After years of people-pleasing, burnout, anxiety and self-criticism, Hannah Lilly found herself standing on a stage in what she thought was her “perfect body” and realising she still hated herself.

That moment became the catalyst for a journey of radical self-compassion, joy and healing.

Content note: This episode includes brief discussion of emotional distress and suicidal thoughts. Please listen with care and seek support if you’re affected.

Episode Summary:

There are moments in life when we realise that the way we’ve been living is no longer sustainable - when striving, perfectionism and pleasing others have taken us so far from who we really are that we hardly recognise ourselves.

In this deeply honest conversation, Hannah Lilly shares how she learned to stop running from herself and instead became her own friend. She talks about the power of self-compassion as the foundation for everything else in life, the difference between happiness and joy, and the choice we each have to return to kindness, even in our hardest moments.

Together, we explore how self-compassion transforms the way we parent, relate, work and create - and how joy isn’t something we chase, but something we can uncover inside ourselves, no matter what’s happening around us.

In this episode, we talk about:

1 What it really means to be a Self-Compassion and Joy Activator

2 How Hannah’s “dark night of the soul” led to her very first act of self-kindness

3 The difference between happiness and joy — and why joy is an inner state, not an outcome

4 Practical ways to start building self-compassion, even when it feels impossible

5 The healing power of awareness, gratitude and learning to speak to ourselves like a friend

This episode is for anyone who’s tired of the inner critic running the show, who’s learning to be

gentler with themselves, and who’s ready to feel at home in their own skin again.

Listen Now:

Press play if you’re ready to hear a story of courage, compassion and what happens when we finally stop fighting ourselves. Hannah’s honesty, warmth and humour will remind you that you are enough - exactly as you are, right now.

Connect with Lisa Birtles:

Website: lisabirtles.com

Instagram: @lisabthecoach

Connect with Hannah Lilly:

Instagram: @hannahlillybella

Substack: https://substack.com/@joynoteswithhannahlilly