What if the joint pain you've been managing with medication or injections isn't actually coming from your joints at all?
In this episode of The Happiest CEO, Sebastian welcomes Stacey Roberts — physical therapist, registered nurse, functional medicine practitioner, and founder of New You Health and Wellness. With over 35 years of experience, Stacey has helped tens of thousands of patients overcome chronic pain by combining physical therapy, functional medicine, and innovative regenerative therapies. She's the author of The Pain-Free Formula and has been featured on ABC News, World News Now, Oprah, and other major media outlets for her groundbreaking work helping people find lasting relief without surgery, drugs, or injections.
Topics we cover:
• How Stacey became a functional medicine practitioner after 35 years in physical therapy
• Why pain is processed in the brain and what that really means
• The pharmaceutical industry's role in how we perceive and treat pain
• Why NSAIDs and painkillers can actually make you more sensitive to pain over time
• The biomechanical approach: correcting movement patterns to eliminate pain
• Stacey's personal story of knee pain and discovering hidden arthritis
• Why you can have severe arthritis and zero pain (and vice versa)
• The gut-joint axis: how leaky gut and LPS trigger joint inflammation
• Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) found in the joint fluid of people with chronic pain
• Food sensitivities vs. food allergies: the ALCAT test and MRT testing
• Why eliminating gluten, dairy, and sugar isn't the answer for everyone
• How spinach triggered severe hand pain and how food diversity heals the gut
• The role of hormones in pain: testosterone, estrogen, and the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause
• Meditation, Joe Dispenza's work, and creating your own endorphins
• Shockwave therapy, red light, and sauna as anti-inflammatory modalities
• Why 70 to 80 percent of chronic pain patients improve in three to six treatments
• When to look beyond biomechanics: gut health, hormones, stress, and medications
• The importance of neuroplasticity and rewiring pain pathways in the brain
• Practical strategies for managing inflammation and preventing pain flare-ups
00:00 Introduction: Welcome to The Happiest CEO Podcast
01:19 The Pain Epidemic: Why We're More Focused on Pain Than Ever
03:40 Understanding Pain Science: It All Starts in the Brain
04:29 The 70-80 Percent Solution: Biomechanics and Physical Triggers
05:43 Beyond the Physical: Meditation and Neuroplasticity for Pain Relief
07:41 The Hormone Connection: How Estrogen and Testosterone Affect Pain
11:47 The Arthritis Revelation: Stacey's Personal Pain Journey
15:49 The Gut-Joint Axis: How Your Digestive Health Creates Inflammation
18:52 Food Sensitivities and Joint Pain: Finding Your Personal Triggers
21:51 Building Gut Diversity: Adding Foods In, Not Just Taking Them Out
Whether you're living with chronic joint pain, exploring alternatives to surgery or medication, or simply want to understand the deeper connections between gut health, hormones, and inflammation, this episode offers a comprehensive, science-backed roadmap to lasting relief.
Follow Stacey Roberts:
www.newyouhealth.com
Book: The Pain-Free Formula
About the Podcast
The Happiest CEO explores the intersection of leadership, wellness, personalized health, and self awareness. Host Sebastian dives into honest conversations with thought leaders, healers, and innovators who are redefining what it means to thrive in business, relationships, and life.
www.the-happiest-ceo.com
www.instagram.com/the.happiest.ceo/
Listen & Subscribe
If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review and share it with someone navigating chronic pain, functional medicine, or purposeful living.
#ChronicPain #FunctionalMedicine #StaceyRoberts #GutHealth #JointPain #Arthritis #PainRelief #GutJointAxis #LeakyGut #HormoneHealth #Inflammation #FoodSensitivities #PhysicalTherapy #RegenerativeTherapy #PainScience #TheHappiestCEO
