Pelvic Pain, Shame, and the Long Road to Freedom with Claire Birnie

In this episode, I’m joined by the wonderful Claire Birnie, whose story is such a powerful reminder that healing does not always arrive in one clean, linear, cinematic moment. Claire lived with chronic pelvic and vaginal pain for more than two decades. After years of medical searching, diagnoses that named the pain but did not resolve it, countless treatments, medications, physical therapies, and the deep loneliness that can come with symptoms people are afraid to talk about, Claire eventually found the work of Dr. Sarno, JournalSpeak, and our mindbody approach. What I love so much about this conversation is Claire’s honesty about the long way around. She talks about researching, resisting, comparing herself to other recovery stories, wondering if she was doing it wrong, and slowly learning that every part of her process belonged. We talk about good-girl conditioning, conflict avoidance, the fear of being seen, the shame of not knowing how to feel, and the way the nervous system can create symptoms in the very places we most want to hide. Claire’s recovery was not about doing this perfectly. It was about becoming safe enough to be herself, to speak up, to take risks, to have her own back, and to stop abandoning herself in the name of being acceptable. Claire has spent years helping hold this work for others — first as an admin of the original JournalSpeak Facebook page, and now as an admin of Nicole Sachs’ Support Circle, where she continues to offer steadiness, wisdom, and lived proof to people who are still finding their way. Her story is also in MIND YOUR BODY! Claire is now the Co-Director of Living Proof, a UK-based, recoveree-led nonprofit devoted to sharing the science and possibility of recovery from chronic pain and other neuroplastic symptoms. Living Proof was founded in 2022 and offers recovery stories, films, blogs, resources, professional education, and a growing community for people who need to know they are not alone. Claire’s own story is featured there as part of her mission to bring this message especially to people in the UK, where many still feel that mindbody and neuroplastic recovery work is happening “somewhere else.” Through Living Proof, she is helping amplify voices, provide credible resources, and offer exactly what she once needed most: hope, connection, and the living evidence that recovery is possible. Join us! XOOX n.