Parts Work with Tim Neal: Meeting Your Inner Critic and Finding the Centered Self

The Circle: The Queer Men's Embodiment Podcast

In this episode of The Circle, Eric and Tim are joined by Tim Neal, a men’s transformation coach and embodiment facilitator, to explore the power of parts work. Drawing from Internal Family Systems (IFS) and shadow work, Tim explains how the voices inside us, like the inner critic or perfectionist, are not problems to fix, but parts to understand, honor, and integrate.

Through personal storytelling, emotional insights, and a live parts work practice, the conversation reveals how embracing these inner parts can lead to emotional intelligence, self-trust, and what Tim calls the “centered self.” Whether you’re new to IFS or deep in your healing work, this episode will shift how you relate to your inner world.

You’ll learn:

• What parts work is and how it relates to shadow work
• The difference between exile parts and protector parts
• Why trying to eliminate parts of yourself doesn’t work
• How emotional awareness is the foundation of growth
• How to meet your parts with compassion and curiosity

Chapter Markers / Time Stamps:

0:00 – Intro to the episode and Tim Neal
2:15 – What is parts work? Tim’s childhood story of emotional shutdown
6:50 – Origins of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and blending with shadow work
9:30 – Shadow work as a subset of parts work
12:00 – Tim’s inner critic origin story and the rise of the achiever part
15:20 – The Tony Robbins experience as a pattern interrupt
18:10 – Masculinity, vulnerability, and redefining strength
20:40 – The pressure to be one thing vs. embracing many parts
24:00 – Mono-mind vs. multi-mind: the freedom of “a part of me”
27:30 – Introducing the capital-S Self / Centered Self
29:50 – Pattern interrupts, neural pathways, and belief shifts
34:00 – Manager parts, exiles, and protectors explained
38:00 – The fruit salad metaphor: integration, not elimination
41:00 – What is the Centered Self? The goal of living from calm, clarity, and compassion
43:30 – Why we can’t “cut off” our inner parts (like a sprained ankle)
46:20 – The role of emotional intelligence in working with parts
48:00 – Live guided practice: meeting your inner part with compassion
52:15 – Eric meets his inner critic, Tim meets his inner director
54:30 – What our parts are really afraid of—and how they’re trying to help
56:00 – Closing reflections: parts work as a path toward self-compassion

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