Fiction that speaks to your heart. Coaching that supports the heart of your leadership.
Hello, I’m Jodie!
Author, Psychologist & Coach
Hello! I’m Jodie Benveniste — an author and psychologist passionate about helping people reconnect with their inner wisdom.
Over the years, I’ve worked across private practice, parenting support, organisational consulting, academic research, and served as Chair of the Board at an Independent School. Each of these experiences has deepened my understanding of how we grow, heal, and thrive — both as individuals and within the systems we’re part of.
A turning point in my personal and professional journey was discovering Internal Family Systems (IFS). After facing burnout and living with a relentless inner critic, IFS helped me understand what was happening beneath the surface. Learning to meet my inner parts with compassion instead of judgment was transformative — and it reshaped how I show up in every part of my life.
That depth of insight now runs through my fiction. I write heart-expanding young adult contemporary romance filled with emotional intensity, big feelings, and characters navigating love, family, and healing. Through storytelling, I gently introduce readers to the wisdom of their inner world — because I believe the stories we tell ourselves can change everything.
I also offer transformational coaching for school leaders and educators to understand the inner patterns that drive them to overwork, avoid conflict, strive for perfection, or doubt their capacity - so they can lead from a place of impact and purpose, not exhaustion.
When I’m not writing or coaching, you’ll find me reading novels, sipping tea, enjoying dark chocolate, or walking in the national park near my home.
I live in Adelaide, Australia, on Kaurna land, with my husband, two kids, two cats, and with views to the hills.
What is IFS — and why does it matter to me?
Fiction and coaching grounded in compassion, clarity, and the courage to go within
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a powerful, compassionate framework for understanding our inner world. It’s based on the idea that we all have different ‘parts’ within us — like the inner critic, the people-pleaser, the protector, the perfectionist, or the one who just wants to give up. These parts aren’t flaws. They’re trying to help us, even when their strategies cause pain or conflict.
At the core of IFS is the belief that we also have a calm, wise, grounded Self — a place within us that can lead with clarity and compassion.
Discovering IFS was a turning point in my life. It helped me move through burnout, loosen the grip of my inner critic, and relate to myself in a whole new way. It didn’t just change how I work — it changed how I live.
That’s why I now weave IFS into everything I do.
In my young adult fiction, I explore the emotional lives of characters in a way that reflects our own inner landscapes — the pushes and pulls, the self-doubt and desire, the longing to be seen and loved for who we truly are. IFS helps me create stories that are both heart-expanding and healing.
In my coaching, I use IFS to help school leaders strengthen their inner clarity, expand their leadership capacity, and respond to challenges with greater calm and confidence. It’s not about fixing what’s wrong—it’s about uncovering the internal dynamics that shape how leaders show up and lead.
Whether through story or coaching, IFS is the thread that ties my work together — a gentle, transformative way of coming home to who we really are.
Let the next step choose you
Whether you're here for heartfelt fiction or transformational coaching—you’re in the right place.
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Wild Dreams. Big Heart.
An enticing blend of creativity, psychology & spirituality
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