Reclaiming Wholeness: Chronic Pain, Trauma, And The Courage To Heal

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What if your body isn’t broken—and never was? Dr. Karen Shanks joins us to rethink chronic pain, complex illness, and the cultural stories that keep us stuck. Drawing on 40 years in internal, functional, and integrative medicine, she lays out a humane, evidence-informed path that treats you as a whole human, not a malfunctioning machine. In her new book: Unbroken: Reclaim Your Wholeness, Dr. Shanks explores why imaging can look “normal” even when pain is real, how labels can end conversations that should be starting points, and why uninterrupted patient stories often reveal more than a battery of tests.

We dig into trauma’s imprint on biology and behavior, showing how the nervous system’s drive for safety can shape symptoms, immune signaling, and energy. Instead of chasing downstream fires, we turn upstream to the terrain of healing: sleep quality, protein and nutrition, strength training, breath, relationships, and the narratives we repeat. Dr. Shanks makes the case that the body is always seeking the best equilibrium possible—and that small, consistent changes can shift that equilibrium toward resilience at any age.

Midlife gets a reframe too. Rather than a glide path to decline, it becomes an opportunity to build capacity with smarter inputs and kinder self-talk. You’ll hear practical presence practices—like a two-minute hand-to-heart check-in—to send safety signals to the brain, listen for what the body needs, and let your next steps surface without a rigid protocol. If you’ve ever felt dismissed by a “nothing’s wrong” verdict or trapped by a diagnosis, this conversation offers a way back to agency, clarity, and momentum.

Listen now, share it with someone who needs hope, and tell us: what belief about your health are you ready to let go of? If this resonated, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it along so more people can reclaim their wholeness.

Connect with Dr. Shanks:
New Book: https://www.karynshanksmd.com/unbroken/
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/karyn-shanks-md-9ba2a520/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarynShanksMD/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karynshanksmd/

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I’m Michelle Rios

I'm a wife, mom, coach, speaker, podcaster, author, traveler, master communicator, connector, and more!