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 detection. Dr. Megan Steele walks you through the biological transformations happening in your body when pain becomes chronic, from peripheral nerve changes to decreased gray matter in areas responsible for memory and executive function.

But here's where it gets counterintuitive: the path forward might involve turning toward your pain rather than away from it. Dr. Steele explains why constantly trying to ignore or push through pain can actually make it worse, and introduces somatic tracking as a way to bring subconscious protective mechanisms into conscious awareness. You'll learn why women are 70% more likely to experience chronic pain, how hormones play a role, and why your nervous system is wired for sameness - even when that sameness includes dysfunction.

Holly shares her own experience of building an identity around pain and the fear that comes with imagining life without it. Together, they explore how life shrinks when pain takes over, and how it can expand again through small, graded steps that feel safe to your nervous system.

If you've ever felt like your pain has a mind of its own, this conversation will help you understand what's actually happening in your body and brain - and why there's still hope for change.

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 when progress stalls. Together, they lay out why they started the show and how they hope to serve you.

Listen to learn:

1. How research and real life fit together to make sense of persistent pain
2. What you can expect from future episodes: clear explanations, practical tools, and steady encouragement
3. Simple ways to become a better observer of your pain and talk about it with your care team and your circle
4. How to plug into a community that understands the invisible parts of this journey

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 strategies, and a framework you can use to make progress without chasing quick fixes.

What you’ll learn:

1. The critical difference between acute and persistent pain
2. Why “pain ≠ damage” and how threat detection shapes your experience
3. How beliefs, fear, sleep, stress, and support systems influence pain levels
4. When to seek medical evaluation and when to focus on nervous system regulation
5. First steps that actually help: pacing, breath work, visualization, and gentle exposure

Helpful reframes:

1. Clean imaging is a green light to work, not a dead end
2. Doing the right things in the right order matters more than doing more
3. You can reduce flares by training your response, not just treating your tissues

You’re not alone in this. There’s a path forward that treats you as a whole person - and it’s learnable.