Psychologists Off the Clock

Psychologists Off the Clock


405. Taming the Inner Critic with Holly Yates and Shawn Whooley

April 30, 2025

Constantly battling that harsh inner voice that tells you you're not enough, that you’ll never measure up?

It can feel like this voice is always lurking, trying to undermine your confidence and making it so much harder to move forward. The good news is that you can change your internal narrative.

For this episode, Jill welcomes Shawn Costello Woolley and Holly Yates, coauthors of The Inner Critic Workbook, a fantastic resource that helps you transform your inner critic into a supportive, empowering voice.

You’ll understand how shame fuels negative self-talk, but more importantly, how self-compassion, mindfulness, and connecting with shared humanity can help you to quiet your critic and start building a kinder, more confident inner dialogue.


Listen and Learn:

How your inner critic often sabotages your path toward what matters to you most

Why your inner critic exists, how it hijacks your progress, and the ways it holds you back in life

Is your inner critic pushing you to avoid discomfort, keeping you from the meaningful things you crave?

Why self-compassion isn’t about letting yourself off the hook

Why attempting to replace your inner critic with positivity frequently fails, and what works instead

When your inner critic speaks, does it close doors or point you in the direction of values you care about?

Using the CARE method for growth to turn your inner critic into a compassionate coach

How shame isolates you, but sharing struggles helps you connect and turns our inner critic into a coach

Transforming self-criticism into compassion by speaking to yourself the way you would to a friend

Stepping back from your thoughts and reacting intentionally, not just based on emotional interpretations

How observing your thoughts and actions in the present moment can help clarify your values and guide your choices


Resources:

  • Connect with Shawn and Holly on social media:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-yates-8a8055321

https://www.instagram.com/holly.yates.healing/

https://www.instagram.com/shawncostello19/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-costello-whooley-psyd-b181294

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