Making Sense of It with Rachelle

What if solitude isn't loneliness at all but sanctuary? In the opening episode of Season Three, Rachelle explores her lifelong relationship with solitude and how it evolved from childhood refuge to adult practice. Growing up as the youngest of nine children in rural Kentucky, solitude became a place to think, observe, imagine, and survive in a world where belonging often felt uncertain. This episo...

In this long-awaited episode, Raelinn joins  Making Sense of It with Rachelle to share her story in her own words. Listeners are invited into her perspective for the first time, offering a deeper understanding of what was happening beneath the surface. This conversation is honest, emotional, and centered on growth, reflecting on mental health, misunderstanding, and the ongoing work of finding conn...

New episodes return on May 2. Take some to catch up on Raelinn's story by listening to Season 2 episodes 6, 7, and 8.  Reach out to reach by email at support@cogizantascent.com

In this deeply personal episode, Rachelle reflects on the moment every parent fears but few talk about, the moment you have to let your child walk into something you cannot follow. What was supposed to be structured care and support becomes something far more complex, as hope, fear, and uncertainty collide at the doorway of an inpatient residential facility. This episode explores the emotional rea...

Season 2, Episode 7 —  When the Scratches Became Voices In this deeply personal continuation, Rachelle shares what happened after the moment that changed everything. The faint scratching and whispers her daughter once described begin to take shape, becoming voices, shadows, and a reality no one else can see. As fear grows, so does the intensity of her daughter’s behaviors, transforming their home,...

In this deeply personal episode, Rachelle begins sharing the story of her first daughter and the long, confusing road that followed. What started as small signs in early childhood slowly unfolded into something far more complex than anyone expected. After years of searching for answers, one moment changes everything when her daughter asks a question that stops her in her tracks:  “Mom… can’t you h...

What does it mean to raise children in a world where attention is constantly pulled somewhere else? In this episode of  Making Sense of It with Rachelle , we move past simple conversations about screen time to explore a deeper question: What kind of environment are we creating for our kids without realizing it? This episode looks at the quiet ways technology competes with connection, how notificat...

What if hope isn’t supposed to be light and shiny? What if it’s supposed to have muscle? In this episode of  Making Sense of It with Rachelle , we talk about the kind of hope that doesn’t ignore what’s happening in the world but stays awake inside it. The kind that acknowledges the exhaustion of constant headlines, the toll of always witnessing, and the way it all settles into the body. This isn’t...

Rural life can feel like home in your bones,  a deep connection, shared survival, and belonging that runs generations deep. It can also carry silence, conditions, and limits we don’t always see until we grow up inside them. In this episode, we sit down with special guest Willie Carver Jr. to explore how place shapes us long before we have language for it, and what happens when the belonging we lov...

Join us for a new episode on Feburary 1st with special guest Willie Carver Jr.

In this episode of  Making Sense of It With Rachelle , Rachelle explores grief not as something we “get over,” but as something we learn to live with. Through personal storytelling and reflection, the episode looks at how grief appears in many forms, through death, broken relationships, lost futures, and the quiet ache of what never came to be. Drawing from her own experiences of loss, including w...

Reach out to us with your comments or topic suggests at support@cogizantascent.com.

Making Sense of Who We Are  explores identity not as a fixed label, but as something living and evolving. This episode explores how we learn to be who we are to belong, through family roles, expectations, survival, and adaptation, and what happens when those identities no longer fit. Through reflection and conversation, we name the quiet grief, courage, and relief that come with outgrowing version...

Making Sense of It with Rachelle  is a conversation-centered podcast about the things that shape our lives. This podcast isn’t about fixing people or offering advice. It’s about slowing down, listening closely, and staying human in complex conversations. Some episodes include guests; others are reflective monologues. All are grounded in care, curiosity, and lived experience. This podcast is for an...

We all find a million reasons not to practice it, we guilt, shame and dismiss our way out of it. Without it we will never be at our full potential...we can dream more, do more, and love more effectively. Self-care...listen in and then get out there and do it. Join the conversation by emailing your thoughts to support@cognizantascent.com.

Current research and data show LGBTQ+ youth are more than 4 times as likely as their cisgender peers to attempt suicide. One attempt every 45 seconds... The future of our LGBTQ+ youth is even more threatened under current bills being pushed through state legislation. Our youth need our protection, our most vunerable youth need our protection. Please reach out with any comments or questions to supp...

Concern and compassion take a seat at the table as we discuss cutting and self harm, and we are asking silence and shame to excuse themselves from the gathering. It is a heavy and hard subject, one we can't run from because it is not going anywere. Our youth need us to assist in building a bridge of communication and arm ourselves with understanding and resources. Take a deep breath and come join...

Tip of an iceburg, tackling the topic of social media and the varied ways our daughters are falling victim. Besides packing up shop and heading to a wifi void to raise our families... what can we do? Share you thoughts and questions at support@cognizantascent.com.

When we see a inappropriate behavior from a child in a store, or when the community rumor mill is running full force with stories of an out of control teen, the worst possible thought or sentence that could cross our lips is "that would NEVER be my kid." No matter what the behavior is, your immediate perception is probably off and the only thing I can encourage you to do is use your energy and mou...

Wow, do we all make a habit of taking most things negatively and assuming it is about us. We need to be asking ourselves a few simple questions to get to the truth. Listen and learn some of the questions we should be asking, and send us your thoughts and feedback at support@cognizantascent.com so we can continue to conversation.

Rachelle introduces her new podcast where we begin the conversation. Together, we take a realistic approach to tackling the daily issues of parenting, self improvement, mindfulness, joy and struggle, and, in the end, make sense of it. Reach out to Rachelle with your thoughts, comments, and questions at support@cognizantascent.com.