With Hiroe Takeuchi — MSC Certified Teacher
What Participants Say
Reflections from people who have taken Hiroe Takeuchi’s self-compassion programmes — in their own words.
Hiroe Takeuchi is an MSC Certified Teacher (Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, USA) who has guided more than 1,000 people in self-compassion. The voices below come from her Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) programmes — the 8-week course, the 6-week course, and free introductory sessions.
These reflections were originally shared by participants in Hiroe’s programmes and have been translated into English. They are published with each participant’s permission. Self-compassion is an educational practice, not therapy or medical treatment, and everyone’s experience is different.
What the numbers say
rated the course satisfying or very satisfying
felt their relationship with themselves had changed
would recommend it to a friend
From a participant survey of the 2025 MSC 8-Week Course (n=15).
The Achievement Trap
When “enough” keeps moving
“For years, the voice in my head was ‘be perfect, don’t let anyone down.’ Over the eight weeks, that constant self-criticism quietened down. It’s like there’s someone inside me now who’s on my side. I’m calmer, and a lot kinder — to myself and to the people around me. It changed my life, and I don’t say that lightly.”
— Man in his 40s · MSC 8-Week Course
“I realised that my inner critic actually came from love. I’ve learned to meet it in a gentler way, and I’m not controlled by it any more. I still haven’t reached all the results I’m chasing — but the biggest shift of all is that I can accept myself, exactly where I am right now.”
— S.M., woman in her 40s · MSC 8-Week Course
“I realised how hard, and how unconsciously, I’d been pushing myself for results in everything I do. I also saw how much effort I put into making uncomfortable feelings go away. But pushing them away is really just another way of rejecting myself. What I learned is that letting go isn’t about getting rid of anything — it’s about making room for every part of me. Through practice, I’ve found a gentle acceptance.”
— M.K., woman in her 50s · MSC 6-Week Course
The Exhausted Adapter
Tired of always being the strong one
“When I finally started being a bit kinder to myself, I realised how much I’d just been running on self-criticism. My body and mind had been in overdrive for years. Then this gentleness towards myself showed up almost on its own, and I’ve felt lighter ever since.”
— A.F., woman in her 40s · MSC 8-Week Course
“I almost didn’t sign up. I was going through a really hard time and wasn’t sure I could take on one more thing. I’m so glad I did. What surprised me most was realising how hard I’m still on myself, every single day. Knowing I had one warm, safe place to come back to each week got me through those two months. I can’t really put it into words.”
— Woman in her 50s · MSC 8-Week Course
“I had no idea how tired I was until I actually sat down and joined.”
— Woman in her 60s · Free introductory session
Common Humanity
You’re not the only one carrying this
“By the end, I had this quiet feeling that I wasn’t doing it alone — that other people, somewhere, were practising right alongside me. The course is over now, but that feeling has stuck with me. Somewhere out there, someone’s doing this today too.”
— R.D., woman in her 30s · MSC 8-Week Course
“As people started sharing, it really hit me that I’m not the only one carrying this. We’re all in the same boat. I usually find it so hard to open up, but everyone was so warm that my nerves slowly settled.”
— Woman in her 30s · MSC 8-Week Course
A Quieter Strength
Not soft — a quieter, steadier strength
“I always thought being kind to myself meant going easy on myself, or letting things slide. Turns out it’s nothing like that.”
— Person in their 40s · MSC 6-Week Course
“Compassion takes a quiet kind of courage, and that’s a real strength in itself. That’s the kind of person I want to become.”
— M.S. · Self-compassion reading circle
What Lasts
What stays with you
“I got to meet the little kid who’s still inside me, and found a grown-up part of me who could put an arm around her and say, ‘You’re okay.’ Over eight weeks, I came to really believe I’m fine just as I am. I’m amazed how much changed in that short time.”
— Y.Y., woman in her 60s · MSC 8-Week Course
“This is something you learn in your body, not just your head. One morning on my way to work, I noticed my own hand resting on my chest, quietly telling myself, ‘it’s okay.’ I thought, look at that — I’m doing this on my own now.”
— Woman in her 50s · MSC 8-Week Course
“I took the course right when I was switching careers. I’d spent years reading about self-care, boundaries, CBT — and I still kept burning out the same way every time. This time something clicked: compassion was the piece I’d been missing. Over six weeks, I stopped getting pulled under by the feelings that used to drain me, and I actually started moving forward.”
— Woman in her 40s · MSC 6-Week Course
“My old wounds aren’t healed, and I’m nowhere near ‘fixed.’ But the me I am now can lean on that imperfect self, and I can feel the me I’m becoming will too. That was the most reassuring thing I took from it.”
— Y.K., woman in her 40s · MSC 8-Week Course
A First Step
From a first free session
“If even the teacher, who used to be so hard on herself, could change, then maybe there’s hope for me too.”
— Free introductory session
“When a friend is having a hard time, I always know just what to say. The way I talk to myself is nothing like that. It really hit me how little of that same kindness I give myself.”
— R.M., woman in her 30s · Free introductory session
A common thread
Across hundreds of reflections, the same thread runs through them: people stop trying to fix themselves and start being with themselves. Self-criticism softens. The constant search for “the next thing” loosens its grip. And a steadier kind of strength — one that doesn’t depend on the next achievement or the next place — begins to grow from the inside.
Hiroe Takeuchi teaches the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) programme developed by Drs. Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer, and is certified by the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion (USA). Born in China, raised in Japan, and living in the Netherlands, she teaches self-compassion to people building a life across cultures — and has guided more than 1,000 people so far.
See For Yourself
See for yourself
You don’t have to take anyone’s word for it. The gentlest way to find out is to feel it for yourself — you’re warmly welcome at a free online session, with no experience needed.
Or stay connected — gentle reminders and practical self-compassion tips.