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

Carol Shilliday, a clinical psychologist, IFS trainer, and author of Inside ADHD, explores the overlap between brain wiring and inner parts. They discuss late recognition, compensation, perfectionism, shame, masking, hormones, and why acceptance matters before strategies can stick. Carol also shares ideas for supporting partners in mixed-neurotype relationships and finding more compassionate ways to navigate ADHD.

Dr. Laura Patryas, psychologist, author of Awaken to Love, and spiritual teacher, explores the meeting point of Internal Family Systems, nonduality, and embodied spirituality. They discuss how every part contains Self, why wholeness is not perfection, and how awakening means meeting whatever part is present. Laura also shares the Three Fs and a surprising Cabbage Patch doll lesson.

Emma Coyne, a clinical psychologist, Level 3 IFS therapist, and poet, explores the meeting point of therapy, creativity, neurodiversity, and kidney care. She discusses treating a transplant as a new part, why IFS resonated when CBT didn’t, and getting every inner part’s permission to publish. Emma also reads five moving poems about productivity, wonder, skepticism, and healing.

Nancy Sowell, LICSW, IFS Institute Senior Trainer, and Harvard Medical School Teaching Associate, explores the connection between emotional burdens and physical health. She discusses parentification and autoimmune disease, the effects of chronic stress and perfectionism, body signals, and why protective parts may disconnect us from our bodies. She also shares thoughts on boundaries, imperfection, community, and her dream of paragliding.

Brian Jaudon, a coach and sacred witness who blends IFS with spiritual work, discusses organizing life around your divine essence. He explores soul alignment, how misalignment shows up in the body, and inviting desired frequencies into consciousness. He also covers recognizing when a chapter closes and reorganizing priorities to live into what wants to emerge.

Robert Falconer, IFS teacher and author focused on trauma and spirituality, discusses his daily parts work and spirit dialogues. He describes a gritty, “sewer” path to wisdom and why skeptical parts need invitation rather than exile. He shares ritual practices, how spirit contact reshaped his writing, and what truly heals past-life material.

Liz Brenner, LICSW — a family therapist and IFS scholar — joins to talk about grief after losing her partner and the host’s recent bereavement. They explore how grief can both break and heal, ongoing felt connection with those who die, the spiritual dimension of Self, meaning-making, and family-system patterns that shift after loss.

My guest on today's episode is Achara Tarfa. She is a certified IFS practitioner, co-founder of the Global Trauma Institute, and director of the PATH program. We talk about finding IFS, what trauma coaching offers that therapy often doesn't, and why she and her co-founders built GTI to create the spaces they needed but couldn't find. Takeaways IFS gave Achara language for her own anger for the first time When the people you turn to for help fail you, the harm compounds. Achara experienced this firsthand and it shaped everything she built Trauma coaching isn't replacing therapy. It's reaching people the system has missed Healing isn't just individual. It's about dismantling the systems, cultural, institutional, hierarchical, that created the harm PATH meetings use IFS to address addiction and its underlying trauma together AA teaches you how to survive; PATH teaches you how to live. If you're in protection mode, there's no room to feel. That's not a flaw, it's survival Catch my extended interview with Achara and our Audio Guides meditations over on Substack. About Achara Achara Tarfa is a certified IFS practitioner, co-founder of the Global Trauma Institute, and director of the PATH program. Connect with her on Substack and Instagram. Episode Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Souliology. Souliology offers retreats and immersive learning experiences for IFS professionals, many led by IFS Senior Lead Trainers and eligible for continuing education credits. Their programs support deep professional and personal growth, offering space to step away from the demands of daily life so you can return to your practice more present and resourced for the clients you serve. Souliology: Where growth meets depth. Learn more at souliology.com 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. Find Self-Led merch at The One Inside store. Listen to episodes and watch clips on YouTube. Follow me on Instagram @ifstammy or on Facebook at The One Inside with Tammy Sollenberger. 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. Want a free meditation? Sign up for my email list and get "Get to Know a Should Part" right away. Sponsorship Want to sponsor an episode of The One Inside? Email Tammy.

Melissa Monahan, a licensed mental health counselor and IFS Level 2 therapist focused on perimenopause, shares personal and clinical perspectives. She discusses how hormonal shifts unmask parts, why anger and identity confusion surface, frozen shoulder and medical gaps, and the power of community and IFS curiosity to soften reactivity.

Jessica Tomich Sorci, a Level 3 IFS therapist and perinatal mental health specialist who created the Mom Parts Method, walks through a five-step practice for mothers. She names 29 recurring mom parts, explores grief as a through line in motherhood, and contrasts parts that protect kids with parts that plead, What about mom. Practical tools and community focus round out the conversation.