Inner Spark

Casey Taton
  • 4.8 (22)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Semimonthly

Inner Spark is a podcast dedicated to sharing stories of transformation and personal growth. Each episode looks into pivotal moments in the lives of my guests, where they experienced a significant shift or awakening that moved them towards new ways of living.From career changes to spiritual awakenings, from overcoming adversity to finding unexpected passions, my guests share the moments that sparked their journey towards a more fulfilling and authentic life. Through honest and inspiring conversations, listeners will gain insight into the power of self-discovery and the courage it takes to embrace change.Join me as I explore the transformative  moments that have ignited the spark of change, and discover how these experiences can lead to shifts in perspective, purpose, and direction. If you're seeking inspiration to embark on your own journey of growth and transformation, this podcast is for you. Tune in and let the sparks fly!

  1. 3d ago

    You Never Move On, You Move Forward with Justine King: Grief Series Ep.9

    Send us Fan Mail I met Justine at a boxing gym, and it didn't take long to realize she's one of the most genuine, heart-of-gold people I've ever known. She's spent seven years opening her home to strangers walking through the unimaginable — the loss of a child. In this episode, Justine shares the story of her son Josh, who she and her husband Bob lost on Easter Sunday, 2017 — the day after what she calls one of her best birthdays ever. She talks about the moment everything changed, the years since, and the support group she and Bob ran out of their own living room for families who understood exactly what she was carrying. We talk about what it actually means to help someone who's grieving — why "call me if you need anything" doesn't work, why just showing up does, and why sitting in silence with someone can say more than any words you could find. Justine shares the phrase she's started using instead of "I'm sorry," what her tattoos mean to her, and why she believes you never move on from a loss like this — you move forward, carrying it with you. This one is heavy, and it's also full of hope. Justine's faith carried her through the worst thing she could imagine, and she's spent the years since turning that into a place for other people to land. In this episode: Justine's story of losing her son Josh, and the years that followedWhy "call me if you need anything" isn't real support — and what isThe support group Justine and her husband ran for seven yearsWhat her tattoos mean and why she got themWhy grief isn't something you move on from — it's something you carry forwardWhere to find support if you or someone you love has lost a childResources mentioned: While We're Waiting support group — Wichita, KS (Riverlawn Church, last Thursday of the month)While We're Waiting Facebook group (for bereaved parents)Listener challenge: If you know someone who's lost someone — whether it was last month or ten years ago — reach out today. Not "let me know if you need anything." Just reach out. Send the text. Bring the toilet paper. Sit with them in silence if that's all you have. You can find me at: https://www.instagram.com/cataton/ https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/ You can find what sparks me at: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/ https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/ Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler Artwork by:  https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/

  2. Aug 22

    I Didn't Get to Feel It, I Was It: Grief Series Ep.8

    Send us Fan Mail This week, I step away from the guest chair and get honest about my own grief — mid-eclipse season, mid-edit, mid-life. Fresh off the conversation with Dr. Craig Farney about the difference between feeling sad and being sad, I found myself living the answer in real time. A physical health scare pulled her straight back into an old fear, grief showed up uninvited at her desk, and she made the choice to let it move through her instead of pushing past it. In this Shower Sprinkle, I talk about: Why eclipse season seems to be surfacing heaviness for everyone latelyThe moment grief ambushed her while editing an upcoming guest episodeA physical trigger that took her back to a hard season of her health historyWhy hosting a grief-focused show doesn't make her immune to griefThe practice of letting a feeling have its five minutes, instead of solving or explaining it awayA note on what's ahead: Next week's guest joins me to talk about the loss of a child, and how she's turned unimaginable pain into helping others survive theirs. Trigger warning noted in advance — I want you to know this one will be tender. You can find me at: https://www.instagram.com/cataton/ https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/ You can find what sparks me at: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/ https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/ Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler Artwork by:  https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/

  3. Aug 15

    Permission To Feel with Dr Craig Farney: Grief Series Ep.7

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Grief Series, I sit down with Dr. Craig Farney — who I jokingly call "the feelings doctor" — for a conversation about the connection between our emotions and our physical health. Dr. Farney has personally helped me work through my own grief, and in this episode he breaks down why so many of us were never taught how to feel our feelings in the first place, and what that costs us physically and emotionally when we don't. What we cover: Dr. Farney's approach to helping people become aware of the subconscious patterns driving their wellbeingThe three questions he asks every client: what do you feel, where do you feel it, and why do you feel itThe inner parent / inner child framework, and how most of us "parent" ourselves the same way we were parentedWhy feelings aren't the problem — it's the behavior that follows them that we're really trying to controlThe critical difference between "I feel sad" (an experience) and "I am sad" (an identity) — and why that distinction changes how grief moves through youHow unprocessed grief shows up in the body: gut issues, fatigue, sleep problems, autoimmune flare-upsGrief isn't only about death — the death of a relationship, a dream, or a career can grieve just as deeplyWhy grief has no timeline, and why something can resurface 20 years laterGendered grief norms — why men are so often taught not to cry, and the health cost of that conditioningDr. Farney's own story: a distant relationship with his father, not being able to cry at his dad's funeral, and the moment his dad turned, kissed his mom, and passed awayWhy "the past without emotion is wisdom," and how to hold complicated grief without judgmentYou can connect with Dr. Craig Farney at:https://www.docerelifecenter.com/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCraigFarney Listen to his podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@mind.shift.podcasts You can find me at: https://www.instagram.com/cataton/ https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/ You can find what sparks me at: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/ https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/ Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler Artwork by:  https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/

  4. Aug 8

    Grief Didn't Get the Last Word with Glenn Gum: Grief Series Ep.6

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm sitting down with someone I don't usually get to interview — my grandfather, Glenn Gum. He was married to my grandmother, Sheila, for 69 years before she passed. We recorded this conversation at Table Rock Lake, where our family has vacationed together for over 50 years — so this isn't a studio interview. It's just us, talking the way we always have. My Grandpa agreed to share this because he wants it to help someone else walking through the same thing. He talks about what grief has actually felt like for him — not the version people expect, but the real one: isolation, the pull to stay in bed, the guilt of still being here. He talks about the friends who chose to stay in that isolation, and the sister-in-law who told him plainly: if you sit in your house and do nothing, the devil wins. And he talks about what it took to choose differently — staying active, staying connected, and deciding, one morning at a time, to be the guy who says good morning instead of the guy who doesn't. This one is personal. My grandpa didn't just answer questions for this episode — he gave us 69 years of love, and what he's learned about living after loss. In this episode: What grief has actually felt like for him, in his own wordsThe role isolation plays in grief, and how it compoundsThe moment his sister-in-law's words changed his mindsetWhy "positive" has to be a practice, not just a feelingHow he's rebuilt a life, health, and community after 69 years with one partnerYou can find me at: https://www.instagram.com/cataton/ https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/ You can find what sparks me at: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/ https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/ Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler Artwork by:  https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/

  5. Jul 25

    No One Gets to Drive This But You with Terri Brown: Grief Series Ep. 5

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Inner Spark Grief Series, I sit down with Terri Brown, an LSCSW psychotherapist with 39 years of experience in death and dying, critical incident response, and grief counseling — including work with Kroger's critical incident teams and 12 years serving soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with the Department of Defense. Terri has personally walked alongside me through my own journey, and in this conversation we get into why grief is so rarely talked about — and why that silence leaves so many people feeling alone in it. We talk about: Terri's beach metaphor for grief — the waves that lap gently at your feet, and the ones that swamp you without warningWhy "I'm so sorry for your loss" isn't the comfort we think it is, and what to say insteadThe "grief grocery bag" — a simple, tangible way to show up for someone grievingWhy there's no timeline, no order, and no wrong way to grieve — even 20 years laterWhat happens after the casseroles stop and everyone goes homeHow to actually mean it when you say "I'm here for you"Why grief and joy aren't opposites — and how humor becomes part of healingTerri's own story about her dad, and the moment they still laugh about todayA line worth sitting with: "This is your process. This is your journey, and it's your timeline. No one gets to drive this but you." If this episode brought something up for you, please know — grief doesn't need to be earned, explained, or timed. You're allowed to be exactly where you are. If you found something that sparked you, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today. You can find me at: https://www.instagram.com/cataton/ https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/ You can find what sparks me at: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/ https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/ Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler Artwork by:  https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/

  6. Jul 18

    Deep Grief Means Deep Love with Carmen Walsh: Grief Series Ep.4

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Grief Series, I sit down with Carmen Walsh — writer, speaker, and fierce advocate for women over 40 claiming their freedom and joy — for one of the most vulnerable conversations the series has featured yet. Carmen opens up about losing her older brother to epilepsy when she was just 15, and how she spent the next three decades shutting her grief down to protect the people around her. She shares the exact moment she decided to stop expressing her feelings — a story involving a piano, a boyfriend, and the words "it's been over a year" — and how that moment shaped her relationships for years to come. The conversation shifts when Carmen shares her father's death in 2019, and how being present for his passing gave her a completely different, healing experience of grief — one that helped her finally understand what she'd missed for 30 years. Together, Carmen & I explore why grief has no hierarchy, why we're never taught how to feel our feelings, and why avoiding what feels hard also means denying ourselves what feels delicious. This episode is a permission slip — to feel, to grieve loudly or quietly, and to know there's no wrong way to carry loss. What You'll Hear In This Episode Why grief means you had deep love — and why that reframe changes everythingCarmen's story of losing her brother at 15, and the moment she decided to stop sharing her feelingsHow her father's death in 2019 gave her a completely different, healing experience of griefWhy grief has no hierarchy — pet, parent, job, or illness, it's all the same weightWhat Carmen would tell a grieving child — and a grieving adultSimple tools for processing grief without a "safe person" nearby (writing, vocalizing, screaming into a pillow)Connect with Carmen Walsh: https://www.instagram.com/carmen_livelovesavorlife/ Featured Quote "Deep grief means you felt deep love." — Carmen WalshYou can find me at: https://www.instagram.com/cataton/ https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/ You can find what sparks me at: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/ https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/ Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler Artwork by:  https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/

  7. Jul 4

    Who Am I to Talk About Grief? Grief Series Ep.3

    Send us Fan Mail  In this Shower Sprinkle, I'm sharing the heart behind the Grief Series, why I believe grief deserves a place in our everyday conversations, and why you don't have to be fully healed to make a difference in someone else's life. If you've ever questioned your story, your purpose, or whether you're "qualified" enough, this episode is for you. In this episode, we'll talk about: Why I almost didn't start this seriesThe many forms grief can takeWhy grief and joy can exist togetherThe power of sharing your storyWhy no one should have to grieve aloneMy hope is that this series helps you feel seen, understood, and reminds you that whatever you're grieving—you don't have to carry it alone. 💛 If this episode encouraged you, I'd love for you to share it with someone who may need it today. You can find me at: https://www.instagram.com/cataton/ https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/ You can find what sparks me at: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/ https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/ Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler Artwork by:  https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/

  8. Jun 27

    Getting Good at Grief with Pam Sandrock: What a Cancer Diagnosis Taught Her About Rising Again Grief Series Ep.2

    Send us Fan Mail You can only hold a ball underwater for so long before it pops back up. Grief works the same way — and in this episode of the Inner Spark Podcast Grief Series, I sit down with Pam Sandrock, founder of No Knockouts Life Coaching and host of the No Knockouts Podcast, to talk about what really happens when we stop pushing our grief down. Pam was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. What followed wasn't just a medical battle — it was a grief process. She grieved the person she was before the diagnosis, and the person she thought she was going to be after. In this raw and real conversation, Pam shares what a decade of silence taught her, why grief is a skill we all need to get good at, and how she finally found joy on the other side of her hardest chapter. In this episode we talk about: Why grief is something we have to get good at, not get overWhat it really means to grieve your identity after a life-changing diagnosisHow to support someone who is grieving without saying the wrong thingWhy stuffing grief down never works — and what to do insteadHow joy and grief can exist in the same momentConnect with Pam Sandrock: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noknockouts/ Website: https://noknockouts.com Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-knockouts-with-pam-sandrock-trailer/id1811892908?i=1000705766515 You can find me at: https://www.instagram.com/cataton/ https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/ You can find what sparks me at: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/ https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/ Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler Artwork by:  https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/

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Trailer

4.8
out of 5
22 Ratings

About

Inner Spark is a podcast dedicated to sharing stories of transformation and personal growth. Each episode looks into pivotal moments in the lives of my guests, where they experienced a significant shift or awakening that moved them towards new ways of living.From career changes to spiritual awakenings, from overcoming adversity to finding unexpected passions, my guests share the moments that sparked their journey towards a more fulfilling and authentic life. Through honest and inspiring conversations, listeners will gain insight into the power of self-discovery and the courage it takes to embrace change.Join me as I explore the transformative  moments that have ignited the spark of change, and discover how these experiences can lead to shifts in perspective, purpose, and direction. If you're seeking inspiration to embark on your own journey of growth and transformation, this podcast is for you. Tune in and let the sparks fly!

Information

  • Creator
    Casey Taton
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    60
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Inner Spark
  • Show Website
    Inner Spark

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