The Recovery Room with Jackie Baxter

Jackie is joined by Robin McNelis (Robin the Physio), a cardio‑respiratory physio and Long Covid specialist, who went from running marathons and leading hospital services to his own Long Covid recovery journey.
In this episode:
What happens when all your tests are “normal” but you’re clearly not.
Robin’s role as a “holistic detective” for complex breathing, fatigue and Long Covid cases.
How ideas from elite sport and marginal gains translate to people just trying to shower or get to the bathroom without crashing.
The reality of post‑Covid personal bests and why “small” wins matter.
A practical, compassionate look at pacing across physical, cognitive, emotional and social exertion, using the FITT principles.
Real‑life stories of patients reclaiming reading, hobbies and daily life through tiny, well‑timed adjustments.
This is Part 1 of the conversation - tune in next week for more on pacing, heart rate, breathing, and tools to support recovery.

Links:
More about Robin: http://www.robinthephysio.co.uk

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For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)
Support the show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 
Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

I talk with clinical psychologist Dr Jake Hollis about recovering from ME/CFS and Long Covid, and why the nervous system offers a more useful frame than the tired “mind versus body” argument. We explore how validation, language, and recovery stories can shift the brain’s predictions and open up real possibilities for change. 

• Jake’s lived experience of long-term illness and a slow recovery path 
• How neuroplastic recovery therapies fit alongside biology rather than replacing it 
• Why recovery stories can create a visceral nervous system shift 
• The harm caused when recovered people are disbelieved or silenced 
• How the mind body divide shows up in healthcare systems and culture 
• Biomarkers, legitimacy, and why absence of a test is not absence of illness 
• Mental health stigma as a hidden driver of conflict and miscommunication 
• Emotional suppression, shame, and “keep calm and carry on” conditioning 
• Blame versus responsibility as a more compassionate recovery framework 

Links:
More about Jake: www.fatiguepsychologist.com
Unlearn Your Pain in the US and in the UK
Howard Schubiner chats to Rangan Chatterjee

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)
For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)
Support the show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 
Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

Five years after starting the Long Covid Podcast, Jackie introduces The Recovery Room – a wider, gentler space for anyone navigating Long Covid, ME/CFS, Dysautonomia, PoTS, Trauma, Burnout, nervous system overwhelm, and long-term recovery.
In this episode, Jackie shares:
Why the podcast is evolving and what “The Recovery Room” means.
How her own recovery showed that healing is about more than symptoms.
How Long Covid overlaps with other conditions, and why this space now holds many experiences, not just one diagnosis
What’s staying the same: evidence-informed conversations, recovery stories, nervous system insights, and honest, vulnerable discussions held in a way that feels safe.
She closes with a short grounding practice you can use anytime:
Noticing your breath
Gently checking in with how you feel
Asking, “What would help me feel 1% safer right now?”
Remembering that small, consistent, gentle shifts are the foundation of recovery.
Practical updates:
The podcast is now called The Recovery Room with Jackie Baxter
Social media, visuals, and app names will update over the coming days
The new website is live: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)
Support the show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 
Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

Welcome to The Recovery Room with Jackie Baxter
This space is the natural evolution of a journey that began during my own recovery and through 5 years of the Long Covid Podcast.
A place for anyone navigating a health challenge where they feel misunderstood, isolated and uncertain of the future.
A place where science and lived experience sit side by side.
A place where fear can soften, and hope can feel realistic again. 
Gain actionable insights and tools through honest stories, conversations and the power of connection

Listen to The Recovery Room wherever you get your podcasts or at www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)
Support the show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 
Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

I catch up with pain consultant Dr Deepak Ravindran on what four years of Long Covid clinic work and research has taught him about why people get stuck with fatigue, pain, brain fog and autonomic symptoms. We argue for a practical middle path that validates biological change while using neuroplasticity and whole-person support to help the system relearn safety and move forwards. 

• Deepak’s shift from pain medicine into leading a Berkshire Long Covid clinic and what patterns stood out over time 
• Why most Long Covid patients were not hospitalised and why symptoms can still be severe 
• The pressure on UK primary care and the case for better signposting to high-quality resources 
• Why “either biology or brain” is the wrong frame and how the neuro-immune system acts as one unit 
• What central sensitisation and predictive processing explain about persistent symptoms 
• Evidence and theories: cytokines, neuro-inflammation signals, auto-antibodies, viral reservoirs and micro-clotting 
• Treatment principles: combining medication trials with nervous system regulation and paced rehabilitation 
• The STIMULATE ICP study approach and why integrated care pathways can outperform single-drug hopes 
• Practical “waiting well” strategies: sleep, movement, breathing techniques, mindfulness and confidence-building 
• Why recovery is individual, slow, and built from consistency rather than quick fixes 

Links:
Our previous episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/11277564 
Ami Banerjee episode (Stimulate ICP): https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/12209909 
Berkshire Pain Clinic: https://theberkshireclinic.com/consultants/deepak-ravindran/
Deepak's blog on Living Proof: https://www.livingproof.org.uk/post/book-review-pain-free-mindset
Pain speak Podcast: https://deepakravindran.co.uk/podcast/

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)
For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)
Support the show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 
Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**