Grief 2 Growth

This episode is a follow up to a recent episode in which Heidi and I discussed her Near Death Experiences and three lessons she brought back from it. We touched on her book of affirmations and the importance of gratitude in our lives- things that can make a real tangible difference.  

I wanted to have Heidi back to explore these important topics further. In this episode we discuss them and her book: "Messages from Heaven The Little Book of Affirmations Based on the True Story of a Near Death Experience and the Messages Received" which is available on Amazon.com  

For more episodes like this in the future, head over to my Patreon and become a patron of the show. Future bonus episodes will be exclusively for patrons.   

Heidi Craig is the mother of three boys, a credit analyst, and an author. In 2004, during the birth of her youngest son, Heidi found herself out of her body and in the presence of "spirit beings." 

Heidi was given three messages to bring back with her. She says her near-death experience helped her to understand and accept challenges she had faced in her life up until that point, including abuse at the hands of her father. It also helped her with the difficulties she would face after returning. Heidi's mission now is to help as many people as she can by sharing her experience and its lessons.

Heidi's book is "Messages from Heaven (The Little Book of Affirmations Based on the True Story of a Near Death Experience and the Lessons Learned)"

As of today, Friday, October 25, 2019, The Forever Angels- Near Death Experiences in Childhood and Their Lifelong Impact, is Dr. Atwater's latest book. Next week that will no longer be true. 

I was fortunate enough to catch up with P.M.H. for a series of three interviews. The first covered her life (in brief- she is in her 80s and has led an amazing life) and her film As You Die Know That You Live Forever. The second interview was about her book Dying To Know You- Proof of God In the Near Death Experience. If you have not seen those interviews, I recommend them.  

In this interview, we talk about her amazing research concerning the lifelong impacts of the Near Death Experiences on children of the ages of five and under at the time they had their experiences. She follows up on earlier work and expands the study to take it a level no one has before.  

You can find more about P.M.H. at: 

This episode is part of the Ask Me Anything series. The question comes from a patron of the show. She asks why her daughter, if she had a choice, chose to remain on the Other Side rather than return to her. The question was prompted by the reports from some Near Death Experiencers that they were given a choice of returning or staying. 

These bonus episodes will eventually be moving to the Patreon platform. If you'd like to provide financial support to the show, get access to the bonus materials, and be able to ask questions that could become a bonus episode, please visit me there and sponsor the show for as little as $5.00 a month to get access.

This is part two of at least a three part series with P.M.H. Atwater. If you missed the first episode, we covered her fascinating life before her three NDEs and how that led her to become the foremost researcher and author in the field.

In this interview, we discuss her book: "Dying To Know You- Proof of God in the Near Death Experience". This book was given to her by a spiritually transformative experience. It gives voice to the collective experiences of several thousand Near Death Experiencers who Dr. Atwater has interviewed.

You can find her at:

Penny and I have been friends for several years. When I met Penny she had an undiagnosed condition that caused her to go into anaphylactic shock periodically. Penny found herself outside of her body, in a void, then in the presence of her deceased grandmother, then in the Presence. In this interview, Penny shares the story of her experience, the lessons she learned, and how the experience has changed her life.

I have never had as much fun in an interview as I had with P.M.H. She is full of joy, as you'll see by the first few seconds of the video.

Dr. Atwater is a pioneer in the field of the Near Death Experience. After having had three experiences herself, she quit her job, moved cross country, and started her own research project. Almost 5,000 interviews, over 40 years, and almost 20 books later, I think it's safe to say she is one of the world's best experts on the experience. It was a true honor to have this conversation with her.

In this conversation, we talk about her life, her NDEs and her groundbreaking video "As We Die", a video for the actively dying, and the rest of us. It can totally change your perspective on what it means to die and how you approach it.

You can find P.M.H. at:

Joanna is a friend I met in our MasterHeart group, a small group of entrepreneurs who aspire to have authentic, heart driven businesses. Joanna is an Advanced Grief Recovery Specialist.

As we talked about what Joanna does, I realized a very important part of grief recovery for many is resolving guilt, regret, etc. around things we said or didn't say, did or didn't do, before our loved ones passed. Before we can make a good solid relationship with them in this new way, we have to heal those things. 

Joanna employs a method to help resolve these unresolved emotions and we discuss it in the interview. She's also a former professional medium and talks about ways we can all become better at communicating with our loved ones on the other side of the veil. Her book that helps with this is Signs from Spirit by Rev. Joanna Bartlett. There is also a course on Udemy that covers this material.

I've known Debra for several months and we've talked a few times. When I heard her book, "Diary of a Death Doula: 25 Lessons the Dying Teach Us About the Afterlife", was coming out I scheduled her for the podcast.

Debra's journey through life is one of going from being a high-powered Wall Street money manager and television correspondent to finding out that she has mediumistic abilities. She now works as a professional medium, pscyhic, and medical intuitive.

Debra became a death doula. I'll let her tell you what that is in the episode. What it means is she spends hours with the actively dying. As someone who sees and hears the spirit world, this has given her a unique perspective to write the book about her experiences as a death doula. 

When our loved ones are in the stages of death, and there are stages of death, there is so much going on behind the scenes that we can't understand or perceive. In her book, Debra pulls back the curtain and gives us a peek as she is able to see into both worlds at once.

After having read dozens of books on mediumship, death and dying, etc. I wasn't sure how much there was more for me to learn. I found some surprising revelations in the book and during our chat. 

Debra is available for mediumship, psychic, and or medically intuitive readings. You can find her at:

Chris Batts had a difficult life from the very beginning. Literally tossed in the trash at six months old, Chris experienced rejection for his entire life. He contemplated and even planned suicide. Then one day, he literally leaped to his death. But, God had other plans for Chris.

If you have any questions about what happens to those who complete suicide, you'll want to listen to this interview and get Chris' book "Boom! The Life and Times of a Suicide Near Death Experiencer." 

Chris is a member of IANDS, the International Association for Near Death Studies. He has spoken twice at their international conferences. 

Tricia had a Near Death Experience, after an automobile accident, on the operating table. This was her senior year of college. God had a request/demand for her life that was nowhere on Tricia's radar at the time. But, Tricia answered the call. The rest, as they say, is history. Fast forward, and Tricia is changing the lives of young people in her classroom and the rest of us.

I've heard Tricia interviewed several times and I've known that I wanted to get her on my show. She's extremely busy speaking all over the country; writing and now promoting her book; and teaching English at the college level.

I met Lindsay a few weeks ago. A mutual friend introduced us. After talking with her a few minutes I knew I had to have her on the podcast.  Lindsay is the Shining Light mother of two boys in spirit. A year and a half after her boys transitioned in a fire, Lindsay was blessed with a baby girl.   Lindsay says immediately after her boys passed, she mothered them through their transition. 

Well versed in several healing modalities, Lindsay first worked on her own healing then began working on healing others starting with those her local community who were deeply impacted by her boys' passing.  

Lindsay is a Qoya instructor, massage therapist, life coach, and equine therapist. She leads a regular grief group where people can come together via Zoom. 

If you visit her website, she has a free download for you.  

You can find Lindsay at: 

Reverend Bill McDonald has led a fascinating life. From early childhood, spanning over six decades, he has had spiritual and out of body experiences. He performed heroics in Vietnam. He has traveled the world having spiritual experiences and learning. And, he serves veterans and others in his current very busy life, into his 70s.

Sitting in the presence of Reverend Bill McDonald is an honor. I spoke with him once after being introduced to him and we recorded a podcast that had some technical difficulties. In spite of his busy schedule, he graciously agreed to re-record the episode. This re-take might be better than the first.  We talked for an hour and a half, with the recording on. We talked for another half an hour after I stopped the recording. I could talk to Rev Bill all day.  I know a 90-minute commitment of your time is a lot to ask. So, I'd like to suggest taking the episode in chunks. You have to stay until the end to hear his "Naadi Palm" story, the craziest psychic reading I've ever heard (one recorded hundreds of years before his birth and spot-on for his current life).  

for more information on Rev Bill see:   

Barbara and I had a fascinating conversation about the end of life and how she helps people and their families make that transition. Barbara is a pioneer in the hospice field, getting involved in the mid-80s when most people couldn't even pronounce hospice. She is truly a woman on a mission.

Bridgett Tulloh is a life coach, business coach, and the host of the podcast "The Truth About Living". I've known Bridgett for over a year now.  We have had several in depth conversations.

A while ago she posted something on her Facebook wall about meditation and it not necessarily being for everyone. Bridgett approached our conversation from that point of view. Bridgett is a long time meditator and has even taught meditation. But, she gave it up. I told her I'd love to have a conversation with her about meditation and how it works for me. So, we had that conversation, and we recorded it for your listening pleasure.

We started out with a bit of a difference of opinion. I think we each made some good points. I hope you'll find the conversation beneficial as you decide what role meditation should or should not play in your life.

You can find Bridgett at:

I have known Irene for a couple of years. Irene and I met at a weekend conference. She has become one of our best friends over the course of time. Irene is the Vice President for Helping Parents Heal and the Conference Chairperson.

Irene's daughter Carly has been inspiring Irene since her passing. Irene has been actively involved with Helping Parents Heal, starting a thriving affiliate group in Bluffton, SC as well as heading up our two conferences. The second Helping Parents Heal Conference will be in Charleston, SC in April 2020.

As you listen to this episode, you will see just how amazing and resilient Irene is having gone through the worst thing any parent has to go through. What I would like you to keep in mind is we all have an inner strength that we often underestimate. I am inspired by Irene and people like her to do my best to make Shayna proud, as Irene does to make Carly proud.

I met Daniel when we were both doing volunteer work for Voice of Our Angels. I hosted a gallery reading he did for those parents. I immediately knew I liked this guy. He's only been doing mediumship publicly for about a year but he's already got a large and rapidly growing following based on how good he is as a medium and how sincere he is as a human being.

Daniel and I share similar paths when it comes to religion, the Bible and where we are with our faith now. In this interview, we discuss extensively whether the Bible prohibits mediumship and whether Christians should consider consulting with a medium. We talk about what mediumship is and isn't and how we can all improve our ability to connect across the veil. We also talk about how upcoming book which sounds like it's going to be a good one.

Rev. Dr. Terri Daniel and I sat down for a chat about how religion can effectively complicate grief rather than providing relief. Dr. Daniel is a End-of-Life Advisor,  Interfaith Chaplain, and certified in death, dying, and bereavement.  

Terri and I have known each other for a few years as we are both part of Helping Parents Heal and Shining Light Parents. We have taught classes on grief together. When it comes to toxic religion, I have lived with the guilt and shame that comes from what so many of are taught in Sunday school.  Terri has hands on experience with the dying and the bereaved as a certified counselor. 

In this talk, we have a live audience that actively participates, sharing their stories.  

For more, get Terri's book God and Grief- When Religion Does More Harm Than Healing available from her website 

I have heard Ingrid in several interviews before and had the pleasure of having a conversation with her on behalf of Helping Parents Heal. But, I had not read her book "A Brightly Guided Life" until the day before this conversation.

Ingrid has had two near-death/out of body experiences. Intuitive from a very young age, Ingrid has sense spirit and "light beings" around her all of her life. Her book reads like a novel as Ingrid has faced many challenges in her life. However, a key lesson that comes through loud and clear is that Ingrid's life has been guided, even through events that no one would wish for themselves. Even during times when Ingrid told the Beings of Light she wanted to go on her own, they were there guiding her life. As I was reading her book what I realized is that while Ingrid is unique in her experience with the Beings of Light, we all lead brightly guided lives, whether we are aware of it or not.

Wow. I am so excited about this episode. Natalie Sudman had an NDE in Iraq in 2007. She died when her vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Natalie immediately found herself in another "environment" as she describes it. In total, she experienced three distinct environments and each taught her her valuable lessons about who we are and why we are here.  

Her book The Application of Impossible Things is one of hundreds of NDEs I have read and dozens of books about Near Death Experiences. I have read it three or four times over the course of three years. Each time I get more depth from it.  

I've wanted to have a conversation with Natalie for a long time. It was as great as I thought it would be. Listen to the interview, then get the book!     

Michelle is the Shining Light Parent of Olivia, who made her transition to the spirit world in 2009. Michelle's life of spiritually transformative experiences began with a White Light experience at the age of 12. 

Michelle feels that over the nine years since Olivia passed she has had the purpose in life to serve others. Michelle has immersed herself into spiritual studies since becoming a certified hypnotherapist, shaman, and Reiki practitioner. Her husband Harvey and her son have also had experiences with Olivia. The whole Stein family knows Olivia is still with them.

for more information see me at:

Dana Stinson-Cumby is the Shining Light Parent of Noah who passed away in September of 2017. In this episode, Dana relates a Near Death Experience that she had early in her life. It's a veridical NDE in that Dana saw things when she was out of her body that were later confirmed by others. Dana had a series of synchronicities that led her to a Shared Death Experience (a profound experience whereby a loved one, caregiver or bystander shares in a dying person’s initial transition from this world). 

As we look back on Dana's life, we see divine guidance all the way though. Pay close attention to the details of her NDE at the age of 12 because this will make sense in her Shared Death Experience later in life.

p.s.-

After the interview, Dana called me and gave me some more information about her Shared Death Experience. No matter how many times we have these experiences it seems we question our own sanity and experience when the world tells us what we have experienced is impossible.

When you listen, you'll hear that Dana had a Shared Death Experience where she walked with a dying woman into her crossing. Dana saw imagery that was reminiscent of the experience she had as a 12-year-old. Yet, she wondered if this was real. In the Shared Death Experience, Dana saw the woman's eventual home that she had constructed mentally, a small house along the beach. The woman was wearing a scarf in Dana's experience. She appeared much younger than her sixty-plus years, closer to thirty. She, her Mom, Dad, and stepdaughter (who had passed) were sitting in a coach being carried by four angels, one on each corner. After the woman let go and passed, her brother, who was staying at a nearby hotel called to check on her status. He reported that he had fallen asleep and had the strangest dream. He saw his sister, on the beach, with a scarf around her neck. She was sitting in front of a small beach house and appeared to be around 30 years old- just as Dana had been shown in the Shared Death Experience.

When the woman's daughter went to choose a casket, the catalog fell open to a page that was a casket with an angel on each corner. Amy, her daughter, chose this casket, not knowing of the vision Dana had where the four angels were carrying the coach.

for more information see me at: 

I met Daniel when he was volunteering with Voice of Our Angels, a support group for parents who have lost children. I moderated a gallery reading and Q&A session Daniel did for the parents. Daniel in addition to being a full time medical device salesman is a father of three small children, a husband, a Reiki practitioner, and has recently become a certified evidential medium. Daniel is a very busy guy and a fascinating interview.

I wanted to have a conversation with Daniel on Grief 2 Growth because of his passion for ferreting out the truth when it comes to his faith and to mediumship. Many would say to be a Bible believing Christian and a medium is an oxymoron. I disagree and so does Daniel. In this episode, we talk about the scripture and mediumship as well as talking about what Daniel is up to in terms of being of service, following his passion, and following his calling.

Thanks to everyone who thought of me today and reached out. It's gratifying to know how many remember. Today is Monday, June 24th, the fourth anniversary of Shayna's passing. As I head out for my walk this morning, it's a day very similar to that day four years ago when I did the same thing. I now know that as I walked, Shayna was in her bed, spirit already gone from her body, and I wonder how I could have taken that walk without knowing, without somehow sensing that she had slipped away.

I've received cards, calls, messages from many people. People continue to remember and honor Shayna and I am proud and humbled at the same time. Many of the parents I know say their families and friends don't acknowledge these days and they feel alone because of it. They are not alone in this regard,  not a single biological family remember has reached out to me. My family doesn't read my blog. They don't listen to my podcast. They don't even comment on my Facebook posts. This isn't uncommon. We have to find our new tribe. We have to focus not on the friends we have lost and the family that has either forgotten or finds it too uncomfortable to reach out to me. I choose to concentrate on the blessing of my new friends, my new non-biological family like the members of Helping Parents Heal and Voice of Our Angels.

I try to tell myself that the 24th of June is a day like any other day. It's just one of three hundred and sixty-five on the calendar every year. Ty has put it on the calendar this year. I don't need to have it on the calendar. I know June 24th as well as I know January 13th, the day Shayna joined us on the planet.

Mark Earlix is an internationally known healer, intuitive, author and ordained priest who was born in Chicago, Illinois. At the age of 20, Mark was given a profound gift that dramatically transformed his life, and purpose forever. 

Mark has been initiated into two orders of Gnosticism. At the core of his teachings lies not only the awakening of the divinity and wellness within all, but also the experiential understanding of what is going on beyond the philosophical level. This understanding ensures real transformation and wellness of both mind and body. He genuinely feels his gift of healing is available to all, and he teaches his unique techniques in experiential workshops, his writing and individual appointments. Mark can be found at various expo’s around the country.

In today's episode, we discuss Mark's amazing journey that led him to where he is today, how he heals people, how he teaches people to heal, and his philosophy on life. I think you'll come away seeing how incidents in Mark's life led him on the path he is on to be an internationally known healer and intuitive.

Elizabeth Boisson is the founder of Helping Parents Heal, an international organization dedicated to helping parents after the loss of a child. 

Two of Elizabeth's children have transitioned; her daughter, Chelsea, in 1991 and her son, Morgan, in 2009 from severe altitude sickness while on a student trip to the Base Camp of Mt Everest in Tibet. 

Immediately after Morgan's passing, Elizabeth created the Facebook group Parents United in Loss. Then in 2012, she joined forces with Mark Ireland to form Helping Parents Heal. Elizabeth is a certified yoga instructor and teaches yoga for healing grief. She is the Affiliate Leader of the Phoenix/Scottsdale HPH group. 

In today's episode, I discussed with Elizabeth how the passing of Chelsea helped her prepare for the passing of Morgan and how the passing of Morgan led to the breaking open that caused Elizabeth to start this organization that has saved thousands of lives. We discussed what makes Helping Parents Heal different from other "bereavement" groups, the importance of language for healing, and the upcoming second Helping Parents Heal conference in Charleston, SC in April 2020.

for more information on Helping Parents Heal- visit their website:

I was thinking about healing. Why do some people receive miraculous healing and others do not? A few days ago a healer spoke to our Helping Parents Heal group and some of the parents posed this question. "What if my child had seen a healer? Might they still be here?"

As I thought about this, my thoughts turned to the greatest Healer of all time. What was his record on healing? And, then I began to think about death and illness, our mortal enemies and wondered if we might be looking at them all wrong.

What are your thoughts? Chime in on my Facebook page or drop me a line:

Michelle Clare is a three time Near Death Experiencer, a certified evidential medium, and an intuitive life coach. I met Michele as a test sitter for her mediumship certification.  

In this episode, Michelle shares with us three very different Near Death Experiences. I believe that NDEs are tailored for the individual having them to provide them with the lessons they need and that they need to share with the rest of us. Michelle's experiences support my hypothesis as each experience came at a time in her life, with a lesson that she needed.  

Michelle, as an evidential medium, delivers messages, with evidence, that she is connecting with your loved ones in spirit. As an intuitive life coach, Michelle connects with your spirit guides, angels, loved ones in spirit, etc. to bring you guidance for your life.  This was a fascinating conversation covering a wide range of topics.  

After the loss of a very close loved one or after a deeply spiritually transformative experience such as an NDE, many people feel an intense longing for Home. If we verbalize this, it can be seen as morose. It's a taboo subject, but I wanted to explore it. I asked Peter why he chose to stay after his NDE(s) where he experienced pure bliss. Nearly 40 years after his first NDE, Peter is still here.

Reverend Peter Panagore is a 2x Near Death Experiencer, Professional Speaker, Best Selling International Author and broadcaster with 30 million Views Annually.

Peter is the author of Heaven is Beautiful: How Dying Taught Me That Death Is Just the Beginning and Two Minutes for God:  Quick Fixes for the Spirit

Peter is a former pastor. But, he continues to minister to people and is a regular guest speaker in churches.
 

I invited Peter to talk to a group that I volunteer with. During our talk he mentioned something that I wanted to go deeper into. I called him up and he agreed to this interview.

Peter has had two near death experiences. After the loss of a very close loved one or after a deeply spiritually transformative experience such as an NDE, many people feel an intense longing for Home. If we speak of this, it can be seen as morose. It's taboo to talk about wanting to die. But I wanted to explore it and Peter was kind enough to explore it with me. I asked Peter why he chose to stay after his NDE(s) where he experienced pure bliss. Nearly 40 years after his first NDE, Peter is still here.