EXPANDED Podcast Ep. 386 – Creativity, Confidence, and Coming Home to Yourself: Inner Child Healing Part 2

Podcast: EXPANDED by To Be Magnetic™
Host: Jessica Gill (Chief Content Officer), with Lacy Phillips (Founder), therapist Janelle, and Dr. Tara
Release: December 19, 2025

Overview

This episode is the second part in the series exploring inner child healing through the lens of manifestation, neuroscience, and psychology. The team dives into how reconnecting with various phases of your inner child—from preschool creativity to adolescent identity—holds the key to unlocking your authentic self, increasing your confidence, and ultimately becoming more magnetic to what you desire. They ties practical healing techniques to manifestation outcomes, and provide grounded, actionable advice on moving past childhood blocks that may currently be impacting your relationships, creativity, confidence, and more.

“What if your inner child actually holds the keys to your gifts, your magic, your authentic essence, your purpose in this season of life?”
— Lacy (00:20)

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Focus on the Inner Child?

• The Foundation of Manifestation
  • The phases of the inner child are directly linked to your self-worth and ability to manifest what you desire.
  • Reparenting your inner child allows you to reclaim creative expression, increase confidence, and regulate your nervous system, all of which are core to the “Return to Magic” challenge at TBM.

    “So much of that that our inner child wants to spend more time developing is actually the key … to being our most magnetic self.”
    — Lacy (00:49)

2. The Last Three Phases of Inner Child Development & Their Impact

(Following Part One, this episode covers preschool years (creativity & play), school age (confidence & competence), and adolescence (authentic identity & belonging).)

Preschool Years (Ages 3-5): Creativity & Play

• Importance of curiosity, play, trying different roles, and being celebrated for individuality.

• The “weird, quirky” child is often the most secure—a secure environment encourages experimentation and authentic expression.

• If safety isn’t present, creativity gets stifled:

  “If the environment’s not safe... there’s no creativity in play.” — Janelle (12:03)

• Modern Resurgence of Hobbies: There’s a cultural return to exploring hobbies for play’s sake—without monetization or performance pressure.

  “So many people... immediately made it a pressure cooker... instead of just play for play’s sake.”
  — Jessica (14:41)

Typical Blockers:

• People-pleasing and performance anxiety
• Loud inner critic
• Fear of standing out or making mistakes

“A big injury is the critical parent, where it’s like, ‘Well, you didn’t do that somersault right.’... and then that inner critic is so loud, and then it paralyzes them.”
— Janelle (18:26)

School Age (Ages 5-13): Confidence & Competence

• Developing resilience through mastery, learning from mistakes, and being recognized for effort, not just outcomes.
• Peer validation starts to matter, but security is rooted in self-worth, not comparison.
• Blockers show up as:
  • Fear of failure and imposter syndrome
  • Hyper-competitiveness and comparison, often stemming from parental expectations

“Cringe Mountain” Concept:
Adopted from Erica Maylett: you must go through discomfort and risk ridicule/failure, relying on your commitment rather than external validation.
“Don’t wait for the praise. Do it because you are committed to this, because it is aligned with you.”
— Jessica (25:18)

Adolescence (Ages 13-21): Authentic Identity & Belonging

• This is the phase for exploring identity, values, and sexuality, and learning to belong while keeping individuality.

• Core needs: Feeling safe to express differences, experiment, set boundaries, and seek meaningful belonging in peer groups.

• When earlier phases are ruptured, adolescence becomes a “sea of masks,” with intense pressure to conform or rebel.

  “…If a kid goes into high school and she’s like, ‘I’m good enough, I know I’m lovable,’... she’s going to navigate those. But if you’re walking in with ‘I’m not worthy, no one likes me’... you’re just going to receive, it’s just going to add on.”
  — Janelle (35:24)

• Rebellion & Delayed Adolescence:

  • Rebellion in teens is actually healthy if within a secure attachment.
  • “Delayed adolescence” occurs in adulthood for those who never tested limits as teens.

  “Usually kids that actually feel secure... they do press the limits and it’s actually good for them...”
  — Janelle (41:03)

Sexuality & Embodied Autonomy

• Healthy sexuality roots in an embodied ‘no’; children must feel from a young age that they can set boundaries around touch and affection.
• For those with trauma, the healing is about reclaiming a body-felt ‘no.’ Therapy and gentle self-guided work are encouraged.

“Our sexuality just starts... in non-sexual ways first and then... you’re just micro having these experiences... so when you know that you can say no, that’s when... there’s freedom in sexuality.”
— Janelle (46:43)

3. Practical Reparenting & Manifestation Tools

• Deep Imaginings (DIs) and somatic tools: are recommended to revisit memories, acknowledge unmet needs, reinforce boundaries, and build self-worth. These tools are integrated in TBM's pathway programming, especially in the “Return to Magic” challenge.
• Revisiting old photos or memories can aid compassion and reconnection to lost aspects.
• Community support: Sessions with Janelle for personal or intensive trauma work.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cultural Messaging:

  “All the universe wants from us right now is this phase. That’s all it wants. It wants us to be our most unique, fringe, authentic, gifted self.”
  — Tara (10:14)

• On Trend Resurgence:

  “This is the resurgence of hobbies... This is where you get to try on the hat, be the beginner, not be perfect at it, not need it to make money yet.”
  — Jessica (14:06)

• On Comparison and Self-Worth:

  “Their worth is connected to what they do instead of who they are... that’s where those wires get crossed.”
  — Janelle (28:51)

• On Adolescent Masking:

  “It was just a sea of masks. It was a sea of like, what is that person doing? Everyone respects them. I should be exactly like them.”
  — Jessica (37:12)

• On the Healing Journey:

  “You don’t have to go in and heal it all at once. You shouldn’t go in and heal it all at once. Just take whatever wants to metabolize bit by bit...”
  — Jessica (50:07)

• On Manifestation:

  “This is the foundation to manifest everything you want.”
  — Tara (51:38)

Recommended Practices & Takeaways

• Reexamine early childhood and adolescence for unmet needs affecting current patterns.
• Use creative play as regulation and expression—release the need for utility or perfection.
• Approach healing in digestible steps; don’t force rapid progress, especially with deeper trauma.
• Embody boundaries and the power of saying “no” starting with small, nonsexual contexts if needed.
• If looping on the same block, consider professional support and somatic therapies for deeper unwinding.
• The more authentic and true to your quirks and interests you can be, the more magnetic you become.

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Topic | Timestamps (MM:SS) | | ------- | ----- | ----------------- | | Introduction & Inner Child Importance | [00:00–06:53] | | Preschool Years: Creativity & Play | [06:53–16:45] | | Blockers in Creativity & Play | [16:45–20:31] | | School Age: Confidence & Competence | [21:25–31:11] | | The “Cringe Mountain” Analogy | [25:05–26:53] | | Adolescence: Authentic Identity & Belonging | [31:31–42:42] | | The Role of Rebellion & Delayed Adolescence | [41:03–43:24] | | Sexuality, Boundaries, and Embodiment | [46:11–50:35] | | Integrating Healing and Next Steps | [50:35–54:15] | | Q&A and Additional Resources | [52:18–54:52] |

Tone & Language

The tone is supportive, deeply authentic, and encouraging, layered with practical examples, self-reflection, and invitations for gentle exploration. The hosts’ language is accessible and occasionally peppered with humor, personal anecdotes, and affirmations of self-worth.

“You’re going to reclaim a lot of fun parts of you along the way, parts that are really, really magnetic and are going to help you attract in what you want as well and be happier.”
— Jessica (52:00)

Where to Go Next

• Consider starting the “Return to Magic” challenge through the TBM Pathway, particularly if feeling stuck in patterns or seeking a fresh start for the new year.
• Explore session work with Janelle via wholenesscollectivetherapy.com for unblocking or EMDR/somatic intensives.
• Review your own childhood photos/memories, and gently acknowledge younger versions of yourself as you reconnect with lost gifts.

Final Word:
This episode is an empowering guide to healing core childhood blocks, reclaiming your magic, and stepping into a more magnetic, confident chapter—grounding manifestation practices in neuroscience and real-life psychology for 2026 and beyond.