Chris Sykes-Popham went from Royal Marines commando and adventure seeker to completely housebound with ME/CFS. Within weeks of finding the mind-body approach, he saw significant improvement—and within months, he made a full recovery. Now he's the founder of the FreeMe app, designed specifically for people with ME/CFS and long COVID. In this episode, Grace and Chris explore what actually moves the needle in ME/CFS recovery—including why high-achievers are especially prone to these conditions,...
The holidays can feel like the Olympics for your nervous system—and if your symptoms tend to spike around family, you're not alone. In this episode, Grace explores why your body might still brace for impact around family, even if you've done years of healing work and your relationships aren't "that bad." She explains how your nervous system reacts to old emotional patterns rather than your current reality, and why roles like the peacekeeper, the easy one, or the one who's "too sensitive" can ...
Grace sits down with somatic psychotherapist Claire Bailey to explore one of the most common—and least talked about—forms of neuroplastic symptoms: gut issues. Claire shares her own decade-long journey with debilitating digestive pain, IBS, and chronic abdominal symptoms, and the countless approaches she tried before discovering what was actually missing. They discuss why gut symptoms respond so strongly to stress, the difference between being told to "manage your stress" and trul...
Grace celebrates 100 episodes by revisiting the most powerful healing lessons from the past two years—the ones listeners say changed everything. She unpacks why healing is never linear (and why your brain needs to hear that on repeat), how recovery stories actually rewire your nervous system toward safety, why food fear keeps symptoms stuck, and how to retrain your brain around eating, and what listener messages reveal about migraine relief, being able to eat again, and preventing caregiver b...
Grace is joined by Kelly Goode, who shares her journey from barely being able to walk up stairs and living with 30+ food sensitivities to reclaiming her life in just three months through nervous system work. Kelly opens up about spending tens of thousands on treatments—from specialty clinics to IV therapy to 20 different supplement bottles—yet still declining to the point where she was Googling her life expectancy. What shifted everything wasn't another protocol, but realizing her nervous sys...
If you've tried everything for your chronic symptoms and nothing has worked—physical therapy, doctors, diets, supplements—this conversation might be exactly what you need to hear. Sean Hershey is a licensed psychotherapist who completely healed his severe, debilitating IBS through mind-body work. In this episode, he shares his journey from chronic suffering to symptom-free living, and gets honest about the ongoing work with his hip pain—including the doubt spirals that still show up even afte...
In this episode, Grace explores why conditions like long COVID, POTS, chronic fatigue, Lyme disease, and mold illness often persist—not because of the virus or toxin itself, but because the nervous system remains stuck in survival mode. She unpacks the science behind the body's threat response and how symptoms become learned patterns when the brain keeps predicting danger. Grace shares emerging research on POTS reprocessing therapy and the power of emotional coherence, offering a compassionat...
Grace is joined by Dr. Michael Dow, a clinical psychologist and lead therapist for Pain Reprocessing Therapy, to explore how our brains can learn to predict symptoms—and why that's actually good news for healing. Michael shares his personal journey from chronic weekly headaches to full recovery, what he learned from running a pain management program where nobody got out of pain, and how everything shifted when he discovered pain reprocessing therapy through the Boulder Back Pain Study. They d...
Ever wonder if you should rest when fatigue hits—or keep going? Grace tackles one of the most common (and confusing) questions in chronic fatigue recovery: how to know when your body needs rest versus when your nervous system just needs reassurance that you're safe. What You'll Learn: The Two Types of Fatigue Normal fatigue (proportionate to life stress, activity, or lack of sleep)Nervous system fatigue (disproportionate, often paired with brain fog, body aches, or other symptoms—and do...
Ever feel like you're "doing all the right things" but still running on empty? This conversation with Jessica Corbin lit me up. Jessica is a somatic educator and founder of SORCE, and she brings such a beautiful perspective on what it actually means to understand your energy—not just manage it, but renew it. We dive deep into heart rate variability (HRV), but this isn't just a technical conversation. It's about reconnecting with your body's wisdom, understanding when you're extracting from yo...
In this episode, Grace explores how the pursuit of “perfect” health can backfire—turning clean eating and non-toxic living into stress, rigidity, and even illness. She shares her personal journey with orthorexia and recovery, reminding us that true health is found in balance, nervous system safety, and freedom, not restriction. Resources from Grace: Mind-Body Healing Method Program - start healing NOW Work with me in therapy or coaching FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook Connect with ...
Clinical psychologist and researcher Mark Lumley joins Grace to unpack why the brain—not just the body—is central to chronic pain. They dig into EAET (Emotional Awareness & Expression Therapy), how “doing the uncomfortable thing” can unlock change, why blocked anger and unspoken needs keep symptoms looping, and where journaling and unsent letters actually help. Mark shares vivid stories (including blood-draw fainting and the fight/flight “hack”), how relationships trigger or soothe pain, ...
If you’ve ever felt like your body is playing whack-a-mole with symptoms—pain, fatigue, gut issues, headaches—you’re not alone. In this episode, Grace explains why shifting symptoms, known as the “symptom imperative,” are actually a hopeful sign of neuroplastic pain. You’ll learn how to recognize this pattern, why it means your body isn’t broken, and how to respond so you can move toward healing. Resources from Grace: Mind-Body Healing Method Program - start healing NOW Work with me in the...
Grace is joined by Vanessa Blackstone, LMFT to talk about why our brains sometimes expect pain or symptoms before they even happen—a process called predictive coding. Together they explore how this shapes chronic pain and other body sensations, and how tools from Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) can help break the cycle. Vanessa shares stories from her own journey and her clients, showing how to navigate flare-ups (known as extinction bursts) and build evidence of safety in your body. This ep...
In this episode, Grace explores the hidden costs of perfectionism. She reflects on how the drive to achieve and stay productive can often be rooted in pain, and how these patterns affect both mind and body. Grace unpacks the cultural narratives around productivity, the toll they take on our well-being, and what it looks like to step into a more compassionate, sustainable way of living. Resources from Grace: Mind-Body Healing Method Program - start healing NOW Work with me in therapy or coa...
In this episode of Heal with Grace, Grace sits down with Emmy to explore what life and healing look like after leaving toxic or abusive relationships. Emmy shares her personal story of navigating patterns of codependency, how trauma shows up in everyday life, and the power of boundaries and self-compassion in recovery. Together, they unpack the difference between “toxic” and “abusive,” the role of emotional abuse, and what it means to create safe, healthy connections moving forward. You’ll wa...
In this episode, Grace shares what happened when a long-awaited trip to New Zealand brought on a flare—and how fear, pressure, and perfectionism played a role. She opens up about the mindset shifts, nervous system tools, and emotional release practices that helped her move through it in just a day and a half. Resources from Grace: Mind-Body Healing Method Program - start healing NOW Work with me in therapy or coaching FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook Connect with Grace Connect on ...
In this episode, Rachel Gofman (physical therapist and pelvic pain coach) shares her journey to overcoming debilitating pelvic pain through mind-body and nervous system work. What You'll Learn: Why "diagnoses" and structural findings don’t always explain symptomsHow shame, cultural beliefs and trauma inform pain The nervous system’s role in chronic symptoms and healingMyths about pelvic pain that may be keeping you stuckConnect with Rachel: Instagram WebsiteResources from Grac...
In this episode, Grace unpacks why your scans, labs, or diagnoses don’t always explain your symptoms—and what might be going on beneath the surface. She explores how many chronic conditions are driven not by structural damage, but by nervous system dysregulation and unresolved emotional stress. If you’ve been told “everything looks normal” or have a diagnosis but still feel stuck in symptoms, this episode offers a new way forward. You’ll learn: The difference between structural issues and fun...
Grace is joined by therapist Christie Uipi, LCSW, founder of the Better Mind Center, to explore what it means to have a higher needs or sensitive nervous system. Christie shares her personal healing journey, how chronic symptoms often stem from learned neural pathways, and why sensitivity isn’t something to fix—but to understand and support. They discuss how to know the difference between a limit and a growth edge, the pitfalls of perfectionism in healing, and how building a life around your ...