the Henny Flynn podcast

Henny Flynn
  • 4.9 (26)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated weekly

A space to settle in and listen, and see where the episode takes you. This inspiring, reflective podcast is an invitation to travel deeper, with compassionate self-enquiry. Henny shares insights from her own life, alongside practices that help us connect with our inner wisdom, explore our relationship with change and find a greater sense of flow. Henny believes we all hold our own answers, so there are no one-size-fits-all solutions here. This is a space to be with what’s true for you, and to grow from there. If you’re drawn to slowing down, listening in, and exploring what it means to live with greater authenticity, this podcast is for you. Guided by psychology, mindfulness, therapeutic coaching, flow journaling, and everyday compassion, we explore ideas that help us step further into our inner worlds, in order to shape the changes we seek in our outer worlds.

  1. 6 days ago

    Balancing Authenticity with Resilience - In Conversation with Adam Lind (S20E9)

    A note before you listen: Adam shares a personal experience involving grief and suicide that emerged naturally during our conversation. This episode isn't focused on those themes - we're exploring resilience, authenticity, masking, and boundaries - and I'm flagging this so you can choose whether this feels ok for you. Ultimately, this is a wide-ranging conversation between two friends; an episode of tenderness, hope and connection. Balancing Authenticity with Self-Protection and Resilience - In Conversation with Adam Lind Today I'm joined by Adam Lind, author of Floating Home, for the second of our three-part deep dive on resilience. We explore what happens when we feel we need to mask our true selves - and the difference between masking (an unconscious survival strategy) and performative behaviour (a more conscious choice about how we show up). We also discuss compartmentalisation: how we can temporarily set things aside to function, and when that strategy risks becoming unhealthy. The most important aspect of this whole conversation is that there is no 'one right response' to our experience of the world. All these strategies and behaviours are deeply, truly human. And we are all learning how to navigate what life reveals to us, in our own way, in our own time. You'll hear: How masking can show up in any environment where we don't feel safe - and why it can be exhaustingThe difference between masking, performative behaviour, and compartmentalisation - all strategies that can look like resilience from the outside (or feel like resilience from the inside)Why authenticity and unmasking can perhaps begin to feel more resilient than protecting ourselves has done in the pastBoundaries as the foundation of compassion - and how clear boundaries enable resilienceHow Adam refuses to mask, even when it's socially awkward - and what that costs and gains himThe paradox: we need both authenticity AND the ability to protect ourselvesWhy self-trust comes from honouring our own boundariesAdam and I are also co-creating a retreat in October. The Weekend of No Requirements, 16-19 October 2026 is a space where you can show up exactly as you are.Find out more here: https://www.hennyflynn.co.uk/the-weekend-of-no-requirements Settle in and see where this conversation takes you. ★ Support this podcast ★

    1hr 14min

  2. 13 Jun

    The Self-Care Bank (S20E8)

    This is the first of three episodes diving deeper into resilience. Last week I explored how resilience can look like different things - this week, I'm focusing on one of the three key areas: the Self-Care Bank. It's a metaphor that's generated so much interest, and today I'm unpacking what it really means - and why what gets labelled as 'lack of resilience' is often actually lack of resources. You'll hear: Why depletion isn't a sign of weak resilience - it's a sign of low reservesHow self-awareness with self-compassion helps us notice when our bank is running low (before crisis hits)The difference between firm boundaries (that we sometimes need) and the reality of the soft, malleable boundaries we often actually live withWhy rest and pausing are themselves forms of boundary-settingHow 'staying authentic' is part of keeping your reserves topped upThe corporate culture that values decisiveness over reflection - and what it costsWhy borrowing from your future self in crisis is human and necessary (and why we need time to rebuild after)I also talk about Compassionate Resilience - from my book The Heart of Change - and why that reframe matters. Next week: a special guest episode with Adam Lind - author of Floating Home - exploring masking as a form of resilience. Settle in and see where the episode takes you. ★ Support this podcast ★

    26 min

  3. 6 Jun

    Resilience Can Look Like Many Things (S20E7)

    I've noticed my own emotional and psychological resilience has increased as I've aged. Things that once affected me deeply seem to affect me less. But what I'm really curious about is something different. I'm no longer willing to mask the truth of how I'm feeling. Research shows emotional resilience improves as we mature - even after significant life changes like bereavement, retirement, loss. But the way that resilience shows up might not look like we expect. It might not look like "brushing it off and getting on." You'll hear: How a loved one's hospital crisis revealed something about my own reserves - the concept of "borrowing from my future self"The Self-Care Bank metaphor: how we can invest, withdraw, and sometimes dangerously empty our reservesA story about burnout: my mother's death, a new job, nearly dying - and what I take responsibility forThe moment I felt myself return: a part of me called Joy, and why she still needs protectingWhat a mother's poem written twelve years ago reveals about resilience, courage, and dealing with difficultyThree different entry points for three different people - on masking, depletion, and the pressure to be resilientI also share why I'm no longer willing to perform, and what that means for how I move through the world. This episode is also  a Field Note on the blog - link below if you'd like to read as well as listen. Settle in and see where the episode takes you. LINKSField Note: www.hennyflynn.co.uk/field-notes/what-real-resilience-looks-like Sign up for tiny notes, filled with love: everyday compassion weekly emails Contact: henny@hennyflynn.co.uk or visit hennyflynn.co.uk RESOURCESThat longitudinal research on resilience as we age: https://www.elsa-project.ac.uk/post/resilience-in-later-life-elsa-study-finds-older-adults-often-maintain-good-mental-health-after-majo ★ Support this podcast ★

    30 min

  4. 30 May

    You Can Always Begin Again (S20E6)

    I recorded an episode today that didn't feel quite right. Some of my thoughts felt a little confused, possibly difficult to follow. So I started over. And that became the theme of the episode... There's a Sharon Salzberg quote I love: 'We can always begin again, no matter what happens, no matter how long it's been, no matter how far from our aspirations we may have strayed.' It is so filled with hope that, for me, speaks to a deep resilience that we may find is within us all. You'll hear: Why I chose to restart the episode - and when "keeping going" might not be the wisest choiceA recognition of my own past resistance to asking for help... and how that has shiftedHow our willingness to begin again could inform conversations, relationships, work, and how we care for ourself The micro-moments of beginning again that we may notice in our livesWhy knowing we can always begin again might be the most hopeful thing we can teach young people and ourselves in times of grief, loss, or when life feels impossibly hardI also share how wonderful it's been to hear your reflections on standing on the rope bridge in New Zealand - and the ordinary, extraordinary connections people find when they're in connection with water, mountains, and trees. Settle in and see where the episode takes you. ★ Support this podcast ★

    25 min

  5. 24 May

    The Show Doesn't Always Have to Go On (S20E5)

    I'm sitting in our retreat house this long weekend. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, the birds are singing. And I realised yesterday that I'd completely forgotten to do this week's episode...  I think this is the only time this has ever happened and I'm so sorry if you look forward to listening at a particular time. I chose to let it go rather than squeeze it in whilst rushed and anxious. And that feels interesting to explore. You'll hear: Why 'the show must go on' is one of my formative stories - and what it means to gently question itThe nuance between keeping commitments that matter and following rigid rules we've internalised about our identityHow I would have spiralled in the past vs how I'm holding this nowThe art of discernment: being in the world with profound compassion whilst holding compassion for ourselves tooAn invitation to ask: what's the worst that could happen if I don't step forward?Also: my loved one is now home from hospital. An enormous relief. Thank you for all your kindness and compassion. If there's a commitment in your life that's asking too much of you right now, maybe there's a space between this and that. Maybe there are other options available. Settle in and see where the episode takes you. ★ Support this podcast ★

    16 min

  6. 16 May

    The Most Ordinary Truths (S20E4)

    I'm recording this from another hospital corner; hopefully, hopefully the last time I need to record from here. But this episode is not about that... It's the story of what happened in New Zealand at the end of last year, standing on a swing bridge, about to begin a short stretch of the Kepler Trail. You'll hear: The moment I turned from looking upstream to looking downstream and felt a rush of energy so intense I felt I couldn't live big enough to hold itWalking through ancient forest and laying my hands on trees, finding the same thrumming energyThe realisation that this was the most ordinary truth, and it's what makes everything in life so specialHow we are all part of the universal hum - and what we risk when we deny that connectionThe answer to 'what makes you think you're so special?' Spoiler alert: Everything.As you listen, I wonder does any of this resonate with you? The universal hum, our shared need for connection, the places you find it? I'd love to hear your thoughts and reflections - just email me if you'd love to share, or message me through the website hennyflynn.co.uk/contact.  Settle in and see where the episode takes you. ★ Support this podcast ★

    20 min

  7. 9 May

    Holding Ourselves Through the Hard Stuff (S20E3)

    I'm recording this from a hospital. I've found a quiet corner - it's Saturday morning and you might hear lifts beeping, trolleys, maybe some voices. I'm here seeing a loved one. It's why there wasn't an episode last week. This isn't my story to tell, so I can't talk about details, but I wanted to share the context I'm in. This episode is about how life throws curveballs at us, and how the work we do in quieter moments supports us when we're facing the bigger stuff. You'll hear: Why this experience has been the most beautiful painful reminder of why compassionate self-enquiry mattersHow our humanness still shows up even when we have the tools - old patterns reassert themselves, we get triggered, we think 'I thought I didn't do that anymore'Why holding all of that with compassion gives us the spaciousness to choose our next responseThe moment my brain went completely offline mid-sentence (a sign of holding a lot right now)How self-awareness with self-compassion can be our greatest toolLastly, I want to share a gentle reminder: if you're facing something hard right now, hold space for yourself, resource yourself, reach out to people who can support you - it is this that enables us to resource and support others. If this activates anything for you, if you'd like to connect, if you'd like to hear more about the supportive spaces for exploring how to navigate change for yourself, you can get in touch here https://www.hennyflynn.co.uk/contact or sign-up to receive my emails where I share more of this beautiful work https://hennyflynn.kit.com/ Settle in, and see where the episode takes you.With loveHenny x ★ Support this podcast ★

    10 min

  8. 25 Apr

    Digging deeper into The Field (S20E2)

    This week sees the opening of The Field. And this episode is a reflection on how creating it has been a practice in the work of change. Art imitating life... or vice versa perhaps? You'll hear... How I've moved through doubt, fear, and excitement while letting this idea percolate A time when parts of me were clamouring 'I should have worked harder' Why self-awareness + self-compassion = compassionate self-enquiryWhat The Field offers as you're navigating changeThe Rumi quote that captures it all: 'Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there'Season one of The Field begins on the 1st of May 2026. Find out more at hennyflynn.co.uk/enter-the-field Settle in, and see where the episode takes you. And... if you'd like to hear the recording of the gathering to Open The Field, just drop me a note and I'll send you the link henny@hennyflynn.co.uk Lastly - the day retreat to Nourish Your Nervous System is on 23 May 2026 10.30am to 3pm (UK) - a small group exploring a spacious, relaxed day. ★ Support this podcast ★

    35 min
See All (222)

Trailer

4.9
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

A space to settle in and listen, and see where the episode takes you. This inspiring, reflective podcast is an invitation to travel deeper, with compassionate self-enquiry. Henny shares insights from her own life, alongside practices that help us connect with our inner wisdom, explore our relationship with change and find a greater sense of flow. Henny believes we all hold our own answers, so there are no one-size-fits-all solutions here. This is a space to be with what’s true for you, and to grow from there. If you’re drawn to slowing down, listening in, and exploring what it means to live with greater authenticity, this podcast is for you. Guided by psychology, mindfulness, therapeutic coaching, flow journaling, and everyday compassion, we explore ideas that help us step further into our inner worlds, in order to shape the changes we seek in our outer worlds.

Information

  • Creator
    Henny Flynn
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    222
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Henny Flynn
  • Show Website
    the Henny Flynn podcast

You Might Also Like