My Pain Coach, LLC

12/29/2025

Have you heard the stories about other people experiencing pain or injury when exercising?

Have you lived those stories yourself?

There are two themes:

😔 exercise that hurts, physically and emotionally

🥳 exercise that heals, physically and emotionally

Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC, and I have both heard and lived the stories, and we are creating something new for people living with pain: a way to exercise that heals the whole person, not hurts.

We want to hear your story of exercise and pain. Please complete this brief anonymous survey and stay tuned for more of what's next.

https://forms.gle/ASseaCoWjNehzfYi6

Thank you!



Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC

Board Certified Health Coach specializing in Chronic Pain

www.MyPainCoachLLC.com

Janet Huehls, MS, ACSM-CEP, NBC-HWC

Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Board Certified Health Coach

www.ExercisingWell.com

12/28/2025

Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC, and I are teaming up to offer a way for people living with pain to exercise without fear and shame that leaves them in more pain.

We are starting with a brief anonymous survey because we want to hear more about the experiences with exercise for people living with pain.

If you or someone you know is living with pain, this survey will help us create something that helps, not hurts.

https://forms.gle/ASseaCoWjNehzfYi6

Thank you!

Hear more about Cynthia's story and method in this podcast we did together last year.

https://youtu.be/l4Drmca4SUk



Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC

Board Certified Health Coach specializing in Chronic Pain

www.MyPainCoachLLC.com

Janet Huehls, MS, ACSM-CEP, NBC-HWC

Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Board Certified Health Coach

www.ExercisingWell.com

12/24/2025

These are preliminary results from our Exercise and Pain Survey. 🧐.

When we hear recommendations to exercise, are we aware of what we carry with us regarding that topic?

Do we know how to recognize and navigate exercise trauma from past experiences so we can move on with something better?

Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC, and I are bridging the exercise gap for people in pain, creating a pathway that helps not hurts

Join us in collecting more information about the exercise experiences of people in pain.

https://forms.gle/ASseaCoWjNehzfYi6

Please complete the survey and share with anyone who may be able to contribute. Thank you!



Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC

Board Certified Health Coach specializing in Chronic Pain

www.MyPainCoachLLC.com

Janet Huehls, MS, ACSM-CEP, NBC-HWC

Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Board Certified Health Coach

www.ExercisingWell.com

12/21/2025

We are creating something different, but the first step is to hear your story about living with pain and trying to exercise.

Please complete and share this brief anonymous survey and tell us your experiences.

https://forms.gle/ASseaCoWjNehzfYi6

Thank you!

Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC

Board Certified Health Coach specializing in Chronic Pain

www.MyPainCoachLLC.com

Janet Huehls, MS, ACSM-CEP, NBC-HWC

Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Board Certified Health Coach

www.ExercisingWell.com

12/19/2025

"Just go for a walk" is advice my patients and clients often hear. But what if that walk triggers a stress state? Is it still helpful health advice?

Check out this video where Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC tells her story as she walks in the woods, and learn why that simple walk is an incredible accomplishment for her.

https://youtu.be/jDPDqVPUS-4?si=zxyHjQmEZq4ybFJW

We want to hear your story. If you’ve ever felt limited in your ability to exercise for health or enjoy activities with loved ones due to pain, please take a moment to complete the Exercise and Pain Survey.

https://forms.gle/ASseaCoWjNehzfYi6

Together, we’re building something different.

Thank you for taking a moment to share your perspective. Your voice matters.

Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC

Board Certified Health Coach specializing in Chronic Pain

www.MyPainCoachLLC.com



Janet Huehls, MS, ACSM-CEP, NBC-HWC

Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Board Certified Health Coach

www.ExercisingWell.com

12/17/2025

Learn More and Take the Survey --
Share your Exercise Experiences:

→ www.MyPainCoachllc.com/exerciseandpain

By the time I met Janet with Exercising WELL, I had already overcome the worst of my pain symptoms.

But movement? That was still foreign territory.

I wasn’t someone who “used to love exercise” or “just needed to get back to it.”

I had never been that person.

I’d been sick most of my life. In the beginning, I was debilitated by chronic migraines starting at age 7 and then, other symptoms joined in over the next 40+ years: sciatica, back, hip, leg and foot pain, and ultimately, fibromyalgia. The list of symptoms I experienced was long.

For five decades, my body lived in a place of survival, not movement.

So even when the pain lessened, I still didn’t know how to start moving — and all the typical exercise advice made me feel more broken, not more capable.

Then I met Janet.
→ She didn’t tell me what to do.
→ She didn’t give me reps or routines.
→ She met me in the fear of my past movement and exercise "failures."

Janet helped me uncover my own mineshaft, the hidden belief systems, and body memories that had kept me frozen.

And when the conversation shifted from expectations to empathy, from “just do it” to “I see you,” something unlocked for me.

Movement started to feel like self-connection.
Like possibility.
Like freedom.

But as a board certified health coach, I know giving exercise advice is outside my scope so I approached Janet to fill in the gaps of movement science for people living with chronic pain that were participating in my pain coaching program.

Her approach had helped me so much and was so aligned with nervous system self-regulation, trauma-informed care, whole person care, and behavior change science that we were a perfect fit.

Now, Janet and I are creating something that speaks to the silent strugglers — those who feel intimidated, dismissed, or unseen in traditional fitness or rehab spaces.

We’re building a bridge - between pain and movement, science and self-trust.
And we’re just getting started.

12/15/2025

Exercise & Pain

I want to share a few real stories from my coaching clients to show what happens when we give movement and exercise advice without understanding the pain experience:

🧍‍♀️ One pain coaching client lives in a body that's 150 lbs heavier than "ideal" weight. The recommendation she received?

“Walk five miles, three times a week.”
No conversation about pacing.
No support for fatigue, joint strain, or nervous system overload.
Just a medical professional's command disguised as a solution.

🧘 Another coaching client — emotionally overwhelmed and physically exhausted — asked her yoga therapist if she could rest that day.

The reply? “You don’t need rest. You need to move.”
This wasn’t encouragement. It was dismissal.
Her nervous system was screaming for regulation, not rigidity.

🪑 A third coaching client — courageous and eager — signed up for a Silver Sneakers class.
But at the start of every class, participants had to carry a heavy chair from storage to the floor.
For her, that moment was defeating.
Not because she didn’t want to move, but because the room setup alone triggered shame and self-doubt.

🧐 None of these clients lacked motivation.
What they needed was safety, support, and sequencing.

We cannot push people into movement and expect nervous system regulation to follow.

This is exactly why Janet Karen Huehls, MS, ACSM-CEP, NBC-HWC and I are building something new — where movement science meets pain science, not pressure.

Where we see the whole human, not just the “health goals.”

We’re not saying stop moving.

We’re saying: Start differently.

👉 https://forms.gle/ASseaCoWjNehzfYi6

12/14/2025

When exercise feels impossible, it’s not a personal failure.

Many people living with chronic pain have a complicated history with movement. What starts as a well-meaning attempt to "get stronger or lose weight" can turn into a cycle of fear, frustration, and shutdown.

That’s why we are exploring the phrase “exercise trauma.” It’s not a diagnosis — it’s a way to describe how pain, fear, and past distressing exercise experiences shape how we relate to exercise today.

This short video explains more and allows you to share your voice about exercise and chronic pain.

Take the short anonymous survey.

Exercise & Pain Survey: https://forms.gle/ASseaCoWjNehzfYi6

Has exercise ever felt overwhelming, left you feeling ashamed of your body, and its abilities to "keep up"?Does even thinking about exercise make you worried...

12/14/2025

For some, movement is empowering.

For others, it’s loaded with fear, pressure, or past harm.

What’s your story with exercise?

We’re collecting real experiences to create something safer, more honest, and more supportive for people living with chronic pain.

Drop a word, a sentence, or a story. We’re listening.

Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC and I are teaming up to ensure people living with pain know how to use exercise to thrive, not just survive a workout.

Stay tuned for more info!

Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC.

Board Certified Health Coach specializing in Chronic Pain

www.MyPainCoachLLC.com

Janet Huehls, MS, ACSM-CEP, NBC-HWC

Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Board Certified Health Coach

www.ExercisingWell.com

12/14/2025

We’re not here to tell you to stretch, strengthen, or move more.
We’re here to ask what hasn’t worked—and why.

Your answers will help shape a different kind of approach to pain and movement.

What needs to change? What’s missing? What would make you feel safe to try again?

Let us know in the comments.

Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC
Board Certified Health Coach specializing in Chronic Pain
www.MyPainCoachLLC.com

Janet Huehls, MS, ACSM-CEP, NBC-HWC
Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Board Certified Health Coach
www.ExercisingWell.com

12/13/2025

For some, movement and exercise is empowering.
For others, it’s loaded with fear, pressure, or past harm.

What’s your story with exercise?

We’re collecting real experiences to create something safer, more honest, and more supportive for people living with chronic pain.

Drop a word, a sentence, or a story. We’re listening.

Cynthia Austin, NBC-HWC
Board Certified Health Coach specializing in Chronic Pain
www.MyPainCoachLLC.com

Janet Huehls, MS, ACSM-CEP, NBC-HWC
Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Board Certified Health Coach
www.ExercisingWell.com

12/13/2025

Why do so many exercise programs fail people living with chronic pain?

We have a hunch—but we want to hear from you.

Has exercise ever felt like too much for your body?

Tell us what’s made it hard, confusing, or even painful.

Cynthia Austin and I are building something new, and your voice matters.

Stay tuned for more information soon!