Angel of Hope - After tragedy, an unearthly visitor brought light back into Rhonda’s life
Spirit Sisters - the podcastShow Notes
Karina Machado presents an original voice from her 2009 book Spirit Sisters. Rhonda Rice, a scripture teacher from Sydney, tells a story that encompasses various spiritual and paranormal threads. Rhonda has experienced otherworldly encounters since she was a little girl doing her best to cope with the tragic loss of her baby sister, Laurel. In the wake of that devastating day, an angelic encounter paved the way for a lifetime of mystical encounters. In her 30s, Rhonda had a near-death experience and in her 50s, she began to see “the visitors,” as she calls them, strangers who look absolutely alive who materialise beside her bed. Today, in her 80s, Rhonda continues to have spiritually transformative experiences. At the beginning of our conversation, Rhonda shared a story about being on a cruise just before Covid, and having an accident that should have seen her seriously injured or worse. Instead, she felt herself supernaturally lifted “in a whoosh,” as she described it, to safety onto the bed. Earlier, Rhonda’s partner had insisted she come and see an artwork onboard the ship. As it happened, the piece depicted a beautiful angel. Later, Rhonda reflected on that as she came through her mishap unscathed. She believes it’s the same guardian angel she met as a child. Angels figure prominently in Rhonda’s story, especially when she describes the aftermath of the unfathomable family tragedy. I wrote in my book Love Never Dies that stories are “memorials built of words and hewn with love, not cold stone or marble,” and Rhonda’s story reminds me of that. Yes, it’s a slice of Australian history, a first-hand account of days gone by, but beyond that, it ensures that a precious toddler called Laurel will never be forgotten. Rhonda's story appears as "Faith's Envoy" in Spirit Sisters (Hachette Australia 2009). Her account of seeing the visitors is included in Chapter 1.
Connect with Karina Machado at karinamachado.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 at Kobo. Buy the audio book of the original Spirit Sisters (narrated by me) at Audible. Connect with Karina on Facebook. Connect with Karina on Instagram.
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.
More from Spirit Sisters - the podcast
Can one profound experience change the way we see ourselves - and the nature of reality itself? In Episode 99 of the Spirit Sisters Podcast, transpersonal psychologist and author Dr Colleen Quinn reflects on the experiences that transformed her understanding of love, consciousness and healing. Together, we explore the lasting impact of childhood trauma, the healing power of breathwork, the synchronicities that have guided her path, and the spiritual awakening that followed her 2018 near-death experience. More than a conversation about extraordinary experiences, this is an invitation to remember who we truly are, and to consider what becomes possible when we begin to live from the truth that love is the foundation of our existence. Learn more about Dr. Colleen Quinn https://www.essencemerging.com/
My guest this week is intuitive healer Inna Segal, who joins us to share the personal path through healing, spirituality, and self-inquiry that led to her bestselling book, The Secret Language of the Body, and now, her new book, Understanding Modern Spirituality. Inna, who was born in Belarus, candidly shares the complexities of immigrating to Australia, and the health challenges, bullying, and grief that shaped her early life. She tells of the loss of a child when she was 19, her encounter with an angelic being, and how she began working with her body through breathing, touch, and inward attention to address back pain, psoriasis, anxiety, and depression. The process led her to connect physical symptoms with feelings of not belonging, family conflict, and inherited grief, which led to our discussion about ancestry, unprocessed trauma, and how pain can be understood as a form of learning. Inna says our life experiences can remind us that life is a short part of soul growth, that we are connected to others across lifetimes, and that spiritual insight can help us face difficulty with more strength and understanding. Learn more about Inna Segal: https://www.innasegal.com/ https://www.instagram.com/innasegalauthor/
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/
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.What happened next was nothing short of a miracle … We also hear about the spiritually transformative experience that followed the rescue, and how Carlos connects this with his earlier healing from cancer as a teenager. Carlos also reflects on prayer, gratitude, and asking for help in daily life, and he shares other moments where he believes prayer helped him. He emphasises that love, gratitude, and service are central to living well on earth.
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.