Making lifestyle changes with MS is one thing. Making them stick is another. In this episode of Living Well with MS, we speak with pharmacist-turned-health coach Dr Amy Behimer about why healthy habits can feel so difficult, especially when fatigue, stress and unpredictable symptoms get in the way. Drawing on her own experience of living with primary progressive MS, Amy shares a compassionate, evidence-informed approach to building habits that feel realistic, flexible and supportive in daily life.

Together, we explore the role of mindset in behaviour change, how to avoid all-or-nothing thinking, why perfectionism can backfire, and how to create routines that work on both good days and bad. If you feel overwhelmed by lifestyle change, this episode offers practical encouragement to help you start small and keep going.

Watch this episode on YouTube. Keep reading for the topics, timestamps, and our guest’s bio.

02:25 Amy’s MS journey and why habits became her focus 05:05 The six areas that shape health with MS 09:46 Why healthy habits are harder than they seem 13:38 Building habits when fatigue and symptoms are unpredictable 16:03 How mindset and emotions shape behaviour change 18:29 The real secret to living well with MS 22:25 Why perfectionism makes healthy habits harder to sustain 25:25 Can self-talk affect day-to-day energy and symptoms? 29:18 Creating flexible routines for good days and bad 30:53 Common habit traps and how to avoid them 33:10 Redefining health when you cannot control your diagnosis 34:58 Where to start when lifestyle change feels overwhelming 37:57 A simple daily practice to make change easier

• Take Amy’s habit quiz
• Listen to Amy’s podcast
• Learn more about Amy’s work
• New to Overcoming MS? Learn why lifestyle matters in MS - begin your journey at our 'Get started' page
• Connect with others following Overcoming MS on the Live Well Hub
• Visit the Overcoming MS website

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• YouTube
• Pinterest

• Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS here.
• Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS.

If you enjoy this podcast and want to help us continue creating future podcasts, please leave a donation here.

Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.

If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review.

What does it really mean to live well with multiple sclerosis over the long term? In this episode, we’re joined by writer, podcaster and MS advocate Ardra Shephard, creator of Tripping On Air and author of Fallosophy: My Trip Through Life with MS. Ardra shares her journey from diagnosis in her early twenties to becoming a powerful voice in the MS community.

Together, we explore the realities of visible symptoms, stigma and learning to adapt when life doesn’t go to plan. Ardra reflects on why she chose to share her story publicly, the role of humour in coping with chronic illness, and how her memoir brings honesty and vulnerability to the MS experience.

She also discusses identity, relationships, and the importance of representation through her work in podcasting and adaptive fashion.

This conversation is a reminder that while MS can be challenging, it’s still possible to build a meaningful, joyful life.

Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Ardra’s bio.

00:00 Introduction to Ardra and her MS journey 02:55 Why she shared her MS story publicly 06:00 Using humour to cope with chronic illness realities 09:08 Podcasting, relationships and the wider impact of MS 11:55 Changing representation through adaptive fashion and media 14:54 Key lesson: creating joy while living with MS

• Connect with Ardra:
• • trippingonair.com
  • com/ms_trippingonair/
  • facebook.com/trippingonair/
• New to Overcoming MS? Learn why lifestyle matters in MS - begin your journey at our 'Get started' page
• Connect with others following Overcoming MS on the Live Well Hub
• Visit the Overcoming MS website

• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Pinterest

• Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS here.
• Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS.

If you enjoy this podcast and want to help us continue creating future podcasts, please leave a donation here.

Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.

If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review.

Welcome to Living Well with MS podcast, where we are joined by Alison Potts. Alison is a meditation coach, wellbeing mentor, meditation teacher-trainer writer and teacher in self-care, meditation, and wellness. Largely due to her own healing journey with MS, she is passionate about teaching the power of cherishing our individuality and intuition, sharing practices to connection to our innate states of freedom, healing, creativity, spontaneity and joy.

Originally broadcast in 2020, this episode has been edited to remove out-of-date content and reuploaded in 2026 to ensure it remains relevant and useful.

01:24 Tell us about yourself and your with MS and the Overcoming MS program

07:17 What is your relationship to meditation? What’s Innate Being?

18:36 What are the main obstacles you find people face in getting into a regular meditation practice?

23:14 Tips for getting into good meditation practice?

33:28 Top hacks for getting into the meditation groove and making it a healthy habit

44:27 Alison conducts a mini guided meditation (5m)

52:42 Any final words of wisdom or thoughts on embracing a meditation practice?