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

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.

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.
In this episode:
Why so many of us feel numb, frozen, or checked out right now

Normalizing survival responses and protectors during times of stress

How polarization shows up both culturally and inside our own systems

Staying curious about people with different political perspectives

Finding ways to stay informed without burning out on the news

Why connection, shared humanity, and community matter so much right now

I get blended a few times in this episode and say, "I can't believe I said that." This is such a great example of how quickly any of us can blend with passionate and opinionated parts when navigating stressful topics. 
Be sure to check out my extended interview with Daphne over on Substack.
About Daphne
Daphne Fatter, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist, integrative trauma consultant, author, and international speaker specializing in integrative trauma-informed therapies. She is the author of Integrating Internal Family Systems Interventions into EMDR Therapy and is widely recognized for her expertise in blending parts work with evidence-based trauma modalities.
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.

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 in one modality

The idea that there is a natural, underlying healing process beyond any single model 

Coping skills, resourcing, and the diverging views on when and how to use them 

Joanne's "fire drill" and using IFS to work with therapist countertransference 

Why strong foundational training in both IFS and EMDR matters before integrating them 

The belief that there is no "perfect model," and that relationship and Self Energy matter most 

There's a lot of heart here, a lot of theory, and a lot of love for clients, the field, and each other. I'm excited for you to listen, and be sure to catch my extended interview with them over on Substack.
About the Guests
Bruce Hersey, LCSW is widely recognized for his work integrating EMDR and IFS. Together with Michelle Richardson, he created the Syzygy Institute, which offers training and certification in IIE. Bruce is an Approved Consultant in EMDR and an IFS Approved Clinical Consultant, providing individual and group IFS and IIE consultation. He has led numerous IFS workshops and presented at the IFS International Conference, as well as EMDRIA and international EMDR conferences.  www.syzygyinstitute.com, www.brucehersey.com, and www.emdrifs.com.
David Polidi, LICSW, M.Ed. is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and a Certified EMDR Consultant in Training, and has also been trained in IFS. He has worked with children and families since 2000 and has been in private practice for the past five years. David developed and facilitates the online couples workshop Deepen the Conversation, and hosts the podcast Empowered Through Compassion, where he speaks with innovators in psychology about integrating EMDR, IFS, and other trauma-healing approaches. www.empoweredthroughcompassion.com.
Joanne H. Twombly, LICSW is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with over thirty years of experience working with Complex PTSD and Dissociative Disorders. She is a Certified EMDR Consultant and an IFS Certified Therapist. Joanne is a Trauma and Recovery Humanitarian Assistance Program Facilitator and a Clinical Hypnosis Consultant. She is the past president of the New England Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation and has received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, where she is also an ISSTD Fellow. Joanne recently published Trauma and Dissociation Informed Internal Family Systems: How to Successfully Treat Complex PTSD and Dissociative Disorders. www.joannetwombly.net.
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.

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, reaching more people, and carrying more responsibility with it. I wanted to hear directly from Dick and Jeanne about what that growth and momentum have been like for them, not just in terms of roles and plans, but personally and as partners.
In this candid conversation, we explore questions many of you have been holding. What happens as the Institute grows? Is Dick going to retire? What does transition even look like? We talk about all of that, but in a funny, sometimes ridiculous, and very real way.
What I hope you hear is the care, thoughtfulness, and humanity behind the scenes of both the IFS Institute and the IFS model.
We talk about:
Jeanne stepping into leadership and visibility over time

What it means to steward a model that's bigger than any one person

Succession, responsibility, and caring for the future of IFS

Collaboration and "sharing the stage"
Knowing when to take a break from "parts talk"

Bringing IFS beyond the therapy room and into the wider world

Holding research, spirituality, and accessibility at the same time

Finding balance between work, partnership, family, and rest

Favorite shows, hobbies, and Firefighter behaviors
There's a lot of warmth here, some laughter, a little potty talk, and plenty of insight.
Links:
IFS Institute
Jeanne Catanzaro
Dick Schwartz
Word of the Year on Substack
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.

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.

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 home from the conference.
We discuss:
What I discovered about numbness, embodiment, and grief this past year

Numb parts are "invisible protectors" and why simply naming the numb matters

The compounding opportunity costs of numbing and what we miss when we spend too much time checked out

The grief of emerging from numbness

How numbness shows up across generations and cultures

The NUMB framework we created for reconnecting with Self

I keep returning to this slide from our deck: Our protectors think they're saving our lives, but sometimes they're quietly stealing our vitality.
I share a lot about my numb season, and how naming the "nothing" became a game-changer. I hope as you listen you'll notice your own ways of checking in and checking out and name the places where numbness shows up for you.
Episode Sponsors
This week's episode is sponsored by: 
Pisgah Coaching Institute: Founded by IFS-trained master coach Brian Jaudon, a pioneer in the integration of IFS and coaching for more than two decades. Brian and his faculty teach a blended methodology for clarifying and living into a vision of any kind. pisgahcoaching.com
Pause With Laura:  Restore Your Self Retreat for IFS Therapists & Practitioners at Kripalu, October 19-22, 2025. Download FREE IFS Resources from Laura (PDF & guided meditations). Join our Pause with Laura community for monthly Parts Reflections and deals on upcoming offerings.
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, live events, meditations, and extended interviews.

Find merch at The One Inside store.

Listen to episodes and watch select clips on YouTube.

Follow me on Instagram @ifstammy or on Facebook at The One Inside with Tammy Sollenberger.

I create The One Inside with Jeff Schrum, a Level 2 IFS coach who helps practitioners create with confidence and clarity.
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.