Kat Elton is an expert in helping those with chronic pain live full and fulfilling lives, regardless of their physical limitations. Having suffered from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Kat learned to cope with the difficult aspects of living with pain, such as uncertainty, disability, and lack of understanding.  Kat has been in chronic pain for 46 years and uses it as a learning tool to help her evolve and help others find joy in their life regardless of what type of pain they are experiencing. She gained so much first-hand experience for developing strategies for not letting pain stop her, and discipline for self-care to decrease her pain, Kat went on to become licenced in the field as an OT and worked one-on-one with clients for 15 years before retiring as an OT to write her books and focus on coaching and speaking. Kat has earned her BA in Anthropology, MS in Occupational Therapy, She has taken extensive continuing training classes including a week long course in stress management/ stress resiliency at the Herbert Benson Institute Harvard Medical School, ETPS certification, Reiki Level 3, Biofeedback and numerous other O.T. related continuing education classes. In this interview, Kat talks about chronic pain, the controversy surrounding opioid use/misuse and what people in chronic pain can do to live well with pain. Ashley and Kat also discuss is the core premise of Kat's second book, True Health The Inside Job, which is that true health is not the absence of disease, but instead reflected in your life. "I strongly believe that you can be very healthy while living with severe illness, and in my book I talk about the qualities that enhance health, regardless of disease." Belief, Purpose, Maverick, Self-Care, Pain, Wisdom, Love, Connection, Movement, Effort, Honesty, Resilience, Spirit are the core lessons discussed. Three Keys You Will Learn In Today's Podcast: Be Your Own Best Friend. Move Your Body Every Day. Learn and Practice Stress Resiliency. Links: http://www.katelton.com/ Kat also offers health consulting services for people with chronic pain/disease: http://www.katelton.com/healthy_living_with_chronic_disease_pain/true_health_consulting/ Recommended Reading: Kat Elton's Books: http://www.katelton.com/kat_elton_books/ Mark Ian Barasch- The Healing Path, A Soul Approach to Illness and Remarkable Recovery http://amzn.to/29Vopjk He is a journalist, author, and cancer survivor who became interested in spontaneous remission from a terminal disease and wrote two books about this topic, as well as the characteristics people who heal themselves from these illnesses have in common. Amazing Reads! Viktor Frankl- Man's Search For Meaning http://amzn.to/29ZJ8qP This one speaks for itself I'd say! Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection http://amzn.to/29UtLBj By John E. Sarno