In this episode of the Eleven Intuitions Podcast, Melissa sits down with author Sara Escobar for an honest, thoughtful conversation about writing as a lifeline, navigating loss, and finding meaning after life changes you forever.

Sara shares the stories behind her poetry collections Old Flames and Wildflowers and Ashes & Stardust: What Comes After, reflecting on heartbreak, grief, love, memory, and the quiet ways we learn to carry what we’ve lost. Together, they explore how words can hold what feels impossible to say, how creativity becomes a form of healing, and what it looks like to keep moving forward without pretending everything is “fixed.”

This episode isn’t about rushing through pain or tying life up neatly. It’s about truth, tenderness, and the space we give ourselves to feel, reflect, and keep writing our way through whatever comes next.

If you’ve ever turned to words to survive, understand yourself, or make sense of change, this conversation will resonate deeply.

Find information about Sara's books and socials on her linktree here: https://linktr.ee/sarasunshine_

Content note: In this episode I talk about trauma and painful family experiences. I do not share graphic details, but the themes may feel heavy for some listeners. Please take care of yourself while listening.

I’ve been overweight since I was 6 years old, and for most of my life I believed that was just “a weight problem.” In reality, my body has been carrying a terrible secret that I haven’t been able to talk about publicly… until now. In this episode, I finally share the story behind my weight and the unspoken pain my body has been holding for me all these years.

I don’t name names and I stay in my lane, telling my story through my own experience as a daughter, a medium, and a cycle breaker in my family line. My hope is that by speaking this out loud, the weight can begin to come off—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—and that someone listening will feel less alone, seen, and maybe a little more ready to speak their own truth too.

This episode is for the people who love God, grew up in church, and were told their gifts are demonic. Medium Melissa Ainslie shares her story of church trauma, tithing pressure, and why she walked out of the building but never walked away from God. She explores what the Bible actually says about spiritual gifts, the verses people use to shout “witchcraft,” and why she believes crossing spirits over and working with God and the archangels is a gift of love, not evil. If you are deconstructing, curious, or quietly gifted and scared to talk about it, this one is for you.

In this episode of the Eleven Intuitions Podcast, Melissa sits down with Minda – once a student, now a beloved colleague – to trace the wild, Spirit-led path that took her from religious breakdown to life in a castle in the south of France.

Minda shares how three years of total upheaval, a devastating motorcycle accident, and a complete unraveling of her faith cracked her open to mediumship, near-death experiences, and ultimately to Arthur Findlay College (a.k.a. “Harry Potter land for adults”). From restoring an English kitchen garden and feeling the former owner’s spirit thank her, to being guided step-by-step into her own podcast, Practical Magic, Minda’s story is one long trail of rose petals from Spirit.

Together, Melissa and Minda dive into:

• The difference between wanting spiritual gifts and actually walking through the “depths of hell” required to hold them

• Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary as living, breathing archetypes of love, courage, and deep healing of the mother wound

• How Minda learned to mother herself when she didn’t receive the nurturing she longed for in childhood

• The beautiful synchronicity of bringing Tammy, our astrologer, into the Eleven Intuitions team

• A powerful story of a young man in Spirit, a Hollywood medium, and why he chose to give a specific sign (AirPods) to two different people

• Melissa’s honest share about job loss, money fears, and trusting Spirit when the bank account says “are you sure?”

• Why doubting our own divinity may be the only true “sin” – and how choosing to believe yourself changes everything

If you’ve ever felt like your life had to fall apart before it could make sense, or you’re deconstructing old beliefs while opening up spiritually, this conversation will feel like a deep exhale.

🔮 Learn more about Minda, Tammy, and the Eleven Intuitions team – and explore our sessions and offerings – at www.elevenintuitions.com.

A love letter to the so-called weird ones and a shoutout Brienne will feel in her bones. Melissa unpacks two readings from the week from Minda that mirror each other. Brienne’s message about softening her inner critic and speaking kindly to herself. Paul’s message about easing inner pressure and choosing faith when work gets shaky. Both point to the same truth. Weird is not a flaw. Weird is the channel Spirit breathes through. Melissa shares how saying no to an event while sick restored her peace, how an oracle card echoed the theme of self talk, and why Taylor’s art feeling like oxygen mirrors how talking to Spirit feels in her life. Listeners leave with a journal prompt, a smile, and permission to be fully themselves because someone needs their voice exactly as it is.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode includes themes of pet loss and grief.

What happens when Spirit speaks before the facts do? In this emotional episode of the Eleven Intuitions Podcast, Melissa Ainslie shares a powerful story about timing, intuition, and the bond between humans and their animals.

When her daughter’s beloved cats went missing, Melissa found herself caught between being a medium and being a mom. Spirit showed up with a message she wasn’t prepared for—and it changed everything about how she understands love, loyalty, and loss.

✨ If you’ve ever loved and lost a pet, this episode will speak to your heart.

Melissa welcomes Brienne, who began as a student at Eleven Intuitions and is now a practitioner on our team. Brienne shares the moment she realized she could connect as a medium, how spirit guides feel like family cheering you on from “home,” and why past lives often hold the missing why behind fears, patterns, and even physical pain. You’ll hear her Hopi grandfather guide story, a powerful past-life validation, and a real example of how past-life insight helped Melissa release severe hip pain. Brienne also introduces Sacred Basics, her beginner-friendly course that helps you get grounded quickly so you can grow with confidence.

Highlights

• From student to practitioner on the Eleven Intuitions team
• The moment Brienne recognized her mediumship ability
• How to recognize a true nudge from your spirit guides
• Past lives as a practical key to healing and clarity
• Why simple foundations build confidence faster
• What’s inside Sacred Basics and how to choose your next step

Links

• Sacred Basics course - https://elevenintuitions.thrivecart.com/sacredbasicsthespiritualclassroom/
• Spirit Guide Session with Brienne - https://calendly.com/brienne-elevenintuitions
• Past Life Hypnosis with Brienne - https://calendly.com/brienne-elevenintuitions
• Eleven Intuitions: www.elevenintuitions.com

Connect with Brienne

• Website: https://soulconnectionandrestoration.com/
• Insta: https://www.instagram.com/qhhtreikibybrie/
• FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552387026683
• Private FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/awakenyoursoulwithbrienne

If you’re waking up spiritually and want a clear starting point, begin with Sacred Basics, then book the session that fits what you need most right now.

I thought nightlights were for kids… until I realized mine was for ghosts.

In this first episode of Eleven Intuitions, founder and certified spirit medium Melissa Ainslie shares the pivotal moments that shaped her path — from growing up with a glowing bulb in the corner, to feeling the weight of a haunted TB hospital she never even entered, to the Queen Mary flashbacks that sent her straight to her doctor.

We’ll talk ghosts, lingering energy, and what happens when you bring “souvenirs” home from haunted places without knowing it. And yes… her closet really did need a nightlight.