Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads ·Oct 6, 2026 ·56 min

Amy & Avery: Rebuilding After Life Changes — Chronic Pain, PTSD, and Fighting to Be Heard | Part 1

Evaluation and Summary

5.9/10

This episode features Amy and Avery Nubson, a couple whose lives were upended by a 2014 car accident that left Avery with invisible injuries despite normal test results. The conversation covers the cascade of physical and psychological effects: chronic pain, PTSD with flashbacks and panic attacks, pelvic floor dysfunction, sleep disruption, and eventually a traumatic brain injury diagnosis that took years to identify. Part 1 focuses on Avery's experience of having his body become unfamiliar while repeatedly being told nothing was wrong, and Amy's perspective as a partner watching someone she loves struggle with unexplained symptoms. Key topics include the shame surrounding men's pelvic health issues, the role of EMDR therapy in managing PTSD, the trauma of opioid withdrawal when insurance coverage changed, and the decision to pursue an implanted pain management device. The episode emphasizes medical self-advocacy—pushing back when dismissed, seeking second opinions, and refusing to accept "we don't know" as a final answer. Practical takeaways include keeping symptom journals, asking for appropriate referrals rather than accepting dismissal, and recognizing that healing happens in small increments rather than dramatic recoveries. The hosts (G-Rex and Dirty Skittles) frame this as a story about persistence through invisible disability and the intersection of physical pain with mental health, rather than a cure narrative. The episode includes appropriate trigger warnings for chronic pain, PTSD, medical trauma, medication dependence, and suicide risk, with crisis resources provided.

Verdict: A compelling, well-structured conversation that delivers authentically on its promise of raw storytelling about invisible injury and medical advocacy, grounded in lived experience and practical wisdom, though lacking clinical expertise or research citations.

Health & Fitness rubric

Evidence-based claims 3/5 20%

Episode discusses established conditions (PTSD, pelvic floor dysfunction, TBI) and evidence-based treatments (EMDR) but relies primarily on personal narrative rather than citing research or clinical studies.
Expert credentials 1/5 20%

Guests are lived-experience experts (business owners/designers) without stated clinical, medical, or therapeutic credentials; hosts' qualifications are not described in materials.
Safe and practical advice 4/5 15%

Advice is grounded in realistic experience (symptom tracking, self-advocacy, seeking referrals) and explicitly avoids false cure claims; appropriately cautious about medical decisions and includes crisis resources.
Substance 4/5 15%

Dense with specific details across multiple interconnected topics (pelvic health, PTSD, insurance battles, device implants, medication withdrawal) with clear chapter breaks and actionable takeaways; minimal filler evident from structure.
Delivers on its title 5/5 15%

Title promises raw conversation about invisible injuries and being heard; episode fully delivers on chronic pain, PTSD, medical trauma, and the exhausting reality of patient advocacy.
Value for time 4/5 15%

56 minutes covers substantial ground with clear chapter markers and structured progression; some conversational pacing typical of interview format but justified by depth of topics.

How we score Health & Fitness

Worth it if you're navigating chronic pain, PTSD, invisible disability, medical trauma, or supporting someone through these challenges—or if you want to understand the gap between what scans show and what patients actually experience.

Content flags

Sensitive Episode explicitly discusses PTSD, medical trauma, suicide risk, medication withdrawal, and invasive medical procedures; appropriate trigger warnings and crisis resources provided.

#chronic pain #ptsd recovery #medical trauma #invisible disability #patient advocacy #men's health

Based on the episode description. AI-generated; it can be wrong.

Show notes

One car accident changed everything for Amy and Avery Nubson — their health, their marriage, their business, and the future they thought they had planned. In Part 1, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Amy and Avery for a raw conversation about invisible injuries, chronic pain, PTSD, medical trauma, and what happens when you know something is wrong but getting someone to listen becomes a battle of its own. Awards & Downloads Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries. Feedback We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here: https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a Mental Health Quote “Pain doesn’t have to be visible to be real, and progress doesn’t have to be fast to matter.” — Inspired by Avery Nubson Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder This episode includes discussion of chronic pain, PTSD, medical trauma, medication dependence and withdrawal, invasive medical treatment, and suicide risk. Please take care while listening. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 or visit: https://988lifeline.org/ For crisis resources outside the United States: https://findahelpline.com/ Episode Description A car accident that looked minor on paper changed nearly every part of Amy and Avery Nubson’s lives. After Avery was hit from behind while stopped at a red light in 2014, he walked away without broken bones or obvious external injuries. But what followed was anything but minor: debilitating pain, PTSD, panic attacks, flashbacks, bladder and pelvic health complications, sleep problems, mobility limitations, and eventually a traumatic brain injury diagnosis that took years to uncover. In Part 1 of this deeply honest conversation, Avery tells G-Rex and Dirty Skittles what it was like to have his body become unfamiliar territory while repeatedly hearing that tests looked normal or providers didn’t know what came next. He opens up about male pelvic floor therapy, the shame surrounding intimate health problems, opioid withdrawal after insurance coverage changed, EMDR, implanted medical devices, and the exhausting reality of having to continuously advocate for care. Amy shares the other side of that journey: watching the person you love disappear beneath pain, trying to understand symptoms nobody prepared you for, and learning how to support someone through a recovery that doesn’t follow a clean timeline. This isn’t a story about magically “getting better.” It’s about persistence, invisible disability, medical self-advocacy, and finding hope in inches, not miles. Keywords: chronic pain, PTSD recovery, medical trauma, invisible disability, traumatic brain injury, EMDR therapy, men’s mental health, pelvic floor therapy, chronic illness, pain management, healthcare advocacy, anxiety after car accidents, caregiver support, mental health recovery, patient advocacy Meet Our Guests — Amy & Avery Nubson Amy and Avery Nubson have spent more than two decades building a life, businesses, and creative projects together, but a 2014 car accident forced them to completely rethink what partnership, healing, and success looked like. Amy now helps women reclaim their voices and tell their stories, while Avery brings his background in design, web development, marketing, SEO, illustration, and game design together with a growing desire to speak openly about chronic pain, men’s pelvic health, PTSD, and the treatments that helped him rebuild his life. Website: http://www.nufiremarketing.com Amy Nubson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amynubson-business-coach/ Avery Nubson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averynubson/ Avery’s Games: https://humerusgames.com Key Takeaways An injury does not have to be visible on a scan for the pain and trauma surrounding it to be real. PTSD can show up in waves, through flashbacks, panic attacks, sleep disruption, avoidance, and triggers that may make everyday life feel unsafe. Physical pain and mental health are deeply connected, and treating one without acknowledging the other can leave major pieces of recovery untouched. Men’s pelvic health remains difficult to talk about, and shame can make an already isolating medical problem even harder to navigate. Self-advocacy sometimes means asking again, getting another opinion, and refusing to stop simply because the first answer was “we don’t know.” Healing may be measured in tiny changes: driving around the block, skiing again, traveling, sleeping better, or simply experiencing less pain than yesterday. Actionable Items Keep a symptom or pain journal. Track changes, triggers, treatments, medication reactions, and small improvements so you have something concrete to reference when progress feels invisible. If you feel dismissed or your symptoms remain unexplained, consider asking what the next appropriate referral or specialty might be instead of accepting “nothing is wrong” as the end of the conversation. When traveling with medical devices, mobility challenges, or other medical needs, research passenger-support options ahead of time and create a plan that reduces unnecessary stress. Important Chapters 00:01:57 — From Art School to 26 Years Together 00:04:10 — The Accident That Changed Everything 00:07:07 — When PTSD Arrived in Waves 00:14:57 — Portugal, Pain Relief, and Feeling Safe Again 00:20:05 — EMDR and Life After Panic Attacks 00:22:03 — The Medical Problems Nobody Could Explain 00:27:01 — The Reality of Men’s Pelvic Floor Therapy 00:33:15 — Fighting Insurance While Fighting to Heal 00:36:04 — Why Men Need Somewhere to Talk About This 00:42:51 — Pain Medication, Withdrawal, and the Pain Pump Decision 00:47:32 — Traveling With Medical Devices Closing CTA Subscribe, Rate, and Review! Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website: https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #ChronicPain #PTSDRecovery #MensMentalHealth #InvisibleDisability #MedicalTrauma #PelvicFloorTherapy #PatientAdvocacy #ChronicPainAwareness #EMDRTherapy #TraumaRecovery #HealthcareAdvocacy #PainManagement #CaregiverSupport #InvisibleIllness #MentalHealthRecovery *************************************************************************** If You Need Support, Reach Out If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference. United States: Call or Text 988 — 988lifeline.org Canada: Call or Text 988 — 988.ca Worldwide: Find a Helpline Mental Health Resources and Tools: The Help Hub Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles Official Website: goesoninourheads.net Facebook: @shltthatgoesoninourheads Instagram: @grex_and_dirtyskittles LinkedIn: G-Rex and Dirty Skittles Join Our Newsletter: ( https://grexanddirtyskittles.substack.com/ ) Merch Store: goesoninourheads.shop Audio Editing by NJz Audio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode page