Dear Chelsea: “Guided” with Laura Lynn Jackson

iHeartPodcasts | February 12, 2026

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and soulful episode, comedian and author Chelsea Handler welcomes her longtime friend and renowned psychic medium, Laura Lynn Jackson, to talk about her new book, Guided: The Secret Path to an Illuminated Life. The conversation seamlessly blends skepticism and sincerity as Chelsea, co-host Katherine Law, and Laura answer listener questions about grief, messages from the afterlife, intuition, and embracing life’s unpredictable, spiritual dimensions. Listeners are treated to moving personal stories, accessible spiritual advice, and encouragement to trust in the unseen bonds that tie us all together.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chelsea’s Relationship with Laura Lynn Jackson and Skepticism about Spirituality

• Chelsea recounts her own experiences relying on Laura’s guidance during pivotal life moments (07:09–09:49).
  • Example: When Chelsea was questioning her breakup or her career, Laura assured her there was a “higher path” or that “Netflix would come back around”—which actually happened.
• Chelsea distinguishes Laura’s authentic approach from others in the spiritual field, crediting her sincerity, kindness, and “maternal, divine, feminine energy” (10:06–10:32).
• Laura affirms: “We all [have intuitiveness], but you get good by practicing for years.” (10:21, Laura Lynn Jackson)

2. Laura’s Journey: From Teacher to Medium and the Boldness of Listening to Your Soul

• Laura describes leaving her high school English teaching career after a profound “download from the universe” told her to write, teach, and speak about her abilities (11:10–12:24).
• She emphasizes that we all have a soul’s calling and should trust our inner guidance—sometimes life’s detours are assignments the universe needs us to take (12:27–13:53).
  • “Go really quiet sometimes… and find out what your soul is tugging you to…” (12:24, Laura Lynn Jackson)

3. The Importance of Acceptance, Vulnerability, and Rising Above Hardship

• Chelsea and Laura discuss how processing pain with authenticity and grace, instead of anger or self-pity, creates room for personal growth and collective healing (13:53–15:38).
  • Chelsea: “When you accept and move into acceptance of any situation, everything starts to become easier.” (14:44)
• Chelsea shares her experience of receiving thousands of supportive DMs after speaking openly about her breakup, illustrating how vulnerability invites support and healing (15:38–16:21).

4. Understanding ‘Signs from the Universe’ and Spiritual Connections

• Laura shares the moving story of two lives unknowingly intertwined—Dr. Michael Shannon saving a premature baby, who 30 years later, as an adult EMT, saves Michael from a crashing SUV (17:54–19:52).
  • “If that’s true for them, it’s true for all of us… We don’t have the whole picture.” (19:52, Laura Lynn Jackson)
• Chelsea and Laura unpack how signs from loved ones aren’t always literal, challenging listeners to question the randomness of “coincidences” and to open their hearts to communication from beyond. (16:46–17:00, 24:20–25:25)
  • Notable: Chelsea’s “orange out of place” as a personal sign from her late mother (38:09–39:47).

5. Telepathy, Non-Verbal Communication, and Energy

• They reference research from The Telepathy Tapes podcast, in which non-verbal autistic savants demonstrate telepathy—suggesting that thought and energy are real, transmittable forces (21:26–23:10).
• Laura: “Thoughts are energy. Every single thought we have either puts more light into the world or more darkness.” (24:32, Laura Lynn Jackson)

6. Teams of Light: Spirit Guides, God Energy, and Ancestral Connection

• Laura shares that everyone has a “team of light” composed of:
  1. God energy or pure love.
  2. Spirit guides (“advanced angelic beings”).
  3. Loved ones/pets/ancestors who’ve passed.
• “Our true currency is forgiveness, gratitude, empathy, kindness. So if you’re not exercising those things, you’re not choosing your love path.” (27:57, Laura Lynn Jackson)

7. Why Do We Encounter ‘Villains’ or Suffering?

• Laura aligns the existence of dark, difficult people with the function of villains in children’s movies—helping us discover our empathy, moral courage, and capacity to help (30:42–33:42).
  • “True power is sharing your gifts so others can rise and share theirs.” (28:03, Laura Lynn Jackson)
  • “If we were all good, we wouldn’t know what good was.” (31:54, Chelsea Handler)

8. Listener Calls: Grief, Afterlife Signs, & Healing

Call 1: Kayla – Grieving Her Daughter and Husband

• Kayla expresses guilt over not feeling her late daughter’s presence as she does her husband’s. Laura assures her:
  • “She chose you to be her mom… every choice you made for her care was made in love, and that is always the highest path.” (43:02–43:40, Laura Lynn Jackson)
  • Laura shares intuitive hits—future flowers, a forthcoming children’s book with a message, and stresses Kayla’s ongoing bond.
  • Kayla: “The guilt is part of what’s been a major thing of what I’m feeling. So it’s really refreshing to hear you say that.” (48:29)
  • “Moving forward is not leaving us behind. We come with you. We’re part of it all.” (50:22, Laura Lynn Jackson)

Call 2: Jessica – Complicated Grief, Relief & Guilt Over Mother’s Passing

• Jessica wrestles with relief, guilt, and a blocked relationship with her late mom and estranged sister.
  • Laura: “She wants you to know she sees you fully now and she celebrates you. She’s asking for your forgiveness.” (54:31–54:54)
  • Jessica’s mom will send a “butterfly and a chicken” as signs. Chelsea and Laura encourage Jessica to journal, and embrace forgiveness as an ongoing, heart-level process, not a logical instant step.

Call 3: Sarah & Pat – Searching for a Long-Lost Adopted Brother

• Pat and Sarah struggle with how aggressively to pursue contact with Pat’s brother, adopted away at birth, who has not responded to outreach.
  • Laura recommends setting the intention, but surrendering to the brother’s free will and the timing the universe allows:
    • “It might be a process… but if you just give some time and space, out of the blue a year and two months from now, you might get a phone call, an email, a letter…” (70:40–72:59)
  • Katherine shares her own family experience as reassurance: “He might just be on a different—slower—timeline than you, but focus on the feelings of excitement and happiness to help bring them to fruition.” (73:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Pain and Grace:
  “This is really about you taking your highest path possible… I am above the noise of this. I am going to rise above this and act with grace and dignity...”
  — Chelsea Handler (07:09–07:56)

• On the Nature of Signs:
  “When you accept and move into acceptance of any situation, everything starts to become easier.”
  — Chelsea Handler (14:44)

• On the Afterlife and Spiritual Support:
  “We are all intertwined—our lives matter and all affect one another… Relationships do not end with bodily death. They actually get stronger.”
  — Laura Lynn Jackson (15:03, 43:02)

• On Intuition and Practice:
  “We all have intuitiveness, but you get good by practicing for years.”
  — Laura Lynn Jackson (10:21)

• On the Role of Villains/Evil:
  “If we were all good, then there would be no contrast… we wouldn’t know what good was.”
  — Chelsea Handler (31:54)

• On Healing and Hope:
  “Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break and all things can be mended… So go love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness. That is you.”
  — LR Knost, read by Chelsea Handler (34:04)

Important Timestamps for Segments

• Introductions & Laura’s Bio: 06:35–07:09
• Chelsea’s Spiritual Testimonies: 07:09–09:50
• Laura’s Story: From Teacher to Medium: 10:30–12:24
• Major Spiritual Lessons & Accepting the Unseen: 14:44–15:38 and 21:01–25:25
• Listener Call: Kayla: 41:17–51:14
• Listener Call: Jessica: 52:57–64:27
• Listener Call: Sarah & Pat (Family Reunion Search): 69:07–74:32

Tone & Style

• Warm, conversational, and sincere—Chelsea’s humor balances Laura’s earnest, gentle delivery.
• Both offer insightful, accessible spiritual ideas without preachiness, emphasizing personal empowerment, letting go, and heart-centered action.
• The podcast oscillates between raw vulnerability, relatable skepticism, compassionate counsel, and uplifting hope.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode is a testament to the power of love, intention, and belief in life’s mysterious beauty. Chelsea Handler and Laura Lynn Jackson give listeners permission to be vulnerable, encourage them to find meaning in both successes and setbacks, and open the door to conversations with loved ones who have passed. Through deeply personal stories, practical tips for noticing “signs,” and heartfelt responses to listener calls, the episode demonstrates that healing and hope are always available—sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

Laura Lynn Jackson’s new book, “Guided: The Secret Path to an Illuminated Life,” is available now.

Notable Quotes:

• “Moving forward is not leaving us behind. We come with you. We’re part of it all.”
  — Laura Lynn Jackson (50:22)

• “You don’t need a medium. You can have these conversations.”
  — Laura Lynn Jackson (52:51)

• “Set your intention—leave that door open, and know you’re coming from the most pure place, but also understand his free will might need a little time.”
  — Laura Lynn Jackson (72:59)

• “Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world… go love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness. That is you.”
  — Read by Chelsea Handler (34:04)

For anyone navigating grief, seeking meaning, or wondering about the invisible bonds between us, this episode offers comfort, wisdom, and light.