Idea Chat #1: Befriending the Inner Critic with Tim Desmond from Sasha Cagen on Vimeo.

I’m excited to be kicking off an intuitive new project: IdeaChats. Intuitive in the sense that there is no grand plan, I’m excited to just let this evolve. That’s how I roll with most of my projects, letting them unfold into places I may have not expected.

I love discovering new ideas. A new idea that turns my mind and makes me see the world (or the self) in a new way. I am rolling out a series of interviews with friends and strangers about their ideas.

First off I am starting with the brilliant friends I already know and then will broaden to others. The first idea chat is with my friend Tim Desmond, a Buddhist psychotherapist. In this conversation, we delved into Tim’s approach to working with the pesky “inner critic,” so pervasive in Western consumer culture. When you are beating yourself up for not being good enough, how can you stop?

Tim believes it is best to not ignore the inner critic but instead to soothe it and ask it what it needs. I’m developing my practice as a coach and am integrating various theories of how to work with the “inner critic” aka the “saboteur.” Enjoy and stay tuned for more. Who should I interview next? I have ideas and would love to hear yours too. I am curious widely.