Have you ever felt like one part of you wants to change, while another part seems determined to keep things exactly as they are?

Maybe you want to take a risk, but something inside you holds back. You know you should be kinder to yourself, yet your inner critic never seems to quiet down. Or perhaps you find yourself repeating behaviors you don't fully understand, even when you recognize they're causing you pain.

In this episode of The Simple Healthy Life Podcast, we're joined by Alysha Gebo, Registered Dietitian, owner of Nurtured Nutrition, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) coach, to explore a fascinating approach to understanding ourselves and the many different parts that make up our inner world.

We discuss what Internal Family Systems therapy is, how the IFS model works, and why it can be a valuable framework for self-awareness, personal growth, and emotional healing. Alysha walks us through the concept of our internal parts, including the protective roles they can take on, how these patterns develop, and what it looks like to approach them with curiosity and compassion.

We also explore the practical process of IFS, the role of Self-leadership, and some of the emerging scientific research behind this approach to psychological healing.

Whether you're familiar with IFS or hearing about it for the first time, this conversation offers a different perspective on our internal struggles, emotional patterns, and the possibility of developing a healthier relationship with ourselves.

What might change if we became curious about the parts of ourselves we've spent so much time fighting against?

How compassionate are you, really?

Most of us would like to think of ourselves as kind, understanding, and compassionate people. We make an effort to support others, forgive their mistakes, and recognize the struggles they face. Yet many of us have a remarkably difficult time extending that same compassion toward ourselves.

In this episode of The Simple Healthy Life Podcast, we explore the relationship between compassion, self-compassion, and the deeper motivations behind our behavior. Can we truly embody a virtue that we struggle to extend to ourselves? What happens when our outward actions don't reflect our internal experience? And can being overly compassionate sometimes serve our own needs more than those of the people we're trying to help?

We discuss the psychology of kindness, people-pleasing, self-criticism, emotional awareness, and the subtle ways our desire to be good can influence how we treat others. Along the way, we examine the difference between practicing compassion and developing it as a genuine part of our character.

Ultimately, this conversation invites us to look more closely at the relationship between who we are internally and how we show up in the world. Because understanding the full human experience means being willing to recognize our flaws, contradictions, and struggles—including our own.

What does it take to prepare for an Ironman—and what do you learn about yourself along the way?

Dylan Kaplinger joins us for the second time on The Simple Healthy Life Podcast to talk about completing an Ironman, the training that got him there, and the challenges that inevitably showed up along the way.

We talk about motivation, discipline, overcoming barriers, and what happens when the excitement of pursuing a big goal wears off and you're left with the work itself. Dylan shares his experience pushing through difficult moments, navigating setbacks, and continuing to move forward when things don't go according to plan.

But the conversation goes beyond endurance sports. We explore what pursuing something genuinely difficult can teach us about growth, resilience, self-belief, and becoming better in everyday life. Whether you're training for an Ironman, working toward a personal goal, or simply trying to improve some part of yourself, there will always be barriers between where you are and where you want to go.

The question is what you do when you meet them.