Running a Small Business with Fibromyalgia

Beyond Chronic Pain Running a Small Business with Fibromyalgia & Other Chronic Pain Conditions With Rebecca Rengo Susan: The life of business owners is typically jam packed with day to day duties have running their business as to that the challenge of trying to fit in your personal life in your family. Now, imagine doing all of that while suffering constant pain from Fibromyalgia or any other chronic pain condition. Well with me today is Rebecca Rengo, she’s a pain relief coach and expert and she’s here to talk to us about this issue and how it relates to the small business community. Rebecca welcome to sbtv.com. Rebecca Rengo: Thank you for having me Susan. Susan: Well the first thing to talk about and actually I’ve told the audience many times I have Fibromyalgia, so I do wake up every morning in pain. It’s not easy, so I’m very interested to hear what you have to say but first tell us a little bit about your background. How did you become an expert in the field of pain? Rebecca Rengo: I became an expert first to my own personal experience. I have multiple chronic pain conditions to myself including TMJ, damage vertebrae in my neck and Fibromyalgia. And so I’ve always been interested in the dynamics of chronic pain and then major than social work can have spent my career helping people who suffer with chronic pain. Susan: But now, Rebecca you’ve actually—you’ve written a book “Beyond Chronic Pain.” Rebecca Rengo: Yes. Susan: And you have your own business, so how did you decide to start your business? Rebecca Rengo: I actually started my first business in 1989. I was on faculty at Washington University in a Neurology Department working on all chronic disease research. And I really enjoyed that job but had a passion for working with older adults and so I love when she went started to private practice providing generate care management and psychotherapy services. And I have been doing that up until the last year and half when I came up with my book. And now, my passion is taking me to focus on riding and sticking and reaching out to people of all ages with chronic pain conditions. Susan: You’ve done a lot of things. How do you manage personally? I mean I know some of the things that I try to do but how do you manage personally to have the business, write a book, all of the things that you’ve done. How do you managed? Rebecca Rengo: I really had an uh-huh moment when I was about 40 years old, I was a single mother with two very active young boys and running my own business no family in the area to help me at all with any emotional or financial support, totally dependent on making everything work. So you know women, we try to do everything is best as we can. Susan: We try to be superwoman in that way. Rebecca Rengo: Yes! We actually do. And so I was running my kids to every after school activity, you know volunteering on boards in the community, taking every client who calls me, so I was working over hours and of course not taking care of myself. One day, I heard my young son called to me for help. And I was in bed and I could not get up. My pain was so severe and my fatigue was so overwhelming that I pushed and pushed myself with everything I had and I could not move. And every mother knows when your child needs you all you want to do is go to her and make sure they’re okay. And when I couldn’t do that, I realize I have to put myself first or I’m going to be here to take care of my kids and to pay my bills. And so from that thing on, that was a strategy I adapted. Susan: That’s sounds like a great strategy but it’s a lot easier said than done. So how did you make those strategies work? What are some of things that you did? Rebecca Rengo: When I started doing was scheduling something nice for myself everyday because I was putting myself last and I realize if I’m going to feel better, I really do have to put myself first. So I would schedule time for light exercise and meditation in the morning before I start to taking care of other people. I also started saying “No” to people. So— Susan: That’s not an easy thing to do especially for women. Rebecca Rengo: It was very difficult. My kids wanted to be in every activity, go to their friends house, you know how kids wanted to be running around all the time. So I started saying “No” to them. I started saying “No” to clients when I full, I couldn’t take another client. And I started saying to “No” to volunteer opportunities and only state on boards that were true priority. Susan: Who’s going to say those volunteer things can really eat up your time. Rebecca Rengo: They really can. And I realized that this was the right strategy when a few years later, I was in the car with my youngest son and he said, “Mom, you know I remember when you were always sick and crabby, and now you’re the most fine mom.” Susan: Oh, my! Isn’t that amazing? Rebecca Rengo: And so it really is the quality of what we do and not the quantity, and that’s very important to keep in mind. Susan: But let me ask you this question because I know personally I struggle with this. You said you try to take time to do something just for yourself that you enjoy but I think its normal women feel guilty then selfish trying to take that time? What did you tell yourself—what the self talk—pet talk that you can give yourself to carved those time outs. Rebecca Rengo: I—what I do personally and encourage clients to do is to schedule it first time you’re calendar and to schedule at any events. So that is a set appointment just like a business appointment or a volunteer appointment. And very what you do, so it maybe a massage and maybe just taking time out to read a book. You know, very what you do to keep it special. But schedule that time and honor it. I encourage people to use positive self talk, and use affirmations to reinforce that they’re worth that time. Susan: Wow! And you actually our coach now, so you want to people. You mentioned you’re doing more speaking of course you have the book. Tell us a bit more about what you’re doing now. Rebecca Rengo: Now, I am providing pain relief coaching for people who have chronic pain conditions and I also work a lot with women who are stress and they may not have chronic pain conditions but they have problems finding balance with work and life. And stress is a big issue that many of us space. I also do speaking for non-profit agencies and professional organizations that just nurses and how to take better care of patients with chronic pain. And I’m starting a new program for corporations on presentism where a people show up to work but they’re not productive frequently because of health problems. Susan: Why isn’t that the truth? You’re going to the office and you try to make busy. You know with the little things that don’t require that mind power so absolutely. Rebecca Rengo: Right! Susan: Well, I appreciate you’re sharing all this information to me. What an amazing thing you’re doing and the book is Beyond to Chronic Pain and I’m sure Rebecca you have a website that people would like more information. Can you share that with us? Rebecca Rengo: I do. And my website is beyondchronicpain.com. Susan: All right! Wonderful! Thanks for being here. I appreciate it. Rebecca Rengo: Thank you. Susan: Well this is certainly been enlightening to me and of course if any of you are out there suffering in silence, or now realizing you maybe effective but what about we’ve talked about today please take the time to get help for yourself and know that you can live a normal productive life and while living out your entrepreneurial dreams. So for more information visit Rebecca’s website she mentioned which is beyondchronicpain.com or you can also find great resources at the American Pain Foundation website which is painfoundation.org. Thanks for watching, we’ll see you soon.