Tune In
Browse the episodes below to hear candid, science-informed discussions that bring clarity to complex topics—and offer practical takeaways for helping professionals and curious minds.
This episode examined chronic pain through a neuroscience and trauma-informed lens, highlighting how ascending inputs, descending modulation, and the “chemical soup” of hormones and immune signals shape pain. Rather than focusing on posture or structure, the discussion emphasized compassion, relational safety, and adaptive nervous system strategies. It also introduced upcoming projects, including gamified pain models and expanded educational offerings, aimed at making pain science more accessible to both practitioners and the public.
In this episode of Soma & Synapse, Mike Hamm and I discuss my interactive neuroscience model of pain and bodywork.
In this episode of Soma & Synapse, Mike Hamm and I discuss my interactive neuroscience model of pain and bodywork.
In this episode of Treatment Room Secrets with host Dani Marks, I explore how massage therapy can be understood through a modern neuroscience lens, moving away from simplistic explanations of pain toward a deeper understanding of its complexity—especially in chronic cases. I discuss how stress heightens nociception, the psychological impact of ongoing pain, and how posture can reflect layers of personal history rather than just mechanical alignment. The conversation highlights how more sophisticated models of pain and posture can expand what manual therapy offers, both conceptually and in practice.
In this episode of Massage Science, I talk with Eric Purves about how my background in neuroscience led me to challenge traditional, tissue-based explanations in massage. We explore how integrating neuroscience and trauma-informed care can reshape our understanding of pain, touch, and emotional responses during sessions. As a former school director, I share how I rewrote the curriculum to center the nervous system rather than fascia. We also discuss how massage works through both sensory and relational input, and why staying curious, humble, and client-centered matters—especially when trying to foster meaningful change in education and practice.
In this episode of The Mindful Movement in Motion podcast, I join host Les Raymond for a conversation about the neuroscience of pain and the surprising role that emotion, trauma, and movement play in how we experience it.
We explore why pain isn’t always tied to injury, how emotional history can shape physical symptoms, and what modern neuroscience suggests about effective, non-opioid pain treatments—including oxytocin and ketamine.
My conversation with Michael Hamm about the Ecology of Interoception at Soma and Synapse: The Interoceptive Hour.
I had the pleasure of joining Andrew Rosenstock on Touching Into Presence to talk about how my path weaves together neuroscience, bodywork, and a deep inquiry into what it means to touch, heal, and relate. We explored how my early fascination with human behavior led me to neuroscience, and how my later immersion into massage revealed dimensions of psychological and relational change that traditional models couldn’t fully explain. We also got into interoception, the role of C-tactile fibers in creating felt safety through human touch, and how neuroscience reshapes the way we understand trauma, posture, and therapeutic presence.
In this episode, I join Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau for a lively conversation about the intersection of neuroscience, trauma, and massage therapy. We explore the complex processes behind pain perception, the role of descending modulation, and how we can create lasting change through manual therapy—often in ways that go far beyond tissue effects.
In this episode of Transforming Trauma, I speak with host Sarah Buino about my work at the Pacific Center for Awareness and Bodywork in Kauai, where we integrated massage therapy with somatic psychology, contemplative practice, and affective neuroscience—all within a trauma-informed framework.
In this episode of Essential Healing, Dawn Petek and I discuss how massage therapy can support those who have experienced trauma, and why we need the field of massage therapy to be more fully trauma-informed.
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