S4 - Episode 13: Healing Your Inner Child & Re-parenting Yourself

In this episode I’m diving into one of my favourite topics: inner child healing and how re-parenting yourself can help you reconnect to your brilliant, innate, authentic self.

We explore why so many of your current triggers, perfectionism, people-pleasing and “why am I reacting like THIS?!” moments are actually being run by a much younger version of you – and how to lovingly take back the wheel.

In this episode, I talk about:

• What “inner child” actually means
• Why even a “good” childhood leaves imprints
• Signs your inner child needs attention
• Re-parenting yourself in real time
  
  
• Inner child work & your nervous system
• Triggers as teachers
• Internal Family Systems (parts work)
• Shamanic soul retrieval & inner child healing
• Practical ways to start today
• Integration – where real change happens
   

Resources mentioned:

• Books

No Bad Parts – Richard Schwartz

You Are the One You’ve Been Looking For – Richard Schwartz

• On my website

Blog post on Shamanic Soul Retrieval which you can find HERE.

If this episode stirred something in you…

If you’ve listened and thought, “Okay, this is me, and I don’t want my 6-year-old self running my adult life anymore”, this is exactly the kind of work I love supporting women with.

I blend:

• Thought work & practical strategy
• Shamanic journeying and soul retrieval
• HeartMath nervous system regulation
• Direct, honest, compassionate coaching

…to help women in midlife step into their sovereignty, heal old patterns, and reconnect with the most authentic version of themselves.

Work with me

• Book a free connection call HERE
  If you’re curious about inner child work, soul retrieval, or nervous system support, you’re very welcome to book a free connection call with me. We’ll explore what’s coming up for you and whether working together feels like a good fit.
• Say hello on Instagram @EmmaOBrienCoach
  
  Pop me a message and let me know what landed for you in this episode.

If you’re done playing small and ready to lead yourself — you’re in the right place.

I’m Emma O’Brien — Martha Beck trained and certified life coach, HeartMath practitioner, and shamanic healer helping high-achieving women stop second-guessing themselves and finally trust their own voice.

Through nervous system re-calibration, strategic coaching, and deep energetic work, I help you move from self-doubt to self-trust so you can create a life you actually want to be in — no external approval required.

🌀 Want to work together?

 Explore the 6-week Nervous System Reset, 1:1 coaching, or Shamanic Soul Retrieval sessions here: emmaobriencoach.com

Questions or ready to chat?

 DM me on Instagram @emmaobriencoach
or book a free connection call HERE.

Transcript

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• 00:00 – Welcome & episode overview
  Healing your inner child and reparenting yourself back to your authentic self.
• 00:21 – What is inner child healing?
  Reconnecting with and healing the younger version of you (even if you had a “good” childhood).
• 01:22 – Your inner child & parts work (IFS)
  Early emotional experiences, the playful/vulnerable parts of you, and an intro to Internal Family Systems.
• 01:50 – Book recommendations
  Richard Schwartz’s No Bad Parts and You Are the One You’ve Been Looking For.
• 02:05 – When your 4-, 5-, or 6-year-old is running the show
  How childhood beliefs still drive adult behaviour and fear.
• 04:00 – Childlike presence vs being childish
  Curiosity, joy, birdsong, and why reconnecting to childlike wonder brings you back to the present moment.
• 04:02 – When your inner child wounds get poked
  Triggers, emotional reactivity and the “why did I react like that?” moments.
• 06:24 – Signs your inner child needs attention
  Overreacting to small things, feeling abandoned, repeating dysfunctional relationships, perfectionism, guilt, and wanting to be rescued.
• 08:30 – What inner child healing actually involves
  Awareness as the first step: noticing disproportionate reactions and behaviour patterns.
• 09:15 – Ways to connect with your inner child
  Journaling, visualisation, meditation and shamanic journey work in the imaginal realm.
• 10:03 – Reparenting yourself
  Giving yourself the protection, love and validation you didn’t receive as a child; standing up for yourself now.
• 10:42 – Taking responsibility for your healing
  Childhood trauma wasn’t your fault, but healing is your responsibility.
• 11:17 – Integration & embodiment
  Awareness vs actually doing something different (like setting boundaries even when you’re scared).
• 12:20 – Your nervous system & the inner child
  How fight/flight/fawn/freeze ties back to unhealed childhood experiences and old tones of voice.
• 13:23 – HeartMath & regulation tools
  Using nervous system practices to respond rather than react and to feel safe enough to do inner child work.
• 15:27 – Shamanic soul retrieval explained
  Soul fragmentation, sending parts away for safety, and calling back exiled pieces of your authenticity.
• 16:43 – Emma’s childhood example of shame
  The “that was really silly, wasn’t it?” story and how small shaming moments land.
• 18:00 – What happens in a soul retrieval session
  Journeying to the lower world, reclaiming lost parts and how clients experience the work.
• 19:41 – Soul retrieval for inner child healing
  Doing deep work without endlessly retelling trauma stories.
• 19:57 – Practical tools you can start today
  Journal prompts, self-soothing, dialoguing with your inner child, and reconnecting with childhood joys.
• 21:26 – Inner child work as a lifelong journey
  Becoming more resilient, spotting limiting beliefs sooner, and returning to your tools.
• 22:01 – Perfectionism, A-minus stories & conditional love
  How achievement-based love in childhood feeds perfectionism and impacts adult relationships.
• 23:44 – What inner child work is really about
  Reconnecting to your most authentic self, self-validation and self-understanding.
• 24:20 – Invitation to connect
  Free connection call, soul retrieval info and how to reach Emma on Instagram.
• 24:49 – You are okay as you are
  Final reminder about self-acceptance, compassion and not letting limiting beliefs run the show.
• 25:37 – Closing & outro
  Wrapping up the episode and invitation to tune in next week.