The Kindling Spirit Podcast

The Kindling Spirit (formerly "Mystical Musings") Podcast is an ongoing conversation series with CSC's Rachelle and Brenton, that explores out-of-the-box techniques, practices, and approaches to mental and spiritual health. Our talks explore the topics, themes, and practices that help us navigate life with grace and alignment, based upon nearly half a century of combined experience, centered around topics that matter today. You can click below to learn more about your hosts, or scroll to learn about each episode. Members of our virtual community on patreon can access extra resources from each episode, as well as opportunities to sit in virtual circle with Brenton and Rachelle. Click here to check it out (it's FREE to join)!

Hosted by CSC's Brenton Harris and Rachelle Cornelius

You can click their images below to learn more about them, their approcah to to wellness, and explore working with them.

S02E07: The Thresholds that Make Us Human (Thresholds & Initiations Part 2)

Brenton and Rachelle host a unique conversation around life and death with nurse and death worker McKenzie Bellis and birth doula and educator Leah LaHue.

This is a powerful one. Stay tuned!

S02E06: Thresholds & Initiations (Part 1)

In this episode, Rachelle and Brenton explore thresholds and initiations, touching on what these experiences actually feel like, and how they show up in our minds, our bodies, and our lives. They also speak to the disregard for- and absence of ceremonies and community experiences that honor these transition periods. Perhaps, as their conversation alludes, some of the problems we face today are rooted in these missing rites of passage?

Stay tuned for the full conversation.

S02E05: Dharma & Authenticity Part 2: Fantasy, Play, & Authentic Being

In this episode of The Kindling Spirit podcast, hosts Brenton and Rachelle welcome special guest, fantasy lover, and photographer Desiree Tien of @fernwehvisions. Des shares her unique work with play, cinematic, and fantasy-inspired photography in the Pacific Northwest, opening up a vibrant discussion on how imagination and fantasy can serve as powerful tools for self-discovery and healing. Together, they explore the therapeutic value of stepping outside conventional boxes to reclaim play, honor inner child needs, and embody true authenticity in a world that often demands conformity.

Since recording this episode, I (Brenton) began reading a book I'll speak to in future episodes called The Kinship World View by Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows) and Darcia Narvaez. It's an exploration of 28 indigenous principles offered by Native American leaders over the last century, that the authors unpack with research, stories, and personal experience. In it, the idea of play comes up often: through healthy competition more focused upon fun than winning; through the prioritization of caring for children in indigenous societies; and in the deep connection and trust in the animate world. We never truly know where our conversations will take us, and Des brought a sweet sense of playful depth to our talk about authenticity. May this episode inspire you to redefine and enact more play in your life (it certainly has for us)!

More about Desiree Tien

Desiree Tien is the photographer behind Fernweh Visions, a moody, cinematic, fantasy-inspired portrait business based in Vancouver, Washington. She believes dressing up isn’t about pretending to be someone else, but about giving yourself permission to show who you really are. Drawing on romantasy, folklore, and the wild beauty of the Pacific Northwest, she creates sessions where clients can play, explore, and finally see themselves as the main character of their own story.

Listeners of the Kindling Spirit Podcast get 15% off any portrait session in 2027. Just mention the podcast when you book!

You can find Des (@fernwehvisions) and explore her work on TikTok and Instagram.

S02E04: Dharma & Authenticity Part 1: Finding Purpose in Today's World

In this special episode, we step away from our Zoom screens and sit together on sacred Kalapuya land along the banks of the Whilamut (Willamette) River for an ecotherapy-inspired conversation. Gratefully Brenton has returned to the PNW so we're able to do this now!

Join us as we use the River as a mirror to explore what it means to live authentically and align with our true dharma--something we'll continue to revisit again and again. Our conversation this episode meanders much like a River, exploring the natural world as a model for surrender, universal vs. "personal" perspectives of dharma, the links between karma and dharma, and even the ways capitalism affects our understanding of these principles. This episode is rich in yogic philosophy that can be applied today (something we endeavor to bring you in our conversations).

Stick around until the end for a sneak peek of our upcoming guest interview series featuring fantasy photographer Desiree Tien, where we explore the intersection of play, fantasy, and healing!

S2E03: What is Presence? (& what's present righ now for us)

Welcome to an intimate "in-between" episode of Kindling Spirit. In this casual sit-down, Brenton and Rachelle step away from the usual "prepared" format to share some personal reflections as they navigate major life and business transitions. Together, they dive deep into what it truly means to stay grounded and present in a world designed to keep us distracted.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the fast-pace of modern life, technology, or societal pressures, this conversation is a gentle invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with your inner wisdom.

Key Topics Covered in This Episode:

-What is True Presence? Moving past the buzzword to explore presence as an energetic, heart-centered alignment of body, mind, and spirit.

-The Art of Deep Listening: How to develop the discernment needed to figure out which modern influences (societal norms, ads, systems) nourish you, and which ones drain you.

-Systemic Critique: A honest look at how modern societal structures—like the medical industrial complex—often force us to override our body's natural wisdom for the sake of profit.

-Practical Tools for Grounding: Simple, zero-cost practices you can start today (like body awareness scans and nature connection) to combat apathy and anxiety.

S2E02: Tapas: Yogic Fire for Activating Times

Fire has always been a teacher: purifying what no longer serves, illuminating what we'd rather not see, and bolstering courage in the dark. In this episode, Brenton and Rachelle explore two of yoga's most potent niyamas: Tapas, the heat of transformation and disciplined practice, and Svadhyaya, the reflective self-study that keeps that Fire from burning wild. Together these principles form a kind of inner alchemy—the courage to face difficulty and the wisdom to turn that facing inward. In times that call us toward reaction, this conversation offers a quieter invitation: to meet the Fire you've been fleeing, and let it refine you.

Drawing on Gandhi's image of the spiritual path as a "constant heart churn," and the ancient Mundaka Upanishad's parable of two birds in a tree (one tasting every experience, one simply witnessing) Brenton and Rachelle weave together the personal and the contemplative. Tapas without Svadhyaya burns; Svadhyaya without Tapas drifts. This episode sits in that dynamic tension, exploring how discipline and self-inquiry together polish the mirror through which we begin to see ourselves—and each other—more clearly.

This podcast episode doubles as the April Wisdom of Yoga call recording, continuing our journey through the Yamas and Niyamas. We open and close with guided practices, so you might save this episode for a time when you have time and space to join along.

S2E01: The Places Where Authenticity & Social Justice Meet

What does it truly mean to be "authentic"? While we often treat it as a buzzword for self-care, the Greek roots of the word suggest something much more radical: to act on one’s own authority and to be true to one's original thought.

In this episode, we explore the vital intersection of individual authenticity and collective social justice. We dive into why social justice isn’t just a political movement, but a biological imperative mirrored in the natural world. From trees that signal threats to protect the entire forest to the symbiotic relationships of the animal kingdom, nature maintains a "background balance" that we are still striving to achieve in our human communities.

We sit with the uncomfortable questions: Is my place of authenticity actually outside of my comfort zone? What happens to a society when an entire population chooses to stay inauthentic? And, perhaps most importantly, how do we continue to work, serve, and stay connected when the world no longer feels safe? Join Brenton and Rachelle in a new season of the Kindling Spirit podcast, as we discuss the "felt experience" of authentic community and how the practice of yoga calls us back to this essential alignment.

S1E05: Community as a Spiritual Practice

Join Rachelle and Brenton in the final (and extra long ;) episode of the season about the healing power within community. Our conversation flows through the challenges in finding and being in community, as well as the many healing benefits that come when experiencing connection. We also talk about ways to experience and discover community beyond your family/friends, and even beyond people...

(Note: This first season includes episodes under our previous name, The Mystical Musings Podcast. We’ll continue to offer the same pertinent, in-depth conversations in our new venture, The Kindling Spirit Podcast.)

S1E04: Finding Trust in Times of Chaos

Join Rachelle and Brenton in another episode of the Kindling Spirit podcast, where we discuss how to find trust during challenging times. Our conversation meanders through the energy and embodied experience of trust, as well as practices and suggestions for cultivating trust when it feels out of reach.

S1E03: Healing Sovereignty & the Intersectionality of Healing

Join Rachelle and Brenton in another episode of Kindling Spirit! In this episode we talk about the innate healing power we have within us, and the ways our society tends to pull us away from that. They also discuss the ways we can build compassionate awareness of our deep connection with life and the planet, and ways to align with the natural world to foster health and vitality.

S1E02: Coaching vs. Counseling: Finding Your Guide

Join Rachelle and Brenton for another Kindling Spirit Podcast (formerly Mystical Musings) episode, this time about the differences between counseling and coaching. As they share their perspective and experience as counselors and coaches, you'll learn about some of the subtle (and not-so-subtle) distinctions between each path and how to know which is right for you, now. This experience is something we all encounter, and having inside perspective can help clarify how (and who) to choose for this work.

S1E01: Shining Light on Shadow Work

Join CSC's Brenton Harris and Rachelle Cornelius for a dharma talk perfect for spooky season: shadow work. From fear and trauma to blind spots and aversions, shadows are a normal aspect of human experience. However those shadows are more often friends than monsters and if we can come to know them as parts of ourselves, new paths open inside of us for awareness, insight, and growth. (Pardon our singing friends in the background🐦‍⬛ :)

S1E00: Tending Your Inner Garden

Join CSC's Rachelle Cornelius and Brenton Harris for a dharma talk about the ways that tending a garden can be likened to self-care and self-awareness. From weeding and shadow work to trust and the harvest, our conversation meanders through mindful ways we can tend to our lives and our minds through garden-centered metaphors. This talk illustrates the importance and benefit of ecotherapy, and includes ways you can practice at home (even without a garden space).