Renewal with Suzanne: Psychotherapist/Coach

02/04/2026

THAT CRITICAL PART OF YOU WHO HAS BEEN DRIVING FOR YEARS? IT'S READY FOR A REST!

Most of us have spent years trying to silence the inner critic.

Arguing with it. Ignoring it. Repeating affirmations over the top of it. Trying to think our way out of it.

And, as you may have noticed, it keeps coming back.

This 3-part series has been about something different. Not silencing, not defeating, not managing. Befriending.

Over the past two weeks the practice has been: pause and notice the critic when it arrives, then get curious about what it's actually worried about. Both of those steps matter. But on their own, they leave something unfinished.

Because noticing and understanding are not quite the same as taking action.

We can be aware of a splinter in our hand, but until we choose to do something about it, nothing changes about the pain it creates.

This final step is about choosing. And it starts with something that might sound strange.

Thanking this inner critic.

Not because what it says is accurate or kind. But because it was doing the only job it knew how to do. It learned that job a long time ago, when there was very little choice about how to respond to the world.

It stepped in to protect from pain, from rejection, from getting things wrong in ways that felt costly.

The critic doesn't need to be defeated. It needs to be reassured.

So when it arrives, after noticing and getting curious, this is what comes next.

Say to it, quietly and genuinely:
"Thank you for trying to keep me safe. I've got this."

If it comes back, a gentle reassurance is enough:
"I hear you. You can trust me to keep us safe now."

Then bring attention back to the body. A stretch, some movement, arms around yourself. Keep reassuring this part that you are here, and it doesn't have to work so hard anymore.

When this is practised with consistency, something shifts. The second-guessing eases. There is a quieter quality to each day.

The inner critic's voice doesn't disappear, but it stops being the loudest one in the room.

Part Three, the final post in the series, is on the blog now. Here's the link to the Renewal Reflections blog:
https://www.renewalwithsuzanne.com/blog

And one more thing. I'll be offering a live online workshop in late May that takes all of this further. Details soon. Stay tuned!

24/03/2026

Part 2 of 3 is written and ready! If you want to learn more about how to be with that inner voice who puts you down, has you second guessing, keeps you stuck--have a look at this 3 part series about how to ease that inner criticism and self-doubt. It's a perspective that might be new to you!

Part Two: Getting Curious Changes EverythingThis is the second in a three-part series on befriending your inner critic. If you missed Part One, start there. It sets up everything that follows.[Read Part One: The Voice That Won't Quit →]Most of us have been aware of the inner critic for years. How ...

18/03/2026

There's a moment most of us know very well.

About to say no to someone, and a voice cuts in: "Don't be selfish!"

Sitting down to try something new, and the same voice pipes up: "Who do you think you are?"

At the end of a long day, when rest is the only sensible thing, it whispers "You should be doing more."

These are all what we call the inner critic. And for many women, it has been a constant companion for decades.

I'd like to point out something that many people don't know about this voice.

Beneath the sharp words is a part of you that is genuinely trying to help. It's not there to torment you, ruin you. It arrived a long time ago to protect you, to keep things safe, to prevent the pain of getting it wrong or being left out.

The problem isn't that it exists. The problem is that nobody ever taught us how to work with it.

The first step is simpler than you might think. And it's the one most people never think of, or skip entirely.

I've written about it this week on my blog. It's the first in a 3-part series on how to befriend your inner critic. It takes about 5 minutes to read and has a short exercise to try as soon as you like. Here's the link:

https://www.renewalwithsuzanne.com/post/the-voice-that-won-t-quit

13/02/2026

Have you ever reacted in a way you didn’t intend to… and then spent hours replaying it?
Snapping.�
Shutting down.�
Over-explaining.

And afterwards thinking, “Why do I keep doing that?”

Reactions often move through the body before the thinking mind has time to intervene.

That’s why insight alone rarely changes them.

What begins to shift things is learning to recognise the split second before a reaction fully takes over.

That moment is easy to miss.� But it’s where choice begins.

If this feels familiar--having a reaction before you even know it--comment HIJACKED and I’ll send you a short guided audio to help you start working with it. A way to be with whatever comes up, and through awareness make the changes you want.

25/11/2025

Women over 50!
If you’re constantly second-guessing yourself, procrastinating and then spiraling about it, or feeling like you’re “too much” and “not enough” at the same time — you’re not alone and you’re not flawed!

You’re just listening to your inner critic without your Inner Guide by your side.

My approach isn’t about silencing that critical voice. It’s about befriending it. And before you can do that, you need to connect with the part of you that’s already steady, compassionate, and wise — the part that believes in you even when you don’t.

That’s your Inner Guide. And when you learn to lead from that place, things can start to shift and you can experience some relief from that inner critic.

If you want support building this relationship, I made a Self-Trust Toolkit — worksheets, a guided audio, and a short video to help you stay grounded when the doubt gets loud.

If you have any questions or comments, send me a note.

Link in bio.

03/11/2025

01/11/2025

Do you know deep down that you need to make changes, but you keep putting it off?

So many of us tell ourselves we’ll start in the new year.
We’ll take the next step, make the change, finally focus on healing.
But the truth is — life doesn’t magically shift in January.
It shifts the moment we stop putting ourselves last.

If you’ve been feeling weighed down by self-doubt or a voice inside that never seems satisfied, you don’t have to keep living that way.

The Self-Trust Toolkit gives you a practical way to understand and befriend your inner critic — not silence her, but finally hear what she’s been protecting.
Through gentle reflection guides and short audios, you’ll start to feel steadier, clearer, and more at home in yourself again.

And this Wednesday, November 5, we’ll bring that work to life together inside the Inner Guide Circle — a small live group of women ready to turn awareness into real change.

You’ve waited long enough.
Don’t let another year pass feeling the same inside.
Doors close soon.
🎯 Get your Toolkit + Circle access here →https://renewalwithsuzanne.thrivecart.com/the-self-trust-toolkit/

28/10/2025

Tomorrow — we meet the inner critic differently.

In Wisdom Within (Wed 29 Oct), we’ll spend an hour exploring what it means to notice what’s happening as it happens — to catch that familiar tightening or self-blame before it sweeps you away.

You’ll get a feel for what it’s like to be guided by the part of you that’s calm, steady, and quietly wise — even if you’ve forgotten it’s there.

This isn’t about fixing or changing yourself.
It’s about rediscovering trust in the awareness that’s always been within you.

Free live workshop — Wednesday, Oct 29.
Save your seat via the link: https://www.renewalwithsuzanne.com/webinar-registration
Replay for a short time.

And if you’d like to continue building that awareness, there’s also a chance to join the Inner Guide Circle, where we keep deepening this practice together.

28/10/2025

For all you lovely women over 50...

27/10/2025

Awareness is where it all begins.

That simple moment of realising, “Oh, this is my critic speaking,” changes everything about how we meet ourselves.

In Wisdom Within (Wed 29 Oct), we’ll gently explore how to recognise those moments earlier — not to fix them, but to understand what’s happening inside with a bit more kindness.

This hour offers space to pause, reconnect,

and remember that your own inner wisdom is still there — even if it’s been quiet for a while.

📅 Free live workshop this Wednesday.

Here's the link!!

https://www.renewalwithsuzanne.com/webinar-registration

26/10/2025

What if your inner critic isn’t something to silence—but something to understand?

So many of us have spent years trying to outrun that voice.

We fight with it. We banish it. We pretend it isn’t there.

But how about this approach? That inner critic isn’t trying to destroy you.

It’s trying to protect you — clumsily, urgently, often in the only way it knows how.

When we can start hearing that voice with curiosity instead of hate, something changes.

We begin to notice what’s happening inside rather than react to it.

We start to build a relationship with the part of us that’s been working so hard to keep us safe — and in that space, real healing can begin.

That’s what my upcoming Wisdom Within workshop is about.

A free live workshop this Wednesday, Oct 29, where I’ll share two gentle, practical ways to:

→ stay steady when that voice starts up

→ listen without getting swept away

→ and begin to trust the wiser, steadier part of you that’s always been there

This is for women over 50 who are tired of feeling like that critic runs the show —
and ready to meet themselves with more understanding and peace.

LIVE THIS WEDNESDAY, Oct 29

Click the link in this post to save your spot.

Replay available for a short time for those who can't make it to the live workshop.

And for those who’d like to keep going, you’ll also have a chance to join my private Inner Guide Circle — a small, supportive space where we continue this work together.

No pressure, just an open invitation to stay connected and keep practicing!

All the best--
Suzanne

https://www.renewalwithsuzanne.com/webinar-registration