Ironically, the same voice that used to drive me into the cliffs of insanity also drove me to the journey that brought me to the inner peace I have today.

I came into this work 10 years ago because I thought I was broken. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t and neither are you. 

Although I didn’t need fixing, I did need some deep inner healing to get my inner critic to let go even a tiny little bit.

And then a little bit more.

And a little bit more.

Your inner critic is secretly a watchdog, protecting you safe from harm, failure, and embarrassment. It sees threats – real and imagined – and makes sure you don’t get destroyed by them.

So what if it keeps you small? Feeling inadequate. Never quite stepping in to the life you’re capable of. Never quite belonging.

Doesn’t it get old, carrying this burden of safety and protection?

And yet… You’re no idiot. You know how to live your life, more or less. You’ve proven everyone wrong who said you would never amount to anything.

Instead of battling your inner critic, imagine if you could transform it into your greatest source of encouragement.

I used to be a relentless perfectionist with impossible standards.

I was always failing to meet them. So I always felt like a failure. 

I worked harder and harder. I strived and I achieved. 

But the more I accomplished, the more afraid I was someone would find out how much I didn’t deserve it. 

I hit a brick wall when I finished my PhD and couldn’t bear the thought of continuing in academia.

Eight years and tens of thousands of dollars later, I now know what it’s like to forgive myself for totally screwing up where everyone can see; to feel embarrassed without wanting to crawl into a hole and die.

To stop working at 80% and say “good enough” (even when I secretly think it’s not).

To delegate tasks that I know others will “do wrong”—i.e. not how I would do them—and then allowing myself not to do them over again the moment they’re not looking.

I know how to recognize when my inner critic is creeping back in, and how to tend to her needs for reassurance and safety so that she can relax and let go of her reactivity.

I learned to give myself the understanding and compassion I had needed when I was little, but which my emotionally immature parents had been unable to provide.

I learned to grow my capacity for discomfort, so I can be present with the anxiousness and remorse that still appear when I screw up.

I learned to set healthy boundaries by listening to my felt sense, getting in touch with my needs and letting them be valid even if I can’t get my way.

I learned to take constructive feedback not as criticism but as a gift; I even became hungry for it.

I learned to say “no, thank you” when people blame me for their feelings. (Ok, that’s a work in progress).

Having travelled my own path from self-hate to self-love, I’m deeply passionate about helping you awaken your heart’s innate compassion and turn it towards yourself to soften the harsh inner voices that hold you back.

This is the path of the wounded healer – one who gives to others what they themselves most needed when they were lost and hurting
– Celeste Larsen