I’ve lived through fire.
Grief fire. Fatherhood fire. Awakening fire.
And I’ve come to believe that whatever survives the burning is what was always true.
My name is Jesse Kuhn.
I’m a father to three daughters. A widower. A writer. An artist. A biological man learning to stay open in a world that makes it easy to shut down.
I spent years in the commercial creative world under the name Raw Toast Design—a sarcastic nod to “bread and butter” simplicity. But that name was also a buffer. A mask I wore when I wasn’t quite ready to be known.
This is different.
This space—Fragments from the Furnace—isn’t about personal branding or positioning. It’s a place to leave behind pieces of my real self. The words that appeared in the firelight. The ones I want my daughters to one day read and say, “He really loved us. He really saw the world. He really showed up.”
You’ll find reflections on fatherhood, grief, masculinity, devotion, sensuality, spirit, and what it means to rebuild your inner life when your outer one crumbles.
I’m not trying to be an expert in anything.
I’m just leaving a trail of warmth for anyone who needs to know they’re not walking alone.
You can also explore the books I’m writing, listen to the podcast, or read the latest field notes. Everything lives here now. Everything has been shaped by the fire.
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Certified Grief Educator
Jesse is certified through The Grief Educator Certificate Program led by world-renowned grief expert David Kessler and grief.com. This training supports Jesse’s ongoing work in creating compassionate resources for those navigating loss, grief, and emotional reawakening.
→ View Certification
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