Cultivate Calmness Podcast: Find Your Calm, Cultivate Your Mind

In this week's episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela explores a side of fireworks that many people have never considered. While most of us recognize the obvious dangers of burns and explosions, far fewer realize that fireworks release heavy metals, airborne particles, and other chemicals that may contribute to our overall toxic load. Through the lens of holistic and functional mental he...

In this week's episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela explores the concept of compensation and overcompensation—not just in the body, but in our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Using examples from chiropractic care, physical therapy, EMDR, and trauma therapy, she explains how the place we experience pain isn't always where the real problem begins. Whether it's anxiety masking insecuri...

In this week's episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela shares a deeply personal reflection on grief after losing both of her grandparents just ten days apart. Through stories, memories, and honest emotion, she explores how grief can look different for everyone—even within the same family. From anticipatory grief and funeral planning to memory bears, keepsakes, family dynamics, and the cha...

In this week's episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela explores the complex emotions that can arise around Father's Day. Whether you're celebrating a loving father, grieving the loss of someone important, navigating an absent or strained relationship, or mourning what you never had, she offers compassionate guidance for honoring your experience. Drawing from both personal and professional...

In this week's episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela explores a question many people ask during therapy, health treatment, and personal growth journeys: "Why am I not better yet?" Drawing from her work as a trauma and grief therapist, she discusses how healing often requires addressing foundational issues before deeper work can begin. Using practical examples from counseling, physical h...

In this week's episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela shares practical and affordable ideas for supporting your mental health during the summer months. From National Park Junior Ranger programs and summer reading challenges to nature walks, metro parks, grounding, sunshine, and family bucket lists, she explores simple ways to stay engaged, connected, and emotionally nourished throughout...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela opens up about the realities of healing, wellness, and lifestyle change through her own personal health journey. From nutritional protocols and supplement routines to cravings, setbacks, conferences, disrupted schedules, and moments of discouragement, she shares the emotional and practical challenges that often come with trying to mak...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela reflects on the incredible experience of hosting the very first Cultivating Calmness Conference: Integrating Mind, Body, and Spirit Into Mental Healthcare. From months of preparation and behind-the-scenes teamwork to holistic goodie bags, engaging presenters, wellness-centered conversations, and meaningful attendee connections, she sh...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela steps away from clinical topics to share a deeply personal reflection on gratitude, partnership, and support. She opens up about the often unseen work her husband, Robert, does behind the scenes to help bring her vision, events, conferences, and business ideas to life. From encouraging her to step into private practice to coordinating...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela reflects on the emotional complexity of Mother’s Day through the lens of grief, loss, and personal experience. Having lost her mother at a young age, she shares what it has been like to grow up, become a parent, and navigate life without that foundational relationship. From missing milestones and unanswered questions to recognizing al...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela explores the powerful connection between our thoughts, emotions, and physical health. Drawing from cognitive behavioral therapy principles, personal reflection, and insights from nature, she explains how the beliefs we hold about ourselves can directly impact how we feel—mentally and physically. From the way plants respond to positive...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela shares her powerful experience attending the Seeking Whole Health Conference and the profound impact it had on both her personal health journey and her clinical perspective. From gut health and inflammation to nutrition, breathing, and root-cause healing, she explores how many mental health symptoms may be connected to deeper physiolo...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela shares her honest reflections after attending the American Counseling Association (ACA) Conference in Columbus. From navigating packed schedules and choosing between dozens of sessions to experiencing mental fatigue, networking opportunities, and exploring vendor spaces, she breaks down both the highlights and the challenges of the ev...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela reflects on a powerful moment of insight sparked by something as simple as a song. She explores how memories, grief, and past experiences can take on new meaning as we grow and change over time. Drawing from her personal journey with loss, she shares how it’s normal—and even healthy—for old experiences to resurface in new ways, not as...

In this deeply personal episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela explores one of the most common questions surrounding loss: Does grief ever go away? Drawing from her own experience of losing her mother at a young age and living with that grief for over three decades, she shares an honest and compassionate perspective on how grief evolves over time. Through powerful metaphors—like a booksh...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela explores the importance of learning how to recognize and respond to the warning signs your body and mind are constantly giving you. Drawing from personal experiences—including physical strain, nutrition changes, and emotional awareness—she highlights how many of us have been conditioned to push through discomfort rather than listen to...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela shares her thoughts on the upcoming American Counseling Association conference coming to Columbus, Ohio, and reflects on the value of attending professional conferences as a counselor. From earning CEUs and deepening clinical knowledge to building meaningful relationships, exploring new cities, and creating lasting professional connec...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela explores the meaning behind the word idiopathic — a term often used when medical providers can’t determine the cause of symptoms. But is “we don’t know” the end of the story? Drawing from personal experience, client stories, and her functional mental health perspective, Kaela discusses the difference between normal and optimal lab res...

In this episode of Cultivate Calmness, I share a personal update on my own health journey—mineral deficiencies, supplement protocols, energy shifts, and even a stubborn eye twitch—and how it mirrors the therapeutic process I guide my clients through every day. Healing doesn’t happen from insight alone; it requires intentional action between appointments. Whether it’s adjusting nutrition, resisting...

In this week’s episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela dives into the powerful connection between minerals and mental health. From iron, magnesium, zinc, and copper to gut health and nutrient absorption, she explores how internal imbalances can directly impact mood, anxiety, energy, focus, and emotional regulation. Drawing from her own recent testing experience—including hair mineral anal...

In this February episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, Kaela explores the deeper meaning of love beyond romance and Valentine’s Day traditions. Drawing from biblical concepts like eros, storge, philia, and agape, she reflects on how love shows up differently in marriage, friendship, family, and even in relationships marked by disagreement or tension. In a world saturated with information, pol...

In this week’s episode of Cultivate Calmness, I explore the powerful parallels between plant care and mental health therapy—especially when it comes to grief, trauma, and emotional healing. From watering and soil to boundaries, support systems, and growth spurts, plants offer a surprisingly accurate reflection of what humans need to thrive. Using real-life examples from my office plants, I talk ab...

In this episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, we explore the complex gray areas of family, romantic, and interpersonal relationships—especially when conflict, hurt, or disconnection arise. Drawing from both clinical experience and personal reflection, this conversation invites listeners to gently “turn the camera around” and examine their own role in relational dynamics without minimizing the...

In this episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, I share my first personal experience with myofascial release massage and explore the powerful connection between fascia, trauma, and emotional healing. As a holistic, trauma-informed therapist, I discuss how physical and emotional traumas can be stored in the body, how fascia functions as connective tissue that holds these experiences, and why bod...

In this episode of the Cultivate Calmness Podcast, I explore what functional mental health really means and how it differs from traditional approaches that focus only on symptom management. I share how I integrate functional principles into my own clinical work, including looking at nutrition, sleep, stress, gut health, mineral balance, and environmental factors that impact mental and emotional we...