Carrie Hennessy

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I encountered my inner critic yesterday. He was working really hard to keep me in line, saying the usual things like, "w...
03/20/2026

I encountered my inner critic yesterday. He was working really hard to keep me in line, saying the usual things like, "who do you think you are? You're not allowed to do that!" But, his tone caused me to believe he was growing tired of his relentless job of keeping me small. Honestly, I felt a little bad for him as I watched him frantically reviewing the list of rules he was trying to enforce: 1) She must not be herself 2) She must stay silent 3) she must get it right...and so on.

But, then something interesting happened. The very part of me he was trying to suppress showed up. She lives in my heart and she has changed. You see, despite inner critic's efforts, she has become more free, less shielded and afraid. She trusts me completely. She feels safe with me. And, so with her heart open wide, she turned toward inner critic and said, "I forgive you."

This gesture of forgiveness melted him. It instantly relieved him of the terrible burden he has had to carry. Together, they burned the outdated list of rules and came up with a new hopeful message for the future. The "inner critic" also decided he would rather be known as the "helpful architect" now in service of HER heart's mission.

Friends, I’m curious, as you read this what do you sense would be different for you, if your inner critic didn't have such a strong hold?

With care,
Carrie
xx

I still remember the first time I cried after years of depression and emotional numbness. I was 20 years old and still t...
03/14/2026

I still remember the first time I cried after years of depression and emotional numbness. I was 20 years old and still trying to exist as if nothing was wrong. Then, one day while outside with some friends, I felt the tears coming. I tried to suffocate the feeling like I had so many times before but an empathic friend noticed something was off and came to check on me. I ended up sobbing in her arms and it was in that single moment of her genuine care and the tremendous release that followed that I was able to imagine a hopeful path forward.

Sweethearts, my emotional drought almost ruined me and because I wish more for you, for all of us, I need you to know the truth: We are marinating in an emotion-phobic society that is causing tremendous disconnection and dis-ease, a society carrying the legacy of just "pull yourselves up by your bootstraps," a legacy of "boys don't cry," or your emotions are "too much." In service of creating a new more hopeful legacy, I'm here with a different message: THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR EMOTIONAL RESPONSES. You are not weak, brittle or broken. In fact, it is unprocessed emotional pain that makes us most vulnerable, guarded, out of tune with ourselves, susceptible to further hurt and stuck forever in the past.

Emotional fluidity allows us to digest painful experiences, to access our center, experience relief, joy, greater clarity and greater capacity to be with emotional discomfort in ourselves and in others So, when there is heartbreak, overwhelm, or you find yourself generally numb or feeling an emotional flood, I invite you to acknowledge what might really be going on for you and the conditioned response to distract from it and make yourself wrong for it. I invite you to thank those parts of you for trying to help you self-regulate and instead try giving some space to....

breathe with it
talk about it
write about it
dance about it
sing about it
cry about it
scream about it
let it be witnessed by someone you trust
release it through ritual
burn it
send it down the river
bury it
memoralize it
set yourself free of it by allowing it to move through you

What do you think? Or rather, what do you feel? Can you give this a try?

In liberation,
Carrie
xx

Copious lines of text reflected back to me a version of myself I hardly recognized. It had been a while, many years in f...
03/03/2026

Copious lines of text reflected back to me a version of myself I hardly recognized. It had been a while, many years in fact, that I had revisited the therapy forms and documents that I send to first-time clients. I needed to make some updates and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Who was this person that wrote these words and compiled these paragraphs that read like they were reading someone their Miranda Rights. I barely recognized her....the anxious, burned out, albeit determined and hard-working woman, SO focused on professionalism, liability with fearful undertones, and an aura of self-importance in her work. Her words echoed the century old tabula rasa or “blank slate” approach to therapy. That a therapist should be neutral, unmoving, entirely objective and opaque. My words felt cold and distancing.

The gap between when I wrote those words to who I am now, was immense. I felt grief and I felt compassion...for her. In my mind's eye, I allowed myself to wrap this part of me from the past in a blanket of warm light, reassuring her that she can relax, she can let go, she can finally be herself because the me of today trusts myself completely to do so.

Sure, I have grown professionally overtime, but I have also sought to heal the parts of myself that were hiding behind my position of power as a therapist, more masculine views of success and what "effective therapy" should look like, focusing more on pathology than the person in front of me.

Whether it's a popular view or not, my work in the world is becoming more intuitive, feminine, embodied, non-pathologizing, community based, authentic and real. And, the rewards my friends,... more connection, more freedom, more joy and more healing.

I hope as you read this you are inspired to reflect on the places your own life is being touched by patriarchal views that oppress meaningful parts of yourself or others, whether in your family, your job, your church or inside your very own heart and mind. There are a lot of reasons to feel helpless right now and it’s also possible there are real opportunities for change right under your nose.

Thanks for listening.

In liberation,
Carrie
xx

Heart-centered Rebel: Someone who resists authority, tradition, rules and established norms for the sake of personal and...
02/25/2026

Heart-centered Rebel: Someone who resists authority, tradition, rules and established norms for the sake of personal and collective liberation. 🔥

Changemaker: Someone who has found the self-permission to advance change for the good of all. ❤️

You in?
Xx

02/20/2026

Hey loves,

I hope this message moved you in some way AND I also want to share some very real and important things with you.

First, I want to send so much love and compassion to the good girl in you. ✨ Let’s just take a moment and wrap her in blanket of warmth and light. She has worked so hard to keep you safe. Whether her efforts have ultimately paid off or not, she deserves a huge gold star for her efforts. ⭐️

Also, healing the good girl complex is a journey as it requires us to balance the need for safety with the need for change. We do the inner healing and then we take whatever brave step (big or small) our nervous systems can tolerate to build trust and begin to feel in our bodies that our power is survivable. ❤️

Lastly, I want to acknowledge all of the women past and present around the globe whose safety truly has been threatened. It is for you that we rise up!

In liberation,
Carrie
Xx

P.S. If you feel compelled, leave me a 🖤, 🔥 or one word comment. I’d love to hear from you!

Hey loves,This is your permission slip (if you need it) to let yourself off the hook for how you are showing up or not, ...
02/19/2026

Hey loves,

This is your permission slip (if you need it) to let yourself off the hook for how you are showing up or not, for needing to check out, binge, scroll, lose it on occasion or for just feeling off. Your system is trying to self-regulate through a very enraging, devastating and tumultuous time. Don’t make it any harder by beating yourself up. ❤️

In liberation,
Carrie xx

Here is another take on the chakra system.
02/04/2026

Here is another take on the chakra system.

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