Live Well with Arthritis

Episode 46: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#46 Premier League to Patients: Consultant Dr Sam Botchey on Exercise, Inflammation and ArthritisWhat if the one thing that could change your health the most is something you can start today? Host Emily Johnson welcomes Dr Sam Botchey, a consultant in musculoskeletal, sport and exercise medicine based in London, who has worked with Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Brentford, Saracens and London Irish.Sam has seen first-hand how elite athletes look after their bodies, from sleep and personalised nutrition to recovery, and he is on a mission to bring that evidence-based approach to everyone else. In this conversation he explains why there is nothing more important than exercise, how metabolic dysfunction and ultra-processed food drive chronic inflammation, the signs you might be chronically inflamed even when your blood tests come back normal, and why muscle is your organ of longevity. He also demystifies orthobiologic treatments like PRP and hyaluronic acid, gives his honest take on supplements, and shares a patient story that shows just how powerful lifestyle medicine can be. Practical, motivating and full of hope, whatever your age or starting point.Topics covered:From Elite Sport to Everyday LifeWhat Elite Athletes Get Right Sleep, personalised nutrition and recovery, and why the rest of us are years behindNothing More Important Than Exercise How movement improves every chronic disease, and why a little goes a long way when you're starting outYou're an Athlete of Life Building a winning mindset for your healthInflammation, Metabolism and MuscleChronic vs Acute Inflammation How exercise reduces chronic inflammation, and what metabolic dysfunction and ultra-processed food have to do with itInflamed but Normal Bloods? The signs to watch for, from morning stiffness to swollen small joints and night-time painMuscle Is Your Organ of Longevity Anabolic resistance, and why strength training matters more as we get olderTreatments, Supplements and RecoveryOrthobiologics Explained PRP, hyaluronic acid, bone marrow aspirate and stem cells, and how accessible they are in the UKThrow Your Supplements in the Bin? Why untargeted supplements rarely help, and Sam's top three: vitamin D, omega-3 and creatineLifestyle as Medicine The patient whose Achilles pain went before treatment even started, plus quick-fire tips on ice vs heat, morning stiffness and oily fishAbout the podcast:With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis.Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis.Emily is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis.Episode Links:Live Well with Arthritis Programme Waitlist: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlistFREE Workbook: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-downloadDr Sam Botchey @drbotchInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbotch/Website: https://www.drbotchey.com/Clinics: Lanserhof at The Shard, Spire Thames Valley Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital WindsorEmily Johnson @ArthritisFoodieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodieFurther Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie

Episode 45: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#45 Not in Your Head: Psychologist Dr Sula Windgassen on Healing Through Mind and BodyHave you ever been told your symptoms are “all in your head”? Host Emily Johnson welcomes Dr Sula Windgassen, a leading health psychologist, researcher and author of It’s All In Your Body: A Practical Roadmap to Healing Through Mind-Body Connection.Sula knows this territory first-hand. After university, recurring bladder infections turned into persistent pain and symptoms that test after test couldn’t explain, leaving her depressed and without hope. A mindfulness course, explored alongside her psychiatrist dad, began to change how she related to her body and, over time, her symptoms eased, setting her on the path to a Master’s and PhD at King’s College London, research into mindfulness for multiple sclerosis and IBS, and over 30 peer-reviewed papers. In this conversation, Sula explains why it is never “all in your head”, how stress and emotions show up physically in the body, and how to rebuild trust in your body whether you’ve been dismissed, newly diagnosed or living with a chronic condition for years. Compassionate, grounded in science and full of hope.Topics covered:Sula’s Story and the ScienceFrom Patient to Psychologist Unexplained symptoms, a first mindfulness body scan, and the moment her sense of humour came backThe Biopsychosocial Model Why it doesn’t mean your illness is psychological, and how allostatic load explains the wear and tear of ongoing stressTop-Down, Bottom-Up and Bioplasticity Working with both mind and body, and the body’s remarkable capacity to changeBreaking the Symptom SpiralThe Symptom Spiral How pain, thoughts, emotions and behaviour feed each other, and where you have choicesStill Waiting for Answers? Sula’s two-track plan for advocating for yourself while looking after yourself in the meantimeRebuilding Trust in Your Body Curiosity, non-reactivity, noticing your nervous system states, and why the basics are underratedGrief, Identity and Simply BeingThe Grief of a Diagnosis Why grief isn’t linear, and why going back and forth doesn’t mean going backwardsYou Are Not Your Illness Two overlapping circles, the three phases of adjustment, and reconnecting with your valuesHuman Doings Why rest is productive, how our phones get in the way, and Sula’s daily practice of savouringAbout the podcast:With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis.Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis.Emily is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis.Episode Links:Live Well with Arthritis Programme Waitlist: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlistFREE Workbook: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-downloadDr Sula Windgassen @the_health_psychologistInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_health_psychologist/Website: https://healthpsychologist.co.ukBook: It’s All In Your Body: A Practical Roadmap to Healing Through Mind-Body ConnectionPodcast: How We Really Feel: https://www.howwereallyfeel.com/Emily Johnson @ArthritisFoodieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodieFurther Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie

Episode 44: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#44 Wheelchair to West End: Ana Villafañe on Living with RA for 30 YearsOne in four of us live with arthritis, so why do so many of us feel like we’re the only one? Host Emily Johnson welcomes her dear friend Ana Villafañe, the actor and singer who originated the role of Gloria Estefan in Broadway’s On Your Feet! and is now making her West End debut as Ava Gardner in Sinatra: The Musical.Diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at just seven years old, Ana spent months in hospital and time in a wheelchair as a child, and was told she’d never wear heels or run. Thirty years on, and four years after a hip replacement, she opens up about the parts of RA nobody sees: years of denial, the night she told Gloria Estefan the truth, stilettos on a raked stage, and the question from her rheumatologist that changed everything: “Why don’t you think you deserve to feel good?” Raw, funny and deeply moving, this conversation is a reminder that you are not alone, and you’re going to be okay.Topics covered:Growing Up with RADiagnosed at Seven Falling ill at the 1996 Olympics and first hearing the words 'juvenile rheumatoid arthritis'Not the Only One How summer camps for kids with arthritis and disabilities changed everythingFrom Sick Girl to Showgirl Feeling like a burden, and how singing turned 'the girl who couldn’t' into the girl who couldDenial, Disclosure and the SpotlightRebranding in LA Skipping meds, hiding flares, and dating with an invisible condition'So I Can Trust You' Telling Gloria Estefan about her RA, and eight months on Broadway without calling outBehind the Curtain Stilettos on a raked stage, compression boots, and the reality of 8 shows a weekA New Hip and a New MindsetDeserving to Feel Good The question that led to a hip replacement six days after wrapping a filmVisibly Disabled Again Crutches, kindness from strangers, and walking the red carpet anywayNon-Negotiables Sleep, fuel, movement and medication, and learning to run after being told she never wouldAbout the podcast:With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis.Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis.Emily is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis.Episode Links:Live Well with Arthritis Programme Waitlist: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlistFREE Workbook: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-downloadAna Villafañe @anavillafaneofficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anavillafaneofficial/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anavillafaneofficialNew single, Suelta: https://open.spotify.com/track/0ghIrWV5H2CQPmcAtVB4rR Sinatra: The Musical, Aldwych Theatre, LondonEmily Johnson @ArthritisFoodieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodieFurther Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie

Episode 43: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#43 Rage into Change: Evelyn Scott on Endometriosis, Chronic Pain, and AdvocacyHave you ever been medically gaslit, told your pain was “normal,” or that it was all in your head? If so, this episode is for you. Host Emily Johnson welcomes Evelyn Scott, a Surrey-based academic turned women’s health advocate and author of A Bloody Scandal: How Medicine Fails Women in Pain.Evelyn lives with severe endometriosis, a condition it took fifteen years to diagnose, with symptoms dismissed from her early teens as “just a bad period.” After being failed again and again by the very systems meant to help her, and finally diagnosed by pure chance in A&E, she began sharing her story online, building a community of tens of thousands of women and discovering that gynaecological neglect is a global scandal. In this honest and empowering conversation, Evelyn opens up about medical misogyny, the real cost of years of dismissal, and the practical tools that help her advocate for herself. Whether that is writing notes before appointments, to learning that you can always say no to your doctor. Whether you live with arthritis, endometriosis, or any chronic condition where you’ve had to fight to be believed, this episode is a reminder that you are the expert of your own body, and you are not alone.Topics covered:Fighting to Be BelievedNormalised From the Start Bleeding through her school uniform, being bullied, and told “everyone has periods”Fifteen Years to Diagnosis Dismissed for over a decade, “normal” scans, and a diagnosis found by chanceFinally Seen The strange relief of proof that it was never “all in her head”A Bloody ScandalMedical Misogyny “Just get pregnant,” “you’re wasting our time,” and being called hystericalWhy Women Are Failed Gynaecological neglect across the UK, US and AustraliaA Better Way Empathy-led medicine, care plans, and treating endometriosis as an inflammatory diseaseAdvocating for YourselfYou Can Say No Noting dismissals on your records and asking for second and third opinionsYour Secret Weapon Writing notes, bringing someone with you, and using PALS and your MPRest and Be Kind Painkillers, hot water bottles, therapy, and learning to trust your body againAbout the podcastWith a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis.Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis.Emily is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis.Episode LinksLive Well with Arthritis Programme Waitlist: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlistFREE Workbook: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-downloadEvelyn Scott @evelynscott1987Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evelynscott1987/Book: A Bloody Scandal: How Medicine Fails Women in Pain (available from Waterstones, Amazon, WHSmith and all good booksellers)Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-bloody-scandal/evelyn-scott/9780008761349Emily Johnson @ArthritisFoodieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodieFurther Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie

Episode 42: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#42 Ways to Cope: How Self-Love Can Help You to Live Well with Arthritis and Feel Better, with EmilyWhat if one of the most powerful tools for living well with arthritis is learning to love the body you're in? In this special episode, the tables turn. Croatian journalist Mija Dropulić, founder of Under Dream Skies, creator of the #volimsebe ('I love myself') project and our guest back in episode 30, interviews host Emily Johnson.Emily shares how she went from denial to acceptance. She was diagnosed in her twenties in a waiting room where nobody looked like her, told it was freshers' flu, and turned away from A&E with thumbs too swollen to bend. She talks about the rock-bottom flare that led her to change her diet, why she won't choose between medication and lifestyle, and how honesty, asking for help and community changed everything. She also opens up about her own ways to cope on the hard days, from nature and meditation to Epsom salt baths, and why she now tells her body she loves it every day. Whether you're newly diagnosed or years into your journey, this conversation is a gentle reminder that there's always something you can do, and that you're not alone.Topics covered:Self-Love and AcceptanceDenial to Acceptance: Being diagnosed young, and struggling to believe itYour Body Is Your Friend: Why Emily tells her body she loves it every dayLoving Every Part: What self-love really means, and why beating yourself up makes you feel worseWays to CopeBad-Day Toolkit: Nature, rest, herbal tea, Epsom salt baths and a nourishing mealMeditation: Emily's daily practice and the free chronic pain meditations she usesAlways Something You Can Do: Small, doable swaps for the newly diagnosedLiving Well, TogetherMeeting in the Middle: Why medication and lifestyle work best togetherHonesty and Asking for Help: Talking to family and friends, because no one can read your mindAnonymous to Author: How a food diary became Arthritis Foodie, two books and a coaching programmeAbout the podcast:With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis.Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis.Emily is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis.Episode Links:Live Well with Arthritis Programme Waitlist: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlistFREE Workbook: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-downloadInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/livewellwitharthritis_/Mija Dropulić @mijadInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mijadWebsite: https://www.underdreamskies.comEmily Johnson @ArthritisFoodieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodieFurther Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie

Episode 41: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#41 Physio to Patient: How Zoe McKenzie Makes Movement Accessible and AchievableWhat if the problem was never that you can’t exercise, but that no one ever showed you the right dose for your body? In this episode, host Emily Johnson welcomes Zoe McKenzie, a physiotherapist, Pilates instructor, author, and the founder of Actively Autoimmune, where she helps people living with chronic illness, persistent pain and fluctuating energy find movement that genuinely works for them.Zoe brings both professional training and deep personal experience, living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and lupus, she knows first-hand what it takes to move your body when it feels like you can’t. From a yoga mat, frustrated by the lack of visibility for people like her, she built Actively Autoimmune, with clients all over the world, and wrote her book Exercise Well with Autoimmunity (which Emily wrote the foreword for). Zoe also contributed to Emily’s very first book, Beat Arthritis Naturally. Whether you’re brand new to movement, starting again after a setback, or feeling stuck, this conversation offers warm, practical, science-informed guidance to help you move in a way that supports your body, not against it.Topics covered:Moving With Pain and FatigueRight Dose Why movement is a dose to adjust and not a fixed programme to forceStart Low, Go Slow Learning how to not push too hard and hit the wallGood Pain vs Bad Pain Finding your baseline and the warning signs to pull backPacing and the Activity CupThe Activity Cup How Zoe’s cup analogy helps to see activity building during a given dayBoom and Bust The pattern of too much too fast and what to do about itPower of Rest Why rest is non-negotiable and never something you have to earnStarting, Restarting and Staying ConsistentFirst Steps Gentle strength and mobility and meeting your body exactly where it isAfter a Setback Using the dimmer switch mindset and that strength does returnFinding Your Why Motivation, joy, and the five-minute-ruleAbout the podcast:With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis.Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis.Emily is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis.Episode Links:Live Well with Arthritis Programme Waitlist: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlistFREE Workbook: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-downloadZoe McKenzie @activelyautoimmune• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/activelyautoimmune/• Website: https://www.activelyautoimmune.com• Book: Exercise Well with AutoimmunityEmily Johnson @ArthritisFoodie• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodieFurther Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie

Episode 40: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#40 A Rheumatologist's Verdict: Why Dr Julie Recommends the Live Well with Arthritis Programme"I went from 'I'll return to work', to 'I can't get out of bed', to now moving from surviving to designing my life". That's Shamim's reflection after the Live Well with Arthritis Course and Coaching Programme. She lives with rheumatoid arthritis, and was a founding member of Emily's first Spring cohort.In this episode the tables turn as NHS consultant rheumatologist Dr Julekha Wajed (Dr Julie, @arthritis_dr) interviews Emily to delve deeper into the programme she's spent two years building, with the medical perspective from a rheumatologist who has read every lesson and contributed to it herself.Together they explore why it had to be a course and coaching side by side, how the 12 weeks are structured, the experts who shaped every week, and what genuinely changed for the Spring cohort, plus Dr Julie's view from the clinic on why informed, supported patients have better outcomes, and how this complements (never replaces) medical care.Topics covered:From Diagnosis to Driving Seat: Emily's diagnosis at 20, the isolation and denial that followed, and what becoming the 'CEO of your life 'really meansWhy It Can't Just Be a Course: why coaching is so powerful, why the two run live and side by side, and why there's no self-paced versionInside the 12 Weeks: the three pillars (nutrition, lifestyle, tools for life), the early foundations including medications, and the mid-programme study breakTools, Not Prescriptions: the Wheel of Life, group and one-to-one coaching, grounding and Future Self meditations, and support in the 'how'The People Behind It: 15 contributors, such as rheumatologists, a chronic pain specialist, nutritionists and movement experts who shaped every methodA Rheumatologist's Perspective: why Dr Julie believes the programme fills real gaps in NHS careReal Cohort Stories: what shifted for Julie (RA) and Helen (osteoarthritis) in their own words, and the mix of ages and countries in the Spring cohortHow to Join the Autumn Cohort: enrolment is open now, the free discovery call, scholarship places, and the founding-member discountAbout the podcast:With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis.Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis.Emily (Arthritis Foodie) is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis.Episode Links:Applications for the Live Well with Arthritis 12-week programme are open (Autumn cohort applications close 18 September).Apply now: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlistInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/livewellwitharthritis_Dr Julekha Wajed @arthritis_dr:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritis_dr/Website: https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/consultants/dr-julekha-wajedEmily Johnson @ArthritisFoodie:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arthritisfoodie/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arthritisfoodieFurther Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie

Episode 39: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#39 Behind the Scenes: How Live Well with Arthritis Programme Actually Works'Second to starting my medication, joining the cohort was the best choice I could have made', that's Julie's review of the Live Well with Arthritis Course and Coaching Programme. She was newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis after a year of physical and emotional decline, and became a fouding member of Emily's first Spring cohort. In this solo episode, Emily goes behind the scenes on the programme she's spent two years building, and the real stories of the people who've been through it.You may have a lot of questions about what Live Well with Arthritis actually is, so this is the honest, behind-the-curtain version: why it had to be a course and coaching running side by side rather than either one alone, how the twelve weeks are structured, the fifteen experts who shaped every week of it, and what genuinely changed for the Spring cohort.Living with arthritis can be one of the loneliest things in the world, because you look fine, everyone assumes you are fine, while you quietly manage inflammation, fatigue, pain, medications and appointments. This programme exists so you don't have to navigate any of that on your own.Topics covered:Why It Can't Just Be a Course: why coaching is such a powerful part of real change, why the two run live and side by side, and why there's no self-paced version yetInside the 12 Weeks: the three pillars (anti-inflammatory nutrition, lifestyle, and tools for life), the week 0 foundations, and the mid-programme consolidation breakTools, Not Prescriptions: the Wheel of Life, finding your why, group and bi-weekly one-to-one coaching, grounding meditations, and the Trigger Tracker that helps you finally see your patternsThe People Behind It: 15 contributors, including consultant rheumatologists, a triple-certified pain specialist, nutritionists and movement experts who reviewed or co-created every methodReal Cohort Stories: what actually shifted for Julie (rheumatoid arthritis) and Helen (osteoarthritis), in their own words, and the connections that formed between members across the UK and USHow to Join the Autumn Cohort: enrolment is open now, why places are kept intentionally small, the free discovery call, and the founding-member discountAbout the podcast:With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis.Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis.Emily (Arthritis Foodie) is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis.Episode Links:Applications for the Live Well with Arthritis 12-week programme are open (Autumn cohort applications close 18 September). Apply now: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlistEmily Johnson @ArthritisFoodie:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arthritisfoodie/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arthritisfoodieFurther Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie