Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis

If you’ve ever felt stuck between knowing what could help you live well with MS and actually making it stick, this conversation is for you.

In this episode of Living Well with MS, Overcoming MS Program Facilitator Laura Crowder explores the ‘change your life for life’ pillar, the inner work that helps make lifestyle changes feel sustainable rather than overwhelming. Laura is joined by Overcoming MS Program Facilitator Hayley Baker, who shares her personal experience of building confidence, resilience and self-compassion while following the Overcoming MS Program.

Together, they reflect on why mindset matters, how hope and empowerment can support wellbeing, and what to do when life inevitably knocks you off track.

This episode is a webinar highlights special – originally recorded as a live Overcoming MS webinar and now edited for the podcast to bring you the key insights, questions and takeaways in one place.

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

00:58 Exploring the pillar: Change your life for life 

04:36 Choice, autonomy and taking control after diagnosis 

09:56 The role of hope in living well with MS 

12:37 Awareness, acceptance and managing difficult days 

16:02 The power of language in habit formation 

21:13 Empowerment and making lifestyle change sustainable 

22:45 Community support and shared experience 

25:36 Hayley’s personal journey with MS 

35:01 Advice for people new to the Program 

37:50 Q&A: common challenges, motivation and self-compassion 

Read the Overcoming MS books

Learn more about the “Change your life, for life” pillar

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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Don’t miss out:

Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS here.

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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 [email protected].

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

How can mental health support be better tailored to the real, lived experiences of people with MS? In this episode of Living Well with MS, we’re joined by Dr Eva Fragkiadaki, counselling psychologist and Senior Lecturer in Counselling Psychology at the University of the West of England. Her whose work focuses on developing personalised, evidence-based mental health interventions for people living with MS.

Eva shares insights from her research into group-based psychological support, including her co-designed MyMS-Ally intervention. Together, we explore why traditional mental health approaches don’t always work for people with MS, the power of peer connection, and how concepts like identity, self-compassion and visibility of disability shape emotional wellbeing.

This conversation will be especially valuable for anyone living with MS, supporting someone with MS, or interested in how mental health care can become more person-centred, inclusive and accessible.

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

00:00 Introducing psychosocial interventions for MS

03:38 Researching group therapy and therapeutic change

06:07 Gender, representation and inclusion in MS research

08:19 What kinds of mental health support help in MS?

10:30 Why group interventions matter

12:47 Peer support, safety and community connection

15:10 Integrative and personalised therapy approaches

17:29 Visible and invisible disability in MS

20:15 Self-compassion and identity

22:23 Future directions for mental health care in MS

 

Learn more about Eva and her work

Learn more about Eva’s research on mental health and MS

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

Follow us on social media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Pinterest

Don’t miss out:

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.

Support us:
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 [email protected].

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

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. 

In this episode of the Living Well with MS podcast, and we are pleased to welcome Dr Aaron Boster, an Ohio-based board-certified clinical neuroimmunologist specializing in MS. Given we are surrounded by temptations – from that delicious pint of ice cream to the lure of sleeping in instead of hitting the gym – we are happy to tap his expertise to help us understand how lifestyle choices impact MS and our overall health.

How does gut health affect MS – and what role can diet really play in supporting the immune system? In this episode of Living Well with MS, Geoff is joined by Overcoming MS Program Facilitator Karen Lee – retired intensive care nurse, nutritionist, author and recipe developer. Karen shares her MS journey and explains, in clear and accessible terms, how gut health, inflammation and diet are connected in autoimmune conditions such as MS.

They explore dysbiosis and “leaky gut”, why fibre and the microbiome matter, and how whole-food plant-based eating fits within the Overcoming MS dietary recommendations. Karen also talks about her new book Healing from the Inside Out and shares practical, fatigue-friendly tips for eating more plants – without overwhelm.

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

00:56 Welcome and introduction to Karen

01:49 Karen’s MS journey: diagnosis, optic neuritis and early changes

04:46 From intensive care nursing to nutrition, writing and teaching

09:32 Understanding the Overcoming MS diet recommendations

10:36 Why diet matters for immune health: nutrients, fats, fibre and the microbiome

17:57 Dysbiosis explained – and how it relates to autoimmunity and MS

22:02 “Leaky gut”: what it means and why inflammation matters

23:16 Inside Karen’s new book Healing from the Inside Out

26:46 How whole plant foods support overall health

29:50 Protein and plant-based diets: common concerns addressed

31:39 Practical tips for eating more plants and increasing variety

37:58 Favourite recipes, sauces and simple ways to add flavour

39:41 Batch cooking and freezing for low-energy days

41:26 Running the Taunton Half Marathon and fundraising for Overcoming MS

 

Order Karen’s latest book Healing from the Inside Out: Managing Autoimmunity with a Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet

Support Karen’s fundraiser for Overcoming MS

Learn more about Karen’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

Follow us on social media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Pinterest

Don’t miss out:

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.

Support us:
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 [email protected]

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

Host Geoff Allix speaks with Caroline Clarke, Chief Executive of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and former trustee of Overcoming MS, about her MS journey, why she chose to follow the Overcoming MS Program, and the practical habits that help her manage stress while working in a high-pressure role.