The Chillness Room
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The Chillness Room episodes

  • Chillness Room Ep. 25: Coming Back to Yourself

    There are moments when we become so accustomed to reaching for the next thing that we stop noticing we’ve drifted away from ourselves.

    In this episode, I reflect on what happened after taking a short break from my usual distractions and the unexpected realization that followed. What if the things we consume aren’t the problem at all? What if they’re simply helping us avoid a conversation we’ve been meaning to have with ourselves?

    Together, we’ll explore the difference between consuming and creating, why creativity has a way of bringing us back to the present moment, and how becoming a quiet witness to our own thoughts can be one of the gentlest forms of self-care.

    This isn’t an invitation to give anything up. It’s simply an invitation to notice.

    Maybe the way back to yourself isn’t through doing more.

    Maybe it’s through listening a little more closely.#Presence, #SelfAwareness, #ArtistMindset, #InnerPeace, #SlowLiving, #CreativeFlow, #TheChillnessRoom



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    15 min
  • The Chillness Room Ep. 24: The Lion in Sheep's Clothing

    How much of who you are is actually you?

    In this episode of The Chillness Room, Kyra explores conditioning, belonging, identity, and the stories we inherit from our families, communities, and cultures. Using the familiar tale of the lion raised among sheep, she reflects on what happens when we begin to question old assumptions and discover that the life we were taught to live may not be the life that feels most true.

    This isn’t a conversation about rejecting where you came from. It’s about becoming curious enough to discover who you are beneath the conditioning and finding a way to honor both your roots and your authenticity.

    #AuthenticSelf #SelfDiscovery #PersonalGrowth #SpiritualGrowth #HealingJourney



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    23 min
  • Chillness Room Ep. 23: The Sentence You Never Got to Finish

    Why do some of us rush through our thoughts, second-guess everything we say, or assume we've done something wrong when nothing happened at all? In this episode, Kyra explores Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD), the childhood roots of feeling unheard, and what happens when someone finally gives us the space to complete a thought. A gentle conversation about voice, self-trust, and the surprising healing that can happen when we're simply allowed to speak.



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    23 min
  • Chillness Room Ep 22: I Had 13 Seconds to Prove Myself—and Didn’t

    In a simple, unexpected conversation, I noticed something uncomfortable: the pull to prove what I know—and the simultaneous fear that maybe it’s not enough.

    This piece explores that tension between ego and self-doubt, and the quiet shift that changes everything: asking instead of telling, listening instead of leading, and allowing others the space to find their own understanding.

    A reflection on humility, connection, and what it really means to support someone without shaping them.Also, as a bonus, I talk about cults… so there’s that.

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    Get full access to The Deep Season at thedeepseason.substack.com/subscribe
    27 min
  • Chillness Room Ep. 21: Arguing for What’s Possible

    There are moments in relationships where one person is holding what’s possible… while the other is holding all the reasons it won’t work.

    It can feel circular.Frustrating.Like nothing is actually moving.

    In this episode, we gently look at that dynamic. How it shows up, why it can feel so activating on both sides, and what it’s like to be either the one encouraging forward movement or the one who can’t seem to get there yet.

    This isn’t about making either side wrong.It’s about awareness, honesty, and understanding what might actually help each person take a step that feels better and more aligned.Click Here: Chillness Gathering Registration 4/4 11 am PDT - 12:30 pm PDT

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    Get full access to The Deep Season at thedeepseason.substack.com/subscribe
    32 min
  • Chillness Room Ep. 20: The Energy We Carry

    In Episode 20 of The Chillness Room, Kyra reflects on the quiet practices that have helped her reconnect with herself over the years — painting, writing, movement, meditation, and energy work.

    Sometimes the most powerful shifts come from the simplest acts: focusing on a candle flame, placing a hand over your heart, breathing slowly, or offering a moment of kindness to your own body. These small practices help quiet the conscious mind and allow the deeper parts of ourselves to rest and recalibrate.

    Kyra shares stories from her early experiences with meditation and hypnosis, explains the idea of focusing the mind so the subconscious can relax, and offers an approachable introduction to Reiki-style self-connection. No training required — just intention, attention, and a willingness to be gentle with yourself.

    This episode is an invitation to slow down, reconnect with your body, and remember that peace is often closer than we think.

    Take a breath. Step into the Chillness Room.



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    16 min
  • Chillness Room Ep. 19: When It’s Not You: The Hormonal Storm of Peri/Menopause

    In this deeply honest episode of The Chillness Room, Kyra shares a raw reflection after experiencing several days of intense anxiety, despair, and emotional upheaval caused by perimenopause.

    When hormones fluctuate, it can become incredibly difficult to tell the difference between who we are and what our chemistry is doing. Even when we’re eating well, exercising, getting sunlight, and doing everything “right,” sudden drops in estrogen can bring anxiety, depression, hot flashes, exhaustion, and emotional overwhelm.

    Kyra talks about what these hormonal shifts can feel like from the inside and why understanding the biological side of the experience can bring relief and compassion for ourselves. She also reflects on how earlier generations of women went through these changes without language, research, or support.

    This episode is both an explanation and a reassurance: if you’re in the middle of one of these waves, you’re not broken and you’re not alone. Hormonal storms pass. Your mind and body will find their balance again.

    Take a breath. Step into the Chillness Room.

    If you would like to hear more, consider subscribing below!



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    19 min
  • Chillness Room Ep. 18: Chemical or Mystical? Where Intuition Really Comes From

    Where does intuition actually come from?

    Is it brain chemistry… or something mystical?

    In this episode of The Chillness Room, Kyra explores the fascinating middle ground between science and spirituality. She looks at how intuition may arise from pattern recognition in the brain, the gut-brain connection through the vagus nerve, hormonal shifts that heighten sensitivity, and the ways our mind tries to predict the future to keep us safe.

    Along the way, she reflects on personal experiences with intuition, including how perimenopause can change emotional awareness and sensitivity, and how our past experiences shape what we perceive as “knowing.”

    But the conversation doesn’t stop with biology.

    What about consciousness? Ancient wisdom traditions? The feeling that we are more than just brain chemistry?

    This episode invites you to consider a gentle possibility: intuition might not be one thing at all. It may be a blend of body, mind, memory, and something deeper that connects us to life itself.

    A thoughtful, curious exploration for anyone who has ever wondered where their inner knowing comes from.



    Get full access to The Deep Season at thedeepseason.substack.com/subscribe
    31 min
  • Chillness Room Ep. 17: Identity Shifts and Letting Go of Old Expectations

    In this episode of The Chillness Room, Kyra reflects on growing up without being expected to amount to much—and how that shaped her relationship with success, safety, and identity.

    Through stories of her grandmothers, loss, resilience, and the reality that life can change in an instant, she explores the tension between staying safe and becoming who you are meant to be.

    This episode gently moves into the powerful concept of identity shift—especially during midlife transitions, perimenopause, empty nesting, caregiving, and other seasons of change.

    You are invited to release outdated roles, old beliefs, and inherited expectations, and to consciously choose what you want to bring into the next phase of your life; perhaps more peace, softness, self-honoring?

    This is a quiet recalibration toward your next becoming.

    Want more Chillness Room or The Deep Season with Kyra Schaefer? Subscribe Below



    Get full access to The Deep Season at thedeepseason.substack.com/subscribe
    19 min
  • Chillness Room Special Ep. 1: When the World Feels Like It’s Breaking

    In this special episode of Chillness Room, Kyra wakes to news of war and shares an honest, emotional reflection on what it means to stay human when the world feels frightening.

    Through Buddhist teachings on suffering (dukkha), compassion for all sides (karuna), loving-kindness (metta), and bodhicitta—the awakened wish for all beings to be free—this episode becomes a quiet prayer for Iranian and American families, military on both sides, and anyone carrying fear right now.

    You don’t have to carry the world.You don’t have to solve it.You can send love.

    This episode also includes a reading from Little Zen Stories—“The Mountain Path”—a reminder that the summit is not the point. The walking is.

    If you are overwhelmed, grieving, angry, or just deeply sensitive to what’s unfolding, this space is for you.

    May you be safe.May you be protected from harm.May you find peace.May your heart be at ease.

    Want to hear more from Kyra? Consider subscribing for free below.



    Get full access to The Deep Season at thedeepseason.substack.com/subscribe
    27 min

About The Chillness Room

From the publisher's feed

The Chillness Room is a quiet audio space for settling the nervous system and softening the mind without effort or fixing. It’s simply a place to allow yourself to be.