Episode 209: The unexpected connection between chronic pain and body image with Dr. Tawny Kross

The Diet Diaries

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In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Tawny Kross, a physical therapist specializing in chronic pain who offers virtual services for clients across the globe. Tawny’s expertise and unique approach focus on understanding pain through a whole-person lens: integrating the mind, body, and emotional experience.
We dive into the powerful connection between chronic pain and body image—how the stories we tell ourselves, societal pressures, and even the language of healthcare providers can influence both physical pain and how we perceive our bodies.
Some highlights from our conversation:

The surprising parallels between chronic pain and body image struggles
Why 90% of Tawny’s work is focused on the "intangible" mental and emotional factors behind pain
How stress impacts pain, eating behaviors, and our relationship with food
Rebuilding the mind-body connection to support healing
Simple tools to start noticing and naming your body’s responses to stress and self-talk
If you’ve ever struggled with chronic pain or body image, this episode will help you feel seen and offer insights into creating more compassion and connection with your body.

Dr. Tawny Kross is the founder of RSR (Ready, Set, Rewire) which is the program she developed to take women with chronic stress, pain and inflammation, out of pain and survival mode, so that they can thrive and live an active lifestyle they love.

She graduated with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Duke University in 2013. Her journey as a chronic pain specialist and coach evolved from nearly a decade of practice at a Veteran's Hospital. Because of the complex histories, physical and sexual traumas many Veterans have, in order to better serve and help them heal from chronic pain, Dr. Kross grew her practice, knowledge and breadth of expertise to include nutrition; hypnosis; guided imagery; mindfulness; pain neuroscience education; breathwork; mind-body practices and more.

When she's not working on all things related to chronic pain, she enjoys church; hikes with her two kids and husband; exercise (weight lifting, tennis or running); playing boardgames; reading sci-fi fantasy books; or trying to come up with really bad (or...maybe they're REALLY good) Mom jokes.

Connect with Tawny (and you can DM her for a free meditation!)

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