Meet Henny Flynn
This February, we welcome author and coach Henny Flynn to the community to host a month of sessions around Flow Journaling. She will lead us through sessions focused on encouraging emotional release, clarity and self-compassion.
We caught up with Henny to learn more about her background and experience and to learn more about the classes she will be offering for the Yogamatters community throughout February.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I once worked with another coach who said ‘oh, we’ll start late because you don’t like mornings’. I was confused and asked what she meant. She replied: ‘well, you don’t like meeting before 10’. I laughed and said ‘that’s not because I don’t like mornings… I love mornings so much I like to keep them for me!’
So… I tend to have a gentle morning. Often with a form of meditation and some flow journaling, though not always. My husband and I will have a coffee - either by the Aga or out on the deck looking into the valley that surrounds our home. This is such a precious ritual for us that it feels like a beautiful anchor to my day. However! I’m not keen on rigid rules and take a relaxed approach to anything that risks feeling restrictive.
I’ll see my one-to-one clients, usually on Zoom as we live in the middle of everywhere (I prefer that to the concept of ‘nowhere’); only two or maybe three in a day. And not everyday. I want to make sure I’m always refreshed for this deep focussed work.
I might record an episode of the (imaginatively named) Henny Flynn podcast or one of the reflective episodes of A piece of quiet - it’s a weekly pause I offer, where mindfulness meets flow journaling. And I generally have a talk or course to write, so the day will often include those things.
I’ve published six books in the past six years… and have another one on the way. Creativity is such an important part of what I love about my work, though it took me a while to recognise how vital it is to me. So I now allow myself to be a polymath… with multiple strands unfurling simultaneously, to keep me interested and engaged in my week.
The thread of compassionate self-enquiry runs through everything I do - and I always try to ensure that it weaves through how I work too. I’m mindful that work can become my drug of choice so, when my diary allows, I take breaks and allow myself to surrender and be in flow. After years in high-profile, high-stress roles, this way of working feels like an act of deep kindness toward myself.
How did your wellness journey begin and what inspired you to become a coach?
My background includes a long corporate career, years of study in coaching and therapeutic practices, and my own lived experience of transformation.
A period of high stress, low self-care, and deep grief led to a profound wake-up call in the form of a critical illness. Little in my life remains the same. That personal journey informs everything I offer - in the one-to-one coaching, solo retreats on our land, courses, books and my podcasts.
In 2016, my life reached a turning point. I was exhausted from a senior corporate role, overwhelmed with grief and feeling the effects of a lifetime of limited self-care. I became critically ill and finally understood I couldn’t keep going the way I was. I had to stop, to listen deeply to what my body and heart were asking of me.
That moment began a profound journey of self-discovery.
Through mindfulness, journaling and coaching, I started to untangle the fears, expectations, and self-judgments I’d been carrying. Slowly, I uncovered something I hadn’t realised I’d been missing: a deep sense of self-compassion.
Learning to truly care for myself - every messy, beautiful part of me - changed everything. It gave me the clarity to step into a new chapter of my life with purpose and tenderness, and the courage to embrace transformation, even when it felt daunting.
This journey has then shaped the way I now guide others through their own life transitions - with compassion, insight and practical tools to support their own path through change.
What inspired you to specialise in your specialisation?
Real, lasting change begins with learning to care deeply about ourselves. It’s not indulgent or selfish - it’s essential. When we meet ourselves with compassion, we create the conditions for meaningful growth, change and possibility.
So the focus of all my work is compassionate self-enquiry. And, for me, one of the most accessible aspects of that deep inner work is journaling.
Flow Journaling saved me. I know that sounds like a big statement! But it was truly one of the most powerful tools I encountered along my path; helping me make deep and lasting changes in my life.
It gave me a safe, compassionate space to explore, learn, and grow. This deceptively simple yet profound practice helped me connect to my inner wisdom - the wisest, kindest part of me, that holds the whole of me tenderly and fiercely.
It’s become the source of the poems, books and journals I’ve published, it often inspires podcast episodes and it can be such a beautiful companion to my one-to-one and group work with clients.
It’s expansive, welcoming, and available to us all. All you need is a pen, paper, an open mind and an open heart.
Do you have a favourite quote or life motto that you live by?
Yes… three!
If you see someone without a smile, give them yours - Dolly Parton
Between stimulus and response, there is a space. And in that space lies the power and freedom to choose our response. And in our response lies our growth and happiness. - Victor Frankl
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. - Rumi
Learn more about Henry’s classes running throughout February and sign up to join in.
