Can exercise help your brain and body adapt when you’re living with MS? In this episode of Living Well with MS, host Geoff Allix speaks with Dr Gretchen Hawley, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist, about movement, neuroplasticity and living well with MS.

Dr Hawley explains how exercise can support strength, balance, walking and everyday confidence. She shares why movement quality, repetition and rest all matter, and how functional exercises can help with daily activities such as stairs, getting into a car or standing up from the floor.

The episode also explores fatigue, heat sensitivity and how to adapt exercise to your own symptoms and energy levels.

Originally broadcast in 2020, this episode has been edited to remove out-of-date content and reuploaded in 2026 to ensure it remains relevant and useful.

MS is not a “white person disease”. In this episode of Living Well with MS, host Geoff Allix speaks with Minnie St. Claire, a Canadian entrepreneur, digital content creator and advocate living with multiple sclerosis and bipolar disorder.

Minnie shares her MS journey, including early symptoms, years of denial, relapse, treatment decisions and learning to take her health seriously. She also talks about managing more than one chronic condition, building resilience, using therapy tools, finding BIPOC peer support, and creating routines that protect her mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing.

The conversation explores Canada’s disability benefits system, financial independence while receiving support, working from home with MS, meal planning, movement, hormonal changes, healthcare gaps for people of colour, and why inclusive research and representation matter.

Minnie’s perspective is honest, practical and rooted in lived experience.

Watch this episode on YouTube. Keep reading for the topics, timestamps, and our guest’s bio.

01:59 Minnie’s first MS symptoms and diagnosis journey 03:00 Denial, relapse and learning to take MS seriously 06:22 Navigating Canada’s complicated disability benefits system 09:23 Managing MS, bipolar disorder and mental health needs 12:39 Choosing self-care, rest and boundaries without guilt 14:42 Why ten minutes of movement can still count 17:51 Meal planning, vegetables and making healthy food easier 20:11 Adding fish and trying new plant-based options 21:25 Therapy tools, peer support and stress management 23:40 Scheduling stillness, faith and creative self-care 24:57 Building an online business while managing MS 27:41 Turning transferable skills into flexible income streams 28:56 Hormones, mood changes, sleep and symptom tracking 31:41 Healthcare trust, race and choosing the right doctor 35:02 Why inclusive MS research and resources matter 36:57 Finding friendship, mentorship and support online 39:50 Education, confidence and advocating for your body

• Connect with Minni
• Most active on youtube.com/minnieoncam
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Dr Aaron Boster, an award-winning, board-certified MS neurologist, answers practical questions from the Overcoming MS community on symptoms, treatment and living well with multiple sclerosis.

The conversation covers supplements, fatigue, menopause and HRT, gut health, inflammation, DMTs, stable MRI scans with worsening symptoms, weather sensitivity, bladder and bowel issues, swallowing problems, Epstein-Barr virus and cancer risks linked to MS medications.

With warmth, clarity and energy, Dr Boster explains complex topics in a way that feels useful and reassuring, while encouraging people with MS to work closely with their healthcare team and take an active role in their care.

This episode is a webinar highlights special – originally recorded as a live Overcoming MS webinar and now edited for the podcast to bring you the key insights, questions and takeaways in one place.

Watch this episode on YouTube. Keep reading for the topics, timestamps, and our guest’s bio.

02:52 Supplements, food quality and MS health 05:42 When symptom-specific supplements may be useful 07:18 Six practical ways to reduce MS fatigue 10:06 What the Octave MS test may show 13:23 Menopause, HRT and MS progression risk 17:18 How inflammation works in multiple sclerosis 20:24 Gut health, microbiome changes and MS symptoms 24:41 Practical bowel strategies for constipation in MS 27:07 Do DMTs still help older people with MS? 27:55 Stable MRI scans but worsening MS symptoms 31:23 Objective tests neurologists can use to track MS 35:28 DMT myths, pharma concerns and clinical trials 40:35 Why heat and cold can worsen MS symptoms 43:17 Bladder symptoms and practical treatment options 43:52 Swallowing problems and when to seek help 44:20 Epstein-Barr virus and future MS prevention research 45:22 Cancer risk, Ocrevus, Mavenclad and context

• Listen to other Living Well with MS episodes featuring Dr Boster
• New to Overcoming MS? Learn why lifestyle matters in MS - begin your journey at our 'Get started' page
• Connect with others following Overcoming MS on the Live Well Hub
• Visit the Overcoming MS website

• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Pinterest

• Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS here.
• Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS.

If you enjoy this podcast and want to help us continue creating future podcasts, please leave a donation here.

Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.

If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review.