Welcome to episode 03 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In episode one of the series, I explained what a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® is and what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is.

Episode two of the series was all about who makes a good coach and who is better suited to be an advisor. I also covered what you need and don’t need to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In this episode, we’re taking a deeper look at why someone would want to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, why the world needs fibro coaches, and why you should consider becoming one.

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.

Don't like waiting? Register now to have the complete 'Be A Coach' series, along with several bonus episodes, delivered straight to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to sign up for FREE.

Interested in hearing from our alumni about their journey in our courses? Register to receive our complimentary 'Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope' collection, automatically delivered to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to subscribe.

Join our next Virtual Open House and learn about our specialized training programs. Understand the difference between our Coach and Advisor paths, explore tuition options, and discover our fibro-friendly class structure. Click here to register or watch the replay.

To learn more about the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

“Give yourself some grace and just know that you've done this for a reason, and it will make your life better.” - Deb Thompson

Many times, people with fibromyalgia put off surgeries that they need to have because they're worried about the inevitable fibro flare that's coming. When we have surgery, chances are that it’s going to cause a fibro flare. The good news is that while our pain may initially get worse, it then gets much better.

The key to getting through this is planning and owning what you need. No matter how close someone is to you or how much they know you, it’s always your job to understand and communicate your needs. When you have the right tools, it’s much easier to put that possible fibro flare into perspective and do what’s best for your health.

Today, Tami is joined by Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® Deb Thompson to discuss practical tips for anyone with fibromyalgia who is facing a major medical procedure. Deb has recently had her third major surgery in eight years, and she’s sharing what was different about her most recent surgery and what she's learned in the process.

In this conversation, Deb and Tami talk about Deb’s timeline of chronic pain and long journey to a fibromyalgia diagnosis, her struggle with acceptance, how the podcast helped her to find support, why Deb decided to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, common concerns about the effect of surgery on fibromyalgia symptoms, Deb’s first surgery and lack of improvement after, her reflections on issues that arose with that first time, her recognition that she was looking outside herself to fix the problem, how emotional and physical stress affect pain levels post-surgery, pre-surgery preparations that helped Deb’s second surgery experience, comparing her recovery experiences, managing the post-surgery emotional crash, strategies for organizing tasks and planning for help ahead of surgery, minimizing stress and calming down your nervous system, getting back to basics with the things you know help with fibro symptoms, identifying pre-surgery requirements from a medication perspective, the best way to ask for help and communicate with your medical team, being proactive in pain management, communicating your needs to your family before surgery, building your flare survival plan, pre-appoinment preparation, coping with medical trauma, Deb’s top tips for recovery and managing fatigue post-surgery, accepting help from friends and family, creating a comfort bag to maintain independence post-surgery, why it’s crucial to prioritize sleep for recovery and managing fibromyalgia symptoms, self-care to support your long-term health, managing feelings of overwhelm effectively, how Deb helps women with fibromyalgia break the cycle of pain and fatigue, her advice for people with fibro facing upcoming surgeries, how the right coach can support you around your surgery, 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®.

Welcome to episode 02 of our special Be a Coach Series. In this series, I answer questions about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and what it takes to be a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®. I cover all the basics… the who, what, when, where, why, and even the how.

Don’t understand what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Adviser is? No problem. Just pop on over to episode one of the series because that is exactly what we covered in that episode.

In this episode, I’m covering the who. Who makes a good coach? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®? Who makes a good Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®? And, how do you know which one you might be?

I also cover what I look for in the applications I accept into the training program and what you need and don’t need to join us a become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® or Advisor yourself.

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.

Don't like waiting? Register now to have the complete 'Be A Coach' series, along with several bonus episodes, delivered straight to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to sign up for FREE.

Interested in hearing from our alumni about their journey in our courses? Register to receive our complimentary 'Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope' collection, automatically delivered to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to subscribe.

Join our next Virtual Open House and learn about our specialized training programs. Understand the difference between our Coach and Advisor paths, explore tuition options, and discover our fibro-friendly class structure. Click here to register or watch the replay.

To learn more about the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

In the US, approximately 1 in 13 women and 1 in 20 men are diagnosed with fibromyalgia. To put those numbers in perspective, breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women, cervical cancer affects 1 in 13 women, and colon cancer affects 1 in 25 women and 1 in 23 men. Yet, even though the prevalence of fibromyalgia is in a similar range, screening for these cancers has become mainstream, and fibromyalgia remains on the sidelines of medical training.

As patients, we have to be more proactive than ever and be as knowledgeable as possible to make good decisions about our care. In many cases, we know more than our doctors, who - despite being compassionate - just don’t know how to help you. Unfortunately, it’s just the way the system is set up.

This is the reason Tami created the International Fibromyalgia Coaching Institute. A Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® can help fill this care gap by educating, encouraging, and supporting people with fibromyalgia.

In today’s ninth installment of our Stories of Hope and Healing, some of our recent graduates share their fibro journeys and how they've improved their fibromyalgia symptoms. You’ll hear about the importance of fibromyalgia coaching, how a fibromyalgia coach fits into your healthcare team, Dr. Robin’s long journey with fibromyalgia, why a growth mindset can help your fibromyalgia, cultivating a growth mindset, the role of a coach, the three key characteristics that contribute to successful management of fibromyalgia, a client experience story from Tina on the transformative power of a growth mindset in managing fibromyalgia, next steps for graduates, how Jeannette’s undiagnosed ADHD masked her fibromyalgia symptoms for decades, the lifestyle changes and support systems that contributed most to Jeannette’s symptom management, Jeannette’s advice for perfectionists and hope for the future, Margo’s skepticism and initial resistance to positivity about life with fibromyalgia, what it was like working with her coach Giselle compared to her DIY approach, benefits of having a coach who understands fibromyalgia from personal experience, how community and shared experiences in the coaching class helped her journey, how the class helped Ileana improve her fibromyalgia, what it was like as a coach working with a fibro coach, the need to look beyond managing symptoms and focus on joy and balance in life, the positive impact of finding a functional medicine doctor, the factors that contributed the most to improving Ileana’s symptoms, connecting with your purpose, 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®.

As a master Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, author, and fibro podcaster, the questions I’m asked more than any others are:

How do I get better?

How do I improve my Fibromyalgia so I can get back to living the life I want to live?

While those sound like simple questions, they do not have simple answers. We all have similar symptoms, what helps you feel better may not be the thing that helps me feel better. We all have to find our own magic formula for what makes us feel best.

I know from personal experience just how overwhelming it can be to find that formula on your own. That’s why I created a training program in 2015 that would teach people just like you how to improve their own Fibromyalgia, and how to help others do the same.

In this first episode of a special series where I’ll be answering a lot of questions I get about our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class and about becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, I want to start super basic.

We’re going over what a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® is, how that’s different from a Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor®, why you should consider the Advisor class if you’re a patient who just wants to feel better, who else the Advisor class is perfect for, what the certification aspect really means, the staggering statistics on how many participants see significant improvements in their symptoms by the end of the Advisor class.

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.

Don't like waiting? Register now to have the complete 'Be A Coach' series, along with several bonus episodes, delivered straight to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to sign up for FREE.

Interested in hearing from our alumni about their journey in our courses? Register to receive our complimentary 'Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope' collection, automatically delivered to your favorite podcast app. Use this link to subscribe.

To learn more about the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class, 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 consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

“I’m having trouble finding my team, as you call it. I often feel so alone in this. How can I best find a doctor to suit my needs?”

Choosing your healthcare team is a highly personal process that requires you to really understand your specific wants and needs. There are so many options, and, let's face it, there aren’t a whole lot of good doctors out there.

When building your health team, remember you won’t find one doctor who can do everything for you. You need a team of people, from a sleep doctor to a chiropractor to a primary care doctor and more in between. Once you have a team in place, there are still several reasons you may need to go back to the drawing board and find a new provider. Whether you’ve moved further away, you’re experiencing new symptoms or a new diagnosis, or you simply feel like you’re no longer in good hands with your provider, there are certain things that signal that you should move on. You should never settle for fine.

In today’s installment of Ask the Coach, Tami shares some of the varied reasons you may need to find a new provider and a detailed process for finding aligned practitioners. In this episode, Tami discusses red flags that suggest you may need to find a new doctor, reasons Tami has had to find a new doctor, balancing a doctor’s skills with their willingness to learn, why we need a team of providers when we’re dealing with fibromyalgia, steps to take when searching for a new doctor, the value of referrals from trusted sources, why you should include a naturopath or functional medicine doctor on your team, how to find a functional medicine provider or naturopath, getting clear on your specific needs and wants, how to go about researching providers, the benefits of bringing someone with you to your first appointment, critical questions to ask potential providers, trusting your instincts, essential healthcare providers to help you manage fibromyalgia effectively, 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®.

Today, Tami has another bonus episode for you!

Tami was recently interviewed by Meghan DeVito for the Kingdom Employee podcast. Once again, she’s sharing this conversation with you as a peek behind the curtain into an area of her life you normally don’t see.

In this conversation, Tami shares more about her spirituality and how her Christian beliefs impact her life, her business, and her work with clients.

Meghan and Tami discuss the role the faith and spirituality has to help people cope with chronic pain. Tami also shares some strategies for effectively communicating, delegating tasks, setting boundaries, and adapting lifestyles to help you manage your fibromyalgia symptoms.

If you’ve ever wondered about Tami’s beliefs and how they influence the type of work she does and how she built her business, this is a great episode for you to check out.

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®.

In 2009 - two years after her diagnosis - Tami started working with a coach and making positive changes in her life. At the same time that she saw her fibromyalgia begin to improve, she started noticing beautiful cherry blossom trees everywhere. They weren’t new, but her awareness of them was. Knowing that they frequently appear in Japanese and Chinese art, she looked up their symbolism, and what she found resonated deeply with her and her fibromyalgia experience.

In Japanese and Chinese art, cherry blossoms symbolize feminine beauty. They represent delicateness, strength, and power. With their fleeting beauty, cherry blossoms highlight the transience of life and the fact that no matter where you are and what you’re going through, this too shall pass.

In today’s episode, Tami shares why she chose cherry blossoms in her logo, book covers, and more and uses them to represent the journey with fibromyalgia. She discusses how working with a health coach helped her fibromyalgia to start to improve, the moment cherry blossoms began to enter Tami’s awareness, the meaning and significance of cherry blossoms in different cultures, her decision to embrace their symbolism, why Tami believes cherry blossoms make such a great symbol of our experiences within the fibro community, embracing the transience of life, learning to find the beauty and strength in disability, thinking of your body as a being who is on your side, believing in the incredible beauty of your body, connecting with the promise of hope, creating realistic goals and continuously improving, the feminine strength symbolized by the cherry blossoms, making empowered choices for your wellbeing, the power of hope, 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®.