I got to chat with Daniel Mandel on his Creative Engagement Podcast (more links below).

The Creative Engagement Podcast describes itself as “…the intersection of artistry and engagement! Life Coach and Singer Songwriter Daniel Mandel interviews artists and creative folks to shine a light on the importance of authentic self-expression and engagement.”

This episode was recorded back in August. I remember feeling really nervous before the interview - I love a good chat, but there are parts of me that never want to be pinned down and recorded! Daniel’s calmness and curiosity really helped me land into the interview.

We covered a lot of ground, from my circus beginnings to my most recent fascination with embodied approaches to Internal Family Systems (IFS). 

During the interview, we talked about the difference between clowning and fooling. I gave an overview of IFS and told the story of how I reluctantly came to embrace it. We chatted about what happens in an IFS session, describing the dreamlike / psychedelic qualities we've both experienced. 

We chatted about how I have been integrating IFS with clowning, fooling, movement, dramatherapy and creative reflection in my workshops. I talked a little about the IFS / Clown / Fool research lab that I’ve been part of for the last 4 or 5 years. This group is an amazing testing ground for the smashing together of clowning, fooling and IFS.

I spoke about my fascination with group dynamics and how that led me to studying the couples therapy strand of IFS (IFIO) earlier on this year. This training has been helping me hold conflict with more care and consciousness.

We talked about ways of working with BIG emotions - anger, shame and sadness, how creative expression can help us get closer to these feelings, which can paradoxically lead to a healthy separation from the feelings.

We spoke about the future of this work - will there be a book? Will there be a Phd? Will I infiltrate the IFS World and bring more play to parts work?

Towards the end of the interview, I told the story of how I got my name (Holly Stoppit). Daniel asked me to share a few tips about how people can bring more play into their lives. Then to finish, I read a little poem that I wrote in The Glitter Heart Lab in the summer.

You can find the podcast on Buzzsprout here

Or you can find it on Spotify here

Big thanks to my wonderful student and mentee, Emily Sly, for putting my name forward for this interview. You can find her interview here.

If you want me to chat on your podcast, get in touch!