298 – How to Work with and Tame the Inner Critic with Jenny Jansen

All of us have an inner critic – the part that reminds us of our limits, our failures and tries to “keep us in line.” It’s that voice inside your head that can be critical, judgmental and even mean. Though it’s just one part of who we are, the inner critic is one of those parts that can be especially painful and stressful to deal with.

Not only does the inner critic impact our sense of self-worth, but it also keeps us stuck and small in life (although it thinks it’s keeping us safe). We will often find this part standing between us and the dreams that are in our heart, telling us all the reasons why we can’t or shouldn’t.

That is what Adult Chair® Coach Jenny Jansen encountered when she was considering joining The Adult Chair® Coaching Certification Program. She knew her heart was telling her to take the leap, but her inner critic dialed the volume up and tried to keep her stuck in fear. 

In this episode, Jenny tells the story of how she used The Adult Chair® to work with and transform her inner critic and how that was the first step toward living a life where she feels purposeful, energized and successful. Jenny shares a detailed example of doing her own parts work, helping illustrate what this work looks like in real life and how transformational it is.

Listen to discover:

• How Jenny transformed her inner critic from her Adult Chair
• The tools Jenny used to work with her inner critic 
• A beautiful parts work example from Jenny’s work
• How Jenny overcame her fears about The Adult Chair Coaching Certification and became an amazingly successful coach

As Jenny worked with her inner critic, she discovered that underneath the blame and shame it was throwing her way was fear. This is usually the case for our Adolescent parts – they are afraid and want to keep us safe. When we turn towards them with our healthy Adult voice and let them know they’re ok, they transform. 

Jenny’s story is a powerful example of how the goal is not to get rid of parts of ourselves but rather to integrate them into our whole self, with our healthy Adult in charge.

“I feel like my inner critic was born when I was born.” – Jenny Jansen 

“When I turned toward it, I realized there was so much fear underneath.” – Jenny Jansen 

“The more you turn away from that voice, it gets louder.” – Michelle Chalfant 

“When we’re able to turn toward those parts and get to know them, they morph.” – Michelle Chalfant

“A lot of times, we mix up feeling safe with feeling familiar.” – Jenny Jansen 

“What is it going to take to move your body path in line with your soul path?” – Jenny Jansen 

“When we take these risks and work with these inner parts and walk through our fears, we become more authentic. We live more from our true self, our true essence, and we have an experience of it.” – Michelle Chalfant

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