Meet Katie Sutton | Master NeuroCoach Chronic Pain Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Sutton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
This piece of conventional advice that I disagree with is actually WHY I started my business and WHY I do what I do. Honestly, my business is based off of disagreeing with conventional advice when it comes to pain specifically. As a society, we have been taught that pain is just physical. The physical aspect of pain is JUST ONE component of it, but we focus all of our attention on how to mechanically fix the problem. Yes, mechanical and physical pain is a thing and I am not disregarding that piece. However, when the mechanical solutions are no longer working or providing the relief we are are looking for, at that point you are just SYMPTOM TREATING the pain. Symptom treating is not going to get rid of the pain and when we can’t get rid of it on a physical level we start to believe that something is WRONG with us. We are convinced that we just have to deal with the pain and live with it because “this is just how things are now.” When we get into this mindset, we lose trust within ourselves, our bodies and our capabilities. This can cause us to fall into depression and be consumed by the thoughts and fears of what we can no longer do because pain is always there. This is where your body becomes in constant stress response mode causing even more intensified pain. It becomes a vicious cycle. I know this from personal experience and it is a difficult place to be, but I am here to tell you that you DO NOT HAVE TO SETTLE IN PAIN. The physical part of pain is only 20% and 80% of it involves rewiring your brain and nervous system on a mental and emotional level. When you address the mental and emotional components of pain, you are getting to the SOURCE of it so you can get out of pain AND stay out of pain long term. If your physical, mental, and emotional parts of your pain are not addressed, you are not being treated as a whole and you will continue to stay in pain. Pain is not just physical. Pain is a request for change.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am the most proud of myself for trusting my intuition when it didn’t make sense and never giving up. I have faced a lot of challenging times when it came to my own personal Pain Freedom Journey. I constantly questioned my doctor’s and how they were telling me to just pop pain pills and accept that I wouldn’t ever go back to martial arts. I didn’t agree with their beliefs that my pain would never go away or that something was wrong with me. I refused to accept a life of pain and suffering constantly being consumed by fear and anxiety. Honestly, questioning medical beliefs put me on the path of holistic research and pain specifically. I didn’t get the answers from the textbooks in college. I got my answers from personal experience, working with clients in the field and asking questions. Asking those questions lead me to neuroscience and the power of NeuroCoaching. It was through my YEARS of trial-and-error with multiple certifications and degrees that I discovered the TRUTH. It does not have to take you years, like it did for me, to get out and stay out of pain. When you address all components of pain, you get to the SOURCE of it and transformation becomes inevitable. I am the type of person that will try out things for myself to see if they work before teaching it to others. I practice what I preach and use the techniques I teach my clients on me nearly every single day. They work and I am constantly learning new methods to add to my toolkit of techniques. I don’t use cookie cutter approaches because everyone is wired differently and I work specifically with how your brain and nervous system are programmed to YOU. I care a lot about the people I work with and I am committed to their transformation because I know IT IS POSSIBLE. I have learned that it is OKAY to ask for help and it is OKAY to have emotions! Pain is not permanent and nothing is wrong with with you. Pain is requesting a change to reconnect with yourself in different ways. I feel like it is my calling to help other’s be set free from the vicious pain cycle keeping them stuck. It’s because I didn’t give up on myself that I am here. So, if you feel stuck KEEP GOING. It’s worth it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a mountain girl, so I would definitely take them in the mountains to do some 4-wheeling. I really enjoy Glenwood Springs. The area is so pretty and I love sitting in the hot springs and relaxing in the vapor caves. Plus, you have the Caverns Adventure Park to check out the cave tours, ride the alpine coaster and they have a fun 4D theater. I ALWAYS have a blast when I go up there. Food wise, I love exploring different mom-and-pop restaurants because you can find some true gems of REALLY good food and it becomes an adventure. Depending on the friend, I would take them to some local winery’s and breweries. I always find beer and wine tasting to be a fun with interesting conversations. Also, I love Music City Hot Chicken in Fort Collins. It has such an awesome vibe and their chicken is bomb. I would definitely need to bring my husband along because it is his favorite. Plus, they serve locally made beer and the music is always on the rock n’ roll side.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give a huge shoutout to my mentor, Dr. Shannon Irvine. I am a certified Master NeuroCoach through her and I have been trained to get to the source of problems through the NeuroCoaching Model that she teaches. Going through the year long certification program helped me realize the missing piece when it comes to chronic pain and pain in general. Pain starts in the brain and people continue to stay in pain because of how their brains and nervous systems are wired when it comes to their unique pain cycle. The dots finally connected for me understanding how the brain works and how it correlated to pain specifically. I have been an active Rehabilitation Specialist since 2015 and I have worked with hundreds of clients in pain. I always felt like there was more to pain because I was doing everything I could from a mechanical stand point that SHOULD have been the thing to keep my clients out of pain, but it wasn’t getting to the root of the issue. Learning how to get to the source of pain through neuroscience completely changed the game for me. The first part of the program I went through my own NeuroCoaching transformation because Dr. Shannon is a firm believer that “transformed people help transform the lives of other’s” and I 100% agree with her! Going through my own Pain Freedom Journey allowed me to experience what my clients go through and it taught me how to apply the neuroscience backed techniques. I have to say that they WORK and it completely changed my life, my pain and myself for the better. My transformation helped me to regain trust within myself and to change the perspective of pain. It truly does not have to take you years of trial and error to get out of pain. If I had known what I know now with neuroscience and pain, I would not have suffered for YEARS! I know many people are suffering in pain right now and I want them to experience life how they want to and create trust within themselves and their bodies. When you learn how to work with your brain and your nervous system and how YOU are wired specifically, you know what to change and transformation becomes inevitable, even when it comes to pain. I am honored to be a Master NeuroCoach and be in a tribe of like-minded people because of Dr. Shannon! I am forever grateful for this opportunity.

Website: https://www.thekatiesutton.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekatiesutton/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekatiesutton

Image Credits
Danielle Uhl at Underexposed