On this episode of The Secrets of Being, I’m joined by three beautiful souls—Katy Gilberston, Valerie C. Thompson, and Portia Booker—as we sit in sacred conversation about grief, healing, and the signs that remind us our loved ones are still near.

I share how reading The Light Between Us by Laura Lynne Jackson opened something in me—reminding me of the moments where I felt my dad’s presence through a skeleton key, and the subtle but powerful signs I’ve received from my dog Toby since his transition. Sometimes it’s a post I scroll past. Sometimes it’s just a feeling. Grief doesn’t always come wrapped in light—but the love is always there if we’re open to it.

Portia shares how she feels her mom in the scent of her perfume or when her favorite song plays on the TV. She talks about the butterfly that showed up just when she needed a reminder—and how important it is to ask for signs and to stay open enough to receive them.
Connect with Portia: https://www.facebook.com/portiabkr/

Valerie brings such a deep, knowing presence to this conversation. She shares how she still dreams of her parents, her brother, and her son—and how the signs show up for her in butterflies, feathers, ladybugs, dragonflies, and flickering lights. Her son used to collect feathers, and now she finds them in the most unexpected places. She reminds us that grief and joy can exist together. That we cry when we enter this world, and we cry when we leave—but both moments are sacred.
Connect with Valerie: https://www.facebook.com/valeriecthompsontruth

Katy speaks from a mother’s heart. She shares how she explained her older son’s passing to her younger son with softness and truth. She talks about seeing a “space horse” on his Instagram the same year she learned it was the Year of the Horse, and the rainbow that appeared on my fridge when she visited. She reminds us that the signs often come in the colors and shapes that are meant just for us. She also speaks to the importance of safety in grief—creating space to feel it, instead of suppressing it. Because when we don’t give our grief a place to land, our bodies will carry it.
Connect with Katy: https://www.hauorawellness.com/

This episode is an offering to anyone who has lost someone and still feels the tug in their heart. It’s for the ones who believe in something more, even if they can’t explain it. It’s a reminder that our loved ones are always speaking—we just have to slow down enough to listen.

With love,
Dawn