S2E22: Signs from the Other Side | Talk Tracks

Hi everyone and welcome back to the Talk Tracks. In today's episode of the Talk Tracks, we're taking a deeper look into signs from the other side. What are they? Can anyone ask for them? Do they even exist? And making meaning and purpose out of grief with Carla Kaufman Sloan. And just a sensitivity warning, though Carla's story is uplifting, this episode contains a discussion of untimely loss of a child. So please be in the right mindset before listening. Hi everyone, I'm Kai Dickens and I'm thrilled to welcome you to the Talk Tracks. In this series, we'll dive deeper into the revelations, challenges and unexpected truths from the telepathy tapes. We'll feature conversations with groundbreaking researchers, thinkers, non-speakers and experiencers who illuminate the extraordinary connections that may defy explanation today, but won't for long. Your home is more than just furniture. It's an extension of who you are. Even small details like a rug can completely change how a space feels. 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And backed by top US medical centers, Prolon is clinically shown to stimulate the body's own process of cellular cleanup to help you reset metabolism, protect lean muscle mass, and more. No matter the season, when I'm craving a real reset, Prolon is the nutrition program that works for me. It's convenient backed by Nobel winning science and it works. Ready for your own reset? For a limited time, Prolon is offering telepathy tapes listeners 15% off site-wide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-day program. Just visit prolonlife.com slash tapes. That's P-R-O-L-O-N-L-I-F-E.com slash tapes to claim your 15% discount and your bonus gift. Prolonlife.com slash tapes. We have a very special guest today, Carla Kaufman Sloan. And I first learned about you in reading Laurel and Jackson's book, Signs. And to those who have never, you know, heard your name, who are you, and maybe explain kind of your journey and what, you know, what you're doing here today. Okay, I grew up in New Orleans. I moved to New York. I wanted to follow the entertainment industry. I loved movies and TV. And I became a writer for television. And then I also worked for Judge Judy, which is a very fun job. And then I met my husband in Los Angeles. But we were older. We were like in our mid-30s. And I thought, I was never really interested in getting married. Like I just really wanted to keep working. And then we met and fell in love and we got married. And then he said to me one day, oh yeah, let's move to Miami. And I thought he was joking because that's what old people do. And we were, I mean, we were 35, we weren't old. So we ended up moving to Miami. And I still was kind of half in, half out. So I had come back to LA a lot. But we would visit each other. And on one of those visits, I got pregnant. And we were like, oh, we were both surprised. It wasn't something we were really thinking about, but it was exciting. And so then that grounded me literally. Like I stayed in Miami and we were pregnant with Calder. So were you excited to have a boy or did you not care? Were you just like, whatever comes my way? I never really thought about it. But when I found out he was a boy, I was a little bit nervous because I'm such a girl, I guess, I don't know. I guess if you have my friends, they might not agree with that. But I thought, oh, how am I gonna raise a boy? And it was the best thing ever. Like he was just fun and funny and just so full of life from the beginning of the journey. He was just this fun and hilarious little guy. What's the age difference between your two boys? Two years and two months. So they were really close. Calder and Caleb. And Caleb, yeah. And they shared a room and we had the car beds. We had the whole thing. We were like, boy, boy, boy. Calder was a fish. He was an avid swimmer from like both of our kids. We loved him Florida. So they started swimming when they were little toddlers and he just really loved it. We call him a unicorn in our family because he was super athletic and none of us are. But he would like swim. He would call him jungle gyms. He would play soccer, baseball, like whatever. But especially love swimming. And we got an invitation to a friend's birthday party and adult party, no kids. And Chris and I went back and forth on it. That's my husband, Chris. I was like, I don't know. Do we want to leave the kids at home with the nanny on the weekend? And he was like, we haven't done anything as adults in years. So we went to this party. We had my nanny, her teenage son, Caleb was home and Calder was a great swimmer. So when they said he can go swimming, my husband was like, yeah, it's the first day of spring break. Of course he can go swimming. And unfortunately what no one knew was our swimming pool. The pool light was electrified. Somehow something had gone wrong. And he dove into the pool and swam to the end, which is what he always does, dive in, swim all the way to the end, holding her breath and touch the light. And unfortunately, that day he touched the light and he killed him. It was literally so much electricity had thrown him out of the pool. And everybody was screaming and yelling. And of course our neighbor came running over this big bodybuilder to give him CPR because everybody else was hysterical. But he just couldn't hold on to him because of the amount of electricity going through his body. And so then they took him to the hospital. You just know when you get the phone call, our babysitter slash nanny on the other line just couldn't breathe or talk. And she just kind of wailed Calder's name. And I know. So that's the day our lives change forever. I still get emotional. Yeah, of course. Yeah. There's no pain in the human experience, I think, that can ever understand. You know, obviously the stages of grief are enormous. And what were your beliefs going into this regarding the afterlife? Because I think that can really inform how people handle grief. It does really inform how people handle grief. And I had no beliefs. I didn't believe in the afterlife. I didn't know what I figured. Once you're dead, you're lost forever. And it was so shocking and unbelievable that seven days after his seventh birthday, we were in the morgue. So I just thought, I'm lost. I can't get through this. And of course, you had to help your other son. Yes. That was like a main focus. That's actually what got me out of bed in the morning was Caleb in knowing he needed to be supported. And he needed to still go to school. And he needed to not live in this dark place that I was living in. And everyone greeds differently. I'm sure you know this. But my husband went, we owned our own business. So he immediately went back to work because he was like, we're not going to let this completely destroy our lives. We've got to hold on to something. So that's what he focused on, which was great. And I focused on Caleb. And Caleb was little. He was barely five at the time. So luckily, he could go to school. And he could kind of get away from the grief because he didn't he had no idea what it was. For a full year, he would ask me when Calder was coming back because he thought he was playing hide and seek. And he just was doing a really good job because that's how a five year old's brain works. Yeah, you can't process stuff. Anything that final at that age. So what was the turn? I mean, there is no turning point. I know when you lose a child, but what were your next steps? What happened next in the process that started to maybe change your perspective on everything? Because what ends up happening changes the course of your life. So what happened was my husband, because we owned a little TV production company, you know, there are mediums in television all the time. And there was a guy who worked for us who had produced a show with a medium. And he said to my husband, unbeknownst to me, would you ever want a reading with a medium? And my husband was like, what is that? Because that's how far. I mean, I had watched TV shows. So I knew what a medium was, but I didn't know at the time that any of that was at our disposal. So my husband had a reading with a medium named AJ Barrera. And he recorded it because he was a great professional medium who did that. So you could go back and listen to the entire reading in case you missed something or it's just comforting to hear the information over. But my husband didn't tell me that he had done this. He kind of kept it to himself until he came home one day. And I was, you know, I was like a zombie, like walking around crying, doing the dishes, whatever. And he looked at me and he said, I have something to tell you in a very like, I've got a secret kind of thing. And I thought, whatever, like I can handle anything at this point, what is it that you want to tell me? And he said he had had a reading with this medium. And he asked me if I wanted to hear it. And I said, of course. And so he played the reading for me from his computer and we were both riveted for 45 minutes. We couldn't stop listening to it. We didn't talk to each other. We didn't breathe. And it's just what everyone says when you get a really good reading. He was giving us information. No one could have known. What type of things was he saying? Well, he told us that it was interesting because it was almost like he was playing with Calder. Cause Calder, this was only three months after Calder passed. So he was probably still in his kid body. Still like being super late. He was really funny. Always had this fun energy. He was talking about like, he's flying around here and he's making me feel like he's in an airplane. And then he's making me feel like, and he was just laughing like the medium was like, he's really fun energy. And then he started saying, he's telling me something about Edison. Like he was trying to figure out what he's telling me about my friend who works for Edison, the electrical company. But then he said, oh, he's telling me he was electrocuted outside in your swimming pool. Like it was so accurate and there was no way he could have known that. And just the way he came to it was so interesting and strange and then he would just keep saying things. And the coolest thing about the reading is you hear my husband go from completely oblivious to asking questions and AJ saying, yeah, you can ask him whatever you want. You don't need me. You can talk to him in your head. And by the end of the reading, my husband was just like, this is so cool that you can communicate with him. And so was I. But he said, he's so sweet, my husband. At the end of the reading, he goes, would you do this for my wife? She could really, I think it would really help her. And AJ, I think like any medium was like, well, why don't you play it for your wife and she'll see if she wants something like this. Because as a medium, I don't think they ever want to approach someone and be like, you know, because it feels, it creates doubt. If you're like, let me give you a reading. And I was really like, took it as a challenge. Like, oh, he's not gonna give me a reading. Well, I'm gonna find him. And I did find him. And he was giving a mediumship conference with one other medium, four mediums in Virginia. And I signed up with a fake name and decided I was gonna go there and find him and see if this was really real. And why'd you use the fake name? Because I thought if I go with a fake name and I pay for everything in cash, no one will know who I am. So they can't figure it out. Right. So you couldn't like, like scam the system and look you up ahead of time. Exactly. That is exactly right. So did you get a reading? So I go there and it's a room full of mediums in me. Pretending to be a medium. Although I didn't really realize when I got there, I was like, oh, everyone's a medium. And then I said- This is hilarious. So you're pretending to be a medium? I know. This is so funny. I didn't realize I was pretending, but I did. So they called me, oh, you're Melanie from Miami. Welcome. I was probably the person who traveled the furthest for this. These are all people who just go to these things all the time because they're training and they wanna get better. And I said yes. And so the first night, it's very beautiful. Like there's meditations and conversations. And then AJ and this other woman got up and they did what's called a gallery reading where they gave a reading for everyone in the room to show you different styles and how it's done. And so everyone, I felt like everyone around me was getting a reading. And I was thinking in my head, okay, Calder, I really, I need to know that this is real. So I need a reading, but he didn't come through that night. And so I went back to my room completely dejected and I was like, I'm going home. This is ridiculous. I'm not doing this. And then the next day, they started with that. And the woman who was given the female medium immediately came to me and she said, I'm with you. And she started giving me all this information about this woman with blonde hair and just on and on. And I was looking at her like, nope, not me. And then she kind of went to the person next to me. And then she came back to me. She goes, no, this is for you. This is your friend. And she gave me the information. And again, I was so upset that I didn't get a reading that made sense. Again, I went to bed that night and I was so upset, not out of like malice, just like I really didn't know until I went to bed. And she may have come to me in my dream, but when I woke up, I just knew who it was. Hey y'all. So I have tried a lot of bras, admittedly, over the years. And if they look amazing, they're usually uncomfortable. That's just the truth of it. But Honey Love has changed all of that for me. As a female founded company, Honey Love makes products designed by the women who actually wear them. So initially they sent me two things, the crossover bra and some shapewear. And I was amazed by how good it felt. I mean, it really did feel like nothing at all. The crossover bra gives lift and support without an underwire and there's no digging and pinching. It's just one of those rare bras that you're not desperate to tear off at the end of the day. And the shapewear kind of sculpts and supports without making you feel super squeezed in and uncomfortable. And it's great because it stays in place, it doesn't roll down, it doesn't roll up, it's breathable, and it just looks beautiful too. 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It was like one of my closest friends from LA who had died two years before, but I just wasn't thinking about her, which is horrible, but you will not only get the reading for the person you love the most, which is a challenge for mediums, because here's this poor woman giving me this great reading, and I just kept saying, I don't know what you're talking about. Did you ever get a reading from Calder? So then the next day was the last day, and we were wrapping up, and by this time, people would have to tap me on the shoulder, because they'd be like, Melanie, and I didn't know they were talking to, I was like, oh, yes. And so that day, the final gallery reading, AJ, we were about to wrap up, and AJ goes, oh, wait, everybody, sit back down, there's one more spirit here, and I know it's a little boy, because he's pulling on my pant leg, and that's how they let me know they're little, and he gave me a reading, and he said, this boy's name, and he said my son's Hebrew name, which was nowhere to be found, like you couldn't even look that up, it wasn't, the gravestone wasn't set yet, and that was the only place we put his Hebrew name, and then he started to give me a reading, and I disrupted the whole convention just by sobbing hysterically, and just I fell apart, because everything I wanted to be true was true, but I couldn't fathom it, but I knew it was real. What types of things was he saying to you besides the Hebrew name, which is unbelievably significant? It's hard for me to remember, because it was so emotional, but he told me, he wants you to know he has his glasses, which was one of the key things in both readings, but he didn't realize he was bringing him through again, so his glasses, we couldn't find anywhere, we were searching and searching for Calder's glasses, and it turned out they were put in the casket with him, but no one knew that, not even us, so he brought that information through, and he just brought through beautiful moments of memories of Calder and I that aren't even, you don't think are significant when you're a mom, like just doing stuff, but met so much and certain songs that we listened to, and but what happened was, because I got so upset, everybody was confused, because if you're a medium, you hear these stories all the time, and so they kind of gathered around me, like what's going on? Melanie, what's going on? I thought, I confessed, I was like, this is what happened, and they're like, oh my God, it's so early in your grief journey, it's really hard to be here during that time, you really need to go through your grief, and the woman hosting the event said, this is why I have strict rules about reading for parents, because it's a way to avoid grief instead of going through the whole process, and she said, but since you're here, and we know your son's here, and then she gave me a reading, and then this whole line of mediums gave me reading after reading after reading, like, political. It was magic, and then, and all of it felt evidential. All of it, even like Calder evens, like let my grandparents speak, because he was like, and it was my mom's birthday coming up, so one of the mediums said they're too old, like made me know it was my grandparents, and said they're saying happy birthday to someone in your family, so I knew it was like evidential in August, your mom's birthday, and it was just mind-blowing. And so one of the things that comes for you later is a story with signs, and I think that's, which is such a beautiful story, so I wanna get to that in a second, but first, like after you left there, what changed in you, and how are you feeling, and did you share it with Mike? When I left there, I, what happened was I was able to believe that Calder wasn't gone, but I was still in a prolonged period of grief, just because I was stuck in it, and, but I knew I had to, if I wanted to pursue meditating and maybe being able to connect and learning more, that I had to get off the prescriptions that the doctor was keeping me on, I had to clean up my act, and so it took me probably another six months before I was like, okay, I wanna read everything I can about this and figure it out and see what's possible. So tell me about how you met Laura Lynn Jackson, because she's a pretty well-known evidential medium. Back in the beginning of my grief, a friend of mine's sister had died, and she got a manuscript of Laura's The Light Between Us, and she gave it to me, and she said, don't tell anyone this is, you know, it's not with the publisher yet, and they're trying to make the deal, and you shouldn't tell anyone I gave it to you, and I thought, okay, and then- Funny, because it's like the worst nightmare for ever. Like, I've been sitting at the rough cut of the film right now, and people are like, do not share it with us, and always someone will share it. Always. Always. And it's so funny. You have a nature. And when I told Laura that years later, because I met her by then, she was like, that's hilarious, because of course she was like, of course you got it, that makes total sense to me. So you get the manuscript of Laura's. So I get the manuscript, and that first passage is what you read in season two, was about all the kids coming to Laura in the car, and I thought, this is amazing. This woman is amazing. This is the best story I've ever heard. I have to get in touch with her. So I told my friend I was gonna get in touch with her, and she's like, yeah, right, you're never gonna get in touch with her. She's like far beyond her pay grade, and I thought, okay, I'm gonna figure it out. And of course, because of the way the universe works, it somehow worked out that we got to meet. I was able to get Laura and Jackson on Zoom to talk more about what she remembered of Carla's story. I met Carla when she came to me for a reading in my home, and I remember when she sat down, I was flooded with information. Her son who had crossed came through so clearly, and it was so important to him that Carla knew, number one, she never needed someone like me. He needed her to know he had been communicating with her and sending her signs from the moment he crossed. So are you able to explain what signs are, and what are some of the most common ones that people are able to receive? There's something I call default signs that have been happening for each and every person all the time. There are ways that the other side likes to communicate with us, and it comes very easily and readily to them. And so there's a couple that I like to highlight. One is through manipulating small metallic objects like coins, right, putting coins in our path. And so many people have had this experience where they're thinking of a loved one, and they find a coin, or they're going on a trip, and they're feeling the physical loss of their loved one, they find a coin in that exact moment. I always say acknowledge that, and then pick it up and look at the date, because sometimes there can be a whole nother level of sign significance there. There might be a date that's important, which is really magical too. They also love to manipulate our electrical devices. So now that we're in the age of cell phones, oh my goodness, it's amazing for them. Pay attention to calls that might come in on a special day, or when you're thinking of a loved one, or when you're feeling very bereft on your grief journey, calls from a number that doesn't really exist. There is a phenomenon of getting phone calls from nowhere, from numbers you can't call back on significant days at significant times in really magical ways. And I think that that's one of the great mysteries of how the other side can make this happen. So often people say to me like, how did they do that? How could they have done that? I don't have the answer other than to say, time here is linear and it's a canvas, and it's not linear there. And so they're able to, I think, see what's coming, orchestrate things in a certain way, and it is magical, it really is. Yeah, it's so cool. And then metal, I mean, do you have any idea why coins and metal is easier to fudge with? You know, I'm always searching for the reasons behind the downloads I get and the information I'm seeing or the patterning that I'm seeing or what keeps occurring. So one of my very first questions was, why do so many people find coins in their path when they're thinking of their loved one or they're having a moment or feeling them around or about to go on a trip or it's a birthday or whatever it might be? I've really sat quietly with myself. And what came to me was a download that when we leave our physical bodies, we are light energy. That's actually all we all right now. If you get to the quantum level, all we are are very fast vibrating atoms that when you break them down into smaller quantum amounts and we go into like electrons, neutrons, protons and break those down, you know what scientists find? They find light. And here's the interesting thing. Everything in physics should be headed towards entropy, chaos, no order, right? And so light should just be going in all different directions, not have any patterning at all. And yet what ends up happening is light that should be going in all directions starts sequencing and starts going into patterns. And I feel like patterns are really the fingerprint of God energy, right? It shouldn't be making any sense. It shouldn't be cohesive. It shouldn't be coming together and yet it is. So what we're really made of is light. And when we leave these physical bodies, it's like getting out of a car. We are still our light energy. And I think part of the problem is we don't talk about, talk about like light energy here in the United States. We have our doctors study on cadavers that are missing their life energy that other cultures have names for, Chi, Chi, Prana. Everybody talks about it except we don't, right? And so I think it's that light energy that we are, we're made of and that's how we're able when we are returned to that core state of light, light energy can manipulate small metallic objects in an easier way. And I think light energy can also manipulate electromagnetic fields here on earth, which is why animals and creatures that navigate our world using electromagnetic fields can be very easily navigated into the path of a loved one by somebody who's crossed on the other side. And then they also love to send default signs such as creatures that navigate our world using electromagnetic fields, such as birds of all types, anything from cardinals to eagles to hummingbirds, butterflies, dragonflies, deer, ladybugs, foxes, bats, you name it, if there has been a kind of reoccurring creature or animal, they have been sending it, right? So there's a couple of things like that. They will sometimes send lookalikes in our path. It's just like when somebody reminds you of a loved one, maybe it's their mannerisms or the way that they're walking or some look about them, or you meet somebody and they have your loved one's name, they introduce them, it's the same name. Those are nods and signs from our loved ones on the other side letting us know that they're present and they're sending us someone in our path to remind us that they're there. They love to do things like put things in your social media feed, right? Like their names, sometimes when we're out driving license plates will show up with their initials or dates that are important or their name will be on the side of a truck. Sometimes there'll be things that they were known for that show up in our lives, whether that's in your social media feed or elsewhere, are there hobbies or their sayings or whatever that might be. So those are all default signs. That's how they're trying to get our attention. Let's also not forget the one time that all of us are open to our spiritual and psychic abilities and those connections is when we sleep at night and we dream. So many people will have dream visitations from a loved one who's crossed where it feels like I was with this person. A lot of times there won't be verbal language. It'll be like an emotional understanding, a language that takes place and it can be profound and beautiful. So that's another way that they can let us know they're around and send a sign. But they love when we co-create the language with them because all those things, whether it's their names or their hobbies or the default signs they're sending, that's coming from them. They're generating that language. But we have a direct line to them just by thinking thoughts to them. And I always say, if people wanna say it out loud, you can too, but just by directing your thoughts to someone on the other side and asking for a specific sign, that is going to be received and you're going to get your sign. The more specific and different you make it, the better. And then back to Carla. I started getting signs early, but I didn't understand what it was. What do you mean by that? What type of signs? So one of the most beautiful signs. You know, a lot of times when people, your loved ones cross, they come to you in dreams. But instead of dreams, because my grief was so thick, I don't think he could get through, as I was falling asleep at night, he would come really close to me. Like he was gonna kiss me and I could see his lips in my mind's eye and it would wake me up because I was like, what's happening? Because I fully didn't understand anything and it happened repeatedly. And then it wasn't until like months later that I realized that was him saying, I'm right here with you, mom, I'm right here. And I feel like when our loved one passes, especially a child, they're doing everything in their power to let you know they're okay. So you can get through your grief and continue to live the life you're supposed to live here. So I really feel like Calder was pulling out all the stops because I was stubbornly holding on to my grief. Like I didn't wanna let it go because it felt like I was letting him go until I realized that that wasn't true. So he did everything he could. He put things in my path. He started sending me dragonflies nonstop. They would be everywhere. I would be in a swimming pool with like 100 kids around me splashing and being crazy. And my sister-in-law would look at me and say, there are two dragonflies sitting on her head. She's like, I guess Calder's here because then everybody knew and it was just, it becomes fun. I wanna quickly bounce over to a conversation I was having with Lauren Jackson. Signs are one of the hardest things to believe in. So I wanted to ask Laura to respond to the skepticism that I think a lot of people probably carry. Well, there's two huge obstacles we each have when it comes to embracing that secret language of communication, the unseen energy all around us, the ongoing love, right? And it's doubt and fear, fear and doubt, right? First, maybe the fear of like, and I've had people say this to me, I didn't wanna ask for a sign because I was so afraid I wouldn't get it and that would devastate me. So I waited months and then I finally did it and then I got my sign and now I'm so happy, right? So there's fear about, will this work? And then there's doubt and here's the thing. When we receive our sign, it's this great spiritual connection and it's not using the part of our brains that we use most of the time, which is this frontal lobe, which is in charge of critical thinking, analytical thinking, math, language skills, all those things that we use in our waking hours. So when we have a spiritual experience, that little frontal lobe, what meditation teachers refer to as the monkey mind because it's constantly chattering. A lot of times very negative, but it's based very much in like logic and if you see it, it's real. If you don't, it's not, right? It tries to reject that spiritual experience. So it will say, oh, that's just a coincidence. That can't be real because it doesn't fit our materialistic paradigm. So there are those two very important obstacles that you have to be cognizant as you enter this language of signs. You're gonna need to know that your little monkey mind is going to try to tell you that the signs are not real. And just to jump in from the skeptics point of view, I think one argument against signs is this idea of confirmation bias or the better minehawk phenomenon, which essentially means you'll notice things if you're looking for them, even if it is an obscure phrase or word or object. And I think for that reason, no matter how significant some people dismiss them. And the whole reason I wanted to do this show with Carla and Laura around signs is because Carla has a sign that is so significant, it really makes it hard to explain away as confirmation bias or the better minehawk phenomenon. And for me, at least it made me stop in awe. And now I wanna cut back to Carla because it is very hard to dismiss her sign story. I would love for you to tell the dear sign story because that is just like the best sign story I think I've ever heard. I know in season two you had Laura on. So the way I came to be in the book signs was she gave me a reading and then she goes, are you guys going on a trip coming up? And I said, yes, we are. And she said, oh, well, Calder said he's gonna send you a deer to have a moment with. Laura ended up giving her an unbelievable reading. They went and drove to the Florida Keys, which is a rather long drive, you know, and Carla fell asleep in the car. And she was awoken by her husband who said to her, oh my gosh, there were just all these deer on the side of the road. And they'd been to the Florida Keys before, but they'd never seen what are now known as, what we now know as key deer, which are these small deer species. And Carla was devastated. She thought, oh my gosh, I was asleep for this connective experience with a deer. Like I missed my sign. I was crushed. And in fact, I thought about it all weekend. Even though we were there, we were having fun, like putting on the brave face, like doing all the key west stuff, going to the sunset thing at the pier. And, you know, we wanted Caleb to have fun. So we go to bed that night and Chris is like, I can hear this commercial for a bar called the no name pub. And Chris goes, oh, I've never been there. And then we go to sleep. And we're driving home the next day. And he decides he wants to stop at the no name pub because he has to see everything. He's very interested in every single thing. And it turns out you can put dollar bills on the ceiling with someone's name on them. So he wanted to put Calder's name on a dollar bill on the ceiling, but he didn't tell me any of this. He's just like, we're going to stop here. Caleb again is in the back in the sleep. I'm asleep. And I was waiting in the car for him, just kind of like, parking lot of the pub. Yeah, in the parking lot of the pub. Okay, this is a nice wrap up to the weekend. And across the parking lot, I see the bushes kind of move. And out of the bushes came a little deer. And key deer are smaller than regular deer. They're these cute little deer. And it's walking towards me. And I thought, oh, it's happening. This is the moment that Laura was talking about. And I got very nervous that I was going to scare the deer. So I'm like trying to get out of the car. And then it just kept walking towards me and walking towards me. And I walked over to where the benches were closer to the door. And the deer walked right up to me and he put its nose in my hand. And as it was doing that, Chris walked out of the no-name pub and he took a photograph of the deer putting its nose in my hand. And we couldn't believe it. We both just stood there. He's like, what is happening right now? And I thought this is what she said was going to happen. It's happening. And the deer didn't even run away when Chris came outside? Nope. It kind of just hung out there for a while and then- And let you touch it? Yes. Which is so interesting because wild animals, you never know how they're going to react. But it just, it was very docile and just hung out with us for a while. And then it kind of wandered on, probably looking for food or something. And we got in the car and he goes, did that just happen? And I said, I think you got a picture of it happening. And he did and he sent me the picture and I immediately texted Laura. And she was like, wow, that's incredible. He really got you your sign. And I said, yes, he did. What have you learned about signs since then? Cause that is such an incredible sign story. But for people like, can you ask for them from anyone? Do they have to be specific? What are the easiest kind to give? What have you learned about signs? Well, so it's interesting because I feel like signs are so common, but we don't always realize it. And I feel like any loved one who's crossed can send you a sign and you can ask for it. I mean, Laura's very specific. She's like, ask for the most difficult specific sign you can think of. And, but I think for me, a lot of times when it happens is also in a moment of struggle. Like when you need a lift, they're very intelligent about when to pop a sign into your path. And that's what happened to me one day when I was overwhelmed with grief. It was like two years after Caldera died and I was working really hard not to cry in front of Caleb anymore because I just felt like he had had enough. And I'm not saying crying is bad because it's not. You need to cry. You need to get it out. But I was like, okay, hold it together. And I get out of the car to take him in to get some food. And I looked down at the ground and there's a heart shaped leaf on the ground, which I think is also a sign people get a lot. But I had never gotten one before. And I looked down and I picked it up and I said, Caleb, look at this. And he goes, oh, a heart from Calder. And just went on about his business because kids are so like open and made sense to him. That's what it was. And let's go get our food now. And so that was my first heart shaped leaf. But I do feel like you can ask for them. And I really had an interesting experience lately. So I've started leading a grief group in Miami with another parent who lost her son. It's all parents who lost their children or whose children have left their bodies. And we get together and we talk about the signs we've gotten. And they're always amazing. Like the kids are amazing with the signs they send us. But I thought, oh, let's do something fun. Let's ask for a specific sign for all of us so that we can all see if we get the same sign. And we asked for a pink elephant. And this was like a couple of weeks ago. And so we started to see elephants here and there. Everybody would text their picture into the group. And then one mom who is the newest member of our group, her child just crossed about six months ago, sent a picture of a pink stuffed animal elephant. And we were like, that's it. And then the next day, I was moving some stuff around in my office and I hit this deck of Oracle cards. And a card fell out and it was two elephants. One was pink and one was purple. And then the next day, another mom sent a picture of a pink elephant. So I really feel like if you ask for it and everyone sets an intention, you can get any sign. That's amazing by the way. I mean, I can't even fathom how surreal that must be. It is surreal. So I started adding magnesium breakthrough by bioptimizers to my nightly routine. And I have to say it's made a huge difference. I feel calmer at night and I'm waking up without that same exhausted, rung out feeling I had started to accept as normal. What I love is that it's not just one form of magnesium. It's a blend of seven designed to support relaxation and more restful sleep in a more complete way. So here's my invitation to you. Try it with me. Track your sleep. Notice how you feel and just see what shifts. Here's what you get when you go to bioptimizers.com slash tapes and use code tapes to get 15% off your entire order. Plus a free bottle of massimes, bioptimizers bestselling digestive enzyme added to your order automatically when you use our exclusive code. That's a $20 product free on top of your discount. This is a limited time offer while supplies last. You cannot get this on Amazon. You cannot get it in stores. This offer exists in one place, my link, my code, and that's it. So if you were already thinking about trying it, this is the sign. Go to bioptimizers.com slash tapes, use code tapes and grab it before it's gone. You've heard us talk about the benefits and the science behind energy healing. And if you've been living with anxiety, persistent back pain, old trauma, or just feel like you've lost your spark, energy healing is one of those things that can really help you reset, but it's not only for when something feels off. It's also a powerful tool for growth, for refining your awareness, deepening your intuition, and aligning more closely with the life you actually want to be living. Luminarah.care makes it simple to experience energy healing for yourself with private one-on-one sessions that you can do from the privacy of your own home. Luminarah connects you with vetted, highly experienced energy healing practitioners with proven results and backed by scientific research and studies. I booked a Luminarah session myself to try it out, and what surprised me the most was how quickly I felt a shift. I noticed a deep sense of calm afterward, better sleep that night, and a real softening of tension in my body and jaw, and especially in my back. But beyond that, there's just a sense of being more connected to myself. What I also appreciate about Luminarah, which is a HIPAA compliant, is how safe and approachable they've made this kind of healing. Each session is private, personalized, and designed to support your body's natural ability to rebalance. When you're looking for support with stress, pain, sleep challenges, digestive issues, or you're simply ready to operate at a higher level, the benefits are real. So if you're curious about energy healing and ready to experience it for yourself, Luminarah is offering 20% off your first session for listeners of the telepathy tapes. Just go to luminarah.care, that's Luminarah, L-U-M-I-N-A-R-A, dot care, and use code TAPES20 at checkout for 20% off your first session. Tell me about the book you just wrote. Okay, so I wrote this book called Everywhere about Calder and my journey through all this because I literally didn't think I was gonna make it through grief. And I thought, okay, I wanna put a book out there that lets anyone who's in grief know that their loved ones are with them, and they're gonna make it through grief. And they're gonna have some amazing life still, so they shouldn't just be sad all the time. But the reason I titled it Everywhere was because of what I was telling you with Calder. He was so adamant about making sure I knew he was with me. And it wasn't just me, because when a child dies, especially, it's like a time of death, it's like a atomic bomb. It affects not just everyone in your family, it affects the whole community, the kids in his class, friends from afar. Like, there was one kid in his class who just couldn't go to school anymore. He just couldn't, little seven-year-olds, he couldn't understand what had happened. And so he just started to go in on himself. And I didn't know that at the time, one of my closest friends called me and told me the story, and she said, he went to school today because last night he had a dream that Calder came over and they were playing on the trampoline like they played every day. And Calder said, it's okay, I'm good. Like, look, we're still playing. And he went, so it's like they're working over time to make sure everyone's okay, because they don't want their death to cause problems. So it's really your journey through grief. Yeah. And I mean, not recovery, but just able to kind of thrive in a different way in the world. Yeah, so it is. It's about like how deep the grief can go and how you are still meant to live a full life. And if you can, whatever you find your purpose to be, like I really do believe that now my purpose is to help other grieving parents or anyone in grief. Like when my friend's father died last year, I really feel like all these conversations we've had since Calder died actually helped her be able to understand that and feel like I'm looking for him and he's sending me signs. And she can feel his presence also. Like she says, I'm driving around. I know he's in the car with me because he was always telling me how to drive. And I just feel it's so comforting and true. What would you say are the things that people on the other side most want people to know? And maybe patterns of things that come up all the time, like what are, if you could like leave the audience with wisdom, what would you tell them? Well, I feel like it's so simple that we are all, you know, Libby says it and John Paul, that it's all about love and loving your fellow man and just doing the right thing for people. But I feel like we're all here learning different things. And the thing that comes up over and over is enjoy the ride. You don't realize what a gift you've been given. Even if you've had this horrible tragedy like we've had, you still have to enjoy being on earth, being alive. Like really don't forget to have joy in your life and have fun because we can get so wrapped up in our schedules and our, you know, oh, we have to achieve this. So I have to make this much money. But really it's just these simple moments. The people who come through aren't coming through saying, I'm so glad that I had $10,000 in my bank account when I crossed. They're coming through saying, when you were at my bedside and held my hand right before I crossed, that's what meant the most to me in my life. And I wanna just say how thankful I am that you are my daughter or how thankful I am that you are my father. Could you talk about the desire for people on the other side to want their loved ones to move on? Whether that's to, if you have their kids, don't stop being a fun, goofy mom or even falling in love again. What have you learned around that? They never want us to stop living. I feel like that's the hardest thing for a parent. Like I have experienced parents who don't want to live anymore and their child does not want that from the other side. They're like, that's a waste of this gift you've been given to just give up and lay down and die. Yeah, I think that's the almost best thing you could be sure people of because so often grief, especially when we lose someone we love so much, it feels like a mark of that love to almost be a martyr. Right? Like I won't live again. I won't love again. I won't be happy again to show you how deep the crater is in my life. And it feels like on the other side, they're like, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't let me be a crater, you know? Let me be like a beautiful joy that you remember but like keep going. And I don't know. It just seems like the best thing people could hear from you. Yeah, it's true. And I feel like a lot of times it sends you in a direction like we started a foundation for kids in grief. And we named it after both boys Caleb and Calder's Lens Awesome Foundation. And Caleb came to us recently and he goes, I know we always focus on kids but since I feel like he's around my parents a lot lately and he's like, I feel like older people lose their memories and he's been studying music. And he goes, I think I want to do this project where I create a group where we go sing songs to the older people from their youth. So they're like having fun. Wow, Caleb wants to do that? Yeah, he just did it. That's how old is Caleb now? He's 16. That's awesome. He is awesome. Thank you for saying that. But he just did his first show at my parents, my parents senior living community. And yeah, it just made everyone happy. And I think that's what people want from the other side too. They're like, enjoy that fun. I'm so proud of Caleb though. I mean, truly, cause I feel like you have two choices really every day, which is like, how are you gonna make people feel? And are you gonna dedicate your life to making people feel good and safe or living in a state of fear where you're often trying to knock people down or harm them. And I mean, obviously Caleb's been through an incredible amount. But you know, at 16, he's thinking of seniors who are maybe not feeling safe or losing their memories and trying to create that. I mean, it's such a cool thing. It is. It's really cool. Thank you for saying that. Yeah, yeah, he's had to live a lot in 16 years. Yes, yeah. Yeah, there's nothing like that. Well, any closing, like how's Chris doing now? Chris is awesome. He is, he's still nonstop. He like works. He went through this whole health thing recently where he was like, I'm gonna get the healthiest I've ever been in my life. And he did that. And because we're friends with this family who lost their son to brain cancer, that's who I run the grief group with. He took on this challenge of doing this bike ride where you raise money. So every year he did it first last year. And this year he took it on. He wanted to beat his number and go further and raise more money for research. And I feel like, I feel like that's kind of his MO. He just wants to keep giving back. Yeah, so cool. Well, any closing thoughts or, I guess first to start with, where can people find your book? It's not out yet. I'm hoping to find a perfect publisher by the end of the year. My agent's out there working hard. Wonderful. Do you have a website or anything? If people wanna find you? I do, carloslone.net. I have a sub-stack. People can look up. And of course I'm on all the social media channels. Beautiful. Thank you, Carla. That's it for this episode of The Talk Tracks. But new episodes will be released every Wednesday. So stay tuned as we work to unravel all the threads, even the veiled ones that knit together our reality. And please remember to stay kind, stay curious, and that being a true skeptic requires an open mind. Thank you to my amazing collaborators. Producers Catherine Ellis and Selena Kennedy, technical directing, audio mix, and finishing by Jeremy Cole, opening and closing music by Elizabeth P.W., and original logo and cover art by Ben Kondora Design. I'm Kai Dickens, your executive producer, writer, and host. Don't you wish everything was more rewarding? With a racketeer, almost everything is. You can earn cashback on those new shoes you've been wanting. You can save on the next trip you book. You can cash in on groceries. Just join, shop your favorite brands, and save. Boots, Sephora, Asos, Selfridges, M&S, Sainsbury's. The list is long. Save online at over 550 stores, and when it's time to redeem those rewards, get your money exactly how you want it. Choose bank transfer or PayPal. 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