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Why Things Hurt and How We Learn

Why Things Hurt and How We Learn

Written 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
  • Code Red: When To Start Worrying
    Jan 13 2026

    What are the signs that you need to start taking action to help your child struggling at school or your loved one dealing with chronic pain? Matt and Brent dive into the urgency of disengagement, learning disabilities, dissociation, and loss of hope in both children and adults. There is nuance involved in redirecting lost souls to help them find some agency in their experience and feelings of control in their lives. The season finale further explores how to help struggling people discover and accept that things can be different.

    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
    35 mins
  • Spectrums of You: Hypermobility & Consciousness
    Jan 6 2026

    Some of us are loose jointed. Some of us are autistic. We all exist on spectrums both physically and mentally. Hypermobile people have genetically stretchier soft tissues making them more flexible, but can feel stiffer because their muscles brace to hold everything together. A discussion on the experience of being you between two professionals that try their best to help people struggling with their bodies and their minds.


    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
    23 mins
  • A.I. Consuming Your Family
    Dec 30 2025

    Are you staying ahead of your kids and your parents use of artificial intelligence? AI is rapidly changing how our kids learn, how our doctors diagnose, and how our parents research their aches and pains. Listen to a discussion on the risks and benefits of the evolving technology of teaching our kids and keeping us healthy. Matt & Brent start with a tangent about coffee, alcohol and TENS machines before they go down the rabbit hole of how AI is starting to impact their jobs and their families.


    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
    32 mins
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