#33 Grief To Growth With Brian Smith

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Brian Smith is a certified life coach, a grief guide, and a small business consultant. Brian's mission is to help others by sharing lessons he has learned from decades of experience and study.

Brian became well acquainted with grief in 2015 after the sudden passing of his fifteen-year-old daughter Shayna. After Shayna's passing, Brian felt his life was over. He had to learn to survive for the sake of his wife, Tywana, and their daughter, Kayla. Brian has studied the nature of life and death and how to progress through grief.

In his grief work, Brian provides a safe space where you can safely share what you are experiencing.  Brian share techniques that he discovered and developed after his devastating loss. Perhaps most importantly, he can help you understand that death is not goodbye and that your relationship with your loved one can continue. His understanding is not a religious-based belief, but a position arrived at based on reason and evidence.

Shortly after Shayna transitioned, Brian discovered Helping Parents Heal, a non-profit peer-to-peer support group for parents of children who have passed. Brian volunteers with Helping Parents Heal and is a leader of the Helping Parents Heal Online group. Brian has worked with hundreds of parents who have lost children. Brian is a member of the Board for Helping Parents Heal. He volunteers for the SoulPhone foundation.

Brian is on the board of the SoulPhone Foundation and Helping Parents Heal. Brian is the author of "Grief 2 Growth: Planted. Not Buried." He is the host of the Grief 2 Growth podcast. You can find Brian at www.grief2growth.com.

NOTES

  • Brian shares his journey of childhood and his fear of death.

  • Brian explains how he needed to know so much more, and how his quest for the truth began.

  • He shares his journey after the tragic passing of his daughter.

  • In his purpose of helping others Brian has created the podcast and written the book: “Grief To Growth” (click image below to view on Amazon):

  • He also shares his work with Helping Parents Heal.

  • Brian Smith’s book:

Click above to view book on Amazon.

Click above to view book on Amazon.

 

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

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RESOURCES:

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Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#32 The Forever Angels - Children and the Near Death-Experience With PMH Atwater

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Dr. P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D. is an international authority on near death experiences. A survivor of 3 near-death episodes herself, she has completed over 44 years of research on the subject, and has written 18 books, including her most recent book, “The Forever Angels: Near Death Experiences in Childhood and Their Lifelong Impact”. In her quest for knowledge she has interviewed over 5000 people, including young children who have had such experiences, and older adults who have lived their lives after NDEs. Her immersion in the topic has led her to the firm belief that the near-death experience is not an anomaly, but part of a consciousness transformation or “brain shift”.

In this interview, you will learn about the many ways that people who have experienced NDEs, particularly the very young, experience the world differently than the rest of us. Dr. Atwater’s enthusiasm for her subject knows no bounds!

“A vast majority (of NDEers) never lose their sense of home.”

”They really are different because their brains formed differently.”

”They’re bringing that knowledge and openness with them.”
— P.M.H. Atwater, on early NDEers

NOTES:

  • Dr. Atwater describes the in-depth research she has done on people experiencing NDEs.

  • Her most recent book is “The Forever Angels: Near Death Experiences in Childhood and Their Lifelong Impact”.

  • Children process near-death experiences much differently than adults do. Without a sense of what life was like prior to an NDE, they have no sense of “before”.

  • She describes some of the challenges these children have as they try to compensate for their experience, including trouble bonding with family, fitting in at school and with friends.

  • An early NDE is like a “jump-start” to the brain, and to the sensory system.

  • PMH provides fascinating statistics about the IQs of many NDEers.

  • Sadly, many NDEers experience suicidal ideation as they long to “go back”, in spite of outward appearances of success.

  • P.M.H. suggests ways for early NDEers to reinforce and validate their experiences, including the use of visualization, and by “writing their book”.

  • P.M.H. talked about IANDS (International Association for Near Death Experiences) and the incredible work they are doing as a global community to provide access to information about NDEs.

  • Marla announced the upcoming IANDS live online conference taking place of August 14 to August 16. PMS Atwater will be speaking at the conference on Augest 15th from 10AM to 11AM PST. Click HERE for a link to the conference website.

  • There is much more information regarding NDEs and more on Dr. Atwater’s website, including links to her books as well as a free monthly newsletter.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

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Do you have a spiritual story or an experience that you have experienced or a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#31 Beautiful Survival Story After a Suicide Attempt and Profound NDE with Chris Batts

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Chris Batts is the author of “Boom! The Life and Times of a Suicide Near Death Experiencer”. After a suicide attempt resulting in an NDE, Chris met guardian angels in spiritual realms and he learned his purpose in life.

Chris is a para educator and para translator for special education children.

In this interview we will talk about Chris’s difficult childhood, growing up in foster homes and eventually not wanting to continue living in the earthly realm. His NDE changed his life profoundly when he was told by the divine that we are all loved, and much more!

NOTES

  • Chris shares with us his difficult childhood and how it resulted in suicidal thoughts.

  • Chris talks about his profound NDE where he met “God” and divine beings including angels.

  • Chris explains how his life changed forever after this experience, knowing that his true purpose was to let the world know that they are loved.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

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OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#30 Lightning Strikes and a Musician is Born with Dr. Tony Cicoria

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Dr. Tony Cicoria is a part time board certified Orthopedic Surgeon in Maine, former Chief of Orthopedics at Chenango Memorial Hospital, Norwich, New York, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthopedics at SUNY Upstate Medical School in Syracuse. He received his BS in Biology from The Citadel and is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina (MD, PhD) and the University of Virginia Orthopedic Surgery Residency.

Dr. Cicoria had the unfortunate (or fortunate) luck of being struck by lightning in 1994 while speaking on a public telephone during a family reunion near Albany, NY. As a result of the lightning, Dr. Cicoria had a near death and out of body experience (NDE, OBE) and became a sudden savant for classical piano music and composition. Because of his unusual introduction to the world of music, Dr. Cicoria has been featured in various magazines and was featured in Dr. Oliver Sacks’ book “Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain”. Tony has given numerous recitals featuring music that he has composed, and has appeared in various television presentations around the world. He published his first works on a CD entitled “Notes From an Accidental Pianist” through CDBaby.com, and is currently working on a book about his experience called “On the Other Side of Life”

In this follow-up to the previous interview, Dr. Cicoria describes the sudden emergence of musical gifts that become available to him following his near death experience resulting from being struck by lightning.

“The music from the dream went through a lot of trouble to get here, the least you can do is write it.”
— Dr. Oliver Sacks, as told to Dr. Tony Cicoria
“I truly felt like I had tuned into a frequency and the music was downloaded into my head.”
— Dr. Tony Cicoria

NOTES

  • After being struck by lightning and a vivid near death experience, Dr. Tony Cicoria developed an insatiable craving for classical piano music, something that had previously held no interest for him.

  • He describes a powerful dream in which he was performing music in a concert hall. Upon awakening, the music continued to play in his head for a long time.

  • Urgently searching for a way to play his music, he took music lessons from a Julliard-trained teacher and attended an adult music camp, “Sonata” in Vermont.

  • In 2006 he was introduced to Dr. Oliver Sacks, a British neurologist who wrote “Awakenings”. Dr. Sacks strongly encouraged Tony to find a way to write the music, which he ultimately was able to do.

  • After Dr. Sacks published an article in the New Yorker, there was a lot of interest in Tony’s unusual story.

  • Tony describes the experience of playing his music in concert and the effect that it had on a number of members of the audience.

  • He explains how, on multiple occasions, emotional triggers would result in music “downloading” into his head.

  • Tony underwent a personal transformation after his NDE, becoming more empathetic and with a new approach to life.

  • He comments about how small children can still see the other side, and feels that it is important to recognize and validate what children are seeing.

  • During his near death experience his conscious self never wavered, even while he was dead, leaving him firmly convinced of the fact that his spirit would live on forever.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

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OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#29 A Visit to the Other Side with Dr. Tony Cicoria

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Dr. Tony Cicoria is a part time board certified Orthopedic Surgeon in Maine, former Chief of Orthopedics at Chenango Memorial Hospital, Norwich, New York, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthopedics at SUNY Upstate Medical School in Syracuse. He received his BS in Biology from The Citadel and is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina (MD, PhD) and the University of Virginia Orthopedic Surgery Residency.

Dr. Cicoria had the unfortunate (or fortunate) luck of being struck by lightning in 1994 while speaking on a public telephone during a family reunion near Albany, NY. As a result of the lightning, Dr. Cicoria had a near death and out of body experience (NDE, OBE) and became a sudden savant for classical piano music and composition. Because of his unusual introduction to the world of music, Dr. Cicoria has been featured in various magazines and was featured in Dr. Oliver Sacks’ book “Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain”. Tony has given numerous recitals featuring music that he has composed, and has appeared in various television presentations around the world. He published his first works on a CD entitled “Notes From an Accidental Pianist” through CDBaby.com, and is currently working on a book about his experience called “On the Other Side of Life”

In this riveting interview, Tony describes the life altering experience of being struck by lightening and spending time on the “other side”, where he briefly but vividly enters a spiritual realm and gains a profound understanding about the meaning of our existence.

“I felt like I fell into a river of pure positive energy.”
— Tony Cicoria
“I came to the realization that this was the greatest thing that could ever happen to somebody.”
— Tony Cicoria
“I became much less religious and much more spiritual.”
— Tony Cicoria

NOTES

  • Tony describes his experience of being struck by lightning in 1994 while attending an outdoor barbecue with friends and family.

  • He had an odd sensation of moving forward while being forced backwards from the impact of the lightning.

  • As he felt himself leave his earthly body, he had a sense of being swept up in a current of blue light and pure positive energy.

  • The energy he experienced radiated with pure peace and love.

  • When he sensed that he was returning to his body, he strongly resisted, wanting instead to remain in this blissful state.

  • His Catholic Faith was turned upside down by this spiritual experience.

  • He realized that our souls go through a continual evolution as we come back repeatedly, growing spiritually each time.

  • His NDE profoundly changed the way he looks at the world, and what he has found to be important.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#28 Letting Go of Fear and Connecting With the Infinite Self with Austyn Wells

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Austyn is an author, spiritual medium, and soul gardener who empowers individuals to create soul-centered lives. A certified grief counselor, she combines intuition and mediumship with shamanism, energy medicine, and sacred ceremony.

Austyn presents and educates at many national conferences including the Sun Valley Wellness Festival, as well as The Original Afterlife Conference, for which she has been a board member for seven years. She will be featured in Bill Bennet’s upcoming films Facing Fear and Faith along with Paul Selig, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Bruce Lipton and Dr. Anita Sanchez to name a few.

Austyn developed the Divine Spark Cards© and Divine Insight Cards©, to empower people to connect more deeply with their souls. Her Amazon best-selling book Soul Conversations teaches one how to connect, heal, and empower oneself in order to live a soul-centered life.

In this timely interview, Austyn articulately describes how human beings are dualistic in that they have a human voice and a spiritual voice, and how we can better connect with our spiritual voice in order to deal with adversity and challenge, and learn to trust our intuition.

“The advantage of adversity is that it puts everyone back into the same classroom...and reminds us that we are all connected.”
— Austyn Wells
“The finite soul believes it is control so it doesn’t understand that there is a higher power.”
— Austyn Wells
“Detachment is the only way something authentically returns and then it returns with a higher dynamic... it really is all about trust.”
— Austyn Wells

NOTES

  • Austyn describes how human beings are dualistic; we have both a human voice and a spiritual voice.

  • The human being is the finite, physical and mortal self, while the soul being is the infinite, immortal, connected and energetic self.

  • Which voice we use determines how we cope with adversity and challenges such as those which we are faced with today (the Me Too movement, Covid 19 are both used as examples).

  • Austyn described how we can use our hands and fingers to get in touch with our emotions and learn to self-nurture.

  • She describes how important it is to trust our intuition, which is challenging for many because this is a practice not explored in classic education.

  • Austyn offers a simple but helpful practice to connect with one’s intuition using a journal and an oracle deck or Tarot deck.

  • She describes a powerful spiritual visitation she had as a child which helped her gain confidence over a fearful situation.

  • Learning detachment and letting go of control are crucial in connecting with one’s infinite self.

  • Austyn Wells’ book:

 
 

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

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OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#27 "Houdini Kids", Unconditional Love, and the Healing of the Planet with Lesley Lupo

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Lesley Joan Lupo was born in Chicago and attended college in Albuquerque, NM, graduating with a B.A. in Psychology and a B.F.A. in Studio Art. She is a world traveler and has crossed paths with many inspirational teachers, including Native American Medicine people, a West African Shaman, and a Wiccan High Priestess.

For nearly ten years Lesley was the Vice-President of Operations at Tanque Verde Guest Ranch. After nearly being killed by a stampede of horses, she experienced a profound near-death experience (NDE) resulting in her inspiring and poignant book, Remember, Every Breath is Precious .

For the last 22 years, she has been a highly-sought after Intuitive Therapist at the Canyon Ranch Resort in Arizona, serving for 3 years as the Spiritual Programs Coordinator. Lesley is also a certified NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) therapist and a Reiki Master, with a client base that includes Hollywood celebrities, politicians, royalty, and business leaders from all over the world. Through her private company, Light the Path, she works one-on-one with clients to support their spiritual healing and transformation. Lesley also teaches workshops on improving relationships, and is a guest lecturer at the University of Arizona. She enjoys creating mosaics and jewelry, meditation, bee keeping, and organic gardening. She happily practices “detachment” (win or lose) by watching her favorite Chicago sports teams. She resides in Tucson AZ.  Click HERE to read Lesley’s complete biography.

In this interview, Lesley talks about the different kinds of children who come back to the earthly realm as spiritual guides and/or as conduits for positive change, enlightenment and forgiveness, with an emphasis on what she calls “Houdini Kids”.

“Houdini Kids heal the planet by absorbing and transmuting the negativity they encounter into love and forgiveness.”
— Lesley Lupo on "Blindfolded Bodhisattvas"
“When Spirit needs us to focus on God... then Spirit is going to keep giving us a crisis... to find that light within us.”
— Lesley Lupo

NOTES

  • Leslie describes the Buddhist concept of the Bodhisattva, an enlightened old soul returning to earth and born into a spiritual family, with the purpose of serving as a spiritual guide.

  • She explains in detail what “Blindfolded Bodhisattvas” or “Houdini Kids” are, and how they differ from Bodhisattvas, in that they are on their own in finding their spiritual center as they strive to break the cycle of hatred and prejudice.

  • Indigo Kids are another version of Bodhisattvas, who come into our world and “hit the ground running” in their mission to accelerate change that is more widespread.

  • Lesley elaborates on the role that crisis plays in bringing us closer to God, and how once we are drawn to God we will no longer need crisis.

  • She offers some advice on how to mentor children who are selfless and need to be taught to include themselves in their decisions.

  • She describes a fascinating session she had with an astrologer, who was able to see her death on the date of her NDE.

  • Lesley recommends visiting her WEBSITE which includes much more detail about all of these topics that she touches upon in this interview.

  • Click the image below to find out more about Lesley’s Book, which chronicles her near-death experience and fascinating visit “Upstairs”.

 
 

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#26 Transformation and Personal Growth After a Near-Death Experience with Lesley Lupo

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Lesley Joan Lupo was born in Chicago and attended college in Albuquerque, NM, graduating with a B.A. in Psychology and a B.F.A. in Studio Art. She is a world traveler and has crossed paths with many inspirational teachers, including Native American Medicine people, a West African Shaman, and a Wiccan High Priestess.

For nearly ten years Lesley was the Vice-President of Operations at Tanque Verde Guest Ranch. After nearly being killed by a stampede of horses, she experienced a profound near-death experience (NDE) resulting in her inspiring and poignant book, Remember, Every Breath is Precious .

For the last 22 years, she has been a highly-sought after Intuitive Therapist at the Canyon Ranch Resort in Arizona, serving for 3 years as the Spiritual Programs Coordinator. Lesley is also a certified NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) therapist and a Reiki Master, with a client base that includes Hollywood celebrities, politicians, royalty, and business leaders from all over the world. Through her private company, Light the Path, she works one-on-one with clients to support their spiritual healing and transformation. Lesley also teaches workshops on improving relationships, and is a guest lecturer at the University of Arizona. She enjoys creating mosaics and jewelry, meditation, bee keeping, and organic gardening. She happily practices “detachment” (win or lose) by watching her favorite Chicago sports teams. She resides in Tucson AZ.  Click HERE to read Lesley’s complete biography.

In this extraordinary interview, Lesley describes her NDE in fascinating detail, and then describes how her journey has transformed the way she see’s herself and her role in the universe.

“I think every human being, in their cellular memory. remembers heaven and that’s why we have such a longing to go back home again.”
— Lesley Lupo
“Everything sparkles so much up there... everything has that irridescence...””
— Lesley Lupo
“Learning is as joyous upstairs as vacation time is down here.”
— Lesley Lupo
“I had to come back and reevaluate my consciousness towards perfection... if we were perfect there would be nothing left to learn.”
— Lesley Lupo

NOTES

  • Lesley had an extraordinary near-death experience after being trampled by a stampede of horses, which she describes in exquisite detail.

  • She was welcomed with overwhelming love by spiritual beings who were familiar to her from her childhood; she referred to these beings as her “soul group”.

  • Lesley refers to the place where she went in her NDE as “upstairs”, and described the sense of longing she still has for this place, a place where everything “made sense”.

  • Her descriptions are filled with words such as “light-filled”, “incandescent”, and “sparkling”.

  • She had the sense of there being infinite “realms” that souls could navigate between, each one offering different “lessons”, similar in a way to being in school.

  • In her NDE, she was offered not only a choice of whether to stay or whether to return, but also whether or not she wanted to remember the details of her NDE.

  • She chose to remember, knowing that she would experience a sense of isolation because few would understand what had happened to her.

  • She explained the differences between old souls and younger souls, and the concept of reincarnation, as well as the many opportunities for growth and learning.

  • Lesley describes the sense that everything is growing… on earth, in the universe and in heaven, and that heaven continues to grow as souls evolve.

  • Lesley’s experience gave her great insight about how to live with integrity, always learning, with an aim towards being the best person one can be.

  • Click the image below to find out more about Lesley’s Book:

 
 

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#25 Helping Young Children Navigate Emotions with Sue Groner

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As an experienced mother, Sue Groner knows how stressful and overwhelming parenting can be at times. She founded The Parenting Mentor to provide an ally for parents in their quest to raise confident and resilient children. Sue is the author of Parenting: 101 Ways to Rock Your World. Simple Strategies for Parenting with Sanity and Joy and is a certified Positive Discipline parent educator. Sue is also the creator of the CLEARR™ method of parenting, developed through years of trial (and her fair share of errors!) with her own family. CLEARR™ adheres to the belief that parenting strategies should be grounded in six important pillars: Communication, Love, Empathy, Awareness, Rules, and Respect. This has become the cornerstone of her practice as The Parenting Mentor. A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a former advertising executive, Sue resides in New York City and Bedford, NY with her husband, two children (when they are not away at school) and their rescue dog. She is available for private, group, and virtual mentorship sessions nationwide for individuals as well as corporations. In this lively interview, Marla and Sue discuss creative strategies for families with children to find opportunities for personal growth while sheltering in place.

“We all can handle one random act of kindness a day.”
— Sue Groner, on modeling kindness for children
“It really does make a different for your mindset.”
— Sue Groner, on practicing gratitude

NOTES

  • When talking to children about difficult subjects, it’s important to know what your child is capable of dealing with. Age-related rules do not always apply.

  • Though the maternal instinct is to “fix” a child’s negative emotions, doing this can deny the child an opportunity to build emotional resilience.

  • Sue explains the importance of validating a child’s negative emotions and the potential consequence of not doing so.

  • She illustrates ways that we can model how we, as adults, deal with our own negative emotions.

  • Other fun tools include the use of expressive “faces” to help a child express how he is feeling.

  • Sue suggests parents use this time to relax their own expectations about what they want to accomplish in order to lighten their own anxiety. Also an opportunity for children to lower their anxiety due to fewer activities and expectations.

  • Sue describes how families can use “jars” for activities they will be able to do later (once the pandemic is over), and activities they can do now.

  • This time is perfect for helping children take on new responsibilities and learn life skills. She uses the “team” metaphor for a way to put a positive spin on household contributions.

  • This is also a time to work with children to explore their senses of taste, smell, etc., all which are mindfulness activities. Sue has some fun suggestions for cooking projects to do as a family.

  • A daily ritual that embraces gratitude is a wonderful family tradition.

  • Click the image below to find out more about Sue’s Book: Parenting: 101 Ways to Rock Your World:

 
 

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#24 Energy Fields Around Our Very Young With Geoffrey Leigh

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Dr. Geoffrey Leigh, PhD. is an author, professor and researcher with over 30 years in academia, conducting and publishing dozens of research articles, presenting many papers at national and international conferences, and teaching classes and community programs. His undergraduate and graduate studies provided him with a diverse approach to human development and family interaction processes, which lay the foundation for developing Noussentrism. During his time at the University of Nevada Reno, he and Jean Metzker developed research into children’s energy fields and later the energy fields of parent and adolescent interactions.

After retiring, Geoffrey moved to Napa, California where he taught graduate classes part-time in the Counseling Program at St. Mary’s College, allowing him to present some of his ideas in his book to graduate students. After publishing Rekindling Our Cosmic Spark in the spring of 2017, Geoffrey now spends his time writing fiction, working in real estate, conducting workshops and spiritual coaching sessions, and enjoying his family and life among the vineyards of Napa Valley.

Click HERE to read Geoffrey’s full bio.

In this heartfelt interview Geoffrey emphasizes the importance of helping children stay connected to their cosmic spark, and how in doing so we can become less focused on the external world and instead reconnect with our own core essence and heart wisdom.

“At our core I think we all have a spark of the divine.”
— Geoffrey Leigh
“We get so focused on the physical form that we lose track of what’s happening with our energetics.”
— Geoffrey Leigh
“Presence is the most valuable gift we can give children.”
— Geoffrey Leigh
“Children bring a connection to a greater consciousness and remind us of what we have lost track of.”
— Geoffrey Leigh

NOTES

  • Geoffrey describes the concept of Noussentrism, which is defined as “the basic nature and expression of our purest emanation of the universe, the spark of cosmic consciousness”.

  • When we get too focused on the three-dimensional world we lose track of our cosmic spark.

  • He talks about energy rings and how children, who live so much in the present, create them.

  • Geoffrey explains how we can change our own energy fields; meditation is one very effective way to do it.

  • Children arrive with certain skills and abilities that we aren’t aware of, and we need to be open to this possibility.

  • He describes how he approaches children - by first reaching out to them energetically; children are more comfortable with energetic connections.

  • It is important to listen to who children really are, and to encourage that energetic connection as they grow older.

  • He discussed gratitude and the great importance of modeling it for children.

  • Learning to apologize for times one is not in one’s heart is a wonderful way to resolve conflict.

  • Indigenous cultures that are peaceful and most connected to the earth do best at honoring the connection to children.

  • Connecting with nature is another way to hear things we otherwise would not hear.

  • Geoffrey describes what he would say to his five year old self.

  • To listen to Geoffrey’s Heart Opening Meditation, click HERE to download an audio file. Or, click HERE for the written version of the meditation.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

  • Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

    Thank you!

 

#23 A Spiritual Warrior's Journey with Reverend Bill McDonald

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Army Vietnam veteran Reverend Bill McDonald is a multiple NDEr and STEr, minister, chaplain, Yoga Meditation Teacher, PTSD consultant, an award-winning poet, international motivational speaker, artist, film adviser, veteran advocate and scuba instructor. As a Vietnam veteran, Bill was awarded the distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart medal, fourteen air medals, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, among others. He founded The Spiritual Warrior Ministries which provides free chaplain services for the military community across the USA. Reverend Bill has been involved with a dozen films and documentaries and is author of his autobiography, A Spiritual Warrior’s Journey. His other books include Alchemy of a Warrior’s Heart, Purple Hearts, Sacred Eye and Warrior - A Spiritual Odyssey.

“Imagine a million mothers loving you.”
— Reverend Bill McDonald, on his first NDE
“They’re gonna find ways, they’re gonna find solutions, they’re not giving up.”
— Reverend Bill Mcdonald, on the younger generation
“Love is the greatest weapon of all.”
— Reverend Bill McDonald

NOTES

  • Reverend Bill McDonald described his first near-death experience as an 8 year old child, when he was hospitalized with multiple serious illnesses. Most notable were the sensations of light, of feeling recharged and of being filled with great love.

  • That first NDE gave him a glimpse into his future and provided great comfort even in times of extreme peril.

  • He describes his interest in numbers and astrology and how those concepts played into his life story.

  • Reverend Bill detailed a potentially harrowing and destructive experience in Vietnam which was averted due to his powerful sense of intuition.

  • He believes the current generation of young people, which he describes as having more light in them, offer us great hope for the future.

  • He talks about how every one of us is important, using a jigsaw puzzle as an analogy - “everybody has to be there to make the whole… everybody has a purpose".

  • Our purpose is love, and we are here to love and to serve.

  • Reverend Bill has written multiple books and is currently working on a collection of stories.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

Reverend Bill McDonald’s Books:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#22 A Spiritual Medium Shares His Thoughts About Grief, Impermanence, and What We Take With Us with Michael Mayo

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Michael Mayo is an internationally trained medium, astrologer, and spiritual teacher. Trained in the United Kingdom, he brings a practical, grounded, and evidential style to his spiritual work. While developing his mediumship, Michael graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a BA in Psychology and Social Behavior and a BA in Drama. Throughout his many years of working with the Spirit World, he has brought messages of love and hope from those on the higher side of life. His greatest mission is to show that life, like love, is eternal.

In this very personal interview, Michael discusses the challenges he has experienced with the pandemic and our changing world, shares his firsthand experience with grief and loss, and offers reassurance and hope for all of us as we move forward in this time of uncertainty.

“We have to look at what we are taking with us when we do pass.”
— Michael Mayo
“Live your life so that you never need a medium, so that there are never words left unsaid.”
— Michael Mayo

NOTES

  • Michael shares his experiences in dealing with the changes brought into our lives with the current pandemic situation: Fewer distraction forces one to face oneself as an individual, as well as deal with the concept of our mortality. How can we grow and what can we take with us?

  • He describes his very personal experience with grief over the death of a loved one, and how he learned that there is a difference between the human brain and the medium brain when it comes to dealing with loss.

  • He talks about his experience working as a medium with those who have lost loved ones; people mainly want reassurance that their loved one is okay.

  • Marla describes the exquisite gift that mediums provided in helping her deal with her own personal loss.

  • The only things we take with us as we pass to the spirit world are our memories and the love we have for others; our relationships are by far the most important thing.

  • Michael discusses the various consistencies between all near death experiences, and that many return wanting to right wrongs.

  • He shares the lessons he has learned (and is still learning) from the current pandemic crisis: be patient, find tools that help you to be present (such as yoga or meditation), and embrace the concept of impermanence.

  • Michael’s words of wisdom:

    • Be patient.

    • Be compassionate towards yourself.

    • Find rituals or activities that work for you on a daily basis.

    • Don’t avoid the discomfort; look for the gift of spiritual growth that is being presented.

    • Cherish your relationships and the ones you love.

    • Help others in any way that you can.

    • Look for the light, move towards the light and towards hope, be a light for others.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#21 Words of Wisdom in a Time of Transformation With Eileen Davies

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Eileen Davies is one of the most well-respected mediums in the U.K. and abroad. She is known for her accuracy and specificity in her mental mediumship demonstrations and one-to-one readings, giving detailed heart-centered evidence of survival. She is highly valued for her personal integrity and humility. She's an exceptional trance medium and cherished for her nurturing way with her students, freeing them from their own blocks and self imposed limitations. Having served the Spirit world for 30+ years she is a wellspring of wisdom and experience. She is a course organizer at the Arthur Findlay Spiritualist College and the Trustee and Principle of Kingswells House Aberdeen.

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“The Universe is a symphony. We add our own melody and uniqueness that wasn’t there before.”
— Eileen Davies
“When we know we are eternal beings, it takes us through the door of transformation.”
— Eileen Davies

NOTES

  • Eileen sees the current pandemic crisis as a call for all of us to take a hard look at our lives and make necessary changes to live more authentically and in connection with others, with more focus on love and kindness, and less on material concerns.

  • Her hope is that we can learn to live and think in a loving, life-enhancing way, both individually and collectively.

  • She describes the beauty she is finding in the silence of nature, which is getting a breathing space as it begins to realign and restore itself.

  • Choices we make going forward MUST consider future generations. Indigenous and Tibetan cultures are cited as examples.

  • Eileen provides a beautiful description of Metta Meditation, the art and practice of loving kindness, free of judgement. The concepts behind this practice are so important today.

  • Eileen describes a life-changing medium session in which she discovered how forces in the spirit world align in order to communicate what needs to be said to loved ones.

  • She describes changes in the ways we now view religion and how we can all learn from other religions and beliefs by using reason, reverence and respect.

  • Older generations need to teach younger generations by example, so it is crucial to lives authentically and act in ways that are thoughtful and ethical.

  • Eileen describes with great eloquence the concept that as eternal beings, we are all just guests here passing by. When people pass into the spirit world the essence of who they are remains; only the shell of the body is gone.

  • Her great hope is that our current crisis is providing an opportunity for a new collective vision to be reborn.

  • To close, Eileen shared a beautiful poem that she recieved from the spirit world around the time of the lockdown. Click HERE to read it, and click HERE to watch it as a video.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#20 A Beautiful Journey - From Actress and Professor to Yogi and Mother with Hollie Mann

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Hollie Mann is a yoga teacher, writer, and mother living in the beautiful box canyon of Telluride, Colorado. In 2018, she left a career as a professor of political theory at University of North Carolina to move west with her family. She has been a writer, educator, consultant, and yoga instructor for fifteen years. Her writing tends to focus on the intersection of politics, philosophy, and moral life, but she has written on subjects as diverse as gender equality in the high tech industry, the upcoming 2020 elections, and the Golden era of Hollywood.

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“A lot of us are craving a feeling of being held and supported and that we don’t have to do it all on our own.”
— Hollie Mann
“Grace is when the distinct pain of a human life can sit comfortably right alongside its breathtaking beauty.”
— Hollie Mann
“Everything is a moment in our lives.”
— Hollie Mann
“I try to live an authentic life where my thoughts, words and actions are aligned.”
— Hollie Mann

NOTES

  • Hollie Mann’s early career as a child actress was non-traditional yet filled with support from many sources, including parents who were spiritually grounded and a safe and nurturing community in Richmond, Virginia.

  • A fun fact: One of Hollie’s earlier spiritual experiences was her theater role playing Agnes, a pregnant nun, in “Agnes of God”.

  • After an academic career as a professor of political theory, Hollie and her family moved west and ultimately settled in the town of Telluride, Colorado.

  • Her career as a Yoga instructor blossomed in Telluride where she fully embraced the practice of Jivamukti yoga, a form of yoga that combines aspects of modern life with the spiritual and devotional components of yoga, including music, chanting, Sanskrit and meditation.

  • Hollie discusses her faith in a higher power and how even as a skeptic she finds comfort in the belief that she is supported and held by something bigger.

  • Hollie describes the various ways that she helps her children tap into the divine - nature, church, prayer, meditation, chanting, yoga and open-ended conversations about God.

  • On Kirtan and chanting, Hollie explains that its benefits are available to all, even to those who aren’t musical or don’t understand the words.

  • Marla and Hollie discuss one of Hollie’s recent blogposts in which she describes what grace means to her, and how beauty and suffering often exist side by side.

  • Hollie describes the many lessons she has learned from her children. An important one is that she too is a child in this world, opening up to the world of play.

  • Hollie practices chanting, spends time in nature, reads “spends time in the company of fine writers” and writes whenever feeling challenged.

  • Hollie shares her thoughts on the importance of admitting to mistakes.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#19 A Miraculous Journey Using Sound, Music and Energy Healing Practices with Madhu Anziani

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Madhu Anziani is a sound healer extraordinaire who, after sustaining a serious injury which rendered him a tetraplegic (paralysis affecting all four limbs), used a combination of sound and energy healing to miraculously recover mobility.  He has studied Jazz and World Music and is certified in sound, voice and music healing from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and is a regular lecturer at San Francisco State University. He is experienced in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Hebrew chanting as well as the system of Wisdom Healing, Qi Gong.  Madhu is also a sanctioned teacher of the Pachakuti Mesa tradition of ancestral Peruvian healing arts.  For links to all of his websites, visit linktr.ee/madhu.

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“Any kind of music, if it lights up our spirit, that’s going to be healing.”
— Mahdu Anziani
“We are multi-faceted beings of light, living light... we are functioning on many plains, many dimensions.”
— Madhu Anziani

NOTES

  • Madhu describes his fall from a 2-story window which shattered 2 vertebrae in his spine and left him paralyzed from the neck down with no use of his limbs, unable to feed himself or even breathe on his own.

  • In an induced coma state he sensed an angelic presence and the knowledge that he would be able to heal.

  • While also studying music at SF State, Madhu’s studies in the Holistic Health Program with Professor Eric Pepper had a profound effect on him, particularly a demonstration by a Japanese energy healer. This experience gave him hope for spontaneous recovery while in the hospital.

  • Reiki healing involves the use of one’s hands to direct universal energy to where it is needed in order to facilitate healing in ourselves and others.

  • Madhu’s father and sister learned to practice Reiki to help him heal while in a coma.

  • He was able to hear healing music that his father and sister played 24/7 while he was in a coma. He mentions the music of Jonathon Goldman, specifically “Peaceful Journey”, as well as the healing effects of listening to any music that makes one happy.

  • The Five Principles of Reiki became Madhu’s meditation:

    • Just for today, I will not worry;

    • I will not get angry;

    • I will work hard;

    • I will be grateful;

    • I will be kind to others.

  • He describes the principles behind Sound Healing.

  • Madhu describes the blessing of having two influential grandmothers, in particular his father’s mother who was a “very advanced being” who spoke often of reincarnation and previous lives… “I am forever”.

  • Madhu’s journey to healing was excruciating and required extraordinary focus. He used Shamanic initiation to control his mind. The process took several months and encompassed many small miracles.

  • Were it not for his injury he would not have delved as deeply as he has into the healing arts, seeking out teachers and modalities from around the world, including the opportunity to study with a Qi Gong master.

  • A deep connection to Mother Earth is crucial for healing. This included honoring our ancestors, for “our ancestors are the earth”.

  • Madhu discovered an earth-based cross-cultural healing lineage from Peru known as the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition founded by Don Oscar Miro-Quesada Solevo. He learned to perform rituals and offerings to the land; this is referred to as “sacred reciprocity”.

  • Marla will have the privilege of studying with Madhu in The Pachakuti Mesa Tradition of Cross-Cultural Healing Arts for Personal and Planetary Renewal.

  • The experience of heartbreak, of being broken open provides an opportunity to surrender, to open one’s heart and become part of a commonality, as we meet other people who share a heart wound which is a part of a spiritual journey.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#18 Celebrating Indigenous Cultures and Shamanism with Jeffery Olsen

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Jeffery Olsen is a bestselling author who inspires audiences internationally with his intriguing story of perseverance and inner strength. After a horrific automobile accident took the lives of his wife and youngest son, also inflicting multiple life-threatening injuries to Jeff, including the amputation of his left leg, he found the courage to survive over 18 surgeries to eventually heal and thrive, both physically and emotionally.

Jeff has appeared on many national and international television and radio programs sharing his insights. Olsen’s latest book, “Knowing,” is a compilation of his earlier works, yet with even deeper insights and extended chapters.

Jeff continues to work as a Creative Director and participates on several boards including The Road Home, The Wholeness Network, and as a World Ambassador for the International Association for Near Death Studies.

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Among all of his accomplishments, Jeff is most proud of and most fulfilled by simply being a husband, father and friend.

Jeff’s website is: www.EnvoyPublishing.com. He can also be found at www.spiritkeeperseries.com.

“They had it all figured out.. maybe thousands of years ago.”
— Jeffery Olsen, on Native Americans
“You must put a seed deep into the darkness for it to ever grow... and it will grow toward the light.”
— Jeffery Olsen
“I got in touch with the Divine Feminine (Mother Earth)”
— Jeffery Olsen
“There are threads of truth that run through all things and I think that finding them and recognizing them keeps us in the awe and wonder of life.”
— Jeffery Olsen

NOTES:

  • Jeffery describes the profound shared spiritual experience he had with Dr. Jeff O’Driscoll, an ER Trauma doctor, which occurred while he was on the operating table after his horrific auto accident. Both Dr. O’Driscoll and a nurse were able to see the spirit of Jeffery’s wife and feel her gratitude.

  • His interest in indigenous cultures began at an early age and was sparked by a connection to a Native American man who worked with horses on his family farm. He was struck by the unique and gentle way this man worked with the horses: “You don’t break a horse, you connect with it”.

  • Jeffery’s NDE turned his old ideas about religion upside down as he began to recognize certain common themes shared by all religions, in particular the universality of divine love and the concept of the light being within us.

  • While attending a shamanism workshop, Jeff was recognized by the shaman as having “been there”.

  • Learning about moon cycles, our connection to the earth and the concept of the Holy Trinity helped Jeff make sense of his NDE.

  • Shamanism embraces both the light and the darkness, which are interconnected. The sun is the light and the soil is the darkness.

  • For therapy, Jeff lays on the ground outside and feels that Mother Earth is holding him and Father Sky is looking down. Everything is alive, even the rocks.

  • A shaman can be described as one who “plays between the realms”, one who has risen to the high place.

  • In Native American cultures, an individual’s status would be based upon what they had given away, not on what they had accumulated.

  • Ceremonies and rituals are a crucial part of indigenous cultures. Jeff describes a fire ceremony as an example.

  • Suggestions of ceremonies that we can practice include taking 10 minutes to lie outside, or watch a sunrise or a sunset, where Father Sky kisses Mother Earth.

    • Sunrise: A time to ask: What can I do today to make a difference? Who can I serve?

    • Sunset: A time for gratitude, the highest vibration.

  • Spirit Keeper Series is a course that about the practices and beliefs of Native American and indigenous peoples taught by Jeffery and two others.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#17 Remembering and Living Life to Its Fullest After A Profound NDE with Jeffery Olsen

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Jeffery Olsen is a bestselling author who inspires audiences internationally with his intriguing story of perseverance and inner strength. After a horrific automobile accident took the lives of his wife and youngest son, also inflicting multiple life-threatening injuries to Jeff, including the amputation of his left leg, he found the courage to survive over 18 surgeries to eventually heal and thrive, both physically and emotionally.

Jeff has appeared on many national and international television and radio programs sharing his insights. Olsen’s latest book, “Knowing,” is a compilation of his earlier works, yet with even deeper insights and extended chapters.

Jeff continues to work as a Creative Director and participates on several boards including The Road Home, The Wholeness Network, and as a World Ambassador for the International Association for Near Death Studies.

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Among all of his accomplishments, Jeff is most proud of and most fulfilled by simply being a husband, father and friend.

Jeff’s website is: www.EnvoyPublishing.com

“I had left my body and was in this strange realm of light having a conversation with my wife.”
— Jeffery Olsen
“I am them and they are me; we are absolutely connected.”
— Jeffery Olsen

NOTES:

  • Jeffery describes the horrendous auto accident that took his wife and younger son.

  • At the scene of the accident, Jeffery experienced a Near Death Experience where he encountered a rush of light, and he spoke with his deceased wife, who told him that he needed to “go back” to care for their other son.

  • He learned a great deal about choice in the moments of his NDE.

  • Upon arriving at the hospital Jeffery experienced a cosmic connection to everyone that he saw there… and felt absolute love for each person. He witnessed his battered body in the bed, but did not feel it.

  • Towards the end of his 5 month stay in the hospital he experienced a powerful dream where he again felt the rush of light and a profound sense of being home. He saw his deceased son in the dream and experienced holding his live body, while at the same time being embraced by a powerful divine presence.

  • The cosmic download from this dream was absolutely forgiveness and realizing that he could let go of regret and guilt… “There is nothing to forgive; everything in everyone’s life is an absolute divine order”.

  • Jeffery describes the trepidation he felt upon leaving the hospital and having his 7 year old see him incapacitated and in a wheelchair… and the heartwarming welcome that he received.

  • Jeffery’s NDE clearly altered the way he looks at the world. He became acutely aware of the many miracles that often go overlooked. “The little things are the big things”.

  • He has a sense of a new “awakening” in the works, and an embracing of diversity.

    • He stressed the importance of asking “What am I learning from this?” when faced with pain or other challenges. To illustrate, he quotes a Robert Browning Hamilton poem, Along the Road.

  • His children have provided powerful lessons, including compassion, love and patience.

  • And from Griffen, his youngest son who passed on: “Nobody ever dies”.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review.

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:



CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#16 How Indigenous Cultures Can Teach Us About Spirituality and Children with Bruce Alderman

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Bruce Alderman, MA is affiliate faculty in the College of Psychology at John F. Kennedy University. In 2005 he received his master’s degree from JFKU in Integral Psychology, with an emphasis on Transpersonal Counseling Psychology.  Prior to working at JFKU, he worked and studied abroad for several years in Asia, including teaching courses in creative writing and inquiry at a Krishnamurti school in India. His current areas of interest include Integral Theory and practice, transpersonal psychology, integral postmetaphysical spirituality, among others. In this enlightening podcast, Mr. Alderman shares his insights on listening to, talking with, and honoring children, based on what he has learned from his travels, his spiritual teachers, and from raising his own son.

“You are enough. Trust in life.”
— Bruce Alderman's advice to his 5 year old self
“...Meeting them where they are at, meeting them with more questions and not necessarily with answers, but trusting them to look together with you to something deeper.”
— Bruce Alderman, on talking to children

NOTES

  • Bruce recently launched a YouTube channel that includes conversations with friends and colleagues in the field of Integral Spirituality. Integral Theory is psychologist Ken Wilber’s philosophy, which integrates multiple psychological, scientific, religious and spiritual practices into one cohesive model.

  • While teaching in South Korea, Bruce was deeply saddened by the soul-crushing effect that expectations and pressure to succeed had on children and young people of all ages.

  • In contrast, in Indonesian cultures, particularly Bali and Java, children are spontaneously alive, creative and kind to each other. Children are considered sacred and are cuddled, loved, included in art, music and culture.

  • In Indonesia, both the light and the dark are honored in ceremonies and other aspects of culture.

  • Bruce’s impetus to become a teacher was largely due to the spiritual teacher Krishnamurti, who stressed the importance of interacting with children in a way to prevent them from becoming overly conditioned by society… not “shut down into narrow boxes.”

  • “I to I” is the practice of sitting with someone unconditionally with no expectations, also called “disidentification” because one lets go of the fragments of themselves that they hold on to to survive.

  • Dream Yoga is a Tibetan practice of using visualization as we fall asleep in order to remain lucid in our dreams. In so doing, problem solving, creativity and adventure become more accessible.

  • Words of wisdom:

    • Trust the capacity of children beyond what we expect. Listen. Allow them to express their ideas. Our culture tends to infantilize children.

    • Children have an incompleteness that needs the shaping of the world, but they possess an openness and capacity for communing with the world that we tend to shut down.

    • As adults it is important to try to reclaim our childlike qualities. Although it won’t be the same as it was, it can reconnect us with aspects of our potential.

  • Click HERE to read the full text of the William Wordsworth poem, Trailing Clouds of Glory.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review.

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

Do you have a spiritual story or an experience that you have experienced or a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#15 Helping Others Embrace Their Spiritual Gifts with Jane Thompson

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Jane Thompson had a profound near-death experience in 2008 which changed her life dramatically.  Initially she struggled to integrate the aftereffects of her near-death experience, but after overcoming these challenges, she knew it was an important part of her life's path to compassionately help others to embrace their own spiritual gifts and sensitivities. Jane's focus is now on helping and healing others, serving as an intuitive healer, psychic medium and spiritual gifts coach for adults and children around the world, many who struggle with the unique challenges associated with their spiritual gifts.

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“These kids are really tuned into their intuition and they can provide some amazing insights... they’ll come up with things that’ll blow your mind.”
— Jane Thompson, on Spiritually Gifted Children
“The mind-quieting practice is so important for adults and kids.”
— Jane Thompson

NOTES:

  • In Jane’s practice she helps adults navigate coping with newly acquired spiritual gifts, and guides the parents/caregivers of spiritually gifted children.

  • Traits in these children vary, but can include the ability to see the spirit world or predict future events. High sensitivity to the emotions and energies of those around them is typical.

  • Jane’s NDE and newly acquired spiritual gifts was overwhelming and resulted in two years of reclusive behavior. Research on NDEs taught Jane that she was not alone in her struggles, and set her on a path to work with others to cope with and embrace their gifts.

  • As an energy healer, Jane encourages the release of negative (low vibrational) energy which causes blockages, while mixing it with the higher vibrational energy and light found in the spirit world.

  • Jane cites an example of a young boy who was observing a man in his room. She worked with his parents to empower the boy to tell the man to go away, thus empowering the boy and opening up lines of trust and communication between the parents and child.

  • To create a high vibrational environment, sage and rosewater are important ingredients, but intention is key.

  • Advice for parents/caregivers:

    • Let them know they are not alone; there are many others like them.

    • Normalize these qualities. Their sensitivities are not the whole of who they are.

    • Love these children through their struggles so they are not afraid.

    • Approach them with a sense of curiosity.

    • Encourage stories, pictures, dolls, role-playing as a forum for expression.

  • Adults can learn from the incredible intuition and insights these children provide.

  • By working with spiritually gifted children, adults can learn to tap into their own spiritual gifts, which can have an opening-up effect on families.

  • Check out Jane’s website, www.safehandshealing.com, which offers more information about her practice, including an Inner Child Healing Meditation and two video teachings.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

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#14 A Fascinating Look at Spiritual and Energy Healing with Nic Whitham

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Nic Whitham is Director of Banyan Retreat, a beautiful sanctuary nestled in the heart of Kent in the UK where healing and other spiritual modalities take place.  Nic grew up in a spiritual family, however before he began his spiritual work, he was Executive Director and VP at Goldman Sachs.  Nic now works full time as a healer, with his partner Steven Sui, directing and offering a variety of spiritual and healing programs at Banyan. Podcast listeners will be captivated by this rare glimpse into the world of spiritual healing, trance mediumship, seance and more.

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“It takes many years of practice to be able to invite the spirit world into a safe place with you.”
— Nic Whitham, on Trance Mediumship
“Love is automatically embedded in all that you do in a healing capacity.”
— Nic Whitham

  • Nic Whitham grew up in a family of healers and was exposed at a young age to the remarkable results of energy healing on other humans. He knew early on that this would ultimately be his calling.

  • After a career in finance that took him around the globe, he returned to the UK and the world of energy healing and founded Banyan Retreat with his partner, Steven Sui.

  • There are many kinds of energy healing, including Reiki, Platform Mediumship and Trance Mediumship.

  • In trance healing, a medium invites the spirit world to blend its energy with that of the medium, who needs to be 100 percent submissive to allow this to happen. That energy can then be channeled through the medium to the places where it is most needed.

  • Most energy healing can be accomplished by the healer tapping into universal energy without the need to merge with the spirit world.

  • In Nic’s work, he is able to see people’s auras (colors) which enables him to know which area of the client’s body has issues. He can then channel his energy towards that part of the body that needs repair.

  • Energy healing often requires multiple sessions to be fully effective.

  • Nic described two miraculous examples of using healing practices to cure young children. Children, more so than adults, are more accepting of energy healing because they are less removed from the spirit world and more connected to the aura field.

  • In the US it is difficult to find reputable healers. The UK has its own umbrella organization: The British Alliance of Healing Organizations.

  • Interestingly, healing energy knows where it is needed most. Healing can also be accomplished remotely.

  • Nic highly encourages parents to support their children’s connection to the spirit world, and to talk about their experiences with imaginary friends, etc.

  • Nic described a most extraordinary Christmas Seance at Banyan retreat, where the spirits of children who has been denied happy childhoods were invited to visit and experience holiday gifts and toys.

  • Click HERE to read a wonderful article about Nic and Steven’s work at Banyan Retreat.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review.

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

Do you have a spiritual story or an experience that you have experienced or a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!