Unpacking Pain
Unpacking Pain is a podcast about chronic pain - what causes it, how it affects our lives, and what we can do about it. Hosted by a pain scientist and a pain sufferer, it blends evidence-based science with lived experience to offer support, education, and empowerment. If you’ve ever felt unseen in your pain journey, know that you are not alone. Join us on Unpacking Pain as we peel back the layers of the chronic pain experience - where science meets story, and where knowledge opens doors to healing. Each week, Dr. Megan Steele, PT, DPT, PhD(c), and Holly Osborne, a chronic pain sufferer, sit down to explore the “three-legged stool” of chronic pain: the biological, psychological, and social. Together they demystify the science, share personal stories, and engage in candid conversations about the mind-body connection, treatment approaches, and the realities of living with and managing pain. What makes Unpacking Pain different is its unique yin-yang approach: Megan brings deep expertise in pain research and clinical practice, while Holly offers the raw honesty of 26 years of lived experience navigating chronic pain. Together, they create a space that is empathetic, candid, and enlightening. Topics include: - The neuroscience of pain and why it isn’t “all in your head” - Evidence-based pain management strategies that work in daily life - Practical strategies for coping and thriving with chronic pain - How stress, trauma, and emotions shape our pain journey - Stories of resilience, breakthroughs, and hope Whether you are living with chronic pain, supporting someone who is, or working as a health professional, this podcast offers insights that validate, educate, and inspire. Our goal is not just to explain chronic pain but to reframe it - making room for understanding, empowerment, and possibility. Your voice matters, we would love for you to send us your questions or share your story with us at unpackingpain@gmail.com. Together we can shed light on the realities of chronic pain, unpack the issues, and discover new ways forward. https://unpackingpainpodcast.com
Episodes
Why does pain fade for some people but persist for others long after an injury?
Dr. Derrick Sueki joins Holly and Megan to explain how memory, associative learning, and emotional cues can influence chronic pain. Using examples from Pavlov’s conditioning research and his clinical work, he explores how fear, anger, sadness, loneliness, and shame may amplify pain responses.
The conversation also covers the difference between acute...
Chronic pain can change how you see your body, connect with a partner, and experience sex, but it doesn’t mean intimacy is over.
Licensed sex therapist and clinical sexologist Dr. Deborah Caust joins Holly and Megan to explain how pain, stress, body image, medication, and caregiver dynamics can affect sexual desire and response. They discuss how the nervous system influences arousal, why touch may help reduce pain, and how cou...
What if stress isn’t something to eliminate, but a signal your body can learn to navigate?
Stress scientist and leadership advisor Dr. Alexandra Crosswell joins Holly Osborne and Dr. Megan Steele to explore the connection between chronic stress and chronic pain. They discuss why a healthy nervous system is flexible rather than calm all the time, how reframing manageable challenges can change our response, and why positive thin...
Why do sexual minority youth and young adults report significantly higher rates of chronic pain - even when there may be nothing “biologically different” about sexual orientation itself?
Pain researcher and nurse Dr. Ian A. Lane (“The Gay Pain Guy”) helps make sense of what the data is starting to show: elevated rates of headaches, musculoskeletal pain, and pelvic pain across LGBTQ+ communities, alongside rea...
What if pain relief isn’t only about fixing tissue, but also about restoring flow, energy, attention, and trust in your body?
Acupuncture, Qigong, and physical therapy experts explore how Chinese medicine approaches chronic pain. Learn how qi is described in Chinese medicine, why “stuck” energy is often framed as a source of pain, and how practices like acupuncture and qigong aim to support healing by improving cir...
Every pain you’ve ever felt is sent by, communicated through, or interpreted by your nervous system - so when pain becomes chronic, the nervous system often becomes the main story, not just the injured tissue.
Dr. Megan Steele breaks down how the nervous system is organized (central vs. peripheral), why “fight or flight” isn’t the enemy, and what it really means to build a *flexible* system that can shift bet...
What if 7 minutes of birdsong could measurably reduce muscle tension and help you think more clearly when pain or stress is running the show?
Chronic pain can shrink your world fast: sleep gets disrupted, stress stays high, and it becomes harder to access the “thinking brain” needed for work, relationships, and decision-making. Holly and Dr. Megan explore a practical, research-backed reset that doesn’t require spec...
Pain can show up even when scans look “fine,” and severe arthritis can exist with little to no pain - so what should you do when the usual explanations don’t add up?
Holly puts Dr. Megan on the hot seat for a listener-driven lightning round, tackling five common questions people ask when they’re trying to make sense of chronic pain. Learn how to think about medication as a tool (and when it may be a bridge ra...
If you’ve ever wondered why surgery can “fix” the structure but not always fix the pain, you’re not alone.
Dr. Megan Steele and Holly Osborne explore what really influences surgical outcomes, especially for people living with chronic pain. Join them as they break down why pain isn’t purely mechanical, how your nervous system’s threat detection can shape recovery (even under anesthesia), and why sc...
In this episode, we discuss a personal experience involving violent assault, injury, and subsequent surgeries. Listener discretion is advised. If these topics are difficult for you, you may wish to skip this episode or listen when you feel supported.
If you’ve had pain for years, you’ve probably been asked to summarize your whole story in minutes, and then felt the conversation rush straight to tests, protocols, and a &l...
Did you know researchers are teaching kids about pain before they experience it - and it might prevent chronic pain in adulthood?
Between 20-25% of children with acute injuries develop chronic pain, but they're not just small adults. Their brains are more plastic, more vulnerable, and remarkably more responsive to intervention. Dr. Megan Steele and Holly Osborne explore what makes pediatric pain different, why some kids get stuck in...
Anyone selling you a magic bullet for chronic pain is either lying or doesn't understand how pain actually works. But here's what does work: your brain's ability to literally rewire itself.
Holly and Dr. Megan Steele explore the growing body of research showing that mindfulness, breathwork, and visualization aren't just "woo-woo" practices - they create measurable changes in your brain that reduce pain. You'll discover why chronic p...
Why do women make up 70% of chronic pain sufferers? The answer involves more than just biology. Dr. Megan and Holly examine how hormones, pain thresholds, and social conditioning create vastly different pain experiences for men and women.
You'll discover:
- Why pain thresholds change dramatically at puberty and menopause
- How testosterone acts as a buffer and estrogen fluctuations trigger...
Why do two people with the same injury have completely different pain journeys - and what does a zip code have to do with it?
Today we dig into the often-overlooked social side of persistent pain: the way income, work conditions, food access, relationships, and even cultural expectations can ramp pain up or help dial it down.
Dr. Megan and Holly explore how:
- Socioeconomic status and access to care change the...
What if the pain you feel long after an injury has “healed” isn’t a sign that your body is broken, but that your nervous system is stuck in protection mode?
Dr. Megan and Holly break down what’s happening in the brain and body when pain lingers, scans look “normal,” and daily life starts to shrink. They explore how chronic pain and emotions are tightly linked, and why anxiety, depression, shame, a...
Why does chronic pain spread from one area of your body to another? And why does it often feel worse at night when you're trying to sleep?
When pain persists for months or years, your nervous system doesn't just stay the same - it changes. Your nerves lose their protective coating, your spinal cord becomes more sensitized, and your brain actually develops structural changes that keep you locked in a cycle of protection and threat de...
What happens when a pain researcher teams up with someone who’s lived with chronic pain for decades?
In this bonus conversation, meet the voices behind Unpacking Pain. Dr. Megan Steele, a physical therapist and pain science researcher, explains why evidence-based guidance is still hard to find and what the data actually says. Holly Osborne shares the lived experience side - what helped, what didn’t, and how to keep going...
Why does a system designed to protect us sometimes keep the alarm blaring long after the danger has passed?
Chronic pain isn’t just about damaged tissue. Dr. Megan and Holly break down how the body’s warning system can stay on high alert and why understanding the biopsychosocial model - biology, psychology, and social context - can change the way you navigate persistent pain. You’ll hear clear examples, practical s...
What if chronic pain isn’t only a body problem, but a biology–psychology–social puzzle you can learn to solve?
Meet your guides: Dr. Megan Steele, a physical therapist and pain science researcher, and Holly, a long‑time pain experiencer with a thousand practical questions. Together, they break persistent pain into clear, human terms. You’ll hear candid stories, simple explanations of what’s happening in...
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