S2E12: “South Medicine: Fire, Adolescence, and the Art of Authentic Action”

Hosts: Alex Runolfson & John Cottrell

In this week's episode of The Rebel Clinicians Podcast, airing December 8th, Alex and John continue their Sacred Directions series by journeying into the South--the realm of fire, adolescence, creativity, and bold, messy, human aliveness.

Building on last episode's exploration of the East as a place of new beginnings and fresh perspective, this conversation asks: what happens when we stop contemplating change and actually start living it? The South becomes a map for that process--where heat, motion, and identity collide.

Alex and John weave together Indigenous, Andean, Celtic, Nordic, yogic, and Ayurvedic wisdom to explore the South as a direction of summer, midday sun, action, and life force. They talk about adolescence as a powerful metaphor for this phase of the journey: playful, impulsive, vulnerable, and hungry for authenticity. Along the way, they unpack how this fiery energy can either fuel our growth or burn us out when it's not held by healthy boundaries.

Listeners will hear about the medicine of Mouse, Coyote, Serpent, and even Queen Bee--animal allies of the South who embody detail, trickster wisdom, embodiment, community, and unapologetic leadership. Alex and John discuss how these energies show up in ceremony, yoga practice, and daily life, as well as what happens when we ignore natural cycles in favor of capitalist hyper-productivity.

From a clinical and healing perspective, the episode offers concrete ways therapists, yoga teachers, and space-holders can work with South energy:

- Using breathwork and pranayama (like bellows breath and alternate nostril breathing) to stoke or regulate inner fire.

- Inviting somatic awareness around heat and softness in the body, and gently encouraging energy to move rather than forcing it.

- Reframing anger and desire as powerful teachers for boundaries, truth-telling, and protection.

- Incorporating ritual and ceremony--candles, burning old narratives, color magic, and invoking elemental fire or animal spirits--to support transformation.

- Exploring how food, creativity, and community connection can nourish life force without pushing people into more burnout.

Throughout the episode, Alex and John also name the seasonal tension of recording in mid-November: feeling tired and hibernation-ready while talking about summer fire. They invite listeners to consider how to honor both--keeping a small, cozy flame going instead of forcing a blazing bonfire in the middle of emotional winter.

The episode closes with powerful reflection questions you can use for yourself or your clients, including: Where have you dimmed your fire to stay safe or acceptable? What needs to burn away for your authentic self to rise? And what would it actually look like to live with a little more heat, truth, and heart?

Listen to this episode on Spotify and be sure to download the audio so you can return to it as part of your own seasonal and spiritual practice. If you're new here, subscribe to The Rebel Clinicians Podcast so you never miss an episode--we release new shows every Monday.

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S2E11: “The East -- New Beginnings, Breath, and Clinical Rituals”

🎧 Listen on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2CgnaxzPtvDCdQIbhxi9OM?si=hRzhkKSuTfCURWqyHjhkHg)

Hosts: Alex Runolfson & John Cottrell

Directions Series: The East launches our multi-episode exploration of the Directions--East, South, West, North, plus Above, Below, and Center--and asks a simple question with profound clinical impact: How do we bring the energy of dawn into the therapy room?

In this conversation, Alex and John treat the East as both a map and a method: the place of birth, renewal, clarity, vision, and inspiration. They trace how cultures across the world converge on similar insights--Native traditions (eagle/vision), Celtic/Druidic lineages (Brigid, Air, Beltane), Yogic practice (facing East for Surya Namaskar), Chinese medicine (Spring/Wood/Liver for movement and flexibility), and Mongolian/Nordic sunrise rituals--then translate those ideas into accessible clinical tools.

You'll hear practical ways to work with the East in session and at home: micro-rituals that orient to the start of the day, ACT values prompts that shift "yesterday's story," IFS language for contacting Self as an inner sun, breathwork to clear mental fog, and movement sequences to unstick stagnation. The result is a portable ritual frame that helps clinicians and clients regulate, find perspective, and re-author the narrative--one sunrise at a time.

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S2E10: “Baking as Healing -- Intention, Magic, and the Art of Clinical Practice”

Hosts: Alex Runolfson & John Cottrell

Baking as Healing -- Intention, Magic, and the Art of Clinical Practice

What does baking cookies have to do with the healing arts?

Everything.

In this special episode of The Rebel Clinicians Podcast, your hosts John Cottrell and Alex Runolfson take you into John's kitchen--yes, you heard that right--to bake chocolate chip cookies and stir up a conversation about intention, nourishment, artistry, and authentic healing.

As the oven warms and ingredients come together, so does a powerful metaphor: what we create--whether it's a cookie or a clinical session--carries the intention we put into it.

This isn't a cooking show (though you will walk away with the best cookie recipe ever). It's an invitation to rethink your relationship to healing, business, food, and how you show up in your practice.

You'll explore:

- The magic of intention--how each ingredient holds a purpose, and how that purpose translates into therapy and healing work.

- Why clinicians should bless their cookies (and never curse them).

- What it means to develop your own artistry as a healer--not just follow the script.

- How preparation (mise en place) is as important in therapy as it is in the kitchen.

- How to stop "overmixing" your emotions and let the batter of life rest and rise.

- The concept of "artistry" in healing spaces--what makes your presence unforgettable to a client.

- Why you should stop saving the "good dishes" for special occasions--and how that applies to your life.

Whether you're a therapist, coach, bodyworker, or creative, this episode blends personal story, spiritual practice, and a touch of humor to remind you: your magic is in the way you mix the ordinary into the extraordinary.

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