February 05, 2026

"Losing a child cracked me in two" - Whitney's Story

1 hour 7 minutes

In this episode, I’m honoured to speak with Whitney, a Spirit Sisters listener from Colorado who shares her heart-wrenching journey of grief following the loss of her son, Sam, 23, to cannabis-induced psychosis. She reflects on the emotional complexities of grief and her experiences of spirit communication that provide comfort (to Whitney, each sign is “like a hug”).

Whitney discusses her advocacy with "One Chance to Grow Up," focusing on educating others about the risks of cannabis use. Through her story, she conveys the enduring nature of love and the importance of finding purpose in pain. I walked away from my conversation with Whitney feeling in awe of her strength and grateful for the wisdom she shared. Whitney offers us all a powerful reminder to live with love and joy amidst heartache.

Please note that this episode includes references to mental-health breakdown and suicide.

If you need support and you’re in Australia, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

If you are elsewhere in the world, please seek resources in your community.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The documentary about cannabis-induced psychosis (CIP) featuring Sam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cCSy2eYIWQ

The Sammy Project:

https://www.thesammyproject.com/

NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness (US-based)

https://www.nami.org/support-groups/

Helping Parents Heal

https://www.helpingparentsheal.org/

The nonprofit organisation Whitney works for, whose aim is to develop educational campaigns and spread awareness about Cannabis-induced Psychosis (CIP).

https://onechancetogrowup.org/

Psychic-medium David Gammal:

https://yourmessagesfrombeyond.com/

Listen to my Spirit Sisters interview with David Gammal:

https://spiritsistersthepodcast.podbean.com/e/we-don-t-die-the-only-thing-that-ends-is-our-body-%E2%80%93-meet-psychic-medium-david-gammal/

Contact Whitney:

[email protected]

Connect with me:

Discover Karina's app, Reconnect & Create: https://studio.com/karina

Join Karina on Substack: https://kmachado.substack.com/

Email Karina at [email protected]

Learn more about Karina at https://karinamachado.com/

Connect with Karina on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarinaMachadoauthor

Connect with Karina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karinamachadoauthor/

Find the audio versions of my three books — Spirit Sisters, Where Spirits Dwell and Love Never Dies – (all narrated by me) at Audible: https://www.audible.com.au/author/Karina-Machado/B004O93T9C

Show theme music: Mysterious by MusicPond, from Audio Jungle

Acknowledgment of Country:

I acknowledge the Dharawal people, Traditional Custodians of the lands 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.

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By Karina Machado

4.9

5252 ratings