In this deeply personal and eye-opening solo episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider shares a harrowing experience after being kicked by a horse—and the profound lessons it revealed about pain, awareness, and self-leadership.

Drawing from both lived experience and her background in athletic therapy and physiology, Kari unpacks the true role of physical pain—not as something to avoid, but as critical data your body is trying to communicate.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why pain is your body’s most powerful communication system—not a punishment
• The difference between clean pain (necessary and informative) and suffering (what we add on top)
• How ignoring pain can lead to bigger health consequences
• The neuroscience behind pain perception and nervous system signaling
• The “READ Method” to interpret and respond to pain effectively:
  • Recognize
  • Explore
  • Accept
  • Decide

Kari also shares the shocking reality of her misdiagnosis, internal injuries, and how tuning into her body ultimately protected her life.

Key takeaway: Pain is not the enemy—it’s a question. Your job is to get curious enough to answer it.

This episode kicks off a powerful 3-part series exploring:

1. Physical Pain (this episode)
2. Emotional Pain
3. Suffering

If you’ve ever pushed through pain, ignored your body, or felt disconnected from what it’s trying to tell you—this episode is your wake-up call.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to turn pain into insight, awareness, and better decisions for your health and life.

REFERENCES:

Dr. Lorimer Moseley

• TEDx Talk — Why Things Hurt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwd-wLdIHjs

• Pain Revolution (his nonprofit): https://www.painrevolution.org

• Explain Pain (book — Butler & Moseley): https://www.noigroup.com/product/explain-pain-second-edition/

Steven Hayes — ACT Therapy

• A Liberated Mind (book): https://www.amazon.com/Liberated-Mind-Pivot-Toward-Matters/dp/073521400X

• Association for Contextual Behavioral Science: https://www.contextualpsychology.org

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

• The Body Keeps the Score (book): https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score

Buddhist Second Arrow — Sallatha Sutta

• Full text, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.006.than.html

Epictetus

• Enchiridion (free full text): https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45109

Chronic Pain Statistics

• Medal Alert