We’re gathering around the virtual hearth this month with bestselling Australian author Mary-Lou Stephens.

Mary-Lou and I first connected when I was researching my 2014 book, Love Never Dies. Since then, she’s published four bestselling novels, including her latest, The Hobart Hotel. In this gorgeous dual timeline novel, Mary-Lou takes readers across continents - including to Uruguay, the country of my birth.

Settle in for a rich conversation about writing, of course, but there’s so much more we touch on: how grief “echoes” across time, the benefits of meditation (especially to unlock creativity), the rewards of climbing out of our comfort zone, the spirit of place, and as well as what it means to follow the subtle nudges of intuition, and the healing effects of spiritual experiences.

I loved reconnecting with Mary-Lou to hear about her spiritual experiences and explore how storytelling can be a bridge between the visible and the invisible. Enjoy!

Learn more about Mary-Lou:

https://maryloustephens.com.au/

Buy Mary-Lou’s latest novel, The Hobart Hotel: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-hobart-hotel-mary-lou-stephens/book/9781038940346.html

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:

This month on the Spirit Sisters podcast, Carlos Vivas joins us to share the compelling story of his near-death experience and the life changes that followed. Swimming at Panama City Beach in 2015, Carlos was caught in a rip current, before eventually praying for help.

This is a story to lose yourself in – make sure you grab a tea or coffee and settle in!

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Elian Gonzalez rescued by dolphins: https://iol.co.za/news/world/2000-03-27-elian-says-dolphins-saved-his-life/

Carlos’s interview with Anthony Chene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWgh8bRLCRk

Watch Every Soul Knows: https://www.everysoulknows.com/watch

Connect with Carlos Vivas:

www.carlosvivas.org

Buy Carlos’s book, Help From Heaven:

www.helpfromheaven.org

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:

My guest this month on the Spirit Sisters podcast is Rachel Stewart, co-founder of the Instagram page @for11_together, a space that has become a refuge for people navigating grief, love, and ongoing connection with a late loved one.

Like many of the women I’ve had the privilege of speaking with on this podcast, Rachel's motherhood didn’t end with her daughter Kenadie’s passing, it changed form. Rachel’s evolving relationship with Kenadie comes through wondrous signs and synchronicities, and the comfort she received from these encounters inspired Rachel and her husband Shane to launch the For 11 community, which fosters community support and connections beyond loss, encouraging healing through shared experiences.

In our conversation, we explore what it means to remain “together” beyond the veil. We talk about the early days of grief, the first moments of sensing that love was still present, and the ways Kenadie continues to remind her family that she’s with them.

Like so many of the beautiful stories we explore on Spirit Sisters, this conversation invites us to consider that love may not be bound by the limits we once imagined.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Join me and special guests in my first Spirit Sisters Online Retreat:

Connect with Rachel Stewart:

Rachel and Shane’s Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/for11_together/

The For 11 Community online:

https://for11together.com/

Watch this episode on YouTube:

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:

Welcome to the Spirit Sisters Podcast, where we gather around the virtual hearth to share our life journeys and the spiritual encounters that shape us.

My guest today is Dr. Adam Rizvi—a critical care physician whose personal journey with grief opened the door to experiences his scientific training couldn’t explain. Adam shares many of these astounding moments at the bedside of patients in his beautiful book, Love Does Not Know Death. He recounts some of these in our conversation, which I hope you’ll love.

Adam has come to see death as “an initiation” that can open us to love, to forgiveness, and to eternal connection. Some of the highlights of our conversation include the transformative power of afterlife encounters, about what it means to face death, and about how love doesn’t end when someone dies.

At the end, he shared insights about how love continues and communication continues, that I found extraordinarily beautiful and supportive.

If you’re listening while missing someone you love, you’re especially in my heart, and I hope there’s something nourishing here for you.

Connect with Adam and learn more about his book here: https://lovedoesnotknowdeath.com/

Read more of Adam’s writing on Substack: https://adamrizvi.substack.com/

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]

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:

Thank you for tuning into the Spirit Sisters podcast, where we gather around the virtual hearth to share sacred stories about our spiritual and life journeys.

Today, I’m honoured to welcome a very special guest: spiritual teacher and best-selling author Panache Desai. Panache is known worldwide for his heart-centered wisdom and his gift for guiding people back to the truth of who they really are. Through his teachings on presence, authenticity, and vibrational alignment, Panache reminds us that transformation isn’t about becoming someone new, but about remembering our innate wholeness.

In our conversation, Panache shares his perspective of “powerlessness as an entry point into peace” (there’s a profound, personal story he tells about that) and he recounts his “direct experience of God” in 2002 that upended his life and formed the foundation of all of his teachings that followed.

We also explore the ultimate truth about the Light that we are, the beauty and challenge of embracing our true selves, how to cultivate resilience in uncertain times, and how each of us can live more fully aligned with the love at our core… and so much more!

This is a very rich conversation that I feel will yield more with every listen.

Thanks for tuning in!

Connect with Desai at his website and register for his free Call to Calm Meditation Zoom call:

https://www.panachedesai.com/

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:

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.

The Sammy Project:

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

Helping Parents Heal

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:

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:

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:

Welcome to the final episode of the Spirit Sisters podcast for 2025! I’ve been saving this conversation for this moment, as it’s such an uplifting reminder, at the close of yet another challenging year, that there’s much more to life than we can understand from our earthly perspective.

My guest is Philip Hasheider, a farmer and family man who’s had a remarkable near-death experience (NDE). Our discussion revolves around the profound insights he gained during this life-altering event, which speaks to the interconnectedness and ineffable love that permeates our existence beyond the physical realm. Philip recounts his journey into an “eternal dimension,” where he discovered a pulsing sphere of love—an essence that reflects the divine Creator and the source of all knowledge … and so much more.

After he’d returned to his body, it was communicated to Philip that he was to share his story and become “a conduit of hope”. By recounting his extraordinary NDE and subsequent realisations, Philip inspires us all to contemplate our own lives and seek a deeper connection with ourselves, and others. I know that I’m changed, after speaking with this deeply intelligent and humble man.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@karinamachado1312

My app, Reconnect & Create, is discounted until 2 January! I’m inviting you to journey through the app with me in 2026 as we complete our creative projects (I’ll be working on my novel!) I’m starting on 1 January, and will create an intimate community where we can support and learn from each other. Learn more here: https://studio.com/karina

Contact Philip via his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/phasheiderbooks/

Read Philip’s memoir, "Six Minutes in Eternity”: https://www.amazon.com.au/Six-Minutes-Eternity-Philip-Hasheider/dp/1945962534

Connect with me:

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

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

I acknowledge the Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the lands where I live and record Spirit Sisters, and I recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and community. I pay my respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.

Welcome back to Spirit Sisters! If you’re new to the channel, thank you for joining the family.

In this bonus episode of the Spirit Sisters podcast, I interview Noela McBlane, a seasoned Australian psychic medium with 60 years of experience in helping others connect with lost loved ones and navigate their grief. We discuss Noela's early encounters with the spirit world, including her childhood visions and the comforting presence of spirits during difficult times.

With the support of her dear friend Kate, Noela has published a memoir called The Unexpected Clairvoyant (learn more about it here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Unexpected-Clairvoyant-Stories-Noela-McBlane/dp/B0CGG2NQ2T). It’s full of eye-opening stories about her experiences with the spirit world. Noela shares lots of her stories in our conversation.

She reflects on her journey to acceptance of her clairvoyance, detailing her transition to reading tarot and her ongoing commitment to providing holistic support as a medium. Throughout, she shares transformative stories of healing and emphasises the enduring love of our guides and departed loved ones. I hope you’ll be inspired by Noela's insights and compassionate approach to her work.

Enjoy this bonus December episode!

At the end of the month, I’ll release the final episode for the year, and I know you’re going to LOVE IT! Coming soon...

Connect with Noela on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noela.mcblane

If you missed my popular interview with Jodi Keane last month, catch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pBFvkNzt-g&t=2297s

Connect with me:

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

Join Karina on Substack:

https://kmachado.substack.com/

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 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.

Welcome back to Spirit Sisters! If you’re new to the channel, thank you for joining the family. Before I launch into our episode, I share a special announcement about my new creation – the Reconnect & Create app, which is available now at studio.com/karina.

My app is designed to support my fellow spirit sisters on the midlife journey to reconnect with their spirituality and creative passions. I’ve poured my heart and soul into this app because I passionately believe that midlife is a sacred threshold, that we can re-enchant our lives and meet our authentic selves through reconnecting with our spirituality and our creativity.

The app is 20 percent off until November 28. Check it out at studio.com/karina. I’m excited to hear what you think!

Did you know that there exists in our midst a kind of secret society of mediums with incredible gifts quietly going about their day-to-day lives in suburbia, or in regional towns? I found out about that when I was writing Spirit Sisters and the idea captivated me. My interview today is with just such a lady: Jodi Keane is an Australian former chef who was born with the gift of seeing and connecting to spirit. Spirits seek her out and, lately, she’s understood that her role is to help them move on to the next plane.

Enjoy Jodi's stories about the spirits she's encountered over the years. It’s fascinating stuff!

Watch this episode on Youtube.

Connect with me:

Discover Karina's newly released app at studio.com/karina

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

Email Karina at [email protected]

Learn more about Karina at karinamachado.com

Connect with Karina on Facebook.

Connect with Karina on Instagram.

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 on Amazon or Kobo.

Find the audio versions of my three books — Spirit Sisters, Where Spirits Dwell and Love Never Dies – (all narrated by me) at Audible.

Show theme music: Mysterious by MusicPond, from Audio Jungle

I acknowledge the Dharawal people, the Traditional Custodians of the land in NSW, Australia, where I live and record Spirit Sisters, and I recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and community. I pay my respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.

Thank you for joining me around the virtual hearth today for a special Halloween episode. The veil is thin this week, friends, in the lead up to All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween. Perhaps you know that what we call Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which celebrates the end of summer on November 1 and the Celtic New Year.

In the Celtic tradition, departed loved ones were expected and welcomed with offerings of their favourite foods. The Day of the Dead, famously celebrated in Mexico on November 1 and 2, picks up on this idea. In Spain on November 2, there is a tradition for families to visit the cemetery to honour their late loved ones and attend to their grave sites.

Yet the story I am about to tell today is not a story about a gentle partnership between the living and the dead. It’s about the myriad ways a house can be haunted, and about how those who dwell in a house may themselves be a haunted house made of flesh and bones.

I’m grateful to Sarah, the dear member of the Spirit Sisters community who meticulously documented her story, and so graciously shared it with me. I’m in awe of her courage and generosity in doing so. I only received Sarah’s ok to use her name after I’d recorded the episode, which is why you won’t hear me use it in the episode.

Please note that this episode references sexual abuse. If you need support, contact 1800 Respect. You can call them on 1800 737 732 in Australia. If you’re elsewhere, please seek out support services in your area.

At the end of the story, Sarah invites me to share my thoughts, so I’ll offer a reflection at the close of the reading.

For now, I hope you have a cup of your favourite tea nestled warm between your palms as you settle in for a story which reminds us that even in the depths of the darkest, longest night, strength of spirit and bonds of love and sisterhood shine through.

Episode resources

Read more haunted-house stories in my books Spirit Sisters and Where Spirits Dwell.

Connect with me:

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

Email Karina at [email protected]

Learn more about Karina at karinamachado.com

Connect with Karina on Facebook.

Connect with Karina on Instagram.

Listen to Soul2Soul Conversations – my podcast collaboration with my soul sister Sara Jayne: https://soul2soulconversations.podbean.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 on Amazon or Kobo.

Find the audio versions of my three books — Spirit Sisters, Where Spirits Dwell and Love Never Dies – (all narrated by me) at Audible.

Show 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.