EPISODE 14

A Conversation with Dr Hayley D Quinn: From Self-Neglect to Self-Compassion (Part 1)

In this spacious and nourishing episode of The Practitioner’s Heart, Poh sits down with Dr. Hayley D. Quinn, mindset and wellbeing coach, former clinical psychologist, author, and an autistic/ADHD practitioner whose work is deeply rooted in compassion.

This conversation unfolds gently, exploring what it means to live with more joy, authenticity, and alignment both as practitioners and as human beings.

Finding Joy in the Everyday

Hayley shares how joy is not something we need to chase or achieve, but something we can return to in simple, ordinary moments, in relationships, presence, and daily life.

This perspective offers a quiet shift away from striving, and toward noticing what is already here.

Letting Go of Professional Identity

After 20 years as a clinical psychologist, Hayley made the courageous decision to step away from the protected title.

This transition wasn’t just professional, it was deeply personal.

We explore what it means to loosen our grip on identity, and the vulnerability that comes with redefining who we are beyond our roles.

Neurodivergence & Sustainable Living

As an autistic and ADHD practitioner, Hayley reflects on how understanding her neurodivergence transformed the way she relates to energy, work, and wellbeing.

Rather than pushing against her natural rhythms, she began to honour them, creating a more sustainable and compassionate way of living and working.

What Self-Compassion Really Looks Like

This episode brings self-compassion out of theory and into lived experience.

Through the lens of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Hayley shares practical ways to:
• relate to yourself with kindness
• check in with your needs
• become your own inner support

Self-compassion becomes less about technique and more about relationship.

Becoming Your Own Inner Guide

One of the most powerful reflections in this conversation is the invitation to become your own:
• fondest friend
• greatest cheerleader
• wisest inner guide

The way we learn to relate to ourselves shapes everything including how we show up for others.

A Gentle Reflection

This episode is for anyone who feels the pull to slow down, reconnect, and live with more alignment.

It reminds us that we don’t have to become someone new, we are learning to come back to ourselves.

🎧 Listen to Part 1 of this conversation on The Practitioner’s Heart.

Part 2 (coming next week) will explore burnout, self-neglect, and building sustainable, neurodiversity-affirming ways of working.