In 1987, I was a 9th grader in Dedham, Massachusetts, and every single weekend I would watch MTV. It was right at the time that MTV had launched; they were playing music videos and it was the new thing.

Over the years, I was completely addicted to MTV and in that time span of loving music videos, I also loved the VJs. And one of the VJs on MTV was this incredible woman named Karen Duffy, whose VJ name was Duff. She was cool, she was beautiful, she had amazing energy, and she had a great sense of humor. She took on rock stars like a champ.

I eventually graduated high school and college with the aspiration to be a VJ, which didn’t happen, but did take me into a career in television. Imagine my surprise that almost 25-years-later, my paths crossed with Duff and I finally got to meet her.

The way we were brought together, wasn’t in a context I would have ever dreamed.  Our paths crossed because we have a mutual friend who knew that we both deal with a serious illness. And we both believe enormously in the power of possibility and positivity.

Duff deals with sarcoidosis, a very painful chronic condition that attacks all areas of the body that has soft tissue. She’s had it for a number of years, but instead of seeing it as one giant lemon, she has made incredible lemonade. She has written a wonderful book about her time dealing with chronic pain called Model Patient: My Life As An Incurable Wise-Ass, and has another coming out this summer.

I have learned so much about chronic pain as a result of Karen Duffy.

As MyCounterpane embarks on creating a new community for chronic pain, I wondered, can Karen Duffy be the ambassador?  I am thrilled to have done this One-On-One with her to give you an introduction to who Karen Duffy is.

Please watch the video above to learn more about Karen, her thoughts on chronic pain, and how to alter your mindset for the better.