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 rather than the full plan), why “pain doesn’t equal damage” matters for recovery, and how to talk with partners, friends, or clinicians who focus only on the body when you’re trying to address the whole picture.

The conversation also covers aging and pain - what’s normal, what’s not inevitable, and how to decide between continuing to pursue solutions versus practicing acceptance. To make the biopsychosocial approach more practical, Dr. Megan shares a simple place to start: tracking flare-ups with context (stress, thoughts, people, situations) to spot patterns your nervous system may be reacting to.

Season one wraps with key takeaways and a preview of what’s coming next.

Links to interesting things from this episode:

• Joshua Pate’s Research on Pain
• “You Can Heal Your life” by Louise Hay
• Bessel van der Kolk books
• “The Way Out: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain” by Alan Gordon and Alon Ziv
• John E. Sarno books

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 scar tissue, stress, and past medical experiences can change the healing process.

You’ll also hear practical ways to prepare before surgery - like prehab, planning for the hospital experience, and using calming strategies to dial down stress - plus realistic post-op considerations many people aren’t warned about, including digestion issues, brain fog, and why early movement matters. Along the way, they share a simple framework for evaluating newer procedures and what to ask a surgeon before agreeing to an approach that may not have a long track record.

Helpful for anyone weighing surgery, supporting someone through it, or trying to make sense of why “successful” operations don’t always lead to relief.

Links to interesting things from this episode:

1. Waddell Signs

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 “game plan.” That’s often where trust breaks, important details get missed, and you walk out feeling unseen.

Here, you’ll hear what changes when the first goal isn’t to solve everything, but to create enough safety for the real story to emerge. Holly shares what it’s like to carry a long medical history alongside trauma, shame, and the pressure to “hold it together” in clinical settings. Dr. Megan Steele explains why open-ended questions, uninterrupted storytelling, and clear validation can be the difference between symptom management and meaningful progress - especially with persistent pain.

You’ll come away with practical ways to:

1. Prepare for appointments when your history feels complicated or hard to tell
2. Ask for what you need (privacy, time, clarity) without it feeling difficult
3. Notice when a provider is building trust or performing expertise
4. Understand how trauma, stress, and beliefs can amplify pain over time
5. Think about care as a partnership, not a performance or a test you can fail

Links to interesting things from this episode:

1. Marc R. Safran, MD
2. “You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay