Own Your Essence

Host April DeMille introduces the Own Your Essence podcast, her psychic medium readings and grief/trauma coaching, then interviews Ana Valezzi-Leckenby, a Values and Alignment Strategist and transformation/integration Coach. Ana explains unconscious values as drivers of motivation and results, and how misalignment can disrupt wealth, relationships, and purpose. She shares her path from corporate work into spiritual training after volunteering for an American psychic in Mexico, then returning to corporate due to shame and disappointment. Multiple losses: her mother’s death after diabetes complications, her husband’s terminal cancer and ongoing signs from him, and later her father’s rapi...

***This is part two of our conversation with Rob Dorgan. If you missed part one, be sure to check out last week’s episode.***

Podcast host April DeMille introduces part two of her conversation with professional astrologer, meditation and yoga teacher, retreat facilitator, and author Rob Dorgan (Awakening the Mystic). Rob explains his approach to identifying a chart’s “chairperson” (often the ascendant ruler) and reads April’s Western natal chart: Pisces sun, Cancer moon, Sagittarius rising, with Jupiter as chart ruler and the Moon in Cancer as a strong co-chair. He notes a “splash” chart pattern, strong water h...

***This is part one of our conversation with Rob Dorgan. Be sure to come back next week for part two.***

Host April DeMille introduces her Own Your Essence podcast, her psychic medium readings and coaching, and guest Rob Dorgan, a professional astrologer, meditation and yoga teacher, retreat facilitator, and author of Awakening the Mystic. Rob shares leaving an academic PhD track after an epiphany and an astrology reading in the 1980s that led him into yoga and astrology, noting his grounded approach helps skeptics take esoteric practices seriously. He explains his memoir-fiction method and...

Host April DeMille introduces the Own Your Essence podcast and her services (psychic medium readings and coaching for grief, trauma, and toxic relationship recovery), then interviews Alisha Kapani, a former chemical engineer turned mind-body mentor who helps people heal emotional root causes of illness by shifting consciousness, addressing limiting beliefs and stored emotions. Alisha shares that severe depression, rooted largely in self-abandonment and suppressed emotions from an abandonment-triggering relationship, led her to mind-body medicine and rapid healing, after which clients organically sought her help and corporate work felt misaligned. They discuss listening to body signals (light/heavy “yes/no”), not...

Host April DeMille introduces the Own Your Essence podcast and her private psychic medium readings and coaching, then interviews Kauai-based author Isabella Young. Young describes writing a memoir and her earlier books about humanity’s “enslavement,” mind control, and the importance of recognizing cult dynamics, which she says exist in families, relationships, institutions, and social movements. She shares practices she teaches for wellbeing: grounding by physically connecting to the earth, bringing nature indoors, consuming fresh “living” foods, and seeking natural light, including sun exposure and sun gazing, which she links to personal healing and consciousness shifts. Young recounts major traumas: a...

Host April DeMille welcomes Stephanie Webb to an unscripted “true or false” Q&A on psychic abilities, mediumship, hauntings, and paranormal topics, while also noting April’s private psychic medium readings and one-on-one coaching for grief, trauma, and toxic relationship recovery. They discuss how full moons can heighten experiences, whether spirit contact can be opened unintentionally, and April’s view that fear-based beliefs attract negative experiences but personal authority can end unwanted spirit interactions. April shares claims of Bigfoot as interdimensional “peoples” with experiences and communication about “Maldek,” explains cleansing tools like sage/salt as optional rituals, and says hauntings can at...

***This is part two of our conversation with Summer. If you missed part one, be sure to check out last week’s episode.***

Host April DeMille introduces Own Your Essence podcast, her private psychic medium readings and one-on-one coaching, then welcomes guest Summer, an intuitive teacher, channeler, and author of “Embracing Your Shadow,” a workbook with prompts and mindfulness practices for shadow work. Summer shares daily practices of talking to her guides and a revised grounding method of pulling intuition/energy through the whole essence and into the earth; April relates with her own anchoring approach. Summer names...

***This is part one of our conversation with Summer. Be sure to come back next week for part two.***

Host April DeMille introduces the Own Your Essence podcast and her services (psychic medium readings and coaching for grief, trauma, and toxic relationship recovery), then welcomes guest Summer, an intuitive teacher, channeler, and author who runs Just Be True in Tyrone, Georgia. Summer describes her mission to support people through spiritual awakening and explains common signs such as hearing voices, sudden “knowing,” and seeing colors around people, sharing her own frightening awakening experiences and how a medium reassured her...

Hosts April DeMille and Lee Walczak host a lighter episode this week using AI-generated “would you survive a haunted house?” prompts, taking turns answering spooky scenarios: hearing a friend’s voice, a warning child spirit, a phantom cat, a ghost giving 10 seconds to leave, locked or hidden rooms, a possessed realtor, footsteps with no upstairs, friends proposing a seance, predictive texts, and choices about portals, hotels, proof of reincarnation, and spirits offering future answers. They discuss boundaries, curiosity, urgency cues, and ethics, then end with rapid-fire questions (cryptids, cemeteries vs hospitals, spirit box vs Ouija, mediums in TV, unwanted abilit...

Favorite Moments with Lee: Mediumship, Spirit Guides, and Rapid-Fire Laughs

Host April DeMille opens the Own Your Essence podcast with a compilation of favorite moments with co-host Lee, then promotes her private psychic medium readings and one-on-one coaching for grief, trauma, and toxic relationship recovery. In featured clips, former police officer Sheila describes being introduced to hypnotic meditation by her police chief father, a strange ball-of-light experience, and a later “meet your spirit guide” class that convinced her mediumship was real and became her calling to teach others to connect, eventually leading into forensic mediumship. Sheila and Lee...

Host April DeMille introduces the Own Your Essence podcast, her private psychic medium readings and coaching for grief, trauma, and toxic relationship recovery, then interviews author and mental health advocate Gina Cavalier, formerly a wellness program director at Sedona Mago Retreat Center and now working independently as The Liberated Healer. Gina shares decades of suicidal ideation, how she healed it, and emphasizes that suicidal ideation differs from other mental health issues and is worsened by shame, judgment, and criticism, including from toxic relationships. She describes tools such as daily grounding, meditation, running energy, visualizing soul “fingerprints,” and working with the...

***We’re bringing back one of our favourite Own Your Essence episodes. If you’re new here, welcome—and if you’ve heard it before, we hope it meets you in a new way this time.***

Hosts Lee Walczak and April DeMille welcome Laura West to the Own Your Essence Podcast for a roundtable Q&A on mediumship and psychic work. They discuss how future predictions reflect the most probable trajectory and can change due to free will, reader strengths, and other factors, with feedback helping readers refine accuracy. Common mediumship questions include whether departed loved ones are okay...

Host April DeMille interviews Zac Russell about achieving freedom, peace, and contentment through present-moment living. Zac says his shift came through decades of suffering rooted in living in past/future narratives, and he emphasizes awareness, acceptance, and surrender, suggesting people record and review their conversations to notice limiting stories. He frames ego and “self” as language-based narratives formed in early childhood, links fight-or-flight (amygdala) to reduced creativity and increased illness via stress hormones, and argues goals, self-improvement, and belief systems reinforce scarcity and rumination. Discussing grief and trauma, he stresses acceptance and releasing frameworks about how life “should” be. He criti...

Host April DeMille interviews Maria Teresa, a celestial shaman and “master of soul light frequencies” who hosts in-person light language events called Pathways to Peace. Maria shares a history of severe trauma, addiction, eating disorder, divorce, and estrangement from her children, and explains how she turned pain into personal power to help others. She describes being an open channel with hundreds of guides, channeling poetry (nearly 900 pieces) and spontaneous light language, which she calls a healing “soul technology” and galactic download that is meant to be felt, not understood. They discuss authenticity in healing communities, boundaries, sobriety, energy sensitivity, parentin...

Host April DeMille interviews author and speaker, Dr Stephen Edwards, about his book The Venus Flytrap. Edwards explains the book emerged from a tumultuous, toxic relationship that became a “dark night of the soul,” reflecting his own unresolved trauma, shame, and patterns. He discusses learning vulnerability and authenticity, the dangers of ignoring intuition and red flags, and the idea that people have pattern problems rooted in childhood. He shares concepts like the three universal fears (not being enough, abandonment, trust), attachment to identity and possessions, and the lesson of not trying to rescue or fix others. April relates her own...

Host April DeMille interviews children’s author Bracha Goetz, who has written 45 books and a memoir, Nourish the Soul: Filling the Emptiness Within. Goetz describes her ages-12-to-32 journey with inner emptiness expressed through food addiction, bingeing, and extreme dieting while appearing successful at Harvard and medical school. A turning point came during a break in Israel, where learning spiritual teachings centered on gratitude restored meaning and “color” to life. She distinguishes gratitude as redirection rather than bypassing pain and shares the “Pleasure Ladder” (sensory pleasure, love, meaning, creativity, transcendence). Goetz discusses her books The Mother Who Always Said Yes, The H...

On the Own Your Essence podcast, guest host Stephanie Ann Webb interviews April DeMille, a psychic medium, grief coach, and trauma and toxic-relationship recovery specialist. April describes realizing her abilities in childhood, hiding them until age 38 due to fear, family reactions, and religious shaming, and later gaining confidence in owning her role. She says her intuition expanded most after her daughter’s death and explains how mediumship overlaps with grief and trauma work, attracting both traumatized humans and spirits. April emphasizes that grief is sacred, requires “sitting in the discomfort,” and is often avoided, contributing to addiction and illness; she en...

***This is part two of our conversation with Claire Falcon. If you missed part one, be sure to check out last week’s episode.***

Host April DeMille welcomes psychic medium and intuition teacher Claire Falcon to Own Your Essence and shares her services for psychic readings and coaching. Claire demonstrates her dream-interpretation framework using April’s recorded dreams, emphasizing identifying the dream’s overarching emotion, then analyzing symbols and people as aspects of the dreamer, especially within family “soul group” dynamics. They discuss a dream involving family members, a Holy Bible with a family tree, betrayal, addiction, pornograph...

***This is part one of our conversation with Claire Falcon. Be sure to come back next week for part two.***

Host April DeMille welcomes guest Claire Falcon, a psychic medium and intuition teacher who uses dream interpretation and Western astrology. Claire shares her origin story: vivid dreams since childhood, frequent dream visitations, and a pivotal Berlin experience hearing and seeing a spirit who communicated details of a recent overdose death, prompting her to train professionally after recognizing the healing impact of readings. The conversation focuses on dreams as a unique state of consciousness for intuition and healing...

Unhinged Q&A: Toxic Traits, Discernment, Manifesting, and Embarrassing Moments

Host April DeMille and co-host Stephanie Webb do a lighter, “unhinged” episode of Own Your Essence, asking each other surprise questions. April names over-explaining as a defended toxic trait tied to people-pleasing and needing to justify herself, and both discuss autonomy, discernment vs. judgment, and trusting intuition. April describes a rare mediumship experience where a famous spirit seemed to seek permission to move on, challenging her beliefs about crossing over. Stephanie shares leaving a black-and-white, evangelical upbringing and embracing manifestation teachings despite fear of hell. They talk abou...

Host April DeMille interviews magazine photographer and author Brandon Marshall on Own Your Essence. Brandon reflects on turning 40, earning his GED, attending two semesters of school, and publishing his third book (having written six). He discusses quitting alcohol three times and deciding on December 11th to stop for good, while still using marijuana and periodic mushrooms for spiritual grounding. Brandon recounts childhood abuse, being malnourished by his stepmother, and drinking to numb hunger and gain courage, leading to violence, juvenile hall, jail, and two prison terms. A later incarceration in Arizona became a catalyst for change and future goals...

Host April DeMille interviews intuitive guide and truth teller Lara Bokovay on the Own Your Essence podcast about returning to self and living in alignment. Lara shares how leaving corporate work, health exploration, divorce during the pandemic, and becoming a mother catalyzed a deep healing journey centered on self-worth, accountability, and unlearning lifelong “performing” for external reactions. She defines performing as acting to avoid abandonment or gain approval, which fuels resentment, guilt, shame, and imposter feelings, and emphasizes self-awareness and listening to bodily signals to move through discomfort faster. They discuss healing from truth versus survival conditioning, distinguishing compromise from...

Host April DeMille welcomes Royce Morales, founder of the Perfect Life Awakening Program, a multidimensional self-development program designed to help people dissolve subconscious programming, self-sabotage, and lack of deservingness by accessing deep awareness and cellular memory while remaining conscious. Morales describes how her method emerged intuitively during a meditation class about 40 years ago and expanded from living-room sessions to rented spaces, retreats, and now remote teaching. The conversation focuses on “mirroring,” which Morales explains as suppressed energy surfacing through others’ behavior or withholding, making triggers a message about denial, guilt, or worthiness, and noting mirrors can magnify until addressed; she sh...

Host April DeMille interviews former medical doctor, artist, and author Liz Casper, who retired from medicine in 2023 and now writes and paints. Casper discusses her books, Brilliant, Beautiful, Bipolar (about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 54 after decades of depression and seasonal affective symptoms) and Learning to Heal, (covering her medical training and work, plus becoming a cancer patient). She describes how seasonal depression, major losses and a breakup preceded an 18-month manic episode, the allure and dangers of mania, and how antidepressants can worsen bipolar symptoms. Casper recounts traumatic experiences in jail and psychiatric wards, criticizing mental health...

Host April DeMille interviews PhD astrophysicist and mystic, Rosa Hope, about bridging science and spirituality. Rosa says she has been spiritually attuned since childhood and pursued physics in her late 20s after a Saturn return period where she lost major relationships and career plans, seeking answers to existential questions. She later realized physics explains how the universe works but not why, and during early PhD years she developed PTSD after a close death; a Santa Cruz practitioner used transpersonal hypnosis and an angelic invocation that resolved symptoms in one session, leading Rosa to train, get certified, and open a...

Host April DeMille interviews Jim Marshall, author of “Septemics: Hierarchies of Human Phenomena,” about Septemics, a philosophical science he says is based on newly discovered natural phenomena showing many human experiences occur in seven-level sequences. Marshall describes Septemics as 35 unique seven-step “scales” (individual and group) spanning human issues such as basic purposes, motivation, thought, relationships, communication, sexuality, and politics, and argues any dilemma involving people can be analyzed with them. He explains the system is precise, learnable without intuition, and studied like a textbook with extensive glossaries. Using the scale of motivation, he illustrates how identifying someone’s level can clarif...

Host April DeMille interviews Sarah Roccisano, a world-traveling author, motivational speaker, and founder of Emboldened Adventures, about her shift from a 20+ year New York City corporate career (investment banking through the 2008 crisis, renewable energy, government work, $30B in transactions, and three layoffs including a two-and-a-half-year unemployment period) to a transformation-driven life after hitting a “brick wall” in 2022. Sarah previews her three-part true-story book series covering 2019–2026, beginning with “Stone Temple Passport: Awake and Radiate with Mama Ayahuasca,” and explains ayahuasca, its indigenous ceremonial context, and the role of shamans and integration. They discuss intuition vs anxiety, ego’s role and reciprocity...

Host April DeMille interviews Lynn Mull, a former Wall Street professional turned holistic career coach, Reiki/energy healer, author, and facilitator, about redefining abundance beyond money as flow, receptivity, and energetic alignment.  Lynn describes practices like clearing clutter as “energetic money hygiene”, tracking where you are financially and emotionally, and using her money archetypes (including the risk-taking “maverick”, the hyper-frugal, and the planner) to identify stories and blind spots. She discusses common abundance blocks for women – confidence, fear, comparison, perfectionism, people-pleasing, imposter syndrome, and difficulty speaking up – and offers strategies such as batching financial tasks, getting support, and manifestation exercises lik...

Host April DeMille interviews Victoria Icenhower, who calls herself the “self-love scientist,” a public speaker on women’s sexual health, wellness, pleasure, intimacy, and relationships, as well as the host of the Love and Lattes podcast and a Pilates teacher. Victoria shares how she left a male-dominated corporate government/contracts job after burnout and an unhealthy environment, turned to yoga and life coaching, and began her own business in 2021 with coaching, yoga, workshops, and later public speaking. She describes uncovering trauma, people-pleasing, sexual shame, and relationship misalignment, including a divorce that led to losing her identity and rebuilding from a “bla...

Host April DeMille is joined by co-host Lee Walczak and returning guest Stephanie Webb on the Own Your Essence podcast for an unscripted conversation about authenticity, language, and the difference between healthy compromise and “shrinking” to people-please. April shares recent reflections prompted by a friend and by her podcasting work, including whether to edit vulnerable wording from a story about the dark night of soul and psychic/medium awakening, where she questioned her sanity and used terms like “crazy” and “schizo.” The trio discusses how language, intention, context, and triggers intersect; the need for grace and communicatio...

Host April DeMille interviews Rachel Baldock, a breathwork and intuitive coach, medium, former nurse, and owner of Restorative Rach. Rachel shares how 16 years in nursing—including working in Melbourne, Australia, during intense COVID lockdowns—plus an abrupt marriage ending, led her to change her life, move states, and embrace breathwork as a grounding tool to help feel and process emotions. She describes early mediumship experiences beginning at age four, later intensifying in her twenties with vivid nighttime apparitions and experiences connected to her hospital work, then shutting it down after being told she could ask spirits to leave. Mediumship re-o...

In this episode of the 'Own Your Essence' podcast, hosted by April DeMille, guest Leticia Francis, a trauma recovery mentor and survival mode disruptor, shares her deeply personal journey of overcoming trauma and abuse. Leticia talks about her childhood experiences with domestic abuse and molestation, her tumultuous teenage years, and her abusive marriage, which culminated in a life-threatening stabbing incident. Leticia discusses how she reached a turning point, sought help, and began her healing journey. She now helps high-achieving women break free from survival mode and thrive. The conversation highlights the importance of self-awareness, reprogramming beliefs, and reinvention. Leticia...

In this episode of the 'Own Your Essence' podcast, host April DeMille engages in a deep, transformational conversation with Jacki Fleniken, an alcohol freedom and transformation coach from Los Angeles. Jacki shares her profound journey from being a daily drinker and bartender to becoming an advocate for sobriety. She discusses the significant turning points in her life, including a major depressive episode, the tragic loss of a friend to alcoholism, and her powerful realization at a celebration of life event. Jacki reveals the ineffective methods she initially tried to curb her drinking and outlines the innovative, non-AA-based methodology she...

In this episode of the 'Own Your Essence' podcast, host April DeMille and co-host Lee Walczak engage in a deep conversation with shadow worker Melissa Kim Corter. Melissa shares her fascination with the shadow dynamics within the human psyche, driven by her experiences as a highly empathic child. She discusses her work in shadow psychology, inspired by figures such as Carl Jung, and her unique approach, using dark fairy tales to explore the hidden dimensions of the mind. They dive into the importance of embracing uncomfortable truths, the role of intuition, and the importance of empathy and compassion in...

In this episode of 'Own Your Essence' podcast, host April DeMille, joined by guest co-host Lee Walczack, converses with Sheila Marie, a renowned forensic consultant and psychic medium. Sheila narrates her unique journey from being a police officer to becoming a forensic medium, detailing her process of receiving dreams and visions that help her solve cases. Sheila emphasizes the importance of maintaining professional detachment and offers insights into connecting with spirit guides and managing the energy around oneself. Sheila also discusses her role as an International Torch for Peace Ambassador and shares practical advice for finding peace and staying...

A Heart Filled With Gratitude 

As I share some of my favorite moments from Season 1, my heart is so full. 

To every listener who tuned in, every guest who bravely shared their truth, every friend who cheered us on, and every single soul who watched, listened, commented, or shared. THANK YOU.  

I’m grateful for the love that wrapped around this project from the very beginning.

I can not wait to see what Season 2 brings. 

Thank you for being part of this journey with me.

Here’s to what’...

In this episode of the 'Own Your Essence' podcast, host April DeMille is joined by her friend and colleague, Stephanie Webb. They recap Stephanie's earlier appearance on episode seven and dive into a candid discussion about the complexities of healing and dating. They explore topics such as the non-linear nature of healing, dealing with grief—highlighted by April's poignant recounting of losing a child—and the importance of authentic communication in relationships. Stephanie shares her insights on overcoming insecurities and her experiences with public speaking, while April talks about the challenges of dating after a long period of celibacy and...

In this episode of the 'Own Your Essence' podcast, host April DeMille delves into an inspiring conversation with Tatjana Genys, a conscious entrepreneur, author of four books, and founder of 'The Art and Science of Choosing You.' Tatjana shares her transformative journey from a 15-year corporate career to creating a life of alignment and purpose. She discusses the emotional and physical toll of misalignment, the healing modalities she embraced, and the importance of conscious leadership and parenting. They also explore the significance of self-worth, emotional regulation, and the power of presence in daily interactions. Tatjana's insights on turning...

In this episode of Own Your Essence podcast, host April DeMille interviews Kristine Genovese, creator of the Soul Intelligence Method. Kristine explains how her method uses a book of charts and a pendulum to shift energy stuck in one's physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual body. She shares her personal journey from a corporate turnaround specialist to a spiritual healer and discusses the transformative impact her method has had on clients, including healthcare professionals. Kristine emphasizes the importance of self-healing and announces upcoming projects, including a course and a new book. The episode also touches on Kristine's belief that healing...

Lucille Barkman is a former single mother who is now navigating life as an empty-nest mother after experiencing divorce, a faith transition, and the loss of a daughter. Through profound grief and personal transformation, she has discovered resilience, clarity, and renewed purpose. Today, she channels that journey into building an online mentoring business, guiding women toward healing, courage, and direction in their own lives.

https://www.instagram.com/lucilledawnbarkman?igsh=MXFhZm1uNGdpN295NQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

https://www.lucilledawnbarkman.com/

✨ Work with April 1:1
If you’re l...