Before The Afterlife

I spent a fascinating half hour with spiritual facilitator Robert Schwartz, discussing his important work. Robert is a gifted regression therapist, and in his BLSR sessions he connects people to their own unique ‘Council of Elders’. These are assorted beings on the other side – sometimes ascended masters, angels, departed loved ones, and even well known spiritual figures – with whom we make agreements before we are born. Those agreements, known as ‘pre-birth planning’, guide many of the big incidents in our lives, including relationships, accidents, addictions, disabilities, illnesses, and even financial stresses. Yet each of these hard experiences are great learning experiences, say our guides. After Robert connects his clients with their own Council, he supports them to understand the circumstances of their lives more fully. In this way, they are able to release their victim mindsets and understand the rich opportunities within their situations. In speaking with Robert, I learned What a BLSR (Between Lives

A while back on this show, astrologer John Marchesella noted that astrologically we are in a period of deep revolution. In fact, the stars are aligned just as they were in 1776, and they will be for several more years. We’re certainly feeling that in the U.S. – but we’re also having more than our share of natural disasters as well, from massive wildfires to historic floods and hurricanes. These catastrophes seem to be about more than just global warming. From a spiritual perspective, there seems to be the chaos afoot that comes just before our lives become fertile, whole and complete. But then … my shaman is not surprised. “Chaos is where creativity comes from,” Michaela McGivern says. Her views in this interview may begin with some 10,000 foot views about current politics, but quickly they shift to a far bigger message -- about the spiritual lessons of this time we live in. This is a profound time of transformation, as Michaela confirmed with some spot-on channeling from her guides. Together we share thought

Uma Girish describes herself as a ‘Grief Guide’. Lovingly, she holds space for individuals who are grieving from any number of losses, from divorce to death. This is something she has done beside the dying in hospices, as well. And why? Because her own grief around the death of her parents led her here. In 2008, Uma came to the U.S. from India, and within two and a half years both of her parents had died. The shock of the loss put her on an entirely different life trajectory, changing the very core of her values and her sense of purpose in life. “Pain is really the portal to purpose,” Uma Girish says in this wonderful interview.  Besides having an extremely soothing voice, and a supremely gentle manner, Uma is also highly articulate on this subject. Her view is that around death, “…people’s masks fall off.” And so working through the layer of emotions that are unleashed becomes not only critical healing work, but a profound opportunity as well.  Listen and learn:  - Why story telling is essential to a whole g

This particular podcast is a very personal one for me. In this episode, I have the privilege of interviewing the mother of Amera, the young woman who received my daughter Teal's heart and kidney after her death. As one mother to another, Debi and I certainly connect out of simple empathy for the path of motherhood. And we are both happen to be people who love to laugh, and enjoy a good chat. In fact, we genuinely like each other! But we are also people who started out as total strangers, only to become inextricably linked on August 24, 2012. We are mothers who know what it’s like to sit by the side of your daughter’s bed, fearing her imminent death. And we are mothers who learned such decisions are not up to us, and so we both had to learn when to fight … and when to surrender. Today, we are mothers whose DNA is shared in the body of one extraordinary young woman. And we are definitely better for this shared connection. Some might call this karma. It sure feels like it to me. My path with Debi has been a real

If you haven’t experimented with binaural beats, may I suggest you give today’s podcast a good listen? Or perhaps you already have. Karen Newell is the co-founder of Sacred Acoustics, and she and her co-engineer have created a clean, beautiful way for us to put our brain power to best use. Binaural beats help you get rid of ‘monkey mind’, settle down and either get things done, go to sleep, or just relax. And they are mightily effective. The beats pair two frequencies, one in each ear of your (recommended) headphones. One beat is attuned to waking, analytic consciousness … while the other matches the vibration of your preferred state, i.e. a Delta wave, for relaxation, or possibly an engergizing Alpha wave. This prompts the brain to basically get with the program, and supports you in whatever you’re trying to accomplish. In this interview, Karen goes on at length about how the beats are particularly helpful in transcending everyday reality, so you can travel more easily to the other side. Or, say, hang with y

Dr. Eben Alexander is a force field. I had the Incredible opportunity to chat with him about his new work around consciousness. Consciousness, you say? Yes... consciousness. In about five weeks, Dr. Alexander will launch his new book, Living in a Mindful Universe. Here's the thing.  in order to be happy, we have to really surrender to the fact that we have these big, bulky, difficult, meandering minds. So how to tame them? It's Eben Alexander’s choice at this moment to probe all of that, and we are the better for it.  If you're not familiar with his work, he is an academic neurosurgeon who contracted Bubonic plague, went into a coma, and managed to travel to the other side. Instead of dying, he wrote about all of this in his best-selling book Proof of Heaven.  Eben was forever changed by this experience. Today he lives to tell anybody he can find about the transformational insights he received about the mind and the soul and how they travel together through time and space.  If this sounds esoteric, bear with

I begin this week’s episode with my own little essay about what it takes to move through a mid-life crisis … and what the ‘life lesson’ potential is of such time. Interestingly, I compare my own five year journey back to serenity – and beyond – with that of my father, who went through a similar letting go in his fifties. And why do I focus on life lessons? Because, hey, that’s what it’s all about … right? Hence my invitation for the following guest. Deepak Romala is a 25-year-old Indian with an intense passion for learning. Particularly, he loves those little lessons in life that are so critical … and that we learn from our fellow common man, not from great pundits. Indeed, some may say such lessons are the very purpose of life. Over the last eight years, Deepak has collected more than 65,000 of them. After working extensively with the Indian school system to gather lessons, he developed a way to share them through interactive learning experiences – so many people could learn from one person’s experience. Now

Did you know we have more nerves in our belly than in our brain? This is why the belly is often referred to as ‘the second brain’. And why we do ‘gut checks’ when making big decisions.  This delicate system can actually become clouded or blocked by our anxiety or other emotions, just as easily as by our digestive issues. So says Claudia Mansbach, a 17 year practitioner of the ancient Chinese medicine bodywork, Chi Nei Tsang, Chinese medicine bodywork that focuses on the abdomen and internal organs.  This would explain, for me at least, why my gut is the first thing to get tense when life stresses me out. Your health, your emotions, your energy, your alignment … and yes, your happiness … are rooted here. Claudia’s life work is to help anyone with digestive issues heal them using Chi Nei Tsang. But she also helps people who don’t have ‘gut issues’ per se, but nervous system issues instead. Author Allison Post refers to this work as ‘Unwinding the Belly’ and that is what it is at the core. People who experience

“There is no death … okay? They’re still around after they go,” began psychic Suzanne Northrup as we started the interview. Suzane has been a medium and grief counselor, helping people connected to their loved ones in the Afterlife, for more than 30 years. And after all those readings, her big takeaway is this: “Whatever’s going on in your world, or in your life, the most important thing is love. It’s the only thing you have the power to control.” I got interested in speaking to Suzanne after my own high-intensity delve into this world since my daughter Teal’s death in 2012. I had to find out what it was like to actually live and breathe other worldly connection all the time. And I found out! Suzane got her gift as a very young child, and has basically followed that thread throughout her life. After an Emmy award-winning television show, and multiple books, Suzanne still works with people in group seminars and gallery talks she leads around the country. (You can find out more about these in the Resource secti

This week we are celebrating our first six months as an up and rolling podcast. (Hooray!) You are the reason I do this … so I want to thank you for listening and adding your comments. This week you’ll hear fun snippets from our three most popular episodes. In my interview with astrologer John Marchesella, he shares the astrological dope on the current political situation in the U.S. and what the overall trend is for the next 8 years. Then hear from Michaela McGivern, a California shaman, about how she does her work by crossing to the other side. Finally, inspirational author, life coach and happiness blogger, Shannon Kaiser has some relevant words to say about how to go a whole lot easier on yourself. Don’t forget her new book, Self-Love Experiment.  So … in honor of all of this …  I’m sharing an essay I wrote about how the podcast came to be. Which is, not surprisingly, a magical but true story. One that taught me a lot about right timing. Thanks so much for being in the game with me! I drove up to Sebastop

“If there’s something I want strongly enough … I will find a way to make it happen” says my guest Linda Claire Puig. Linda has had a successful career teaching people how to create Internet based businesses … and what she wanted, and badly needed, was a sabbatical. In fact, she was ‘desperate’ for one, as she put it. So she took one … for a total of ten months. After literally years of working her heart out, Linda set out to travel the world. She planned the year as she went along, seeing The Northern Lights in Norway, Belgium, France, Russia, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Argentina, and Uruguay. During this time, Linda kept her own Net business going. But she worked only 5 to 10% of her normal rate. So … short of receiving a windfall … how does the ordinary person do this? Linda didn’t have a windfall, but she did have a very strong intention to make this miracle happen. For her, it began with taking a cold, hard look at her finances, and how she truly wanted to live. The lessons

“I’m not a teacher, I’m not a guru, I’m not an anything. All I am is a sharer, and it seems unusual because it’s the stuff no one talks about … “ begins author Timber Hawkeye. Best known for his book, Buddhist Boot Camp, Timber has continued to write and speak about what It means to be at peace in this world.  Particularly, he loves to talk about letting go, and how to appreciate what’s right in front of you. And people lap up his message. Awarded 900+ five star reviews on Amazon, Buddhist Boot Camp continues to be a perennial best seller. It’s odd that we need reminding about the simple truth of letting go. And yet … we do. In fact, Timber says, letting go and seeing our world as abundant removes the barriers between us. “There’s a constant flux of incoming and outgoing, if I live with this perspective of abundance and enough … that nothing is missing. The moment I realize that I have more than enough – I pass it on and that keeps the abundance flowing to all. That breaks the boundary between us and them.”

Here is the ‘Part Two’ I referred to in my last podcast with Chel Hamiton. Honestly, we had such a fired up conversation going, we just kept recording. And so this episode was born.  It’s on getting real about life  Chel Hamilton, a successful hypnotist and host of the Meditation Minis podcast, says: ‘We are literally being programmed all the time … any time we are on social media, standing in check out surveying candy and magazines, turning on the TV. If we practice getting calm so we can remain clear for most of five minutes, and we then reengage in life, we can see this life as it really is.’  This statement got me thinking. What if the antidote to the rampant fake news that is now sweeping the world is … meditation?  Can it really walk us back to a more perceptive, less inundated frame of mind, so we can accurately pinpoint what is true and what is false around us?  In this wonderful, wide-ranging conversation, Chel shares her ideas about ‘Knee jerkery’ – the impulse to respond quickly and without thinkin

Chel is the host of the popular Mini Meditations Podcast, and has been a successful hypnotist for more than ten years. She’s also an articulate spokeswoman for the landscape of the mind.  If you’re inclined to lie awake at night, this one’s for you. So yeah … ultimately, this episode is about that healer of all healers, meditation. Which also turns out to be a powerful tool for insomnia.  I begin this episode with my biggest question: can meditation heal insomnia? (Take note if you’re a woman of a certain age who hangs out for hours, awake, at night.) Chel says, “It’s like creating an anxiety attack … only you’re doing it in bed.”  So true! “On a neurobiological level we are being programmed all the time,” Chel notes. That includes any time we are on social media, standing in check out lines surveying candy and magazines, or just turning on the TV.  The antidote is meditation, which allows us to get into a calm place, Chel says. Without this we can make the worst decisions and take the worst actions. But if w

I start this episode with some ideas about something I call a ‘Why Not List’. Kind of like a To Do List, but infinitely more joyful. Because if you’re like me, that relentless taskmaster is always keeping score of what we get done.  So this is a sweet way around that heavy burden.  I’ll also be interviewing popular happiness podcaster Jen Riday on this hot topic: ‘If mom ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy’ …  Jen reminded me of this old phrase in telling her story. She’s a mother of six (yes … six!) who does not send her children to daycare. And yet she still has a flourishing career as a happiness coach and podcaster. So how the heck does Jen do this?  The key, she says, is getting clear about the things that are important to us. After getting her PhD, she had a clarifying thought: “How would I like my children to remember me? Will it be as a frustrated, grumpy mom with a big to do list … or will it be as a move involved, more present parent?”  So Jen’s self-care efforts shifted accordingly. This included no lo

This week I’m turning my mind towards angels and how to connect with them. I’ve had my own angelic experiences, which I share in my intro. But then, just to seal the deal, I invited in an expert in angels of all kinds.  I had such a delightful time speaking to Sandra Rea, an Irish angel expert who helps people transform their lives thru energy healing … Her lovely voice and accent evoke misty walks on moors and all manner of mysteries, angelic and otherwise.  And, as expected, Sandra had much wisdom to share. She said this to me:  “We are all holding ourselves back in so many ways, so it is important to step into our lives more fully. I’m the catalyst to help people to do that …” Indeed, she is.  In our free-roaming, all-things-Spirit, conversation, Sandra and I talked about angels, vibrations and just how Spirit intersects our daily lives.  “We come from Spirit and it is unrestricted, unlimited, free and unbounded, and to it we will return. It’s like returning home … you remember your essence, who you truly

Once in a while, I get the rare chance to sit down and talk with a person who is truly happy. Andrew Matthews, a happiness expert and author in Australia, is just one of those people.  Frankly, I’ve often been suspicious of ‘happiness experts’. Sometimes such people are secretly tormented, right? But what I learned from Andrew is that a) he’s not actually a happiness ‘expert’ per se. He just likes to think about such things. And b) even happiness experts experience hard times.  This made me feel infinitely better! What Andrew does is help us reframe our current situation to get back to more peace, more serenity, and more ease in life. And who doesn’t need this? It’s like a great infusion of joy at just the right moments. He says gratitude is the key. “People often think, ‘When I am happy, then I’ll be grateful.’ But here’s the reality … when I’m grateful, then I’ll be happy.”  Here here! Enjoy this stimulating chat. I did! Here’s what I learned: The basic things we must do to turn life around so it becomes e

A few years back, Tony Wrighton’s life was changed by a tropical virus after some overseas travel. For three months, he languished in bed, while even the top specialists in London were unable to determine how to treat him. He describes feeling “sad and weak … as if I had chronic fatigue syndrome.” And yet, I can tell you after a half hour chat with Tony, he is anything but that. This man – whose podcast is rightly called Zestology – has an infectious love for life, a natural exuberance, and boundless joie de vivre. These days he’s also especially excited about ‘tapping’, also known as EFT, the Emotional Freedom Technique. For it was EFT that actually healed his strange disease. After a skilled practitioner tapped on Tony’s face the very first time, he had an intense emotional release. And soon the virus was completely gone. Join us as Tony talks about maintaining a zestful life, and what his ‘magic bullet’ is for Emergency Zest as needed. Here’s what I learned … The 12th Century cure for hangovers that still

Can exercise support personal transformation … or is it really just about heaves, grunts, and getting into a beach body for the summer? I put that question to a popular Oakland coach, Will Belew. At his business, The Fitness Alchemists, he and his business partner believe that exercise can affect transformational change that include our beliefs, our attitudes and our overall approach to life. It turns out not only can exercise reboot your brain – it actually ‘cleans house’ as it moves through the brain tissue. Hence our positive feelings, our increased confidence, and our general mojo as we move forward from a good workout. Furthermore, exercise can teach the body new ways to adapt to life’s circumstances, whether you’re a vet who lost a limb or a middle-aged woman who needs renewed confidence. This wide-ranging conversation touches on everything from how a really good workout routine teaches us a patience to how to overcome the natural desire to crap out on the way to the gym. Will’s natural enthusiasm and d

Carl Jung said, ‘It’s a privilege in life to find out who you really are.’ Tapping into your inner wisdom has gotten short shrift in the hectic rush of our lives today. Yet there’s so much more to discover by tuning in, according to today’s guest Laura Coe. Our bodies have wisdom. Yet we drift away from our natural passion and purpose simply because we forget to listen. ‘What do YOU want right now?’ Laura asks – and it’s a wonderful question. For some of us, it can even be a little hard to answer. In my own experience, I have often been unable to tell the difference between my own thoughts and the opinions of others In fact, in the first part of this podcast, I share a relevant essay I wrote last year, called “Why It’s So Difficult to Know What You Want?”  You can begin by talking about micro truths, Laura advises. And try -- even just for today -- to be honest, real and authentic in your small decisions. Ask yourself, ‘What do I want?” and then start to notice the floodgate of sentences that follow. For most