Episode 61: Self-Led Leadership with Islena Faircrest

In this episode, Marty and Bill sit down with Islena Faircrest, a somatic therapist and yoga educator with over 24 years of experience. Islena shares her journey from yoga teaching to becoming a trauma-informed IFS practitioner, discussing the integration of Internal Family Systems (IFS) into her spiritual and professional practices. The conversation delves into the essence of Self-Led leadership, attunement, and the importance of recognizing and addressing one's own needs to effectively lead and support others. Islena also touches on the profound impact of understanding somatic experiences and the nuances of nonverbal communication.

Meet Islena:

Somatic therapist & yoga educator since 2000, Islena Faircrest is a trauma-informed, IFS-trained practitioner. She facilitates learning secure attachment in relationships, repairing attachment injury, and helping individuals & families in their healing journey towards empowered living. She's a mother of two young adult sons. She's a former doula and prenatal educator. For 24 years, she's taught yoga, teacher training, retreats, and workshops throughout the US, Canada, Australia, and Costa Rica.

“When I took the ACE Test (Adverse Childhood Experiences test) years back, I was surprised (and not surprised) that I scored relatively high as a 7/10. It helped normalize the degree of trauma I was seeking help and healing with. I'd love to share about my journey since, in creating hope, freedom, and authenticity of expression for my system. In IFS speak, I have heavily parentified parts in a heavily Manager-led, heavily burdened system, and seemed to take on generational ancestral burdens as well as my own lived experience ones.”

Connect with Islena Faircrest:

• Islena’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/islenafaircrest/ 

• Islena’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/islenafaircrest/ 

• Other Social Channels: https://linktr.ee/islenafaircrest 

• Islena’s website: www.onboardyoga.com

ACE test: https://americanspcc.org/take-the-aces-quiz/

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

00:41 Islena's Background and Work

01:45 Personal Connections and Collaborations

02:50 Islena's Journey with Yoga and IFS

08:54 Understanding Self-Leadership

09:57 The Role of Trauma and Healing

13:31 Leadership and Attunement

20:27 Equine Therapy and Connection

28:14 The Power of Facial Expressions

28:54 Primal Communication and Body Language

30:53 Self-Led Leadership and Authenticity

32:01 The Role of Techniques in Leadership

32:51 Lessons from Nature: The Elephant Story

34:17 Understanding Self-Led Leadership

38:58 Recognizing and Meeting Needs in Leadership

48:21 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

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Links and References:

• Leadership Coaching Podcast Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/leadershipcoachingpodcast/

• Internal Family Systems - https://ifs-institute.com/

• Bill Tierney Coaching - https://www.billtierneycoaching.com/

• Listening is the Key', Dr. Kettelhut’s website -