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Sharing life-affirming stories that restore a sense of wonder and awe to our lives, and remind us of the healing power of spiritual encounters.
Episodes
Saturday Jun 18, 2022
Saturday Jun 18, 2022
In 1982, Michael Jackson released his Thriller album; the Australian Prime Minister was Malcolm Fraser, Prince William was born and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial premiered in cinemas … and, in her bedroom in a beachside suburb east of Sydney, an 8-year-old called Natasha McKenna received a visit from God.
Tash, as she’s known, is my guest today on Spirit Sisters, in part one of a two-part conversation. Tash is a spiritual teacher and Truforgiveness healer. As an eight-year-old trauma survivor, hearing the audible voice of God make her a promise sparked the beginning of a 40-year spiritual odyssey that pushed her to the depths of despair.
Throughout her life, with a Commerce Degree to lean on, Tash has worked a myriad of roles, including talent booker and marketing manager before being guided to dedicate her life entirely to bringing through the teachings she’s received. Tash is the author of The Treasure Map of Truforgiveness, FAITH & the ‘I Forgive’ Principle.
In Tash’s words, “this is the true way to forgive that has been gifted by God. It is how you change your mind from the wrong mind of judgment and attack to the right mind of peace and love that precedes spiritual awakening. It is how you truly heal and make miracles your own.”
As you’ll hear in the opening minutes, Tash and I are friends, having met in unlikely circumstances years ago. We also found out we were both students of the spiritual self-study text, A Course in Miracles, a channelled work which teaches forgiveness as a path to healing and inner peace.
What Tash teaches is a kind of corollary to A Course in Miracles, or ACIM, in that she offers how to actually forgive from the Right Mind – you’ll hear her refer to that a lot – and not the ego mind, which only brings about a false forgiveness. Tash was instructed to call her process, “Truforgiveness,” and she shares a fascinating story about how that unfolded. She also reveals her near-death experience and other mystical experiences, including a profound journey “outside of time.”
This is a challenging episode, and an advanced teaching, so I invite you to open wide your heart and mind to it and take your time. Tash, who was raised in a non-religious setting, uses traditional Christian terms in fresh and surprising ways, much like ACIM. For instance, her definition of God is “the Wholeness of Perfect Love … beingness over bodily identification.”
Before we begin, please note that this episode references suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse and PTSD. If you need support, and you're in Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Outside of Australia, please search for local support services.
Enjoy my conversation with Tash McKenna, sharing her full story publicly for the first time.
Connect with Tash and access free resources at her website: https://www.tashmckenna.com/
Connect with Karina Machado at karinamachado.com
Buy the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters as a paperback at Booktopia.
Buy the e-book of the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters at Kobo.
Buy the audio book of the original Spirit Sisters (narrated by me) at Audible.
Connect with Karina on Facebook.
Connect with Karina on Instagram.
Theme music: Mysterious by MusicPond, from Audio Jungle
I acknowledge the Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the land of Sutherland Shire, in NSW, Australia, where I live and record Spirit Sisters, and I recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and community. I pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.
Sunday May 15, 2022
Sunday May 15, 2022
Thanks for joining me around the virtual fireside for another uplifting story.
I’m recording this intro on a full moon and eclipse. This isn’t my area of expertise but I have it on good authority that this is significant, and certainly I can feel it. Individually and collectively, we are all going through so much. For me, this is a time of profound shifts and a reckoning. I wonder how many of you can relate to that?
I feel very guided through this by various disincarnate loving beings, including my ancestors. I’m feeling the calling to write a new book very intensely. While I’m very drawn to fiction, there are also non-fiction ideas brewing around the topics and stories we discuss on the Spirit Sisters podcast.
I was prodded to share this with you today because I know that so many of you will relate to the pull to do something that truly honours your soul. Tell me about it, I’d love to hear. I actually had to discard two earlier versions of this intro because it didn’t say what my heart wanted to say.
None of this is to say that I’m going to turn away from the podcast, but I hope that you can be patient with me as I navigate this terrain. I know how much these stories mean to you all so I’ll keep putting them out there and growing this lovely community. You all feel like family to me and I treasure the words you write to me about how the episodes lift your heart when little else will. So thank you.
Now that I’ve shared that, and speaking of heart-lifting stories, let me tell you about today’s episode. My guest is Paula Lenz.
Paula had a truly extraordinary spiritual experience in 1983, days after her beloved brother Donnie died in an accident. Amazingly enough, her out of body experience happened while she was driving his car. While her spirit was reunited with Donnie, her body safely steered the car to its destination. Fascinating.
In our conversation today, Paula shares in detail about her spiritually transformative experience, about the blissful wonder of hanging out in the “oneness” with her beloved Donnie, and and the many ways he continues to reach out to her.
She also offers a message for anyone who’s grieving someone they love, and she tells us about the technique she’s created called M.I.S.T, MIST, which stands for Meld Into Spirit Technique, a simple way, she says, to enable our connection with the world beyond our physical senses.
There’s a lot more, of course. Enjoy my conversation with Paula Lenz. And if you love Spirit Sisters, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It helps others to find their way to these stories and that, after all, it’s what it’s all about.
Connect with Paula at https://paulalenz.wixsite.com/paulalenz
Click here for Paula’s free M.I.S.T technique - Meld Into Spirit
Connect with Karina Machado at karinamachado.com
Buy the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters as a paperback at Booktopia.
Buy the e-book of the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters at Kobo.
Buy the audio book of the original Spirit Sisters (narrated by me) at Audible.
Connect with Karina on Facebook.
Connect with Karina on Instagram.
Theme music: Mysterious by MusicPond, from Audio Jungle
I acknowledge the Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the land of Sutherland Shire, in NSW, Australia, where I live and record Spirit Sisters, and I recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and community. I pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.
Monday Apr 18, 2022
Monday Apr 18, 2022
Karina Machado presents an original voice from her 2009 book Spirit Sisters. Rhonda Rice, a scripture teacher from Sydney, tells a story that encompasses various spiritual and paranormal threads. Rhonda has experienced otherworldly encounters since she was a little girl doing her best to cope with the tragic loss of her baby sister, Laurel. In the wake of that devastating day, an angelic encounter paved the way for a lifetime of mystical encounters.
In her 30s, Rhonda had a near-death experience and in her 50s, she began to see “the visitors,” as she calls them, strangers who look absolutely alive who materialise beside her bed. Today, in her 80s, Rhonda continues to have spiritually transformative experiences. At the beginning of our conversation, Rhonda shared a story about being on a cruise just before Covid, and having an accident that should have seen her seriously injured or worse. Instead, she felt herself supernaturally lifted “in a whoosh,” as she described it, to safety onto the bed.
Earlier, Rhonda’s partner had insisted she come and see an artwork onboard the ship. As it happened, the piece depicted a beautiful angel. Later, Rhonda reflected on that as she came through her mishap unscathed. She believes it’s the same guardian angel she met as a child.
Angels figure prominently in Rhonda’s story, especially when she describes the aftermath of the unfathomable family tragedy. I wrote in my book Love Never Dies that stories are “memorials built of words and hewn with love, not cold stone or marble,” and Rhonda’s story reminds me of that. Yes, it’s a slice of Australian history, a first-hand account of days gone by, but beyond that, it ensures that a precious toddler called Laurel will never be forgotten.
Rhonda's story appears as "Faith's Envoy" in Spirit Sisters (Hachette Australia 2009). Her account of seeing the visitors is included in Chapter 1.
Connect with Karina Machado at karinamachado.com
Buy the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters as a paperback at Booktopia.
Buy the e-book of the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters at Kobo.
Buy the audio book of the original Spirit Sisters (narrated by me) at Audible.
Connect with Karina on Facebook.
Connect with Karina on Instagram.
Theme music: Mysterious by MusicPond, from Audio Jungle
I acknowledge the Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the land of Sutherland Shire, in NSW, Australia, where I live and record Spirit Sisters, and I recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and community. I pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Karina Machado welcomes a special guest with a wondrous story, or three, to share.
My guest is Leesa Anderson and she’s a storyteller extraordinaire. Leesa has a background in the corporate world and lives in beautiful Montana, USA, with her family. She has a lifetime of mystical experiences behind her, stretching back to her childhood growing up on a ranch feeling very close to God amid spectacular natural surrounds, but she’s only recently decided it’s the right time to begin sharing these stories with the world.
As Leesa told me after we’d stopped recording this episode, “These stories are not about me, they’re about the Truth behind me.”
Leesa says that what’s important right now is to share the hope that these stories offer to whoever is in need. Today, this was me. Perhaps it’s you, too. “What’s welling up in me is to release the sense of love in these stories,” she says. Yes, love abounds in these yarns, as you’re about to here. In fact, it’s the very agent of the miracles Leesa describes.
Get ready for a captivating 90 minutes around the virtual fireside with the lovely Leesa Anderson, and you can be certain she’ll be back on the show very soon to share more experiences to enrich your heart and soul. Enjoy.
Connect with Karina Machado at karinamachado.com
Buy the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters as a paperback at Booktopia.
Buy the e-book of the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters at Kobo.
Buy the audio book of the original Spirit Sisters (narrated by me) at Audible.
Connect with Karina on Facebook.
Connect with Karina on Instagram.
Theme music: Mysterious by MusicPond, from Audio Jungle
I acknowledge the Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the land of Sutherland Shire, in NSW, Australia, where I live and record Spirit Sisters, and I recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and community. I pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Near-death experiencer Susan Dyer joins Karina Machado for part two of our conversation. If you haven’t listened to part one yet, I encourage you to scroll down to the episode below and tune in to that first so that you have the full context for today’s episode.
In this one, we pick up where we left off, as Susan shares all about the physical healing following her 2017 NDE that confounded her medical specialists. Yet this was no fairytale happy ending. Next, Susan found herself on an emotional roller coaster that saw her lose friends and once again fall seriously ill.
This conversation is a deep dive. As she did in part one, Susan shares very openly, offering wisdom, gleaned from her experiences, about the nature of reality, her understanding of God as ultimate Liberation, and empowerment. She also shares simple practices to help identify your purpose and connect with your spirit guides. As Susan says, “If you were to swing your arm you would knock down several celestial beings… you are surrounded by help at all times.”
Enjoy part two of my conversation with Susan Dyer.
Connect with Susan at her website: susandyer.com
Enjoy metaphysical how-tos and channelled messages on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SusanDyer1111
Join Susan’s Facebook Group, Divining Women https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiviningWomen
Connect with Karina Machado at karinamachado.com
Buy the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters as a paperback at Booktopia.
Buy the e-book of the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters at Kobo.
Buy the audio book of the original Spirit Sisters (narrated by me) at Audible.
Connect with Karina on Facebook.
Connect with Karina on Instagram.
Theme music: Mysterious by MusicPond, from Audio Jungle
I acknowledge the Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the land of Sutherland Shire, in NSW, Australia, where I live and record Spirit Sisters, and I recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and community. I pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.
Sunday Feb 20, 2022
Sunday Feb 20, 2022
Welcome to Spirit Sisters. Today, my guest is Susan Dyer. Susan, who lives just outside Washington DC, is a survivor and a champion of women's spirituality. Susan was born clairvoyant—and raised by baffled, Catholic parents who couldn’t understand what she was seeing and experiencing. She hated herself by kindergarten, she says, and doubted her sanity, until merging with what she describes as “unnamable God” in a near-death experience in 2017.
Susan’s NDE is unusual, in that it contains aspects you might not have heard before in an NDE account. Her fascinating experience raises questions, for me at least, about the role we play in co-creating our experiences, whether that be an NDE or as part of our everyday life in the quote unquote real world… Susan holds bachelor’s degrees in creative writing and cultural anthropology, which makes sense, as it was an excerpt of her beautifully expressed NDE that I read online that led me to invite Susan onto Spirit Sisters.
Her story is multi-layered and extensive, so we recorded it in two parts. Enjoy part one of my conversation with Susan Dyer.
Connect with Susan at her website: susandyer.com
Enjoy metaphysical how-tos and channelled messages on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SusanDyer1111
Join Susan’s Facebook Group, Divining Women https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiviningWomen
Connect with Karina Machado at karinamachado.com
Buy the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters as a paperback at Booktopia.
Buy the e-book of the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters at Kobo.
Buy the audio book of the original Spirit Sisters (narrated by me) at Audible.
Connect with Karina on Facebook.
Connect with Karina on Instagram.
Theme music: Mysterious by MusicPond, from Audio Jungle
I acknowledge the Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the land of Sutherland Shire, in NSW, Australia, where I live and record Spirit Sisters, and I recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and community. I pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.
Saturday Jan 29, 2022
Saturday Jan 29, 2022
Welcome back to Spirit Sisters! It feels a little late to be wishing you a happy new year, but I really do hope that 2022 has started on a positive note for you and yours. I’ve taken an extended break, but am back now and have some fascinating guests to introduce you to in the coming months, including some fresh Australian voices.
Now to today’s episode. My guest is Mariel Forde Clarke, who lives in the historic harbour city of Galway, Ireland. Mariel has dedicated her life to exploring the mystery of life and death, and is the author of Whereafter: Where Do Our Loved Ones Go After They Die; she’s also a near-death experiencer and a lifelong experiencer of the spirit world.
In our conversation, you’ll hear about the “whirlpool of beautiful light” Mariel was absorbed into during her 1992 NDE, as well as her mystical encounters with Mother Mary and the life-affirming after-death contact from her father, some very moving moments there.
We also discuss her healing journey through cancer, the living power of the words we speak, Mariel’s calling as a “spirit midwife” assisting people who are close to passing, her own shared-death experience with her beloved mum, her passion to help children navigate grief and so much more.
I hope you’ll be captivated until the end, when Mariel closes with a very beautiful blessing for you to take into your day or evening…
A warning before we start, this episode references suicide. If this is upsetting, please contact Lifeline in Australia on 13 11 14, or the appropriate services in your country.
Enjoy my conversation with Mariel Forde Clarke.
Connect with Mariel at her website; http://marielfordeclarke.com/
Buy Mariel’s book, Whereafter: https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/6th-books/our-books/where-after
Connect with Karina Machado at karinamachado.com
Buy the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters as a paperback at Booktopia.
Buy the e-book of the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters at Kobo.
Buy the audio book of the original Spirit Sisters (narrated by me) at Audible.
Connect with Karina on Facebook.
Connect with Karina on Instagram.
Monday Dec 20, 2021
Monday Dec 20, 2021
Karina Machado speaks to near-death experiencer Yvonne Sneeden.
Yvonne hails from Belgium and ives in North Carolina, where she works in IT. She’s had two near-death experiences, but the one she’s sharing today is “the big one,” as she calls it. In 2008, Yvonne was diagnosed with arrhythmia during an extremely stressful stage of her life. As a single mother living in a new country, she was working herself to the bone to provide for her daughter and she was utterly depleted. An involuntary overdose of powerful medication she’d been prescribed to treat the arrhythmia propelled Yvonne into an exquisite Light.
Listen in as Yvonne shares the healing moments that ensued - for she WAS healed, in body and spirit - in her own beautiful words.
Once you’ve listened to Yvonne tell her story you’ll know why I purposefully sought her out to be my final guest of the year. I wanted a story that could transport, uplift, soothe and encourage. A story to remind us all, at the close of another challenging year, of what really matters. As Yvonne says, in that magnificent light, “I had no fear, no anxiety, no anger, no frustration. I was just basking in that everlasting light.”
I want to say a huge thank you to all of you for tuning in to Spirit Sisters this year. I’ll be back in 2022 to share more heart-lifting conversations about mysteries and marvels. In the meantime, enjoy a safe and happy festive season with your loved ones. May your time together be full of peace, joy and unconditional love.
Connect with Yvonne at her website; www.liveheaven-now.com
Yvonne’s all-French YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcjKubKQGvOT0-A-YXgz9YQ
The documentary Yvonne co-produced, Back From The Light, is available here.
Click here for a beautiful NDE Journey Meditation, The World Beyond, which Yvonne put together for the 2020 International IANDS Conference.
Connect with Karina Machado at karinamachado.com
Buy the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters as a paperback at Booktopia.
Buy the e-book of the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters at Kobo.
Buy the audio book of the original Spirit Sisters (narrated by me) at Audible.
Connect with Karina on Facebook.
Connect with Karina on Instagram.
Monday Nov 15, 2021
Monday Nov 15, 2021
You’re listening to Spirit Sisters, I’m your host, Karina Machado. I have such a wonderful conversation to share with you today, but before we launch into that, quick shout to thank all of you who’ve taken a moment to leave a review and rate the show. That really helps people find their way to the show, and as I know from the beautiful emails and Facebook messages I receive from listeners, the stories that we share here can make a profound difference to someone’s grieving journey.
My guest today is Arizona-based medium and mother of three Michelle Clare. A decade ago, Michelle suffered a traumatic brain injury. A couple of months later, while recovering, she noticed her ability to commune with Spirit, which she’d had since childhood, had dramatically increased. She received an unexpected life-changing message for her son. Soon after, she began receiving life-altering messages for other people from loved ones who had transitioned, and an exciting journey began to unfold for her.
We talk about all of that today, not to mention Michelle’s three near-death experiences, which she shares with us in fascinating detail. The accident which left Michelle with a head injury was actually her third and most transformative NDE. Michelle has learnt a lot from her NDEs and decades of spirit communication… there’s so much wisdom in the stories she humbly shares. Enjoy my conversation with Michelle Clare.
Visit Michelle Clare at her website https://www.michelleclare.net/
Connect with Michelle on Facebook
Connect with Michelle on Instagram
Connect with Karina Machado at karinamachado.com
Buy the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters as a paperback at Booktopia.
Buy the e-book of the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters at Kobo.
Buy the audio book of the original Spirit Sisters (narrated by me) at Audible.
Connect with Karina on Facebook.
Connect with Karina on Instagram.
Sunday Oct 17, 2021
Sunday Oct 17, 2021
Karina Machado welcomes veteran Hollywood producer Stephen Simon, whose body of film-making includes Smokey and the Bandit, The Goodbye Girl, All the Right Moves, Somewhere in Time, and the Oscar-winning What Dreams May Come, starring Robin Williams.
For 16 years, Stephen also ran the Spiritual Cinema Circle, dedicated to distributing spiritual films to a global audience in over 70 countries, and he’s also the producer and director of the film version of Conversations With God, based on Neale Donald Walsch’s best-selling book series.
Stephen is joining me on the show today to share a profound message about hope and the indestructibility of love. On January 3, 2018, his lovely wife Lauren passed away in her sleep, aged only 54. It wasn’t long before Lauren began to communicate with Stephen, and in October 2018 they began to write a book together. It’s called What Dreams Have Come and it’s a stark and beautiful testament to the truth that love never dies.
I want to thank my friend and fellow podcast host KAren Swain for introducing me to Stephen, who shares his story with such an open heart and enthusiasm to remind anyone whose loved ones have crossed to know that, “after life, there is more,” to quote the ad line for his beloved 1998 movie, What Dreams May Come.
In our conversation, we discuss all the amazing parallels between Stephen’s key films, Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve, and What Dreams May Come - both of which focussed on enduring love between a couple on opposite sides of the veil – and his and Lauren’s own love story. You’re about to hear how his movies played a crucial part in making certain that Stephen and Lauren found each other.
Theirs is such a beautiful love story, no doubt worthy of the silver screen. I’m so honoured that Stephen shared it with us today in a broad-ranging conversation that also touched on the dazzling days of the golden age of Hollywood cinema, Stephen’s early memories of seeing his father’s spirit, his mind-blowing first communication from Lauren after her transition, the life-changing advice his good friend Neale Donald Walsch gave him when Stephen was in the depths of grief, and the powerful sense of life purpose that drives him ever onward. There’s much more – wait til you hear who Stephen’s Godfather is!
Lastly, please note that our conversation touches on themes about suicide. If you need support, call Lifeline in Australia on 13 11 14, or seek out services in your country.
Contact Stephen and buy the book he cowrote with his wife Lauren, What Dreams Have Come, here.
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy this conversation I had with Jorge Golvano about his enduring bond with his wife, Ana.
Connect with Karina Machado at karinamachado.com
Buy the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters as a paperback at Booktopia.
Buy the e-book of the 10th anniversary edition of Spirit Sisters at Kobo.
Buy the audio book of the original Spirit Sisters (narrated by me) at Audible.
Connect with Karina on Facebook.
Connect with Karina on Instagram.