Life on Purpose returns for a Spring 2021 Season with Episode #97. My guestis writer, therapist, coach, and founder of the New York VoiceDialogue InstituteBridgit Dengel Gaspard, whojoins me to talk about her new book,The Final 8th: Enlist YourInner Selves to Accomplish Your Goals(New World Library) andpowerful techniques she’s developed to helpreaders/listenersrecognize and free themselves from hidden internal conflicts that are blocking their ability to achieve theirgoals. Bridgitcoined the term “the final 8th” to describe the phenomenon when talented, energetic, motivatedindividuals have accomplished many steps toward a goal(7/8 of it)but stall in front of their finish line, for noapparent reason. In our inspirational conversation,Bridgitand I discussed: • The origin story of the term The Final 8th via working with various clients who were getting stuck; • Has she struggled with Final 8ths in her own life, including writing the book? • “Is the reason you’re stuck because you’re not meant to go any further? It’s served it’s purpose.”; • The idea that our healthy personality consists of many aspects, which she calls inner selves; • Voice dialogue, a technique developed by her mentors Dr. Hall and Sidra Stone; • “They each have wisdom and they have concerns. But they don’t have the whole picture.”; • The fact that this is NOT multiple personality disorder or dissociative identity disorder; • The effects of the pandemic on certain selves and what we can do about that; • The fact that for most people, working harder isn’t the problem or the solution; • The power of the questions,“What are the gifts? And what are the stings?”; • A simple technique that allows you to start to identify these inner selves; • How do these selves start? And where do they come from?; • Her chapter on Practice Safe Success: a concept that is silly but real!; • What is the Double Bind and why is it psychologically painful?; • Her Final Takeaway:“Be curious to see what’s there; if in doubt, get rid of the agenda.” • Her upcoming Final 8th 4-Week Masterclass, which runs in May; • Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we arepowerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.”; • Much more! “My clients were baffled about why they were stuck. They reported feeling frustrated, stressed, sad, and scared.They’d swear to me they yearned for the desired outcome with every fiber of their being,”saysBridgit.“I’d tellthem, ‘Believe it or not, some of those fibers just aren’t with the program.’ The truth is, not every part of you wantswhat you think you want! Some of your inner selves are opposed to your goal.” About Bridgit Dengel Gaspard: Bridgit Dengel Gaspardis a writer, therapist, coach, and master facilitator and trainer of voicedialogue who has led professional workshops for the Omega Institute, the New York Open Center, theInternational Coach Federation, the Expressive Therapies Summit, Conscious Life Expo, New YorkUniversity, Columbia University School of Social Work, the National Association of Social Work, theActors Fund, and other organizations. During her career in acting, improvisation, and comedy, she discovered voice dialogue, a powerfultechnique of communicating and embodying our inner selves developed by Drs. Hal and Sidra Stone,who would become her mentors. Bridgitearned a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University, acquiring clinical experiencein dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT.) She was an inpatientsocial worker at Bellevue Hospital Center and Creedmoor Psychiatric Center. She also worked as apsychotherapist at the New York University Counseling Center. She founded the New York Voice Dialogue Institute and has been certified by multiple organizations forcontin...