Beyond The Pain
by Leigh Brandon
Beyond The Pain is your guide to uncovering the real root causes of chronic pain and reclaiming a life without limits. Hosted by Leigh Brandon—Functional Medicine Practitioner, CHEK Faculty Instructor, and author with nearly 30 years of experience—this show explores the physical, emotional, nutritional, and environmental drivers of pain. Through expert interviews and solo insights, you’ll discover holistic strategies that heal, empower, and transform where conventional methods fall short.
Episodes
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Crohn's Disease Recovery: How Diet, Lifestyle & Functional Medicine Changed Jen Germain's Life
What if being diagnosed with a lifelong chronic illness didn't mean giving up hope of feeling healthy again? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with functional medicine health coach Jen Germain about her remarkable journey from being diagnosed with Crohn's disease and...
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How the Hypothalamus Affects Chronic Pain, Hormones & Stress | Deborah Maragopoulos
How the Hypothalamus Affects Chronic Pain, Hormones & Stress | Deborah Maragopoulos Could a tiny part of your brain be playing a much bigger role in your chronic pain than you realise? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by Deborah Maragopoulos, an integrative family nurse...
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Chronic Pain, CFS & Long COVID: How to Rebuild Trust in Your Nervous System | Miguel Bautista
What if persistent pain, fatigue and other unexplained symptoms aren’t simply signs that your body is damaged — but signs that your nervous system has become increasingly protective? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with Miguel Bautista, founder of CFS Recovery, about his...
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The Vagus Nerve and Chronic Pain: Can Neuromodulation Help Regulate the Nervous System? | Jon Hacker
What role does the vagus nerve play in chronic pain, nervous system regulation and our ability to recover? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with biomedical engineer and StarSplit founder Jon Hacker about the emerging world of vagus nerve stimulation and neuromodulation.…
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Persistent Pain Explained: Why Pain Is More Than Tissue Damage
What if your pain is completely real, but the explanation you’ve been given for it is incomplete? For decades, persistent musculoskeletal pain was largely viewed through a structural lens: if your back hurt, there must be something wrong with your back; if your neck hurt, the problem must be in...
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Chronic Pain, Emotions and the Body: How Somatics Can Support Healing | Alexandra Beller
What if persistent pain is not merely something to eliminate, but also something we can learn to understand? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with movement analyst, choreographer and somatic educator Alexandra Beller about the relationship between chronic pain, physical...
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Can Breathwork Help Chronic Pain? Releasing Stored Emotions with Jon Paul Crimi
Can changing the way you breathe help you release stored emotions, regulate your nervous system and experience less pain? Breathing is something we do automatically, yet intentional breathwork may influence our physical, mental and emotional state in powerful ways. In this episode of Beyond The...
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Neuropathy, Nerve Compression and Persistent Pain: Is Sugar a Missing Cause? | Dr Rick Jacoby
Could nerve compression be an overlooked cause of persistent pain, neuropathy, numbness or tingling? Many people experiencing nerve pain are told that their symptoms are simply caused by ageing, diabetes or irreversible nerve damage. In this episode of Beyond The Pain, peripheral nerve surgeon Dr...
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Why Chronic Pain Treatments Fail: Finding the Root Cause with Dr. Sean Altman
Why do so many chronic pain treatments provide temporary relief, only for the pain to return? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with Dr. Sean Altman about why persistent pain often requires a much broader approach than simply treating the area that hurts. After experiencing...
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Can Neck Pain Cause Migraines and Chronic Headaches? With Dr Jono Taves
Can neck dysfunction cause migraines and chronic headaches—even when you don’t feel significant neck pain? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with Dr Jono Taves, a physical therapist, headache specialist and founder of the Novera Headache Center, about the frequently...
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Chronic Pain Explained: The Hidden Physical, Emotional and Nutritional Factors | Dr Zoa Conner
Why does pain sometimes persist—even after an injury has healed? In this episode, Leigh speaks with physicist, educator and pain specialist Dr Zoa Conner about the complex nature of persistent pain. They explore why pain is more than a purely physical experience and how muscular imbalances,...
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From Bed-Bound to 98% Better: Overcoming Chronic Pain After Lyme Disease with Allie Chandler
Allie Chandler went from being fit, active and adventurous to experiencing severe widespread pain and spending almost two years largely confined to bed. Her symptoms began suddenly following a backpacking trip in the Swiss Alps. After years of searching for answers, Allie was diagnosed with Lyme...
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The Missing Link in Persistent Pain: Self-Love, Emotions and the Body with Lindsay Little
Could the way you relate to yourself be affecting your experience of persistent pain? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with Lindsay Little about the complex relationship between physical pain, emotional pain and self-love. Drawing on her own experience of serious illness,...
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Can Repressed Emotions Cause Chronic Pain? Mind-Body Healing with Amy Lansky
Could unresolved emotions, chronic stress and suppressed anger be contributing to persistent pain? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with author Amy Lansky about her personal experiences with lower back pain, sciatica, insomnia and other chronic symptoms—and how the work of...
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Can Unresolved Emotions Drive Chronic Pain? The RESET Method with Peter Strange
What if the reason your pain persists is not only found in the part of your body that hurts? When pain continues despite treatment, exercise, medication or attempts to correct the physical problem, it may be necessary to look beyond muscles, joints and structural damage. Unresolved emotional...
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Can Energy Healing Help Chronic Pain? with Romain Daumont
Energy healing is often dismissed as “woo woo” by people who have never experienced it. But what if some of what we call woo woo is simply what science has not yet learned how to measure? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, I speak with Romain Daumont, founder of Luminara Care, about energy...
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Healing Chronic Pain: The Mind, Body & Lifestyle Connection with Hany Demian
Chronic pain is often treated as though it is purely a physical problem — an injury, a joint issue, a disc problem, inflammation, or degeneration. But for many people living with persistent pain, the real picture is far more complex. In this episode of Beyond The Pain, I speak with pain…
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Cam Cordin: Chronic Pain, Cold Exposure & Rebuilding Health
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, I speak with Cam Cordin about his powerful journey from chronic pain, physical breakdown and emotional rock bottom to rebuilding his health through discipline, resilience and what he calls the Savage Chill System. Cam had spent years training hard through...
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Rethinking Pain Care: Beyond Technique to a Whole-Person Approach
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon explores why many traditional pain treatment approaches fall short when they focus too narrowly on the painful area or rely too heavily on technique. While biomechanics, anatomy and hands-on skills all have their place, persistent pain often...
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Chronic Pain Recovery: Where to Start When Pain Has Lasted for Years
When pain has lasted for months or years, one of the hardest questions can be: where do I even start? By that point, many people have already tried stretching, strengthening, rest, treatment, scans, medication, posture changes, nervous system work, diet changes, supplements, and endless advice…
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Chronic Pain Myths: Why Pain Doesn’t Always Mean Damage
Chronic pain can be frightening enough on its own, but the stories people are told about their pain can sometimes make recovery feel even harder. In this solo episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon explores some of the most common myths that keep people stuck in persistent pain — including the...
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Why Pain Relief Isn’t Recovery: A Whole-Person Approach to Chronic Pain
Pain relief matters — but is it the same as recovery? In this solo episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon takes you behind the scenes of his new book, Beyond The Pain: A Whole-Person Approach to Understanding Pain and Participating in Recovery. After nearly three decades of working with people...
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Feldenkrais for Chronic Pain: Gentle Movement, Back Pain Relief & Mind-Body Healing with Beverly
Chronic pain can take over your life, affecting how you move, think, feel, sleep, work and connect with the people around you. But what if part of the way forward was not forcing your body harder, but learning how to move with more awareness, ease and intelligence? In this episode of Beyond The...
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Stem Cells, Biohacking & Chronic Pain Recovery with Eric Headlee
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, I’m joined by Eric Headlee, who shares his remarkable journey from a catastrophic knee injury to exploring holistic health, biohacking, stem cell therapy, and longevity practices. Eric opens up about how injury, pain, and declining health led him to question…
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Metabolic Chaos, Chronic Pain & Root-Cause Healing with Reed Davis
Many people living with chronic pain are told to manage symptoms, take medication, or simply learn to live with it. But what if pain is not the real problem — but a signal that something deeper is going on inside the body? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, I speak with Reed Davis, founder of...
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Resilience Through Chronic Illness: Brad Pitzele on Pain, Fatigue, Mindset & Healing
Living with chronic illness can feel like fighting a battle no one else can fully see. In this episode of Beyond The Pain, I’m joined by Brad Pitzele, who shares his powerful journey through autoimmune arthritis, debilitating pain, fatigue, brain fog, and a melanoma diagnosis that became a major...
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Healing Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmunity & Chronic Pain Through Energy Medicine | Dayna Wylder
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with Dayna Wylder about her transformative healing journey with multiple sclerosis and how it led her into the world of energy medicine, emotional healing, and higher consciousness. Together, they explore the deep connection between the…
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Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Chronic Pain, Hypermobility and Resilience | Daniel C. Rodgers
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with Daniel C. Rodgers about living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) — a connective tissue disorder that can lead to hypermobility, repeated injuries, chronic pain, exhaustion, and years of confusion before diagnosis. Daniel shares how the...
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Chronic Pain, Autoimmune Disease & Nervous System Healing with Christine Ruch
What happens when chronic illness forces you to question everything you thought you knew about health and healing? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by holistic nutritionist Christine Ruch to explore her powerful journey through chronic illness, multiple autoimmune...
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How the Brain Creates Pain: Applied Neurology, Flow State & Recovery with Brandon Day
What if pain is not simply a problem in the tissues, but an output from the brain? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by Brandon Day, flow state expert and applied neurology coach, to explore how the brain influences pain, injury, performance, recovery, and resilience....
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Exploring Advanced Therapies for Chronic Pain & Hidden Conditions | Greg Lee
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by Greg Lee for a thought-provoking conversation about chronic pain, hidden conditions, emotional trauma, toxins, and some of the more advanced therapies being used to help people heal. Greg shares his fascinating journey from NASA...
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Chronic Pain Root Causes: Inflammation, Stress, Trauma & Toxicity | Stan Kurtz
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by Stan Kurtz for a thought-provoking conversation on chronic pain, inflammation, trauma, stress, toxicity, and the deeper factors that may be driving pain in the body. Stan shares how his own family experiences led him into this work…
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Healing Chronic Pain with Light, Sound, Movement & Energy Medicine | Dr. Michael Blahut
What if some of the most powerful tools for easing chronic pain were available to you every day? In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by Dr. Michael Blahut for a fascinating conversation on how light, sound, movement, mindset, and energy-based practices can influence pain,...
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Dr. Kevin Smith on Chiropractic, Nutrition and Why Chronic Pain Persists
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by Dr. Kevin Smith, a chiropractor and clinical nutritionist with more than 25 years of experience helping people uncover and address the root causes of chronic pain. Dr. Smith shares his journey from chiropractic student to seasoned...
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Rewiring Pain & Trauma: From Brain Injury to Healing Through Hypnosis and NLP
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon sits down with Matt Johnson, who shares his remarkable journey from surviving a severe brain injury to discovering powerful mind-body approaches to healing. Following his injury, Matt found himself navigating persistent symptoms and limitations…
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Active Release Techniques, Nerve Entrapments & The Hidden Drivers of Chronic Pain | Dr. Matt Fontaine
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, I’m joined by sports chiropractor Dr. Matt Fontaine to explore one of the most overlooked aspects of chronic pain — soft tissue dysfunction and nerve entrapment. Dr. Fontaine shares his extensive clinical experience using Active Release Techniques (ART) to...
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Clinical Massage, Fascia & the MELT Method: A New Approach to Chronic Pain | Sarah-Jane Goulding
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by clinical massage therapist Sarah-Jane Goulding to explore a very different approach to chronic pain — one that goes far beyond muscles, scans, and symptom-chasing. Sarah-Jane shares her journey from working in the airline industry…
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Are EMFs Fuelling Your Pain? The Hidden Stressor No One Is Talking About
In this episode, Leigh Brandon explores a largely overlooked contributor to chronic pain: non-native electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Drawing on clinical experience, research, and decades of observation, Leigh explains the difference between natural (native) EMFs and the man-made EMFs produced by...
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Pain as a Teacher: Paul Chek on Healing, Consciousness & the Biopsychosocial Model
Pain is rarely just physical. In this powerful and deeply reflective conversation, Paul Chek joins me to explore pain as both a biological signal and a profound teacher — one that shapes our consciousness, relationships, and personal evolution. We dive into how emotional and psychological...
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Chronic Pain, Autoimmunity & Psychosomatic Healing: How the Body Speaks Through Symptoms | Catia Batalha
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by psychotherapist and yoga teacher Catia Batalha to explore the deeper meaning behind chronic pain, autoimmune conditions, and psychosomatic symptoms. Catia shares her personal journey with autoimmune illness and how it led her to...
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Living With Chronic Pain? What Most People Miss About Healing with DK Kang
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh is joined by DK Kang for a deeply honest and insightful conversation about chronic pain, resilience, and personal transformation. DK shares his own journey through long-term pain and how it became a powerful teacher in his life — guiding him to make...
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How Emotional & Ancestral Trauma Become Physical Pain | Intuitive Healing with Inna Segal
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by Inna Segal, a pioneer in intuitive healing and mind–body awareness. Inna shares her personal journey through chronic digestive issues, back pain, and psoriasis — experiences that led her to explore the emotional, energetic, and...
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Is Pain a Message? Understanding Chronic Pain Through the Body’s Intelligence
In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by Beth, a health coach specialising in bio-energetic testing, for a deep and thoughtful conversation about listening to the body’s signals and understanding pain beyond the purely physical. Beth shares her journey from mechanical...
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Gout: Why Medication Alone Isn’t Enough with Spiro Koulouris
Gout is often treated as a simple problem of high uric acid — take medication, avoid a few foods, and carry on. But for many people, that approach leads to recurrent flare-ups, worsening symptoms, and long-term health issues. In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon is joined by Spiro...
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The Real Causes of Foot & Ankle Pain — with Orthopaedic Surgeon Doc Malik
In this powerful conversation, Leigh speaks with Doc Malik, a former orthopaedic surgeon whose journey from a working-class upbringing in Glasgow to the operating theatre offers a unique perspective on the limitations — and possibilities — of modern healthcare. Together, they explore: • Why Doc...
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“I Said Goodbye to My Husband”: Kelly’s Fight Through Pelvic Pain & Emergency Surgery
Pelvic pain, endometriosis, and fertility challenges affect millions of women — yet far too many are dismissed, misdiagnosed, or left searching for answers on their own. In this powerful conversation, Kelly shares her harrowing journey through a life-threatening medical emergency that resulted in...
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Healing Pain Beyond the Physical: Toxicity, Emotions & the Subconscious Mind with Dr. Sean McCaffrey
In this powerful episode of Beyond the Pain, I’m joined by Dr. Sean McCaffrey, who shares his remarkable journey from aspiring lawyer to dedicated healer — a path shaped by personal loss, intuition, and a family legacy in medicine. Sean breaks down the true nature of chronic pain and why it’s…
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Eliminating Pain Starts With One Thing: Listening to the Patient with Vanessa Leone
In this episode, I sit down with chronic pain specialist Vanessa Leone for a deep and refreshing look at what people in pain truly need — to be heard. Too many people are rushed, dismissed, or handed assumptions about their symptoms. Doctors, surgeons and even allied health professionals often…
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Acupuncture for Pain Elimination: The Science Behind Rapid Healing Explained
Episode Summary In this episode, Leigh Brandon sits down with Mario Mancini to explore the real science and clinical wisdom behind acupuncture. Far from being a last-resort therapy, Mario explains how acupuncture acts as a powerful “signal amplifier,” helping the body regulate, reset, and repair....
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The Hidden Emotional Roots of Chronic Pain: Neuro-Affective Touch with Liz Wong
Struggling with chronic pain that won’t shift? In this episode, Leigh speaks with Liz Wong, whose work in Neuro-Affective Touch reveals how pain can be a communication tool from the body — and why healing often requires more than stretching, strengthening, or managing symptoms. Liz shares how...
About this show
Beyond The Pain is your guide to uncovering the real root causes of chronic pain and reclaiming a life without limits. Hosted by Leigh Brandon—Functional Medicine Practitioner, CHEK Faculty Instructor, and author with nearly 30 years of experience—this show explores the physical, emotional, nutritional, and environmental drivers of pain. Through expert interviews and solo insights, you’ll discover holistic strategies that heal, empower, and transform where conventional methods fall short.
Hosted by
Leigh Brandon
Categories