Live Well with Arthritis

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 Fatigue•        Right Dose Why movement is a dose to adjust and not a fixed programme to force•        Start Low, Go Slow Learning how to not push too hard and hit the wall•        Good Pain vs Bad Pain Finding your baseline and the warning signs to pull backPacing and the Activity Cup•        The Activity Cup How Zoe’s cup analogy helps to see activity building during a given day•        Boom and Bust The pattern of too much too fast and what to do about it•        Power of Rest Why rest is non-negotiable and never something you have to earnStarting, Restarting and Staying Consistent•        First Steps Gentle strength and mobility and meeting your body exactly where it is•        After a Setback Using the dimmer switch mindset and that strength does return•        Finding 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/@arthritisfoodie Further 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

Episode 38: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#38 From Gut to Glow: Farzanah Nasser on Fibre, Autoimmunity and Reducing InflammationIn this nourishing and practical episode, host Emily Johnson welcomes registered nutritional therapist and certified functional medicine practitioner Farzanah Nasser, to explore the surprising power of fibre for calming inflammation and transforming gut health.Farzanah shares how she moved from a career in banking to nutrition after being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, chronic psoriasis and hormone imbalance in her late 20s, and how she put her own autoimmunity into remission. Drawing on her book, The Everyday High Fibre Plan, she reveals why 96% of UK adults aren't getting enough fibre, and how small, sustainable changes can close the 'fibre gap' for good. Ever felt overwhelmed by conflicting gut health advice, or put off fibre after a bloated, uncomfortable start? This episode is for you.Topics covered:Fibre FoundationsThe Fibre Gap: Why only 4% of UK adults hit the 30g target, and how to close the 12–14g gap sustainablyLayer, Don't Overhaul: Turning a 4g bowl of porridge into a 12–14g breakfast with simple store cupboard swapsStart Where You're At: Farzanah's aduki bean lasagna cautionary tale, and why fibre must be increased graduallyGut, Immunity and InflammationGut and Immunity: Why up to 70% of your immune system lives in your gutFibre and Inflammation: How short chain fatty acids (postbiotics) heal leaky gut and calm inflammation on multiple levelsPre, Pro and Postbiotics: The difference explained, plus fermented foods and 'symbiotics' in a jarEveryday Hacks and HabitsClever Fibre Hacks: Resistant starch from cooked-and-cooled rice and potatoes, and freezing then toasting breadEat the Rainbow: Why different coloured peppers, onions and plants feed a diverse microbiomeMindful Eating: How chewing, deep breaths and calm actually improve digestion and absorptionHype vs Helpful: Farzanah's honest take on gummies and fibre supplementsPlus a look inside The Everyday High Fibre Plan: the science, the 30-day plan and 130 simple recipesAbout 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-downloadFarzanah Nasser @farzanahnasser_nutritionInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/farzanahnasser_nutrition/Website: https://www.farzanahnasser.com/Book: linktr.ee/farzanahnasser_nutritionEmily Johnson @ArthritisFoodieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodieFurther Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie

Episode 36: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#36 Heatwaves and Joint Pain: Myth or Reality? Emily Shares the Science and Can HelpThis summer, in the thick of the UK's back-to-back record-breaking heatwaves, Emily flared for three solid days and it's why she wanted to get to the bottom of one of the most common things people say about their joints. 'It's the weather'.But is there actually something measurable going on in there, or is it just an old wives' tale? This episode mythbusts it honestly: what the research says, why extreme heat can as brutal as cold, what happened to Emily's ankle, and exactly what she did about it, before, during and after... As well as the mechanism running the real show: sleep.Topics covered:Myth or Reality What the systematic reviews actually say for OA and RA.Are Warmer Climes Better? Why "it's warm, so it should be better" doesn't hold up in this case, and Emily's view on this.This Summer's Heat Norfolk's 37.7°C in June (a new record, beating 1957) and London's 35°C in July, plus why dehydration, fluid-shift swelling and, above all, wrecked sleep are the real inflammatory triggersSleep-Pain-Inflammation Loop Why a hot bedroom blocks the core-temperature drop you need for deep sleep, and how poor sleep impacts things at once.Emily's Ankle The honest, specific version of the three-day flare, and a firm reminder that sometimes you do everything right and still flare, and that's not your fault.Flare Toolkit: Before, During and After Planning around the hot nights not just hot days, with no guilt and no suffering Olympics.About 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, Apply now: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlistFREE Heatwave Tips Guide: https://arthritisfoodie.mykajabi.com/sign-up-for-free-download-from-arthritis-foodie-1Emily 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 35: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#35 Dismissed to Determined: Advocacy, Confidence and Community with Bailey JaneEver been told your pain is 'all in your head'? Host Emily Johnson welcomes Bailey Jane, policy advocate for the Arthritis Foundation, confidence coach, and Miss America competitor who grew up with juvenile arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.After 10 doctors and years of dismissal, Bailey finally got her diagnosis, despite having symptoms from when she was 5 years old. In this episode, she opens up about medical gaslighting, learning to advocate for herself, and turning pain into purpose. Whether you live with arthritis, an invisible illness, or you’re waiting on answers, this episode reminds you that your voice matters and your diagnosis does not define you.Topics covered:Living with an Invisible ConditionDismissal to Diagnosis Medical gaslighting by 10 doctors'You Don’t Look Sick' Navigating an invisible autoimmune diseaseHealth Autonomy Become your own advocateManaging Body and MindTreatment Difficulties Why she had to turn to holistic methodsAnti-Inflammatory Living Diet, triggers, CBD, and rest as productivityRationing Your Energy Pitcher analogy and knowing your bodyTurning Pain into PowerThe Joint Impact Advocacy, policy reform, and sharing your storyCommunity Feeling seen with the Arthritis FoundationConfidence Coaching The alter ego hack and moreAbout 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-downloadBailey Jane @baileyjstaffInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/baileyjstaff/Website: https://www.baileyjanecoaching.com/Emily Johnson @ArthritisFoodieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodieFurther Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie

Episode 34: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#34 Go to the Gig: Emily's Before, During and After Plan for Concerts with ArthritisLast weekend, Emily was at the Take That concert in a crowd of thousands, mid-heatwave, singing loudly with her mum. In the photos, with her red lipstick on, she looks fine, but what you can't see is her pain. This episode is the honest version of that night, and the plan that made it possible.Living with arthritis doesn't mean giving up festivals, gigs, travel, or brilliant experiences that make life worth living. It just means going with a plan, and some self-compassion for afterwards. Arthritis does not mean you stop showing up for your life, but you do show up differently.Heat, crowds, standing for hours, and barely any sleep, is a perfect storm for a flare, so Emily walks through the whole thing: the biology of why heat and bad sleep hit our joints so hard, and what shes does about it.Topics covered:Biology of the Flare Why heat, dehydration, exertion and lost sleep aren't four small things, but one absoltely compounding thingKnowing Your Triggers Naming your own triggers (for Emily - stress, travel, lost routine, and lots of walking) so you can plan around themThe Before Banking your rest, planning an air-conditioned route and seating/accessibility, and exactly what was in Emily's Take That flare-up/pain kitThe During Hydrating relentlessly, forgiving an imperfect meal, micro-resting without guilt, managing the heat actively, staying ahead of the pain, and letting joy be medicineThe After Handling the flare without guilt or panic, with rest as a non-negotiable, soothing swollen joints, and remembering a flare is a temporary cost for a permanent memoryTravel More Widely How the same before/during/after system carries over to flights, hotels and getaways, and why protecting your sleep matters is vitalAbout 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, 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

Episode 33: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast#33 Hype or Helpful? Nutritionist Eli Brecher on Matcha, Fibremaxxing, Protein Water and moreFed up of navigating all of the wellness trends in the media and online? The wellness world can be overwhelming to navigate, so what is actually helpful? Especially if you live with a chronic health condition? In this episode, host Emily Johnson welcomes back Registered Associate Nutritionist Eli Brecher to sort the hype from the helpful.Eli is the creator of The Mind, Body, Gut Method™ and host of The Gut 360 Podcast. Living with Crohn's disease since the age of eight, she specialises in gut health, women's health, and fertility nutrition, and is a contributor to the Live Well with Arthritis programme. Eli celebrates the trends genuinely worth your time, and debunks the ones that aren't.Topics covered:Trends Worth the HypeMatcha Calm Sustained energy, L-theanine, and the dairy caveatFibremaxxing Why fibre is a hero nutrient, and how to add it to your dietAdding In, Not Restricting Positive shift towards plant diversity and 30+ plants a weekDebatable TrendsProtein-Washing Why seeing 'high protein' may just be marketingGut Health Myth of the magic powder, and where to startBiohacking Red light, cold plunges and moreThoughts on Other TrendsCGMs (Continuous Glucose Monitors) Whether the average person really needs oneGLP-1s (like Ozempic) What they actually do, and who they're helpful forAbout 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-downloadEli Brecher @elibrechernutritionInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/elibrechernutrition/Website: https://www.elibrecher.co.ukEmily Johnson @ArthritisFoodieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodieFurther Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie