Pain Free Living

Do you reach for your phone the moment life goes quiet? If sitting with your thoughts feels uncomfortable you're not alone. Welcome to the Pain Free Living Podcast with Bob Allen , osteopath and health educator, and Clare Elsby , therapy coach. In this episode, you'll find out why boredom isn't something to be afraid of. Bob and Clare explain why our brains naturally seek distraction, how boredom...

Have money worries ever kept you awake at night, triggered headaches, or left you feeling overwhelmed and stuck? In this episode of the Pain Free Living Podcast, osteopath Bob Allen and therapy coach Clare Elsby explore the often overlooked connection between financial stress, mental wellbeing, and physical health. Clare brings her unique perspective as both a former accountant and coach, sharing...

In this episode of the Pain Free Living Podcast , osteopath Bob Allen and positive psychology coach Clare revisit low back pain, but with a twist. This time, we’re asking: can your boss, your job, or your workplace stress make your back pain feel worse? You’ll find out why pain doesn’t happen in isolation. Stress, poor work relationships, long commutes, desk setups, pressure, anxiety and burnout c...

If you have a pain problem, have you ever noticed how it can feel less 'painful' when you’re at home, but flares up when you have to go out, whether it's to work, a social event, or just a quick trip to the shops? Bob Allen (osteopath) and Clare Elsby (positive psychology coach and therapist) are back to help you understand something that can feel confusing and often worrying. In this episode, you...

In this episode of the Pain Free Living Podcast , osteopath Bob Allen and positive psychology coach Clare Elsby explore a question many people notice but rarely understand: Why does your pain often improve when you go on holiday? If you live with persistent pain, you might recognise this pattern. Your back, neck, or joints feel worse during busy work periods, yet a few days away from the office an...

If you’ve ever left an appointment feeling unheard, doubted, or dismissed, this episode is for you. On this week’s Pain Free Living Podcast , Bob Allen , osteopath, and Clare Elsby , positive psychology coach and therapist, explore something that is rarely talked about, and that is the emotional and physical impact of not being believed when you’re in pain. You’ll find out why feeling dismissed ca...

In this episode of the Pain Free Living podcast, Bob Allen (osteopath) and Clare Elsby (therapy coach) unpack one of the most misunderstood parts of recovery, looking at why the journey from pain to pain-free is rarely smooth or predictable. As an osteopath involved in pain management for over 18 years, Bob manages client expectations on their recovery from pain every week. People often expect a n...

Bob Allen, osteopath and co-host of the Pain Free Living podcast, and Clare Elsby, positive psychology coach and therapist, explore a subject most health professionals quietly notice — but rarely say out loud. What happens when your pain becomes… comfortable? In this episode, you’ll find out why long-term pain, whether physical or emotional, can quietly become part of your identity. As Bob explain...

In this short episode, Bob Allen , osteopath, and Clare Elsby , therapist and coach, pause to celebrate the Pain Free Living Podcast's first birthday . What began as a small, slightly nerve-wracking project has grown into something global. Over the past year, the podcast has reached over 150 YouTube subscribers spread across the world, including listeners in Brazil, China, Laos, and Kazakhstan . O...

In this episode, Bob Allen, osteopath and movement specialist, and Clare Elsby, therapy coach , conclude their three-part series on AI in healthcare by focusing on its real-world benefits. You’ll find out why AI works best not as a replacement for clinicians or therapists, but as assistive intelligence, where it supports good decision-making, improves access, and frees up time for us humans to pro...

Welcome to another episode of the Pain Free Living podcast hosted by Bob Allen, osteopath, and Clare Elsby, therapy coach. This is part two of our series exploring the use of AI in healthcare and therapy, with this episode focusing on where caution, context, and human judgement still matter most. You’ll find out why we both actively use AI, while remaining clear about its limitations. Clare introd...

Welcome to the latest episode of the Pain Free Living podcast with hosts Bob Allen (osteopath) and Clare Elsby (therapy coach). Have you ever heard of Artificial Intelligence (AI)? If you said no, then this episode is for you, and even if you said yes, this episode is still worth your time, as it is such a huge subject that you might learn something new. AI is such a broad subject that we have cov...

Welcome to the Pain Free Living podcast with co-host and Therapy coach Clare Elsby. In this solo episode, she explores a challenge many people face without realising it: the fear of pain and how it can quietly shrink your world. You’ll hear how one client, after a fall post–hip surgery, became so anxious about “what might happen” that his confidence, mobility, and mood all declined — even though e...

You’re with Bob Allen , osteopath and co-host of the Pain Free Living podcast , and in this solo episode, you’ll find out why the pain you feel isn’t always coming from the place you think. We’re talking about referred pain , which is a concept you might not have heard of, but you might have experienced. Bob starts by explaining that referred pain is when you feel pain in one area, but the true so...

Welcome to another epsode of the Pain Free Living podcast with your co-hosts Clare Elsby (therapy coach) and Bob Allen (osteopath). In this episode Clare is flying solo to talk to you about one of the most powerful skills anyone can learn: how to regulate your own nervous system so you can handle any stress, uncertainty, and emotions with more ease. Clare breaks down the autonomic nervous system i...

Thanks for joining me for the latest episode of the Pain Free Living podcast where I'm flying solo (though Clare’s never far away!). In this episode, Bob explains that low back pain isn’t a diagnosis — it’s a symptom . It can be caused by strained muscles, irritated joints, bulging discs, a narrowed spinal canal (stenosis), sacroiliac issues, or even referred pain from internal organs like the abd...

Thanks for joining us for the latest episode of the Pain Free Living podcast with your hosts Bob Allen (osteopath) and Clare Elsby (therapy coach). In this one, you’ll find out why most exercise is safe and really good for you and more importantly, how things can go wrong when intensity, recovery, or motivation get out of balance. Bob explains why overtraining is often more about “too much, too so...

Welcome to the latest Pain Free Living podcast with your hosts Bob Allen (osteopath) and Clare Elsby (therapy coach) . This episode is part 2 of 3, where we provide a breakdown on how we see exercise or as we like to call it, movement medicine. Here you’ll find out how to turn movement into a habit you actually enjoy — no gym guilt, no “beast mode.” We start with a look at NEAT (non-exercise activ...

You’re with Pain Free Living hosts Bob Allen (osteopath) and Clare Elsby (therapy coach), and this week we aim to take the fear out of exercise . If that word makes you roll your eyes or groan, you’re not alone! In this episode, you’ll find out why movement, whatever shape it takes, is one of the best medicines around. Clare explains how even gentle activity can boost your mood, reduce stress, and...

You’re with Bob Allen (osteopath) and Clare Elsby (therapy coach), your hosts on the Pain Free Living podcast. In this episode, you’ll find out how to choose the right therapist for you, whether that’s an osteopath, physio, psychotherapist, or therapy coach. We unpack what good practice really looks like, the value of a free discovery session, and how to spot red flags so you can invest your time...

Welcome to the latest Pain Free Living podcast with your hosts Bob Allen (osteopath) and Clare Elsby (therapy coach) . In this episode, you’ll find out exactly what to expect in your first osteopathy session or therapy coaching consultation, from taking your case history to active listening, and everything in between. Bob takes you behind the scenes of what really happens when someone walks throug...

You’re with Pain Free Living podcast hosts Bob Allen (osteopath) and Clare Elsby (therapy coach) . In this episode, you’ll find out how hands-on osteopathy and therapy coaching complement each other. We take you from your first contact with a therapist, whether it's for your physical or mental health, to safe signposting when something sits outside our scope. We look at why osteopaths aren’t “just...

Welcome back to the Pain Free Living podcast with me, Bob Allen , osteopath, and MSK consultant with my co-host Clare Elsby , a therapy coach trained in positive psychology. After a summer break, we’re back with Season Two and we’re opening this season by sharing our personal journeys into osteopathy and therapy coaching. In this episode, you’ll find out how Clare’s career in accounting and HR led...

Hello and welcome back to the Pain Free Living Podcast ! I’m Bob Allen, osteopath and host, and I hope that you have had a fantastic Summer break. Before we launch into Season 2 this is a special compilation episode , where we’ve brought together highlights from four listener favourites. This includes our very first episode introducing what the podcast is all about, plus excerpts covering the powe...

Welcome back to the Pain Free Living podcast and this is another episode retrieved from the archives featuring my ever-curious question-asker and co-host Louise Gordon, before she moved on to focus on becoming an even more brilliant change coach. In this one, we’re diving into exercise which is a topic that’s often misunderstood, over-complicated, or seen as out of reach for many of you. You’ll fi...