everyday compassion with Henny Flynn

Welcome back to Tuesday's Thought, a bonus episode sharing reflections on the most recent episode of the Henny Flynn podcast: The Paradox of Help: Safety, Shame & Belonging (S18E4)

Today's reflection includes:

• The role of self-compassion in bringing ourselves back into an emotionally regulated state
• The role of compassion in helping us meet someone else where they are, and not taking things personally or making assumptions about what's happening
• The power of yes: how we can learn to accept support when we truly need it

So... all of that leads to the invitation to explore (in your journal, in conversation or in your thoughts):

With love
Henny x

PS: I'd love to hear your thoughts - if we're not yet connected, you can write to me [email protected]

Why do we sometimes refuse help, even when it might be exactly what we need?

In this episode I explore what happens when we’re feeling sensitised, sensitive, activated or triggered - and why even a simple offer of support can feel like a threat.

Together we look at the patterns that sit beneath our instinct to say no: the way our nervous system tries to keep us safe, how dignity and self-concept can override our needs, and why vulnerability can feel so exposing. And we explore the other side too - how accepting help can soothe the body, build trust, and deepen our sense of belonging.

This episode feels particularly important in our current times. A chance to build and deepen awareness of our ourselves and others.

If you enjoy it, please share it.
With love, Henny

COMING UP
Immerse in The Heart of Change - a year-long programme of compassionate self-enquiry
There are just 2 spaces left for this group-coaching journey. We begin 10 October 2025.

Free 60-minute Discovery Call
I have space for 3 new 1-to-1 clients beginning in October - book a call if you'd love to explore how it could be to work together as you make and manage your own changes.

*****

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Welcome back to Tuesday's Thought, a bonus episode sharing reflections on the most recent episode of the Henny Flynn podcast: Boredom is the Mother of Creativity (S18E3)

Today's reflection includes:

• the brilliant penguin film Happy Feet (if you haven't seen it... it's a wonderful debate on hierarchy and social rules)
• thoughts on that phrase 'the devil makes work for idle hands' 
• the discomfort of boredom
• the differentiation between boredom and rest
• and how do we recapture the imagination we tapped into during hours of boredom in our childhood.

So... all of that leads to the invitation to explore (in your journal, in conversation or in your thoughts):

With love
Henny x

PS: I'd love to hear your thoughts - if we're not yet connected, you can write to me [email protected]

In this episode I explore the often-undervalued benefits of boredom - how allowing our minds to soften and wander makes space for curiosity, creativity and unexpected connections. 

I share stories from a week in London, a valuable lesson from my mum, thoughts from the tube, a surprising chat with an Uber driver, and why choosing boredom over distraction can be a simple experiment worth trying. 

This is a gentle invitation to be curious about being bored.

REFERENCES
Helping people change: Coaching with compassion for lifelong learning and growth by Richard Boyatzis, Melvin Smith and Ellen Van Oosten

*****

Would you love to find A piece of quiet?
Every Wednesday, take a moment to pause and find A piece of quiet with this calming reflective practice and Flow Journaling prompt. A private podcast sent straight to you. Use the code PEACE for 20% off your first year.

Immerse in The Heart of Change - a year-long programme of compassionate self-enquiry
There are just 2 spaces left for this beautiful, gentle, powerful journey. We begin 10 October 2025.

Join the mailing list

Sign up to stay connected - I'd love to welcome you to our community!
 

Sign-up here to receive everyday compassion
Tiny email reminders of self-love and presence, delivered (free) three times a week.
 

See what’s on
Explore free events and small group courses in a supportive space.
 

Solo Retreats at Bach Brook
Rest, reflect and reconnect – fully supported in a place of deep natural beauty.

Visit the library

Explore tools for inner connection and compassionate growth. Books, Journaling Resources & Self-paced Courses
 

Free 60-minute Discovery Call
Explore whether working 1:1 with Henny could be what will most support you in taking your next steps.

Welcome back to Tuesday's Thought, a bonus episode sharing reflections on the most recent episode of the Henny Flynn podcast: The Way of Love: Finding Our Response in a Troubled World (S18E2)

There was a single overpowering reflection this week... the power of hope.

Without hope we are hopeless, with it we are hopeFULL. This quote from David Roberts seems to say so much that could be useful... important... maybe essential, for us today: “Hope isn’t about the future as much as it is about the present." 

I leave you with a reflection to journal about or ponder over - and if you feel doubt or fear or anger come in that’s ok, let them know there’s space for them too - and ask the question again

With love
Henny x

PS: This is the link to the episode I mention - recorded with the ever wise Susan McCulley, back in season 4. We were speaking during the time of Covid but many of the reflections feel just as resonant today: Hope is now... with Susan McCulley (S4E2)

In this deeply reflective episode, I share what’s been stirring in me in response to all that is unfolding in the wider world. What does it mean to hold on to love when fear, hate, and division seem to be rising around us? How can we take meaningful action without being consumed by reaction?

What began as a plan to speak about freedom transformed into another offering — of thoughts, of writing, and of heartfelt reflection. I read something I wrote a little while ago, as well as a piece from My Darling Girl, and explore how love might be the only way through.

I also talk briefly about the Flow Journaling Quest, which begins on 21 September — a beautiful, light-touch invitation to reconnect with your inner voice through seven days of gentle prompts and a shared sense of togetherness. You can sign-up here.

Settle in and listen — and see where this episode takes you.

*****

Would you love to find A piece of quiet?
Every Wednesday, take a moment to pause and find A piece of quiet with this calming reflective practice and Flow Journaling prompt. A private podcast sent straight to you. Use the code PEACE for 20% off your first year.

Immerse in The Heart of Change - a year-long programme of compassionate self-enquiry
There are just 3 spaces left for this beautiful, gentle, powerful journey. We begin 10 October 2025.

Join the mailing list

Sign up to stay connected - I'd love to welcome you to our community!
 

Sign-up here to receive everyday compassion
Tiny email reminders of self-love and presence, delivered (free) three times a week.
 

See what’s on
Explore free events and small group courses in a supportive space.
 

Solo Retreats at Bach Brook
Rest, reflect and reconnect – fully supported in a place of deep natural beauty.

Visit the library

Explore tools for inner connection and compassionate growth. Books, Journaling Resources & Self-paced Courses
 

Free 60-minute Discovery Call
Explore whether working 1:1 with Henny could be what will most support you in taking your next steps.

Welcome to Tuesday’s Thought – a short, reflective invitation to go a little deeper with the themes from the latest episode of the Henny Flynn podcast. In this bonus recording I share three observations, each with a reflective question that may support your own compassionate self-enquiry.

When you reflect on the themes we covered in last weekend's episode: Here Was Yesterday’s There: The Habit of Looking Ahead (S18E1)

1. Where has your mind been living today - and what happens when you gently return to now?
2. Is there a thought you’ve been carrying that belongs to a time that hasn’t yet arrived?
3. What beauty is already here, quietly waiting to be noticed?

And, of course, if you haven't yet had a chance to listen to the episode that inspired these reflections, it's there, waiting for you.

With love
Henny x

Do you ever find yourself looking forward to your next holiday… even when the last one just ended? Or counting down to lunch before your day has even begun? In this opening episode of Season 18, I explore our very human tendency to live ahead of ourselves — and how we can gently guide ourselves back to presence.

I reflect on conversations with my son, moments of yearning, memories from years gone by — and the beautiful, sometimes difficult practice of being with what is. I share thoughts on how cultural conditioning, unconscious habits, and even well-meaning manifestation messages can pull us out of the now… and what helps us come back.

There’s a lot of heart in this one, including:

• what we miss when we live for the “there”
• quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh and Ram Dass that always bring me home
• and why presence doesn’t mean avoiding change

I also share a little about A Piece of Quiet — and why it’s becoming one of the things I most love to create.

You'll hear the wind get up as I talk about coming into Winter - and the beaded curtain that covers the open door of the stable begins to clatter slightly. Apologies for this and also... I quite like how not only the birds but the elements have made themselves heard.

*****

Would you love to find A piece of quiet?
Every Wednesday, take a moment to pause and find A piece of quiet with this calming reflective practice and Flow Journaling prompt. A private podcast sent straight to you. Use the code PEACE for 20% off your first year.

Immerse in The Heart of Change - a year-long programme of compassionate self-enquiry
There are just 3 spaces left for this beautiful, gentle, powerful journey. We begin 10 October 2025.

Join the mailing list

Sign up to stay connected - I'd love to welcome you to our community!
 

Sign-up here to receive everyday compassion
Tiny email reminders of self-love and presence, delivered (free) three times a week.
 

See what’s on
Explore free events and small group courses in a supportive space.
 

Solo Retreats at Bach Brook
Rest, reflect and reconnect – fully supported in a place of deep natural beauty.

Visit the library

Explore tools for inner connection and compassionate growth. Books, Journaling Resources & Self-paced Courses
 

Free 60-minute Discovery Call
Explore whether working 1:1 with Henny could be what will most support you in taking your next steps.

In this gentle bonus episode, I share a warm check-in after my August break — a space to pause, reflect, and ease back into the season ahead.

I speak about what it’s been like to step away from work, from digital habits, and from the usual patterns of busyness… and what’s been surprising, helpful, or quietly confronting about that process. I talk about the Love Shrine at Shambala, revisiting my book The Heart of Change, and how the deeper work continues even (and especially) in stillness.

I also read a new poem — A Single Breath — and reflect on how the inner voice that used to write to 'My darling girl', now seems to be what (or who?) I am writing to.

If you’ve been wondering how to return after a pause, or how to meet yourself when the noise quiets, I hope this one meets you where you are.

And if you'd love to join me at A piece of quiet live, 30-minutes of calm, this Friday 5 September, book your space here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1483750621049?aff=oddtdtcreator you will be so welcome there.

*****

Would you love to find A piece of quiet?
Every Wednesday, take a moment to pause with this calming reflective practice and Flow Journaling prompt. A private podcast sent straight to you. Use the code PEACE for 20% off your first year.

Join the mailing list

Sign up to stay connected - I'd love to welcome you to our community!
 

Sign-up here to receive everyday compassion
Tiny email reminders of self-love and presence, delivered (free) three times a week.
 

See what’s on
Explore free events and small group courses in a supportive space.
 

Solo Retreats at Bach Brook
Rest, reflect and reconnect – fully supported in a place of deep natural beauty.

Visit the library

Explore tools for inner connection and compassionate growth. Books, Journaling Resources & Self-paced Courses
 

Free 60-minute Discovery Call
Explore whether working together could support you in taking your next steps.

In this final episode of Season 17, I share a gentle reflection before stepping into my August break – a time I’ve been honouring for many years now as a way of resetting and softening.

But this year, I’ve been particularly aware of one thing: dopamine. And more specifically, how our phones – and work, and even exercise – can give us such powerful hits that we risk missing the deeper nourishment that comes with stillness, rest and real presence.

So I’m exploring what happens when we don’t reach for the phone… when we rest, reset, and gently recalibrate our systems.

This episode is part musing, part intention-setting, part conversation with you. I talk about the Finding the More Abundant Way group coming to a close, the beautiful connection that forms in these small, deep spaces… and how rest – whether for a month or a moment – invites us to step out of our usual patterns and remember what truly feeds us.

If you’re wondering how to soften your own habits this summer, or simply want to share this pause with me, settle in and listen – and see where the episode takes you.

***

Would you love to find A piece of quiet?
Every Wednesday, take a moment to pause with this calming reflective practice and Flow Journaling prompt. A private podcast sent straight to you. Use the code PEACE for 20% off your first year.

Join the mailing list

Sign up to stay connected - I'd love to welcome you to our community!
 

Sign-up here to receive everyday compassion
Tiny email reminders of self-love and presence, delivered (free) three times a week.
 

See what’s on
Explore free events and small group courses in a supportive space.
 

Solo Retreats at Bach Brook
Rest, reflect and reconnect – fully supported in a place of deep natural beauty.

Visit the library

Explore tools for inner connection and compassionate growth. Books, Journaling Resources & Self-paced Courses
 

Free 60-minute Discovery Call
Explore whether working together could support you in taking your next steps.