The Self-Energy Circle
An intimate practice community for deep inner work, together
A small community doing real IFS work, together.
Most online spaces for Internal Family Systems (IFS) are like libraries — videos to watch, courses to consume, content to absorb. The Self-Energy Circle is the opposite: a small, capped community of people doing the work with each other, in real time.
What you'll find inside the Self-Energy Circle is simple and rare: live group sessions led by Justin and Audra; a peer practice partner who rotates each cycle; a small pod of four or five members you check in with regularly; and Lumi — an always-available AI companion, built deeply on IFS, who knows the work, the community, and you.
It's not for everyone. It's an intentional space, application-gated, designed to support and nurture real growth.
How We Practice
01 LIVE PRACTICE
Three times a month, the community gathers on Zoom, twice for IFS practice sessions and the third is a guest speaker or demonstration. Each practice session has a theme, a meditation, a teaching, a group practice, and breakout-room dyad work. Recorded for members who can't make it live.
Every other week, you're paired with a different member for a 60-minute peer practice session. Same structure: a guided practice, time to share, mutual witnessing. The partner rotation keeps the work fresh and the community connected.
02 PEER PRACTICE
03 POD
Pods are stable groups of four or five members assigned quarterly — your check-in circle during live sessions, and the people whose practice you'll come to know best. Kept small on purpose so the relationships have weight.
04 LUMI
An always-available AI companion built into the Self-Energy platform. Trained deeply on IFS, aware of the community's practices and rhythms, and personalized to your profile, your pod, and your past sessions. Available between live gatherings whenever a part is asking for attention.
No amount of analysis, no size of revelation, no number of epiphanies will heal any part of you.
Healing is not a matter of solving the right puzzle, fixing the right problem, or having the right ideas.
Healing happens through relationship.
Meet Lumi
An IFS companion who knows the work
Lumi is an AI companion built deeply on IFS — not a chatbot, and not a substitute for the work, but a presence trained in the language of parts and Self, available whenever the community isn't gathered.
She remembers. She knows your pod, your peer practice partner, and what came up in the last live session. You can also share more with her directly — what you're working on, what your protectors tend to do, whatever helps her meet you where you actually are.
She holds the work between our gatherings.
Meet Your Facilitators
Justin Wilford, PhD
Justin is a professional Level 2 IFS practitioner, retreat leader, and mental health program designer focused on bringing more Self-energy into the world. Through his therapeutic 1:1 IFS practice, retreat work, and his Substack "Self-Energy," Justin helps people access the healing wisdom that's already within them. His approach balances experiential practice with grounded understanding, ancient wisdom with contemporary application.
Audra DiPadova, MA, FMHC
Audra is a community nonprofit leader, founder of several startups, and a passionate advocate for mental and emotional wellness. Her background in leadership development, facilitating programs for families in crisis, and leading teams both in the non-profit and for-profit sectors, make her an ideal fit. She serves as the Self-Energy Guide of the community, creating the supportive container that allows authentic connection and growth to flourish within our circle.
From the Circle
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In a world where old developmental containers aren't cutting it, the Self-Energy Circle feels like what comes next. IFS doesn't mess around — you don't even know what you're capable of until your parts stop holding you back.
— Heidi Fuentes
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This community has helped me bring more Self-energy into my daily life. There's something powerful about doing this work alongside others who truly get it — a place where you can show up honestly and be met with compassion and curiosity.
— Stephan Kinnunen
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Self-Energy Circle brings a compassion and calmness to all of my parts while encouraging connection with others through authenticity. My parts are witnessed and seen, and it reminds me that we are really never alone.
— Alicia Wuth
Before you apply
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The Self-Energy Circle is application-gated, and capped at around 150 members. We'd rather stay there than grow past the point where the community actually feels like a community. If we're full when you apply, we'll let you know and add you to the waitlist.
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You don't need to be an IFS expert. But you do need to be genuinely committed to the IFS path — to learning the model, showing up to the work, and doing this alongside other people who take it seriously. The Circle isn't a substitute for therapy or a place to process whatever's coming up. It's a practice community for people who are in on IFS.
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Members get guided meditations, months of recorded sessions, original articles and podcasts, book recommendations, and an active WhatsApp group for between-session connection. But what makes the Circle different from any library or course is the live container — twice-monthly group sessions, peer practice every other week, your pod, and Lumi. The content supports the practice. The practice is what changes you.
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The Circle runs on member tuition — no advertising, no outside funding, no upselling. That tuition supports the live facilitation, the platform, Lumi, and the time it takes to run a small community well. If you join, you're investing in a container, not subscribing to content.
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A real application, not a checkout form. We ask about your relationship to IFS, what's drawing you here now, what you've been working with, and what you're hoping for. It usually takes 10-15 minutes to fill out, and we read every word. If you’re not already working with Justin, we’ll reach out for an interview.