When We Almost Cancelled Our Workshop

The Pain Workshop We Almost Cancelled… and the Conversation That Changed Everything

Julie and I almost cancelled our When Pain Persists workshop in February.

In the days leading up to it, that familiar voice in my head started showing up:

What if not enough people come?
What if it feels awkward to have such a small group?
What if people are disappointed if we cancel at the last minute?

As anyone who runs events knows, there’s usually a moment (or two!) where doubt creeps in. You start second-guessing whether the idea was a good one in the first place.

I remember feeling stressed about it and wondering whether it would be better to reschedule.

Then something unexpected happened.

A Conversation That Changed My Perspective

A few days before the workshop, I was chatting with someone at the gym after class. We were talking about what everyone had going on that week, and I mentioned the workshop Julie and I were hosting.

I told her that if turnout was small, we might postpone it.

She said something simple yet incredibly reassuring: “It’s not a failure if you have to reschedule. That’s just part of running a business. I have a friend who now runs sold out events but for the first few rounds, she had to cancel because no one signed up."

Then she shared something I didn’t expect.

Over the past year, she had been navigating some serious health challenges, and she told me that during that time I had been someone she felt safe around at the gym.

I was honestly a little surprised to hear that because I really hadn’t done anything special other than showing up for workouts and chatting with the other gym members.

Safety Matters More Than Perfect Conditions

Julie and I created the When Pain Persists workshop because we believe something important about pain and the nervous system: people heal and learn best when they feel safe.

Not just physically safe, but emotionally and socially safe too.

A lot of people living with persistent pain have spent years feeling misunderstood or dismissed. Many have been told that nothing is wrong, or that they simply need to push through.

When people start to understand how the brain works and how pain can change, something powerful happens. They begin to see that their experience makes sense.

And that sense of safety opens the door to curiosity, learning, and change.

Hearing that comment at the gym reminded me that safety often shows up in small, quiet ways. Sometimes it’s simply how someone listens, responds, or holds space.

The Workshop Went Ahead

In the end, Julie and I chatted and decided to go ahead with the workshop exactly as planned and we're both really glad we did.

It turned out to be a wonderful day. There were thoughtful questions, honest conversations, moments where you could almost see the lightbulb go on as people started connecting the dots about their own experiences and even quite a bit of laughter (which is pretty amazing given we were talking about chronic pain).

After the workshop, someone wrote in the feedback forms:

“You created a very safe space for healing.”

That meant a lot to us, because that’s exactly what we were hoping to create.

Moments like that remind me why conversations about persistent pain matter so much.

Afterward, Julie and I sat down for coffee to debrief, and one of the things we kept coming back to was how important it is to create spaces where people feel comfortable exploring these ideas.

Because when people understand their brain, their pain, and their stress responses in a new way, it often changes how they see themselves.

Moving Forward

Julie and I will be offering another When Pain Persists workshop in the future, and we’re already talking about what we’d like to include next time.

If you're interested in hearing about the next one, feel free to reach out or click the link to join our waitlist.

In the meantime, I’m grateful for the reminder that sometimes great things happen even when they don’t feel perfectly planned. Sometimes simply showing up is enough.