What if the voice yelling at you inside your own head isn't actually you? What if your rage, your anxiety, your worst habits are all trying to protect you?

In this episode, Frank sits down with Nell Pennington — a certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist with almost 30 years in health, first as a nurse and now as a counsellor whose own adult ADHD diagnosis shaped her deeply compassionate, neuroaffirming approach to therapy. Together they explore the radical idea that the mind isn't singular — it's a whole internal family of parts, each with its own role, wound, and good intention, waiting to be understood rather than fixed.

In this conversation, they cover:

  • Why your inner critic might actually be trying to protect you
  • The difference between "managers," "firefighters," and "exiles" inside you
  • Why self-sabotage might be two parts of you fighting for the same goal
  • What it really means to access your "Self" — and why it can't be forced
  • How ADHD reframed Nell's whole understanding of her own mind
  • What "successful" IFS therapy actually looks like day to day

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Learn more about Nelida Pennington: https://ifs.nz/

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