?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@selfmanagementtoolkit

"A zombie went into hospital and a hyperactive teenager came out."

For years Louise Welch's life was dominated by the pain of Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis. Taking 15 different medications including dangerously high doses of strong opioids, reaching 25 stone and confined to an armchair by pain so severe she couldn't even stand light touch. Now she has transformed her life to become one of the leading voices in lived experience.

Work with George (Free 30 Min Consultation): https://www.paincoaching.co.uk/consultation

In this conversation George and Louise explore her journey with persistent pain, the dangers of long term opioid use and the barriers that keep people stuck.

In this Episode:

• The Challenge of Medication Only Approaches: Louise’s debilitating journey through opioid induced hyperalgesia (where the medication makes pain worse) and the radical approach that changed everything.
• The Benefits System is failing people: How disability assessments punish people who try to do the things which will help them recover.
• The Power of a Name: Why a diagnosis like Fibromyalgia can be essential for validation and the damage caused by poor medical communication.
• The Conditions for Recovery: Factors like financial stability, a supportive employer and clinician empathy are just as important as any intervention or strategy.
• Hope Without Knowing Everything: The diagnosis might remain but your experience of life can drastically improve.

Louise’s story is a wake up call for a healthcare system that often prioritises protocols over the people that are suffering that they are meant to serve.

Whether you are living with pain or a clinician looking for a deeper understanding of the patient experience, this conversation offers an authentic, hopeful perspective on what it means to recover.

Connect with the Show:

Full Episode Links: www.paincoaching.co.uk/links

Follow on Instagram/TikTok: @SpecialistPainPhysio

Connect with Louise:

LinkedIn: Louise Welch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louise_welch67/

Other resources:

Opioids Aware https://www.fpm.ac.uk/opioids-aware

ReConnect2Life: https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/services/pain-service/reconnect2life/

Flippin Pain: https://www.flippinpain.co.uk/

Live Well with Pain: https://livewellwithpain.co.uk/

Work with George (Free 30 Min Consultation): https://www.paincoaching.co.uk/consultation

"I was a senior leader in a construction company by day, but my wife was left with the leftovers of me at night." Keith Meldrum spent 40 years navigating persistent pain, trapped in a cycle of ineffective medical interventions and trying to maintain a "mask of normalcy." In this episode, we break down why the traditional model of fixing pain often fails and how Keith changed his approach to reclaim a life that is bigger than his diagnosis.

In this Episode:

• The Mask of Normalcy: The hidden exhaustion of appearing fine at work while leaving only the leftovers for the people you love.
• The 3 Words That Change Everything: Why validation is more than a courtesy. It’s the first condition for recovery.
• The Dilution Analogy: Stop trying to shrink the pain. Start increasing the meaning in your life.
• Grieving Your Old Life: Why you must mourn the person you used to be to become the person you are now.
• Body Fragility vs. Movement: Re-training your nervous system to feel safe after decades of fear.
• Training over Fixing: How to take control of your own recovery with supported self management.

Reclaim your quality of life. Listen now.

Connect with George:

Full Episode Links: www.paincoaching.co.uk/links IG/TikTok: @SpecialistPainPhysio

Connect with Keith:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-meldrum-03701734/

Website:

#ChronicPain #PainManagement #ConditionsForRecovery #InvisibleIllness #Pain #Validation #LivedExperience #SelfManagement