On The Path with Kissiah Young

Life is quick in the way that it shifts the wind ruffling our lives to disruption. One minute we are swimming calm seas, and another the seas have taken us. On July 20th, at the age of 54, Malcolm Jamal Warner was taken by the sea and many are holding the weight of loss. In this episode we enter into the grief that comes in an instant, and what it is we are called to do in those moments, or to be....

" Whenever I leave this world, whether it’s sixty years from now, I wouldn’t want anyone to say I lost some battle. I’ll be a winner that day." – Andrea Gibson, Poet Andrea Gibson won on July 14, 2025. The day that Andrea Gibson died, I had an unrelated deep cry. I cried for the love that went missing when I was a child, a sadness that was so deep I didn't recognize it; for years it...

Grief is a natural, human response to loss—but suffering doesn’t have to be a lifelong companion.  In this episode, part two of five in the grief series, we explore how to honor our pain without being consumed by it. Through compassionate reflection and practical insights, we talk about the difference between feeling our grief and feeding our suffering. If you’re navigating a season of loss, this...

The month of July is dedicated to grief with each week bringing its own distinct voice, contemplating what arises in the moment while holding softly our grief.  In today's episode we talk about how life seems to happen suddenly, often in painful ways, ways that bring us to the feet of the unknown. We ache there at the unknown, uncertainty too uncertain to hold well. Fear and worry rise as we...

Communication isn't always easy, but it's essential. So often people quiet themselves for fear of rocking the boat or what another might think, only to carry the burden of not being seen, heard, understood, or well loved. Without a foundation of communication, we can't expect to navigate rough waters, sensitive matters, or our feelings. We end up feeling frustrated, alone, and upset...

In this episode, we explore the layers of forgiveness, and how non-linear its path. I have found that it takes much effort and inquiry to arrive at a true integration of what needs to be reconciled and healed. Forgiveness, especially with matters of childhood trauma, often has many layers. Yet, when we remove the feeling of it being personal, and see clearly what is, it helps us take a step closer...

In this episode, we explore the gentle, powerful practice of bearing witness —listening with full presence, without the pressure to fix, advise, or take on someone else’s emotions. How wonderful it is to find yourself less overwhelmed and more grounded as a result.  I appreciate your presence. ~Kissiah I'd love to hear from you! Support the show

In this episode, we explore the moments in childhood where parts of us were taken—or where we felt we had to abandon them to survive. Through reflection and gentle truth-telling, we uncover how those early separations shaped our identity and how healing begins when we reclaim what was lost. It’s an invitation to pause, go back to those moments, honor our hearts, and return to ourselves. Thank you...

So many of us go, go, and go. We operate in our daily life as if on E, running empty and depleted, while struggling to say no. In this episode, we talk about reclaiming ourselves, and giving ourselves back  to ourselves, so that we find our overflow and begin practicing from that place, and not from our reserve. We do not have to give of ourselves until there is nothing left. There is a different...

Religion has a way of evoking a wide range of thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Some find it a place of holding while others a source of trauma and pain. I have experienced both, but mostly the latter, particularly because of my sexual orientation. Having grown up Baptist, you could imagine the conflict involved in being gay. Talk about a doozy! I had to walk away from Christianity in order to bec...

In this episode, we explore what it means to Find Your North —that deep internal compass that guides you toward a life aligned with your values, voice, and truth. We delve into the journey of cultivating a sense of belonging, not just in community, but within ourselves, and how this belonging opens the door to accessing our most authentic selves. As always, thank you for being here with me.  Deep...

Grief is a layered process. There is no compass that leads the way, no template for how it is  supposed  to be. In fact, there is no should-be for grief. It shows up for each of us in its own way. We process and deal with (or not) grief the way that we do. Sometimes this causes others to feel triggered, upset, or critical. They can't understand, for example, how you moved on "so quickly&...

We live in a go, go, go, produce, produce, produce, outcome, output, and obtain society where the very notion of pausing to rest, recover, relax, and heal aren't prioritized. In fact, these are often frowned upon as if to sleep is a waste of time. We don't have time to rest, because we're too busy being busy. We're conditioned to fill each moment of our day with something that...

There are many aspects of our lives that require some form of change, be that a change in attitude or perspective, or our behavior and ways of interacting with others. Often the one thing standing in the way, is how hard we may feel it is, or how foreign a concept that change may be. The moment we are faced with a situation that requires change, we default to old ways wondering why we can't s...

Life is our longest-shortest experience, how are we choosing to live it? Now that I have officially turned fifty years old, I am really giving thought to where I place my time and attention. I'm peeling back the layers of some of the decisions I've made to be where I am today, and how those decisions now may no longer resonate; perhaps they never did and I was just doing the expected thi...

Disappointment is a normal part of life. It happens. We seek something or someone, we have hopes wishes and dreams, we put ourselves out there in different ways, and sometimes we are left disappointed by the response, outcome, reality, etc. What do we do with those disappointments, meaning, how do they shape us? Do we lose the fullness of who we are? Do we become separate from our truest self? Wha...

Dating can be its very own trying experience. Many people have thrown in the towel, completely giving up on "looking for love," because of the unfortunate experiences had in the dating world. It seems like time and time again there's a dead-end, a wall that's hit leaving us disappointed, even heartbroken. Well, what if that doesn't have to be the case? What if we could act...

No one is exempt from experiencing grief. So many of us have been holding on to a kind of unexplored grief from childhood that, unbeknownst to us, impacts our lives in big and little ways. Have we given this time and attention? Have we held the grief of our childhood with love and curiosity so that healing and freedom might result, or have we pushed it away, banishing it as something that either s...

I have learned a lot over the years when it comes to love, romance, and relationships. Trust me when I say, I have had my fair share, yet it hasn't been until now that I feel like I have not only cracked the code, but am partnered with someone who has joined me in the cracking of the code. After years of trial and error, there are two ingredients that I have found to be essential and will hel...

Have you ever really given thought to that, how our sexuality is not synonymous with our sexual orientation? There are so many layers to sexuality and often we do not spend time thinking about who we are inside of it. Perhaps it's been the taboo thing, something we haven't allowed ourselves to think about. I mean, if you're someone who has perhaps only had relationships or sex with...

We have been conditioned to go, go, go, and do, do, do even at our own expense. Many are operating on fumes trying to keep up with the many tasks, to-dos, roles, and responsibilities. This comes as no surprise considering productivity has been highlighted and underscored across most aspects of life.  To what avail?  Burnout, stress, overwhelm, and just plain out feeling depressed over it all, seem...

Have you ever sat and thought about the reality that we as sentient beings hold within ourselves the ingredients of both life and death? I've been sitting with the truth of this, contemplating how close death is to my every breath, and yours. It walks parallel to us through time and space, intersecting but once. Keep me company as I talk about it a bit. Explore here with me.  I appreciate you...

We have arrived at the ninth and last of The Nine Contemplations on Death. It has been a rather reflective and contemplative series for me, and I appreciate having been able to share this time with you. Thank you.  Join me tonight as we explore our physical form and how our body will be unable to keep us from leaving this form. In fact, it, too, will be lost in the moment.  Your presence is a gift...

We meet again here as we contemplate number eight of the many layers found in The Nine Contemplations on the inevitability of death. When we think of the many people we love and who love us, we must also think about the nature of their absence, because we cannot save them from death. They cannot save us from death. Death is embedded within us, and is destined to birth. Thank you for joining me. I...

Many of us work hard to accumulate or access different material things in life. One doesn't have to lose themselves in consumerism to still manage to look around at the view of all we have. How tightly we hold onto these things speak to our attachment, which often directly impacts our suffering. Have you stopped to think about what you have, and how none of that will save you at the time of y...