307 - Creativity as Clinical Leadership with Dr Shawn Hondorp, The Innovative Therapist
“Even within really oppressive systems that we're all impacted by, there are ways where we can get some of these needs for autonomy met that actually help us to feel a lot of freedom within systems that are still oppressive.” - Shawn Hondorp
Shawn Hondorp on creativity, IFS protector parts, and building a practice that actually feels alive.
This episode is your practical guide to feeling alive in messy times. But “feeling” is only part of the equation. “Doing” is what drives change. It transforms our private creative practices into a collective, disruptive force.
When people get comfortable creating, they become harder to control. Power imbalances are exposed, and systems (internal and external) take note. Protective or wounded parts become exposed to necessary rupture and ideally, holistic repair.
Shawn Hondorp, PhD., is a maven of creativity. She’s also a community builder, retreat host, and adventurer who has gradually forged her own path from an academic career as a board-certified clinical psychologist. As the creator of The Innovative Therapist podcast and community, she supports therapists and helpers in creating the work that feels fully alive and authentic, blending psychology, creativity, and courageous self-trust to inspire more sustainable, joyful ways of living and working.
“There's a quote by Howard Thurman that I've been obsessed with for many years that’s, like, don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that because the world needs people that come alive,” says Shawn.
Shawn’s deeply personal healing journey continues to shape her professional pursuits. What started as “research” eventually became “me-search” as clinical insights gave way to growing comfort with vulnerability. “I’m super-passionate about therapists doing their own work, but I'm also very passionate about exploring creativity,” she explains. “I really do think creativity can look like a lot of different things, including: authentic expression, exploring desires, and intuition.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about systems vs creativity these days. Shawn’s expertise in IFS reminds me how difficult it is to determine the truth. Grad school, therapy culture, and social media homogenization discourage embodied creativity because it can’t be shorthanded or replicated at scale.
Therapists are artists. Period. We create bridges between thoughts and actions, intuition and intellect. Shawn agrees. “It's been really interesting to think about how we can be innovative. The more we engage with creativity and play, the more we can bring that innovative mindset to whatever the heck we choose to do in a work capacity or in a community-building, social-change capacity.”
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Shawn Hondorp, PhD., is a community builder, retreat host, and adventurer who has gradually forged her own path away from an academic career as a board-certified clinical psychologist. As the creator of The Innovative Therapist podcast and community, she helps therapists and helpers create work that feels fully alive and authentic—blending psychology, creativity, and courageous self-trust to inspire more sustainable, joyful ways of living and working.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
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