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Why Things Hurt and How We Learn

Why Things Hurt and How We Learn

By: Brent Stevenson and Matt Giammarino
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About this listen

New podcast featuring two fathers and long term friends: physiotherapist Brent Stevenson and educational consultant Matt Giammarino. Be a fly on the wall listening to two dads discussing the similarities and differences of helping people within the education and healthcare systems, and as parents. Matt & Brent both run private businesses filling in the cracks of publicly funded systems. They are both dad's to multiple teenagers. Brent is the co-owner of Envision Physiotherapy in Vancouver, Canada, and authors WhyThingsHurt.com Matt is currently working as a Special Education ConsultantBrent Stevenson and Matt Giammarino
Episodes
  • Dangers of a Diagnosis
    Dec 23 2025

    What is wrong with you? Why is it happening? How can you change it? Have you got past the first question? A diagnosis can provide clarity, but it can also create behavioural problems. Listen to Brent & Matt discuss the challenges of trying to de-pathologize clients after they have received a diagnosis. Common language descriptions help build agency and avoid the fear connected to medical jargon. A frank conversation about working with clients diagnosed with ADHD, Fibromyalgia, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Degenerative Disc Disease and TMJ Disorder.


    Bios

    Brent Stevenson has been a physiotherapist in Vancouver, Canada for over 20 years. He is married and has three teenagers, two cats and a dog. He co-owns and operates two multi-disciplinary health clinics, has written two books explaining how our bodies actually work, and has developed online courses on his website ⁠WhyThingsHurt.com⁠. Brent has known Matt since they were fourteen years old and approached him about doing this podcast after seeing the parallels between helping struggling teenagers and helping adults in pain.

    Matt Giammarino is a lifelong learner and nerd who helps people who learn differently. His goal is to help them succeed and thrive in school and life! He is an educator with 25-years teaching kids, parents, and teachers, an entrepreneur exploring the intersection of business, technology and education, and a researcher with publications on self-regulation, mathematical flexibility, help-seeking and more. Matt brings his experience, student-centered approach and warm, friendly teaching style to learners of all ages in his special education practice. When he’s not doing that, he’s working on his next song, building technology tools, hanging with his wife, kids, and dog, or chatting with Brent about everything and anything!

    Sponsors & Resources

    ⁠WhyThingsHurt.com⁠: Books, Articles, Courses & YouTube Channel teaching you how to be more comfortable being you

    ⁠Work With Matt⁠: Solve long standing education problems by working with Matt!

    ⁠EnvisionPhysio.com⁠: Brent’s Two Multidisciplinary health clinics in Vancouver, Canada

    ⁠RemixYourEducation⁠: Remix it all – your AI, your IQ, your grocery list – with our innovative tools that’ll make you smarter, happier, and more able to learn.


    Show notes & clips visit our website ⁠Why Things Hurt & How We Learn⁠

    Brent’s Books:

    ⁠Why Things Hurt: Life Lessons from an Injury Prone Physical Therapist⁠

    ⁠Why We Hurt: Understanding How To Be Comfortable In Your Own Body⁠

    Brent’s Courses:

    ⁠IMS Dry Needling: Online Mentorship for Physiotherapists, Physicians⁠

    ⁠Making Life Your Workout: A Practical Guide To Posture⁠

    Socials

    Follow Brent & Matt:

    Instagram: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt_HowWeLearn⁠

    YouTube: ⁠@WhyThingsHurtHowWeLearn⁠

    Facebook Page: ⁠@WhyThingsHurtHowWeLearn⁠

    Follow Brent:

    Instagram: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt⁠

    YouTube: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt⁠

    FaceBook: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt⁠

    LinkedIn: ⁠/brentstevenson

    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
  • Individuals Lost In Broken Systems
    Dec 16 2025

    Our systems are broken. Schools are losing relevance for our kids. Doctors and hospitals can’t keep up with their demands and pressures. Listen to Brent & Matt discuss who is filling in the cracks in our public systems. Hear the similar challenges facing both education and healthcare from two professionals that have started private businesses in publicly funded sectors. It’s hard being an individual that doesn’t feel well and be reliant on a bloated bureaucratic system for help. How do we advocate for ourselves?

    Bios

    Brent Stevenson has been a physiotherapist in Vancouver, Canada for over 20 years. He is married and has three teenagers, two cats and a dog. He co-owns and operates two multi-disciplinary health clinics, has written two books explaining how our bodies actually work, and has developed online courses on his website ⁠WhyThingsHurt.com⁠. Brent has known Matt since they were fourteen years old and approached him about doing this podcast after seeing the parallels between helping struggling teenagers and helping adults in pain.

    Matt Giammarino is a lifelong learner and nerd who helps people who learn differently. His goal is to help them succeed and thrive in school and life! He is an educator with 25-years teaching kids, parents, and teachers, an entrepreneur exploring the intersection of business, technology and education, and a researcher with publications on self-regulation, mathematical flexibility, help-seeking and more. Matt brings his experience, student-centered approach and warm, friendly teaching style to learners of all ages in his special education practice. When he’s not doing that, he’s working on his next song, building technology tools, hanging with his wife, kids, and dog, or chatting with Brent about everything and anything!

    Sponsors & Resources

    ⁠WhyThingsHurt.com⁠: Books, Articles, Courses & YouTube Channel teaching you how to be more comfortable being you

    ⁠Work With Matt⁠: Solve long standing education problems by working with Matt!

    ⁠EnvisionPhysio.com⁠: Brent’s Two Multidisciplinary health clinics in Vancouver, Canada

    ⁠RemixYourEducation⁠: Remix it all – your AI, your IQ, your grocery list – with our innovative tools that’ll make you smarter, happier, and more able to learn.


    Show notes & clips visit our website ⁠Why Things Hurt & How We Learn⁠

    Brent’s Books:

    ⁠Why Things Hurt: Life Lessons from an Injury Prone Physical Therapist⁠

    ⁠Why We Hurt: Understanding How To Be Comfortable In Your Own Body⁠

    Brent’s Courses:

    ⁠IMS Dry Needling: Online Mentorship for Physiotherapists, Physicians⁠

    ⁠Making Life Your Workout: A Practical Guide To Posture⁠

    Socials

    Follow Brent & Matt:

    Instagram: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt_HowWeLearn⁠

    YouTube: ⁠@WhyThingsHurtHowWeLearn⁠

    Facebook Page: ⁠@WhyThingsHurtHowWeLearn⁠

    Follow Brent:

    Instagram: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt⁠

    YouTube: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt⁠

    FaceBook: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt⁠

    LinkedIn: ⁠/brentstevenson

    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • Toxic Shame
    Dec 16 2025

    There is a discrepancy between what you want and what you are willing to change to experience what you want. Shame, regret and fixed mind sets tend to get in the way of a growth mentality. Listen to Matt explain how parents can be curious not furious about their teens’ behaviours. Hear how to challenge people to think and behave differently to help them help themselves. Brent and Matt discuss creating agency in kids and clients that tend to play the role of the victim and have trouble self-regulating in the face of a challenge.


    Bios

    Brent Stevenson has been a physiotherapist in Vancouver, Canada for over 20 years. He is married and has three teenagers, two cats and a dog. He co-owns and operates two multi-disciplinary health clinics, has written two books explaining how our bodies actually work, and has developed online courses on his website ⁠WhyThingsHurt.com⁠. Brent has known Matt since they were fourteen years old and approached him about doing this podcast after seeing the parallels between helping struggling teenagers and helping adults in pain.

    Matt Giammarino is a lifelong learner and nerd who helps people who learn differently. His goal is to help them succeed and thrive in school and life! He is an educator with 25-years teaching kids, parents, and teachers, an entrepreneur exploring the intersection of business, technology and education, and a researcher with publications on self-regulation, mathematical flexibility, help-seeking and more. Matt brings his experience, student-centered approach and warm, friendly teaching style to learners of all ages in his special education practice. When he’s not doing that, he’s working on his next song, building technology tools, hanging with his wife, kids, and dog, or chatting with Brent about everything and anything!

    Sponsors & Resources

    ⁠WhyThingsHurt.com⁠: Books, Articles, Courses & YouTube Channel teaching you how to be more comfortable being you

    ⁠Work With Matt⁠: Solve long standing education problems by working with Matt!

    ⁠EnvisionPhysio.com⁠: Brent’s Two Multidisciplinary health clinics in Vancouver, Canada

    ⁠RemixYourEducation⁠: Remix it all – your AI, your IQ, your grocery list – with our innovative tools that’ll make you smarter, happier, and more able to learn.


    Show notes & clips visit our website ⁠Why Things Hurt & How We Learn⁠

    Brent’s Books:

    ⁠Why Things Hurt: Life Lessons from an Injury Prone Physical Therapist⁠

    ⁠Why We Hurt: Understanding How To Be Comfortable In Your Own Body⁠

    Brent’s Courses:

    ⁠IMS Dry Needling: Online Mentorship for Physiotherapists, Physicians⁠

    ⁠Making Life Your Workout: A Practical Guide To Posture⁠

    Socials

    Follow Brent & Matt:

    Instagram: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt_HowWeLearn⁠

    YouTube: ⁠@WhyThingsHurtHowWeLearn⁠

    Facebook Page: ⁠@WhyThingsHurtHowWeLearn⁠

    Follow Brent:

    Instagram: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt⁠

    YouTube: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt⁠

    FaceBook: ⁠@WhyThingsHurt⁠

    LinkedIn: ⁠/brentstevenson

    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
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