Giving Pain Purpose with Lyndsay Soprano

Twenty-three hours of flying. Ten-hour safari rides. A body already screaming in pain. And an experience that changed everything.Living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) means even the simplest activities can feel impossible. So what happens when you take that body halfway around the world and ask it to keep going?In this solo episode of Giving Pain Purpose, Lyndsay Soprano takes us on her unforgettable African safari through Kenya, sharing the breathtaking moments, unexpected challenges, and very real physical toll of travelling with chronic pain.From wheelchair assistance and excruciating flare-ups to getting locked in a bathroom in the middle of Kenya (yes, really), Lyndsay doesn't sugarcoat a damn thing. But between the exhaustion, ice baths, and moments of wanting to give up, something extraordinary happened.Surrounded by elephants, lions, giraffes, and the remarkable people working to protect them, Lyndsay discovered a deeper appreciation for wildlife conservation, our planet, and what it means to be truly present. What began as a bucket-list adventure became a perspective-shifting experience that would change how she sees the world—and her place in it.Chronic pain came along for every mile of the journey. So did the joy, wonder, laughter, and a reminder that there's still so much life waiting to be lived.Episode Highlights:(00:00) Giving Pain Purpose: healing, empathy, and dark humor(00:48) Taking on a Kenya safari with chronic pain(02:45) Arriving at Liwa and adjusting to safari life(04:08) Early game drives, food challenges, and remarkable wildlife(06:17) Bathroom lockout: an unexpected Kenya escape attempt(07:54) Pain management, six small-plane flights, and a hard stop(10:42) Solace Camp: conservation, community, and a shift in perspective(14:26) Unforgettable wildlife encounters and a village visit(17:41) Giraffe Manor and the work behind wildlife conservation(19:36) Adopting Zuri and choosing to give back(20:35) Showing up through pain, and a new travel podcastFind Giving Pain Purpose Online Here:Website: givingpainpurpose.comInstagram: @givingpainpurposeFacebook: The Giving Pain Purpose PodcastLinkedIn: Lyndsay SopranoTikTok: @givingpainpurposeYouTube: @givingpainpurposeShop: thegivingpainpurposeshop.comSubscribe on YouTube | Merch Shop is OPEN!! | COMING SOON: The Pain Hub - A Women's Healing Community. Subscribe Now!Unfiltered convos. Dark humor. Real healing. This is where pain meets purpose — and you’re not doing it alone.++Want to be a guest on Giving Pain Purpose with Lyndsay Soprano?Be a Guest on The Show

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of domestic violence, emotional abuse, coercive control, childhood trauma, and high-conflict divorce. Some topics may be difficult to hear. Please listen with care.The relationship is over. The abuse isn't. And somehow, the kids pay the price.For some people, divorce means a fresh start. For others, it's where the real nightmare begins.Lisa Johnson and Chris Barry, co-founders of Been There Got Out, know firsthand what happens when an ex refuses to let go of control. Now certified high-conflict divorce strategists and authors, they help people navigate the legal, financial, and emotional chaos of separating from someone who seems more interested in punishment than resolution.In this episode of Giving Pain Purpose, Lisa and Chris join Lyndsay for an eye-opening conversation about narcissistic behaviours, coercive control, legal abuse, and the ways children become caught in the crossfire. They unpack the red flags of a high-conflict divorce, why traditional advice can backfire, and how communication, documentation, and understanding the family court system can make an enormous difference.This conversation hits especially close to home for Lyndsay, who opens up about the abuse, broken promises, and parental conflict that shaped her childhood—and the wounds she's still making sense of decades later.The most important battle isn't always the one happening in court. Sometimes it's making sure the next generation doesn't spend a lifetime healing from it.Important Information:If you or your children are in immediate physical danger, call the police or contact your local domestic violence center.  National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-422-4453 (USA)Episode Highlights:(00:00) Introduction to the episode and guests(04:14) How Lisa and Chris met and their personal stories(08:37) The founding of BTGO and their mission(10:30) Understanding narcissism and high-conflict divorce(15:03) Red flags indicating high-conflict cases(19:56) Handling children in high-conflict divorces(23:45) Coaching clients and communication strategies(30:01) Mental health considerations in custody cases(38:44) Protecting children and managing alienation(47:56) A memorable client story and lessons learned(50:33) Global reach and online presence of BTGO(54:40) Closing remarks and resourcesFind Lisa Johnson + Chris Barry Here:Website: www.beentheregotout.comInstagram: @been_there_got_outFacebook:  Been There Got OutLinkedIn: Been There Got OutTikTok: @been_there_got_outYouTube: @BeenThereGotOutX: @BeenThereGotOutAnswer Hub: https://beentheregotout.com/answers/Book: Been There Got Out Book: When Your Ex Turns the Kids Against YouFind Giving Pain Purpose Online Here:Website: givingpainpurpose.comInstagram: @givingpainpurposeFacebook: The Giving Pain Purpose PodcastLinkedIn: Lyndsay SopranoTikTok: @givingpainpurposeYouTube: @givingpainpurposeShop: thegivingpainpurposeshop.comSubscribe on YouTube | Merch Shop is OPEN!! | COMING SOON: The Pain Hub - A Women's Healing Community. Subscribe Now!Unfiltered convos. Dark humor. Real healing. This is where pain meets purpose — and you’re not doing it alone.++Want to be a guest on Giving Pain Purpose with Lyndsay Soprano?Be a Guest on The Show

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of child trafficking, black-market adoption, childhood abuse, sexual assault, addiction, abandonment, and trauma. Some topics may be difficult to hear. Please listen with care.She spent decades searching for the truth about where she came from. Finding it only gave her more questions.In Part Two of Patricia Knight Meyer’s story, the search that began with no birth certificate, no adoption records, and almost nothing to go on finally leads her to the woman whose face looks almost exactly like her own. But meeting her birth mother doesn’t deliver the reunion Patricia had imagined her entire life. Instead, it forces her to confront another complicated truth: finding where you came from doesn’t automatically tell you who you are.Patricia and Lyndsay explore the expectations we place on reunion, people-pleasing and fear of being abandoned again, learning to set boundaries, and grieving the mother-daughter relationship Patricia could never get back. Then, an unexpected discovery leads Patricia to her biological father—and a relationship that begins to change the way she understands herself, her childhood, and her story.The conversation comes full circle with Wonderland: Memoir of Black Market Adoption, the memoir born from those discoveries, devastating loss, and Patricia’s determination to make meaning from everything she survived. Sometimes the answers you spend your whole life searching for don’t complete your story. They finally permit you to write it for yourself.Episode Highlights:(00:00) Introduction and overview of Patricia's story(03:30) The search begins: challenges of missing records(05:53) Using DNA and digitized records to find her birth mother(09:08) The emotional first meeting and initial revelations(12:45) Uncovering the true story behind her relinquishment(15:15) The dissonance and expectations versus reality(19:58) The complexities of reunion and boundary setting(22:30) The family gathering and its aftermath(27:50) Healing from the loss of the natural mother(33:06) Meeting her birth father and the surprising revelations(37:49) The impact of trauma and the importance of boundaries(43:52) Writing as a tool for healing and self-discovery(51:45) The power of storytelling and memoir in healing(55:15) Closing thoughts and encouragement for adoptees and familiesFind Patricia Knight Meyer Here:Website: www.wonderlandthememoir.comInstagram: @patriciaknightmeyerInstagram: @wonderlandthememoirInstagram: @somebodys__babyFacebook:  Patricia Knight MeyerLinkedIn: Patricia Knight MeyerTikTok: @myadoptedlifeYouTube: @myadoptedlifeBook: Wonderland: Memoir of Black Market AdoptionFind Giving Pain Purpose Online Here:Website: givingpainpurpose.comInstagram: @givingpainpurposeFacebook: The Giving Pain Purpose PodcastLinkedIn: Lyndsay SopranoTikTok: @givingpainpurposeYouTube: @givingpainpurposeShop: thegivingpainpurposeshop.comSubscribe on YouTube | Merch Shop is OPEN!! | COMING SOON: The Pain Hub - A Women's Healing Community. Subscribe Now!Unfiltered convos. Dark humor. Real healing. This is where pain meets purpose — and you’re not doing it alone.++Want to be a guest on Giving Pain Purpose with Lyndsay Soprano?Be a Guest on The Show

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of child trafficking, black-market adoption, childhood abuse, sexual assault, addiction, abandonment, and trauma. Some topics may be difficult to hear. Please listen with care.She was sold as a newborn on a Texas hospital curb. No legal adoption. No official paperwork. And a lifetime of questions about who she really was.Author, adoption reform advocate, and founder of My Adopted Life, Patricia Knight Meyer, joins Giving Pain Purpose for Part One of a deeply personal conversation about black-market adoption, identity, abandonment, and the lifelong impact of childhood trauma. Her story, told in her memoir Wonderland, began in 1970 when an attorney arranged her adoption through an illegal transaction that left her family living in secrecy and Patricia growing up without the truth of her origins.Together, Patricia and Lyndsay explore the hidden realities of the adoption industry, the emotional toll of growing up in a dysfunctional home, and how abandonment trauma can shape our relationships, sense of belonging, and connection to our own bodies. They talk about addiction, childhood sexual trauma, chronic illness, and the painful ways we learn to seek love and acceptance when we have never truly felt safe.But beneath the secrets and unanswered questions is a little girl who spent her life trying to save the people who were supposed to protect her. Patricia shares how writing, therapy, and learning to care for her younger self became part of her healing journey—and what finally pushed her to begin searching for her biological family.Finding out where you came from is only the beginning of discovering who you really are.Episode Highlights:(00:00) Introduction and Content Overview(03:43) Meet Patricia Knightmeyer and Her Story(04:52) The Dark World of Black Market Adoption(07:25) The Baby Scoop Era and Its Consequences(09:45) Secrecy, Corruption, and the Market for Babies(12:37) Current Adoption Practices and Challenges(13:23) The Impact of Adoption Trauma on Health(22:47) Personal Experiences with Dysfunction and Addiction(28:33) Trauma, Sexual Abuse, and Body Connection(36:51) Deciding to Search for Biological Family(39:51) Upcoming: The Search, Reunion, and Advocacy(40:13) Closing Remarks and Next StepsFind Patricia Knight Meyer Here:Website: www.wonderlandthememoir.comInstagram: @patriciaknightmeyerInstagram: @wonderlandthememoirInstagram: @somebodys__babyFacebook:  Patricia Knight MeyerLinkedIn: Patricia Knight MeyerTikTok: @myadoptedlifeYouTube: @myadoptedlifeBook: Wonderland: Memoir of Black Market AdoptionFind Giving Pain Purpose Online Here:Website: givingpainpurpose.comInstagram: @givingpainpurposeFacebook: The Giving Pain Purpose PodcastLinkedIn: Lyndsay SopranoTikTok: @givingpainpurposeYouTube: @givingpainpurposeShop: thegivingpainpurposeshop.comSubscribe on YouTube | Merch Shop is OPEN!! | COMING SOON: The Pain Hub - A Women's Healing Community. Subscribe Now!Unfiltered convos. Dark humor. Real healing. This is where pain meets purpose — and you’re not doing it alone.++Want to be a guest on Giving Pain Purpose with Lyndsay Soprano?Be a Guest on The Show

Being told to advocate for yourself sounds empowering—until you realize no one ever taught you how.Women’s health advocate, certified health coach, breast health educator, and The Hairy Chin podcast host Spencer Moore joins Giving Pain Purpose to talk about what it really takes to navigate a complicated health journey and learn to become an advocate for your own body. After more than 30 years of overlapping physical and mental health challenges, Spencer was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at 40, caught on her first mammogram, adding another chapter to a lifetime spent inside the healthcare system.Together, Spencer and Lyndsay get into the exhaustion of managing chronic illness, bouncing between specialists, repeating your medical history, grieving the body and life you thought you’d have, and questioning yourself when symptoms don’t fit neatly into one diagnosis. They also talk about the strain illness can place on relationships and caregivers, and the importance of finding people who allow you to be honest about what life actually looks like.Most importantly, they unpack what health advocacy actually looks like: tracking your history, asking better questions, researching your providers, knowing when a doctor isn’t the right fit, seeking another opinion, and building the confidence to participate in your own care.Because knowing your body is one thing. Learning how to make yourself heard when something isn’t right is another. And that’s a muscle worth learning to flex.Episode Highlights:(00:00) Introduction to the episode and guest Spencer Moore(04:14) The challenge of advocating for health from a young age(08:09) The importance of organized health records and advocacy skills(14:04) The emotional toll and grief of chronic illness(16:07) The impact of trauma and stress on health(18:00) The mental health aspects of living with chronic pain(20:01) The widening gap in women's health issues and advocacy(21:47) The role of environment and autoimmune diseases(23:59) Building relationships with healthcare providers and choosing the right doctors(26:03) The importance of boundaries and support systems(28:02) Travelling and living with chronic illness(30:06) Advocacy work, podcasting, and community engagement(33:59) The need for clarity and self-education in healthcare(37:50) The importance of self-connection and recognizing changes in the body(43:55) Closing thoughts and upcoming projectsFind Spencer Moore Here:Website: www.thehairychin.comInstagram: @the.hairy.chinLinkedIn: Spencer MooreYouTube: @thehairychinSubstack: www.thehairychin.substack.comPodcast: The Hair Chin PodcastShop: The Hairy Chin ShopApp: Know Your LemonsFind Giving Pain Purpose Online Here:Website: givingpainpurpose.comInstagram: @givingpainpurposeFacebook: The Giving Pain Purpose PodcastLinkedIn: Lyndsay SopranoTikTok: @givingpainpurposeYouTube: @givingpainpurposeShop: thegivingpainpurposeshop.comSubscribe on YouTube | Merch Shop is OPEN!! | COMING SOON: The Pain Hub - A Women's Healing Community. Subscribe Now!Unfiltered convos. Dark humor. Real healing. This is where pain meets purpose — and you’re not doing it alone.++Want to be a guest on Giving Pain Purpose with Lyndsay Soprano?Be a Guest on The Show