"The general public and even health professionals are not fully aware of the power of our circadian rhythms." - Dr. Leon Lack

If you've ever felt tired, foggy, and flared up when the seasons or the clocks change, you are not alone. Light is one of the most powerful signals to the brain, and when your body's internal clock, your circadian rhythm, becomes disrupted, that can influence your energy, pain levels, mood, and focus. For those of us already living with fibro's sensitive nervous system, even small shifts in daylight can have a significant impact.

Understanding your circadian rhythm can help you find balance with your energy, sleep quality, and other fibro symptoms. Morning light, evening routines, timing your wake-up, and even the type of light you're exposed to all influence how your body functions. When you understand how they all work together, light can become one of the simplest and most effective fibro-friendly tools for improving sleep, stabilizing your mood, and boosting your energy all year.

Today, Tami is excited to be joined by Professor Leon Lack, one of the world's leading experts on sleep, circadian rhythm, and light therapy, to talk about why light affects us so deeply and how light therapy can support you. Dr. Lack is also the co-inventor of the Re-Timer light therapy glasses, one of Tami's favorite things for 2025.

In this conversation, they discuss what a circadian rhythm is, how it drives daily sleep and wake patterns, how light exposure shifts the body clock, the effects of social jetlag, inconsistent schedules, and sleep debt on mood, alertness, and pain, why some people are true evening types with delayed sleep phase challenges, how strategies like Tami's Lights Out Sundays can help reset body timing, what studies show about how natural light rapidly resets sleep, why morning light timing matters, how to identify your circadian low point to shift your rhythm more effectively, how light therapy works in cloudy or low-sunlight regions, the evolution from early light boxes to modern wearable devices, how light entering the eyes resets the brain's clock, Tami's experience using Re-Timer glasses, which wavelengths are most effective for shifting the body clock, why consistent morning light matters most, practical steps for shifting your sleep earlier, how winter darkness worsens mood and sleep, why jetlag adjustment varies from person to person, strategies for travel recovery, how evening light therapy can help early risers sleep later, best practices if you tend to sleep in, the risks of driving during circadian lows, why shift work remains so dangerous, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

"Fibromyalgia can take a lot from us, but it doesn't have to take everything." - Tami Stackelhouse

One of the hardest parts of living with fibromyalgia is how much joy can quietly disappear from your life. Activities you used to love start feeling out of reach and even simple things like going out with friends or spending time on a hobby can feel too draining. Over time, it's easy to lose sight of what brings you happiness when most of your energy is going toward managing your pain and getting through the day.

But joy is not something you "earn" once you feel better. Joy is part of what helps you feel better. It plays an essential role in calming your nervous system, lowering pain levels, and helping your body shift out of constant survival mode. When fibromyalgia makes your world smaller, joy often feels like the first thing to go, but it's actually one of the most powerful tools you have for healing. The good news is that joy doesn't need to be big or complicated. It just needs to be intentional.

In this episode, Tami walks you through her Joy List exercise, a simple and meaningful practice to help you identify personal sources of joy. She talks about how fibromyalgia can lead to a loss of hobbies, work, and social connection, the emotional weight that follows these changes, the biology of joy, how dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin support pain relief and healing, three reflective questions to help you rediscover what brings happiness and meaning, practical tips for creating your Joy List, why certain activities bring joy and how to adapt them in new ways, accepting that joy may look different now and that change is part of healing, focusing on the feeling of joy rather than trying to recreate past experiences, finding new forms of joy through creativity and flexibility, six simple ways to add joy into your daily life, reframing your understanding of joy as a muscle, why reconnecting with joy is crucial for managing fibromyalgia, why now is the best time to start or revisit your personal joy list, supportive resources you can utilize on your journey of rediscovering joy, knowing when to seek help from a coach or community, and more.

Remember, the parts of you that feel lost are still there, waiting for you to reach for them again.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Last year, Tami introduced her favorite things list. The list highlighted the top seven things from 2024 that she used in her everyday life and wouldn't want to live without.

Now, she's sharing a sneak peek of her list for 2025.

If you've ever heard of Oprah's Favorite Things list, this is like that, but with a fibro focus.

Some important things to keep in mind are that this is not a random list and companies cannot pay to be on it. Every item on this list is something Tami has personally tested, used, and loved enough to recommend to her clients and now you.

These items are the real deal. They're tools that support better sleep, less pain, steadier energy, and add a little extra sparkle to your day.

This year's list is grouped into three categories:

• Fibro Game Changers: Science-backed tools that truly make a difference in how your body feels and functions.
• Everyday Comforts: Small luxuries that make life a little more comfortable and fun.
• Daily Life Helpers: Practical tools you use every day that make life just a little bit easier.

In this episode, Tami shares one favorite from each category. For the complete guide with her curated picks, why she chose each item, direct purchasing links, and some discount codes, click the link below.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.

Each year, Tami curates her Favorite Things — fibro-friendly tools, comfort items, and simple upgrades that make daily life easier and more enjoyable. Get this year's 2025 Favorite Things Guide, plus links to past years' lists and early access to future editions.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.