n this episode of The Joy Hour Show, host Tom Lyman is joined by bestselling author, speaker, and resilience coach Amberly Lago alongside Dr. Damien “Dr. Doolittle” Nesser for a conversation that goes straight into the real stuff: pain, shame, sobriety, discipline, and how joy is built when life doesn’t get easier.
Amberly opens up about the journey after her devastating motorcycle accident, the reality of living with chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS), the long road of surgeries, and how the pressure to “keep producing” quietly pulled her out of alignment. She talks candidly about addiction, relapse, recovery, and what it took to rebuild from the inside out.
Dr. Damien shares how Amberly’s story reached him at the exact moment he needed it, when shame and imposter syndrome were telling him to stay quiet. Together, they normalize conversations that many people avoid: asking for help, finding the right rooms, building a healthy circle, and replacing destructive patterns with life-giving practices.
A major centerpiece of the episode is Amberly’s PACER Method:
Perspective, Acceptance, Community, Endurance, Rest
A practical framework for staying grounded, resilient, and spiritually centered when your body, emotions, or circumstances feel like they are pushing you to the edge.
They also talk about:
Why gratitude is a perspective-shifter when the day starts heavy
How honesty and acceptance unlock real transformation
Why community and service keep you from isolating
How endurance is fueled by remembering your “why”
Why rest is not optional and how unworthiness can sabotage it
Recovery basics like HALT and the importance of boundaries
Getting in the right rooms, around the right voices, at the right time

If you’ve ever battled pain, addiction, depression, shame, or exhaustion, this episode is a reminder: you are not alone, you do not have to white-knuckle life, and joy is still possible, even in the middle of the fight.