The One Inside: An Internal Family Systems (IFS) podcast

From Broken to Badass with Joe Bielling

Dec 24, 2025

Join Joe Bielling, a licensed therapist and co-author of *From Broken to Badass*, as he shares his journey from a breakdown to spiritual awakening. He discusses the impact of coping strategies on our sense of self, emphasizing the importance of reconnecting with our body and inner energy. Joe explores how IFS and Enneagram dynamics shape relationships, and why recognizing resistance can be a crucial part of growth. With insights on gratitude for past coping mechanisms, he illustrates how understanding our parts can lead to deeper connection and presence in our lives.

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INSIGHT

Belonging Can Hide Self‑Forgetting

Joe describes being a Nine who self‑forgets and uses a chameleon part to belong, showing how Enneagram dynamics shape coping.
External success masked internal dissociation until his parts demanded attention.

ANECDOTE

Breakdown Became A Spiritual Turning Point

Joe Bielling describes a mental breakdown that became a spiritual awakening after leaving his marriage and going on a months‑long solo retreat.
That time alone helped him notice parts, reconnect with his body, and reenter community more authentically.

INSIGHT

Embodiment Bridges Maps And Presence

Joe highlights that bridging cognitive maps (IFS, Enneagram) with the physical felt body is essential for embodied healing.
He frames the question "Who am I?" as an invitation to meet the one behind the eyes in the body.

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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:

Self-forgetting, people-pleasing, and the "chameleon" strategies of belonging
How Enneagram dynamics show up in relationships and identity
Unblending as both a psychological process and a spiritual experience
Why "the resistance is actually part of the path"
How IFS and non-duality can point to more than either-or thinking
Why staying "broken" can feel safer to some parts of us
Gratitude for coping strategies before trying to change them
The question underneath it all: Who is the one behind my eyes?

Extended Substack Conversation

In the extended interview over on Substack, Joe and I talk about hope, embodiment, trauma, and the Enneagram centers. Joe shares what helps him stay embodied now and where he's finding hope.

About Joe Bielling

Joe Bielling is a licensed therapist and Level 3 IFS practitioner. He is the co-author with Kate West of From Broken to Badass, a practical IFS based book that helps people break free from high level coping strategies, and old outdated survival patterns, into empowered living. Their work brings together Internal Family Systems, nervous system science, and to help people find real freedom through embodied presence. Joe is also the founder of Unify Yourself — a national collaboration platform exploring the intersection of spirituality, psychology, and community.

Episode Sponsor

This episode is sponsored by the Unblend.me web app. You know those moments between sessions when something comes up and you need a gentle nudge to pause, slow down and go inside? The Unblend app helps you do just that. It's IFS informed, HIPAA compliant, and guides you through checking in with your parts to calm your nervous system. Learn more and try it for free at Unblend.me

About The One Inside

I started this podcast to help spread IFS out into the world and make the model more accessible to everyone. Seven years later, that's still at the heart of all we do.

Join The One Inside Substack community for bonus conversations, extended interviews, meditations, and more.
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I co-create The One Inside with Jeff Schrum, a Level 2 IFS practitioner and coach.

Resources

New to IFS? My book, The One Inside: Thirty Days to Your Authentic Self, is a great place to start.
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Sponsorship

Want to sponsor an episode of The One Inside? Email Tammy.