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

Joanna Curry-Sartori, LMFT and founder of the Self-Leadership Collaborative, shares bite-sized ways to bring IFS into daily life. She introduces the PAUSE five-step practice and models it in live exercises. Short conversations cover using PAUSE in classrooms, relationships, experiments for change, and how simple parts language creates space, curiosity, and connection.

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 Beyond Words, an organization bringing Israelis and Palestinians together to transform pain through deep listening and connection. Her work is guided by the belief that pain that is not transformed is transmitted. After the attacks of October 7 and the immense grief and trauma that followed, Nitsan realized the need for healing had grown beyond what her organization had been doing. Today nearly 80 volunteers are offering ongoing support, and dozens of groups have been created where Israelis and Palestinians can process trauma, grief, and fear together. As you listen, I invite you to notice your own parts. What comes up for you as you hear these stories? What do you feel in your body? For me, this conversation was a reminder of the power of curiosity, one-on-one connection, and the courage it takes to stay present and open in our divided world. In This Episode We Talk About: • What it's like living in Israel today. • Nitsan's organization Together Beyond Words, which brings Israelis and Palestinians together to transform pain through shared healing. • The idea that "pain that is not transformed is transmitted." • A powerful IFS session she had with Dick Schwartz. • How the events of October 7 changed her work. • Why people need separate spaces to grieve before they can reunite. • When she realized the level of trauma requires an "army of healers." • How the Healing for Peace initiative grew from a handful of volunteers to nearly 80. • Why facilitators working in conflict zones are learning IFS tools like unblending and working with polarizations. About Nitsan Joy Gordon Nitsan Joy Gordon is a Dance/Movement Therapist, IFS therapist, and peacebuilder who has been working in Israel/Palestine for over three decades. Her work lives at the meeting point of movement, deep listening, and compassionate presence, creating spaces where pain shaped by conflict can be felt, witnessed, and transformed. She is the author of Together Beyond Words: Women on a Quest for Peace in the Middle East and the initiator of Army of Healers, an offering of safe spaces to feel and heal across deep divides. Learn more at: Together Beyond Words. 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.

Meg Josephson, LCSW, a trauma-informed psychotherapist and NYT bestselling author, discusses the fawn response and people-pleasing. Short segments cover how being “nice” can disconnect us, why grief and anger matter for healing, and using mindfulness and the NICER tool to notice needs. She also explores when it’s safe to speak up and how small corrective experiences help parts learn safety.

Marcella Cox, LMFT — a therapist and author specializing in IFS, somatic work, and listening therapies. She explains polyvagal basics and how nervous system states shape parts. They explore co-regulation, differences between Safe and Sound Protocol and Rest and Restore, and how filtered music can open bodily safety and increase Self energy.

Courtney Corona, journalist and podcaster who tells candid stories about love and healing, and Keith Miller, licensed therapist and IFS consultant working with ketamine-assisted therapy, share their messy, brave relationship. They talk radical honesty, starting with the ending, dating app chaos, using IFS in conflict, grieving past lives while loving again, and how psychedelics helped unlock grief and reconnection.

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 way to stay connected to yourself in a chaotic world, this episode is a sacred reminder that your essence is always already okay. We Explore: Why David looks for the unbridled aliveness in every person he meets. Reimagining our parts as refractions of a primal, divine intelligence. How to hold the "horrors" of the world while still choosing to love our people and stay present. Practicing "remembrance" to help shift out of the noise and back into your heart. About David David Stern, Psy.D. is a licensed psycholgoist, certified IFS consultant, dedicated teacher, and the creator of the Thinking Heart IFS Intensive. He also co-founded IFS Healers, an online Community of Practice designed to foster connection, deepen learning, and build community among IFS practitioners. David has trained hundreds of students worldwide and has presented at the IFS International Conference and consults with practitioners globally. 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.

Daphne Fatter, a licensed psychologist and trauma consultant who blends parts work with EMDR, joins to discuss nervous system overwhelm and numb, checked-out parts. They cover polarization inside and outside us, how to stay curious with differing perspectives, managing news intake, and finding grounding through connection and local action.

Join Bruce Hersey, an integrative therapist known for combining EMDR and IFS, Joanne Twombly, a specialist in Complex PTSD, and David Polidi, an advocate for compassionate therapy, as they discuss their collaborative book on integrating IFS and EMDR. They explore the importance of combining therapeutic models for flexible client support, the inherent healing process beyond individual methodologies, and strategies for addressing therapist countertransference. Get ready for insightful discussions on coping skills and the vital role of relational dynamics in therapy!

In this insightful conversation, Richard Schwartz, the developer of the Internal Family Systems model, and Jeanne Catanzaro, Vice President of the IFS Institute, share their journey through leadership and personal growth. They discuss Jeanne's rise in public speaking and the dynamics of co-teaching, emphasizing collaboration and humility. The pair reflect on future plans, navigating aging, and how to bring IFS to a wider audience safely while balancing their home life and leisure activities. Their candid humor and warmth reveal the deep care behind their work.

Explore the fascinating world of numbing parts and their impact on our lives. Discover how these invisible protectors shield us from pain but can also steal our vitality. Learn about the concept of 'checking out' and the opportunity costs associated with it. Tammy shares personal insights and metaphors to illustrate numbness, while Jeff highlights cultural perspectives. Together, they present the NUMB framework to help reconnect with our true selves. Dive into the complexities of grief and the journey toward self-awareness!