I'm excited to welcome Jenna Riemersma back on the podcast for the third time to talk about her new book. She's a certified IFS therapist, bestselling author, and someone committed to making IFS accessible to everyone. Her new book, Move Toward: A Simplified IFS Therapy Tool to Welcome All Parts of You , gives you a simple way to work with parts in the real world, in real time. In This Episode The three-step Move Toward tool: Notice, Know, Need How Self Energy can transform a room of people What...
Apr 20, 2026•41 min•Season 7Ep. 237
Today I welcome to the podcast Drs. Risa Adams, Robin Beardsley, and Elizabeth Parsons. They are family physicians turned psychotherapists who came together during the pandemic to write, find community, and speak for their parts. What they found in that process and wrote about in their new book, It Doesn't Have To Be This Way: A Physician's Guide To Radical Self Care (by three physicians who've been there) , is something most caregivers, doctors, healthcare workers, therapists, parents, partners...
Apr 15, 2026•37 min•Season 7Ep. 236
Today I welcome Irina Diyankova back to the podcast. Her last episode, Is It Trauma or Neurodivergence? was one of our most popular. This time we explore what happens when "going inside" during an IFS session becomes hard for clients. She finds this is especially true with neurodivergent and C-PTSD clients. Irina shares why externalization can be so helpful in these cases. Instead of relying only on what's happening internally, bringing things outside, like mapping, speaking out loud, connecting...
Mar 30, 2026•42 min•Season 7Ep. 235
On today's episode, I talk with Joanna Curry-Sartori, founder of the Self-Leadership Collaborative and author of The Self-Led Educator. We explore this idea of how to bring IFS into everyday life, to invite more Self Energy into our conversations and interactions. Joanna teaches us her PAUSE model, a five-step process to help you slow things down and notice what's happening inside before you respond. Sometimes it's in moments where you can feel yourself starting to react, or a conversation begin...
Mar 24, 2026•43 min•Season 7Ep. 234
On today's episode I welcome Nitsan Joy Gordon, a dance movement therapist, IFS practitioner, and peacebuilder who lives in Israel. Nitsan shares about growing up in Israel, living near the border, and what it's like to live in a place where war and trauma have been part of daily life for generations. She also tells the story of how Internal Family Systems changed her own life. A powerful experience at Esalen with Dick Schwartz inspired her to use IFS in her work back home. Nitsan leads Together...
Mar 16, 2026•35 min•Season 7Ep. 233
On today's episode I welcome psychotherapist and author Meg Josephson to the podcast. Her book Are You Mad at Me? names something so many of us feel but rarely say out loud: Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me? Meg and I talk about the fawn response, people-pleasing, and the parts of us that learned early on to stay ahead of conflict. We explore how "being nice" can disconnect us from ourselves, why grief and anger are essential to healing, and how mindfulness helps us slow down enough t...
Mar 03, 2026•36 min•Season 7Ep. 232
In today's episode, I welcome my friend Marcella Cox back to the podcast. Marcella is a certified IFS therapist, approved consultant, and somatic IFS assistant trainer. She's also a certified Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) and Rest and Restore provider, and the lead author of the new guidelines for integrating IFS with these listening therapies. We talk about: The basics of polyvagal theory How our nervous system states impact our parts Why co-regulation is central to healing The difference betwe...
Feb 23, 2026•41 min•Season 7Ep. 231
On today's episode I chat with Keith and Courtney, cohosts of the podcast Tripping Over Love . Keith is licensed therapist and a Level 3 IFS Consultant, and Courtney is journalist and podcaster. They joined me to share their beautiful, messy love story. We dive into the courage it takes to start over, the "trauma" of the dating apps, and how they've used Internal Family Systems (IFS) and psychedelics to navigate the "breakups, breakdowns, and breakthroughs" of their relationship . We discuss: St...
Feb 13, 2026•50 min•Season 7Ep. 230
On today's episode I welcome my friend David Stern to the podcast. This conversation feels so perfect right now. It's full of the kind of hope we all need. David has this beautiful way of seeing the spiritual dimension in everything we do. David calls us to remember our "Pure Soul"—the part of us that is already peaceful and cannot be destroyed. He talks about parts as "angels in disguise," the ones inside that have taken on difficult roles to protect that inner light. If you're looking for a wa...
Feb 06, 2026•31 min•Season 7Ep. 229
In this episode, I'm joined by my friend Daphne Fatter for a timely and honest conversation about what so many of us are navigating right now, as therapists, as parents, and as humans living in a polarized and chaotic time. We talk about nervous system overwhelm, numb and checked-out parts, news consumption, activism, community connection, and how to stay grounded when things feel "too much." We also touch on Daphne's new book: Integrating Internal Family Systems Interventions into EMDR Therapy ...
Jan 30, 2026•35 min•Season 7Ep. 228
Today I welcome David Polidi, Bruce Hersey, and Joanne Twombly on the podcast to talk about their new book, IFS-Informed EMDR: Creative and Collaborative Appraoches. We talk about why this book is needed, what it took to bring together more than 20 contributors, and why integrating these models can create more options, more flexibility, and more hope for clients. We talk about: Bringing together 21 contributors and creating a true community project Why integration can help when clients get stuck...
Jan 26, 2026•51 min•Season 7Ep. 227
Today's episode is a little different, in a really wonderful way. I sit down with Dick Schwartz and Jeanne Catanzaro, President and Vice President of the IFS Institute, and partners in both leadership and life. This isn't a traditional interview; it's more like listening in on friends and colleagues talking about the things they care about, the serious, the personal, and the very human. I've been feeling curious about what's happening inside IFS leadership right now. The model keeps growing, rea...
Jan 08, 2026•51 min•Season 7Ep. 226
We all feel numb sometimes. Our numbing parts protect us from stress, pain, and overwhelm. But what happens when numbness lingers? As we kick off The One Inside 's seventh season, Jeff and I share what we've learned about working with numbing parts. We led a workshop at the recent 2025 IFS Annual Conference called Why Check In When You Can Check Out: A Self-Led Approach to Numbing Parts. In this episode we walk you through the highlights of our workshop and share a few of the insights we brought...
Jan 04, 2026•38 min•Season 7Ep. 217
In this episode I chat with Joe Bielling, a Level 3 IFS practitioner, licensed therapist, and co-author of From Broken to Badass . We talk about what happens when coping, adapting, and belonging slowly pull us away from ourselves, and how to find your way back. Joe shares parts of his personal story, including a period he describes as a mental breakdown and spiritual awakening, and how IFS helped him slow down, notice his parts, and reconnect with his body, heart, and Self Energy. We discuss: Se...
Dec 24, 2025•41 min•Season 7Ep. 225
In this episode I talk with Anna Christine "AC" Seiple about slowing down, embodiment, and what it means to listen to our bodies and our parts. AC is a licensed counselor and the author of The Sacred Art of Slowing Down . She lives in St. Andrews, Scotland, where she's working on her PhD exploring the intersection of ancient contemplative practices and modern mindfulness. She shares why she felt called to write her book, how slowing down was not something she chose at first but something life re...
Dec 16, 2025•38 min•Season 7Ep. 224
This week I talk with IFS therapist and teacher, Kendhal Hart, about the real-world practice of IFS, how she integrates it with EMDR, and her view of IFS as a neurodivergent clinician. Kendhal is the author of Treating Trauma with EMDR and IFS , a new book that offers clinicians a practical and compassionate guide to integrating the two models. She shares openly about her recent autism diagnosis and how her neurodifferences shapes the way she understands, lives, and teaches Internal Family Syste...
Dec 02, 2025•53 min•Season 6Ep. 223
In this episode I talk with Ronda Bonfanti, an IFS client, memoirist, and self-described "IFS cheerleader," who reached out to me earlier this year to share her beautiful memoir, Talk to the Trees: From CPTSD to Loving Me . Ronda has been on a healing journey for more than 25 years. She's done "all the therapies," read over 250 self-help books, and spent years trying to understand why she felt so broken inside, even though her life looked beautiful on the outside. When she found IFS, something f...
Nov 25, 2025•34 min•Season 7Ep. 222
In this episode, I talk with Max Littman, an IFS therapist, consultant, and writer. Max's new book, Internal Family Systems Therapy for Gay and Queer Men: A Companion for After Coming Out , launched the morning we recorded this conversation. His work centers on attachment, attunement, cultural burdens, and the relational impact of trauma — especially for gay and queer men who are still healing the parts shaped by growing up without safety, guidance, or representation. We talk about why this book...
Nov 18, 2025•32 min•Season 7Ep. 221
In this episode, I talk with Dr. Angele Close, a clinical psychologist, motherhood coach, and certified mindfulness meditation teacher. Her work weaves together Internal Family Systems, mindfulness, and matrescence to help mothers reconnect with themselves and embrace the process of becoming. She opens up about her own season of disconnection in early motherhood and how discovering IFS helped her find language, clarity, and compassion for the parts within. Her upcoming book, Unburdening Motherho...
Nov 03, 2025•40 min•Season 7Ep. 220
In this episode, I chat with Caitlan Siegenthaler, a Level 2 IFS licensed therapist and podcast host who specializes in IFS and Human Design. What I love about Caitlan's work is how she treats both frameworks as paths home to Self. She shares how Human Design entered her life and how she integrates it with IFS to help clients befriend their parts. She recently led a Human Design reading session with Dick Schwartz, founder of IFS. In this conversation, we explore: How IFS and Human Design work to...
Oct 21, 2025•31 min•Season 7Ep. 219
How can Internal Family Systems help us prepare for, experience, and integrate psychedelic journeys in a truly Self-led way? And what if Self itself can be the journey, without medicine at all? In this episode, I talk with Nick Brüss, an IFS practitioner and licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in psychedelic-assisted therapy. What I loved about this conversation is how grounded and humble Nick is about the work. He reminds us that psychedelics can open the door, but Self is wh...
Oct 14, 2025•41 min•Season 7Ep. 218
In today's episode, I talk with Dr. Steve Chee, an integrative East-West physician and certified IFS therapist. Steve is offering an IFS continuity program through the IFS Institute this fall called "The Sacred Nervous System," which brings together neuroscience, mysticism, and relational medicine to help people who have been told they are "too much" or "too sensitive". In our conversation Steve shares his personal story of being a sensitive child who felt he had to hide what he loved, and the j...
Aug 30, 2025•49 min•Season 6Ep. 216
In today's episode, I chat with David Hoffman, a lawyer, mediator, and a founding member of Boston Law Collaborative. David was named "Lawyer of the Year" in Boston, and he even teaches at Harvard! I love how he's using IFS to help people with conflict. We talk about how IFS has shifted his focus from getting people to settle, to helping them make Self-led choices. We discuss: How does a lawyer and mediator bring the language of parts into a legal setting? What is the "reasonable reason" behind ...
Aug 17, 2025•46 min•Season 6Ep. 215
On this week's episode, I welcome Bob Falconer, Chelsea Odhner, and Jonathan Rose, the co-authors of the new book, Opening the Inner World . We dive into what it means to be both spiritual and plural. If you've ever found yourself wondering how inner work and spiritual seeking overlap, this episode is for you. We explore: What happens when we bring the language of parts into our spiritual lives? Can the concept of "Self Energy" connect with notions of divine presence? How does the idea of God re...
Aug 03, 2025•53 min•Season 6Ep. 214
In today's episode, I talk with Michael and Leela Hunter, the creators of UpSpiral Life — a year-long program and community that combines IFS, manifestation, and neurofeedback. We explore what manifestation really means through an IFS lens, how subconscious parts shape our experience, and why "feeling good" is a nervous system state we can track and train. Our conversation explores how IFS intersects with manifestation, nervous system states, and the beliefs our parts hold about what's possible....
Jul 19, 2025•36 min•Season 6Ep. 213
In this week's episode, I sit down with my friend Julie Honeycutt, a licensed professional counselor, certified IFS therapist, and approved clinical consultant. Julie has been integrating faith and counseling for over 20 years, and in this conversation, we explore how our attachment styles, parts, Enneagram, and developmental stages all shape our prayer life and spiritual connection. Julie shares that our attachment patterns and spiritual experiences are deeply linked, and how IFS offers a pathw...
Jul 09, 2025•51 min•Season 6Ep. 212
On this week's episode I'm thrilled to have my friend and colleague, Dave Adamusko, join me to demystify "direct access"—a powerful technique that allows IFS practitioners to speak directly to a client's parts. Dave and I dive deep into why direct access is so essential, especially for clients with trauma histories or deeply blended parts who might struggle with more traditional "insight" methods. Dave leads me in a brief session to demonstrate explicit direct access, engaging with a part of me ...
Jun 21, 2025•46 min•Season 6Ep. 211
What if the magic in parenting doesn't happen in the moment you get it right, but in the moment you come back and repair? This week, I talk with educator, children's book author, and Self-led parent Anna Purpero, and I just loved this conversation so much. Anna has two little boys and a big heart, and she shares so honestly about what happens when our protectors take over in parenting and how IFS helped her find a new way forward. We talk about: What happens in our bodies when our kids fight (an...
Jun 13, 2025•33 min•Season 6Ep. 210
Britt Frank escaped a cult, rebuilt her life after addiction, and is one of the most grounded, funny, and inspiring IFS speakers and educators around. In this week's episode, we talk about her new book Align Your Mind , and how parts work helped her move from chaos to clarity. We get into all of it...motivation, procrastination, inner critics, cults, menopause, and what alignment looks like beyond the buzzwords. Britt shares how she uses parts language in her own life, how she reframes procrasti...
May 30, 2025•42 min•Season 6Ep. 209
In this week's episode I welcome three guests--Robin Barre, Ann-Katrin Bockmann, and Kasra Mirzaie--to talk about IFS and working with teenagers. We explore how IFS often skips over this phase of life, both in how we work with clients and how we relate to our own inner adolescent parts. We tend to romanticize childhood or focus on early wounding, yet there's a lot of cringing and avoiding when it comes to the teenage years. Adolescence is where so much transformation happens. It's where meaning ...
May 16, 2025•46 min•Season 6Ep. 208
