← Detox Retox with Tom Schwartz
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- [00:00]
Tom Schwartz
Foreign.
- [00:05]
Michael R. Burke
It's now time for your weekly detox with Tom Schwartz.
- [00:12]
Tom Schwartz
Guys, what is up? I got a special one for you today. Something a little out of the ordinary. We're gonna do a psychic reading with one of my best friends. My ride or die, one of my soulmates. We're gonna do a psychic reading with my dog, Butters. Yes. Butter Boy. I love both Gordo and Butters equally. I chose Butters just because he's such an empath. He has such a sweet heart, and he's extra sensitive, and I just thought it'd be fun to get a little peek into his sweet little heart. My boy Butters. Our dog. Me and Katie's guy. My little emotional support angel. My little unpaid therapist. My rider. Nice. Brought so much joy into not just my life, but so many others. He truly is an empath. He's so sensitive. Anytime I'm in a bad mood, he's right there, cuddled up, licking my face, letting me know everything's gonna be okay, helping me be more present. So, yeah, we booked a session with Michael R. Burke. That's right. Pet whisperer, psychic, intuitive, pet expert, author, Michael R. Burke. We booked a session with a pet psychic, and I wanted to share with you guys. So I'm not gonna yap too much. Let's just dive into it. Okay. I guess I kind of wanted to do it to just honor our connection. And I guess that's like a thank you to our furry friends, you know, just maybe pry a little deeper, see what's going on inside of his beautiful little brain. And, yeah, man, I had a really good chat with him, by the way. The audio got messed up towards the end, so forgive me on that. Completely lost our connection. But my Internet went out and I didn't want to take up any more of his time. But it was awesome. And, yeah, I got a little emotional. Hopefully you guys dig it as much as I did. So, yeah, man, sit back, relax, and let's take a moment to appreciate our furry little friends giving us all that unconditional love and support. Okay? This one's for you, Butter Boy. Gordo, you too. Love you guys.
- [02:52]
Michael R. Burke
Gordo may come up.
- [02:54]
Tom Schwartz
He does have a great screen presence. They're good little actors. They've done a few commercials and stuff here and there. They've dabbled in the business, if you will, out here in Los Angeles. And they're always so good. Whenever we have cameras around. They just kind of. They're natural actors. They're performers. By the way, if it's cool, Michael, we're recording now. Is that okay?
- [03:14]
Michael R. Burke
Oh, yeah, totally.
- [03:15]
Tom Schwartz
Thank you so much for doing this. I've been wanting to do this for such a long time. You guys here with Michael Burke, right?
- [03:22]
Michael R. Burke
Yes.
- [03:22]
Tom Schwartz
Can I call you a, amongst other things, a pet psychic?
- [03:26]
Michael R. Burke
Yeah. You know, I answer to all of it. I'm animal communicator, pet psychic, animal intuitive, whatever you label me as, it's all good. I'm here to tune in and connect with animals and people.
- [03:39]
Tom Schwartz
Yes. And it's so nice to connect with you. I'm so grateful for your time. I'm sitting here. We're not. We're not going to have video for this one. It's just audio, guys. But I'm sitting here with my boy Butters, and we're gonna do a reading with Michael, if that's cool. This is, like, one of my best friends in the world. Gordo and Butters. You guys know them from Vanderpump Rules. But I thought it'd be fun to sit down with Butter Boy and do a little reading, because with Gordo, he kind of chose me. He was a rescue, I think. I got him in 2013, and I went to a place called Barkin Bitches, and he pretty much hopped up on my lap and he's like, you're taking me home. And we've been best friends ever since. Butters is a little bit more of an empath. Gordo's more independent. Yeah. So Butters, very sensitive. I won't say he's needy because I don't want to insult him, but he's just a little more clingy. He's very empathetic. He's. He's very intuitive about, like, my feelings or other people's. His mom's feelings. So, like, if I'm in a bad mood, even if it's very subtle, he'll come and he'll lick my face. He'll check in on me and. Yeah, he's a very sensitive guy. Very sensitive, very smart, emotionally intelligent, and, yeah, he's. He's one of my two best friends in the world. My rider dies. My kindred spirits, Gordo and Butters. Can I just ask you the obvious question, Michael? How did you get into this unique line of work? Did you, like. Did you have an a. Eureka moment, an epiphany, or. When did this gift come to you?
- [05:10]
Michael R. Burke
Well, when I was a kid, I had a dog and a cat. I had a ferret. And I, you know, I was tuning into animals. I was tuning into people too. And I didn't Know, I was, though I came. I'm the youngest of six kids, and all of my brothers and sisters are older than me, and they were very, very into intuition and psychics and astrology and tarot and energy and stuff like that. And so when I was a little kid, I was learning from all of them about these things. And we came from a religious upbringing, too, so there's this belief in, like, things beyond us, you know, like having angels and guides and stuff like that. So I just sort of came into life aware of that kind of stuff. But I was very, very sensitive, and I would find myself tuning into the neighborhood animals and just sensing things going on with them and then hearing, like, maybe they were sick or there was some sort of reactivity issue amongst the animals in. And I was getting confirmation that I was tuning into things that others weren't tuning into. And as I got older, like high school and college, I started to really strengthen my intuitive abilities. I started to meditate and I started to read tarot cards and things more focused on people. And I started to do readings for people in college. And I was. People were saying, well, could you read my animal? You're. This was great. How about my animals? So I started to. I was like, all right, I'll see how it goes. Doing it for other people formally. And it just started to really take off from there. It just, like, words spread, and I just really dove into it. I just sort of have followed my path, and I'm like, here to serve, you know, I'm just happy to help.
- [07:00]
Tom Schwartz
It's so cool. So it's part of. It's innate, but it is something that you've honed and that you've sort of. Yeah, you've honed in on this. You've. You've fostered this gift that you were. You were born with. Yeah.
- [07:11]
Michael R. Burke
Yeah, totally. Yeah, it was. And it was something that I kind of blocked out for a long time. I would be really absorbing a lot empathetically in public with animals. Like, if I was in a shelter, I'd be feeling the animals in the shelter, and it would feel overwhelming or people, too. Like, if I was on a bus or something. I grew up in Chicago, and if I was on a bus or the. The train, I'd be sensing all of the energy and people, and I had to learn how to kind of block that out. And I sort of, like, denied it for a while. I had a professional career in advertising sales for a while out of college and was doing this sort of in the closet on the side and not telling anybody that I was doing this, and things just really started to take off. Then this became my. My, you know, true path. I finally surrendered to it.
- [07:57]
Tom Schwartz
Yeah.
- [07:58]
Michael R. Burke
I was like, all right, I'm just going to, you know, allow and go with it. And that's when, like, the floodgates opened and I recognized there's something I can do to help people, you know, and animals.
- [08:07]
Tom Schwartz
Yes. It's so cool. It's such a unique gift. I'm trying to think how to ask this question. So when. When you do pick on the energy of an animal, whether it be a dog, a pet, a ferret, anything, does it come to you in, like, sentences, or is it more of, like, just a vibe, an energetic feeling you get that you have to translate for their owners?
- [08:29]
Michael R. Burke
For me, I. I'll often refer to it as, like, I'm elevating my vibration and consciousness to a level to connect in with them. And I feel the energy coming from the animal. It almost, like, runs through my database to best articulate the energy. And so sometimes words come to me. Sometimes I'll see a symbol. And I'll use this example a lot. Like an apple. I might be seeing an apple, and so it just kind of flashes in my head, but I'll feel it, too. And I. I've learned to not judge whatever comes through, and I'll just share with whoever. Like, okay, I'm seeing an apple. Now, that could mean the old school meaning of like, a student giving a teacher an apple to say thank you for everything you've taught me. Or so more symbolically, or, you know, the human is feeding the animal apples. Or it could be like the dog is saying, you know, my. My human is always tripping over this apple door stopper at the. At the door. And it's like this actual object, it could be a print on their pajama pants, even. So it. It like I learned to just share what comes through. Sometimes it's like a game of charades where I'm piecing things together. And sometimes it. It's, like, really clear and obvious what comes through, but it's a sense. It's a feeling. Sometimes I'll hear things. Sometimes it'll be like a sentence. Sometimes I will. As you brought up, like, I'll see almost like a sentence appear in front of my mind's eye. And often it's more like the energy behind it. Like I said, sometimes it's like my database of familiar phrases or symbols or ways of expressing that energy, my database chooses that does that make sense?
- [10:09]
Tom Schwartz
It does. Thank you for articulating that. So you kind of translate the energy that you get from the dogs and you help articulate that to the owners in a digestible manner.
- [10:19]
Michael R. Burke
Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And so many times, like, I'll, you know, I'll say something to somebody like, why am I seeing the apple? And they like, all I. Back in the day, I would feel like, oh, that's stupid. I'm not going to say that. Because they're going to think, like, what if they think, oh, he's crazy and what's he talking about? Apples? But then I would share the apple or whatever it is, and the person would be like, oh, my God, that's so funny. I was juggling apples in the kitchen last night and. And my dog was standing up on their, you know, hind legs watching me. That's so wild. And. Or, you know, there's. Sometimes people are like, I don't know what that is. And then a day or a week later, they'll email me and say, I know what it is. It's this doorstop or I'm always tripping over or things like that. So, you know, I just. I always tell people I'll share what comes through. If it doesn't make sense, let it go. But it's interesting how it pieces together.
- [11:15]
Tom Schwartz
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- [12:08]
Michael R. Burke
Very, very much so.
- [12:10]
Adam Rippon
Yeah.
- [12:10]
Michael R. Burke
It was a real struggle for me because I came from, like, you know, very mainstream world, like a corporate job. A lot of, like, judgment and expectations. But I just was being guided in this direction and I was tuning into animals and able to help them and people. You know, it's. It's a collaborative experience and it's not just the animals I'm helping, but it's really connecting the dots for people with their anim. And often it's the human's energy that's affecting the animals. And so I tune into that as well. But yeah, it was really, finally, I had to be like, you know what? I can't worry about what other people think and I just have to do what I'm doing and it'll all work out. And it has. I mean, of course, you know, I'm very grounded and I am very pragmatic and I try to present it in a way that is very approachable. And nothing against people being kind of loopy doopy or out there, but my sort of modus operandi is to kind of come in in a real grounded way. So people really get that this is something real and it doesn't have to be something woo woo and something one judges.
- [13:26]
Tom Schwartz
Yes. On this show, we've made it clear, woo woo is not a bad word. There's no negative connotation. We keep an open mind here. So, Michael, I'm so excited to do this with you with Butter. This is my boy. He's about 10 years old. So when I was married with Katie, we're still very amicable. We're good friends and we share custody. They stay with me most of the time just because I was. For practical reasons, I was kind of more the primary caretaker. But she loves them just as much. Well, on that note, just based on your initial readings, does Butters ever get sad that he doesn't get to spend more time with his mom? Although she does come and see him a good amount? Like, did the divorce impact them negatively? I'm sure it did.
- [14:15]
Michael R. Burke
So I'm feeling from him. So I'm getting the. What's coming through for me is I'm seeing like the road splitting and they're two different, two different paths. I'm feeling with Butters, him, his purpose, him serving in him magnetizing to you, like magnetizing to you. Like I. I'm hearing him saying essentially, like, I have work to do. Like, I have work to do. There's work for me to do. Serving a purpose, almost like a service dog, emotional support, but maybe formally, but like him following the current and where he is needed and he. There, there's something deeper going on from at like a soul level and why he is with you more often. But I see him gravitating over to his mom's house when needed. He's like, I have my roles, jobs and responsibilities when needed. But there is this empathy and understanding that I'm feeling I. So I'm seeing the question marks pop above his head like an air bubbles when it happened. Like, wait a minute. And looking to you and feeling the question marks above your head and air bubbles and him kind of like, all right, well, okay, you've got questions, I got questions. Which way are we going here? And there's sort of like the dust was kicked up, kind of like, all right, how do I navigate this? But I can feel at his core him being very much an older soul and tuned in everything, every one, every object from his perspective is a point of energy and a point of light. And he's tuning in, assessing, evaluating, connecting the dots and reading the room really well. And it's like he, he not simple, not like a, you know, nothing against dodido kind of dogs, but he's like tuning in and okay, this is where I'm okay, I get it. And I see him pointing from his eyes to your eyes, his eyes to your eyes, following your lead and getting it. Does that make sense?
- [16:19]
Tom Schwartz
It does. He's a very sensitive, empathetic creature. He's a lover. And yes, I always felt like he had an old soul. And I tried when I've had a bad day, I try to be mindful not to bring that energy in to my house because he's so aware of it. And I feel like it has a negative impact on him. Although I think, you know, with proper training, he could have been like a world class therapy dog, really. I do think he has a special gift.
- [16:47]
Michael R. Burke
Totally.
- [16:48]
Tom Schwartz
But I'm selfish and I want it all for myself now. I mean, even as you said, you.
- [16:54]
Michael R. Burke
Coming in like, when you're coming in worried about how you're feeling, that's. I'm feeling him like, oh, wait a minute, what are you coming. He's feeling your question marks and he's like, oh, wait, what, what's come. What are you coming in and for? Those people aren't seeing me because they're listening to this audio. I'm moving my finger around like, I'm sizing you up. If I were him, like, it's this kind of sizing you up and reading your energy, but then him like taking the reins in a lot of ways. It's like, oh, no, it's all good. Like it, it's all good. Like, I get it, I got it, I got you. There's very much the symbiotic. I'm seeing like a figure eight from your heart to his heart, your heart to his heart, back and forth, back and forth, acknowledging like in the mid midst of the chaos, he's. He in his sensitivity and empathy, he is able to tune into a frequency of like, joy. Even like right now as he's looking up at you and he's yawning like that, he. So he's yawning and licking his lips a little bit as he's looking at you, releasing energy. When he's yawning, it's like he's grounding the energy and releasing the energy and. But how the empathy tuning in. He's almost like a warming pad. Like I feel him, like knowing when to sort of like lay in your lap as a warming pad or a grounding pad. Does that make sense?
- [18:15]
Tom Schwartz
It sure does. And he's, his timing is impeccable because when I need him the most without saying anything, he'll just kind of show up in my lap. And I think if Katie was here, his mom, she would say the same thing. He's just such a good world class cuddler and he pretty much gets along with every human, every other animal. The only thing is he hates are my neighbor's dogs. I don't know if you have anything to add to that. He hates my, our neighbors, Veronica's dogs, him and Gordo. The only dogs they hate. But I can't, I can never figure out why. I don't know if you had anything to add to that, but it's like.
- [18:51]
Michael R. Burke
There are, I'm hearing riff raff. Chaos riff raff. The commoners. The commoners, the riff. Like, like wanting to diffuse the chaos or extinguish them. Like they're, they're like at a lower level. I'm feeling sort of his bougie ness in a sense. Like they're the rift. Like we don't do that. He's sort of like nipping that in the bud. Diffusing the chaos. It's like I'm seeing like a tumbleweed going across the, the pasture and him like wanting to stomp the tumbleweed or extinguish the flames.
- [19:27]
Tom Schwartz
Yeah, they're very high energy. They're, they're, they're really sweet, but they're kind of yappy, if you will. I don't mean that as a condescending thing. They're just very yappy dogs and they're sweet and they're, and they're angels. I've spent time with them, but with, with my dogs in particular, it's like they want to kill them.
- [19:46]
Michael R. Burke
Yeah, it's like diffusing the chaos, the riff raff, like nipping it in the bud and very elevated. I'm feeling him like I'm seeing him elevated and radiant. And I'm gor Butters. This is with a like his crown. His crown sort of tipp a little bit. Like I am the king and you're the commoners and like, we don't have time for that.
- [20:12]
Tom Schwartz
Yeah, he is a little uppity. I will not, I won't lie. He's got. He's got his little halo over his head. Or maybe it's a crown that I thought was a halo. Maybe he was royalty in a past life. I've been traveling a lot lately, Michael. And listen, my brother stays with me and I know my brother loves him and Butters loves my brother and sometimes he goes to his mom's with Gordo and I know he's very happy there. But like, how sad do our dogs get when we leave them? How cognizant are they of like time and our absence? I don't even know if I want to know the answer to this question.
- [20:49]
Michael R. Burke
You know, in my experience it's actually often enough to generalize, but it's often better than what we humans think. And I'm tuning into him on this too. So I'm feeling from him, it's like the energy shifts. It's like, oh, new. Like, like my uncle's here. Or you know, it's like, oh, different. It's like a change of scenery or characters and energy. It's different stimulation. So from his perspective, it's like, oh, I'm engaging in interacting in it like sort of in a new way, a new stage. That's that. It's almost like when, like going to camp or as you're traveling, you're having new experiences. He's having different experiences too because the is just even though familiar family, it's still different. But in my experience, the animal is so like, you know, we are energetically and telepathically connected with our animals regardless of time and space. And so I always encourage people to really feel calm and confident when you're traveling. Have a clear intention all as well. I'll even say, and this is kind of woo woo, but like when you are away traveling to almost like send little airmail messages. I'll even say, like, imagine that you have a little envelope that you're stuffing a message of love and like a postcard from wherever you are, like, hey, I'm here. And putting a little heart sticker on the. The seal and you're sending it off maybe even from your heart, sending it like sending you love, it's all good. Time doesn't exist for animals in the way that it does for us. They very much live in the moment. But that energetic connection, we're energetically corded to them and so they feel those messages. And so on the flip side, if we're like worried or nervous or apprehensive or sending out question marks, depending on the animal, the sensitive ones can feel it. And it's like, oh, well, I was good here. Like, I was good with my uncle, but, oh, wait a minute, like, do I need to be worried? Oh, and so we can affect that sort of for the, the negative in a sense, but we can also affect it for the positive. Does that make sense?
- [23:04]
Tom Schwartz
It does. I used to cry every time I would drop them off at the sitter and I'm like, this isn't good for anyone. It's. I think it was kind of pathetic, but kind of sweet. But I just would get like separation anxiety because I love, we love our dogs so much. But I think I've matured and I've got to the point where, yes, I like to think, like, it's camp for them when they stay with my brother here at the house and I'm not around, you know, new experiences, new vibes, new energy. And they know I'll always be back with treats. Lots of love. Every time I come back, I spoil them. Butter's personal favorite is mozzarella cheese ice cream. He loves a good In N Out burger. Can I ask you if you can sense anything about like, his favorite foods or just snacks or just favorite, like, pastimes, hobbies?
- [23:54]
Michael R. Burke
I see him like, he's very aware of his glimmer. Like his glimmer, his sparkle, the, the response that he ignites in others when they are taking him in. He's very aware of his presence and energy. I'm feeling like the, the rich and creamy. So you mentioned the mozzarella cheese. I'm feeling like the rich. And are you giving him whipped cream or something too?
- [24:17]
Tom Schwartz
Yeah, from time to time. Like I, you know, I, I spoil in moderation. But, you know, it's not like this is an every night thing. But like, if I've left, I just got back from China, which was fabulous. And when I got back, I got them. Jersey Mike's a Philly cheesesteak. Not with the bread and everything. And I do it within reason, people. But yeah, he likes Jersey Mike said. But he especially loves, yeah, like rich creamy ice cream. He loves mozzarella cheese sticks, not the fried Ones, but just like, you know, like the cold ones you get anyways.
- [24:48]
Michael R. Burke
Yeah, you know, I feel. I'm feeling this. It was interest. As you were talking, he was just sort of like. His eyes looked very soothed. There's something very Zen about him right now. Like, as you were just speaking, he looked very Zen. And I was getting. So when I'm communicating with animals, often I'm connecting in with their, like, earthly self. It could be just the day to day, maybe it's their likes and dislikes, their experience. But sometimes, and I feel it's in the older souls, I'll feel this, like, deeper, more profound energy coming in. And I was feeling him coming in as this was coming through, as you're talking about yourself crying when you were dropping him off, which is very sweet. I feel him and Gordo, but I'm more focused on him because he's right here. Coming in, like, coming into your lives at an important time, like comets or angels, comets trajectories coming in and shifting things in a really big way, touching your heart. But him feeling purposeful. Him coming in at this, like, deeper soul level. Come look at him right now. He's, like, posing like this, like, legend, him coming in. Do you see?
- [25:56]
Tom Schwartz
Are you seeing this? Yeah, very stoic. Like.
- [25:59]
Michael R. Burke
Stoic, yeah, like the icon, the legend, he. But coming in and, like, you know, swaddling you in light and blazing your path and giving you the opportunity to, like, see and experience things mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, energetically from a new, higher, different level. Like, really, like, I'm feeling this. And again, I'm interpreting, putting this energy into our words. But he's very, like, there's pride and proud and like. And. And. And as you were saying, like, you crying when you would leave him. It's like, him, like, it's all good. Like, I know. Like, I know. And almost like I have that effect done on you and others, but at a real Zen level. The gift and all of that. Like, the gift and everything you've experienced at an important time. Like, I'm just seeing him coming in. In your life and, like, matching your. Both of them. And you guys, like, parallel waves carrying forward, but you feeling like it's like you have your. They're almost like angels or guides for you in a sense. Like having the energetic support as you've navigated the last, I guess, 10 years. You said he's 10?
- [27:08]
Tom Schwartz
Yeah, about. He's about 10 years old. And yeah, they have been like beacons of light, angels, if you will, for. For me and Their mom. And just, just like through some of the harder moments in my life, they're like my rocks. I will say, if anyone's listening and you're on the fence. Getting a pet, a dog, a cat, whatever you want to get has been repeatedly the best decision I've ever made in my life. Gordo and Butters in particular have brought me so, so much joy. Are there any things you've learned from talking to our furry friends of all sorts that. Any things you've learned from them that, that, you know, maybe you can't learn from a fellow human being, such as, like, just pure unconditional love, Something like that throughout your. Your experience?
- [27:57]
Michael R. Burke
Yes, it will. That very much. Pure unconditional love. And then there it, like I mentioned, living in the moment, like a reminder to be present in the moment. And so often when there's drama or trauma, especially with their animals, we're worried that they're. They're hold. They're holding on to it or what. Where's this gonna lead? And I did. I traumatized my animal. Are they going to be carrying this? And, and they often, not always, but often are able to shake things off, pun intended, I guess, you know, like, shake it off, let it go, bounce back. And they are a reminder of that, but also to the, like, the spiritual connection with them, you know, like that love never dies and it continues beyond the veil. And they are around even though it, like, it feels like the hardest thing to lose an animal because they're with us through thick and thin, often around us more than people are depending on the person and the animal. But in my experience, when they cross, it's like they're no longer confined to their physical body and they're around sending signs and messages and maybe even sending us other animals to continue the journey with. And that's something that really has been profound for me in my experience with animals, my own animals and those who I work west.
- [29:23]
Tom Schwartz
Yeah, it's a beautiful thought. I mean, I listen, I've. I have so many friends who have just recently lost animals which were their loves of their life. My girlfriend, her cat Patches. My boy Luke just lost his dear dog Jill just like a few weeks ago. And I know he's been devastated, but I like, I like what you said before. It's like that love never dies. And that's just a beautiful thought to know that you've changed their life for the better and. Yeah. That love lives on through you. Right?
- [29:52]
Michael R. Burke
Totally. Yeah. And in my experience, when the ones, you know, those soul, dog, soul Soul animals, soul cat, whoever. That's real soul connection. Often there's like one or maybe a couple that really make that profound change in our lives that really open us up to our connection with animals when they cross. Often I feel that it's like having them as an angel. And this is my own experience. Like I, my dog Cooper, who was like my soul dog and she's been gone in like 15 or so years. I still feel her. And when she. Everything changed in my life when she crossed. And in having her in spirit with me moving forward, it's like I started. It heightened my life experience. Like I started to see things more clearly because I feel she was there is here as a lens that's like helping me to see things multi dimensionally. And that's not just me being an animal communicator and an intuitive. I feel this is available for everybody. You know that our, our animals are there in spirit. And often when they cross, it's like now we're just. I'll feel from the animal now we're just beginning now where things are getting good because they've been with us throughout life and then they're with us in spirit and they see the higher perspective and we can call upon them like angels to help and guide us.
- [31:19]
Tom Schwartz
Yeah, it's a beautiful thought. I. I really do feel like my dogs are my soul mates. Like we were meant to be together. I don't know if that's revisionist history after the fact, but it really feels that way. I feel like we, we have a soul connection. And I love these guys. They've brought so much joy into my life and. Yeah, I just, I know a lot of friends who are also at the end of the road or close to the end of the road with their pets. I don't know if you had any other comforting words. I know it's kind of a vague question, comforting words for them just to. Just to help ease the pain of losing their loved ones. Their. Their furry friends.
- [31:56]
Michael R. Burke
Yeah, yeah. Know that well, you know, there's. There's the feeling of like counting down. I've been there. It's like we know technically like, okay, our on paper animals only live certain amount of years. And so it's like we start to emotionally prepare ourselves for when that time comes. And that's stressful often, you know, that can distract us from. From being present in the moment with them. And so I. Something that I always encourage people to do and I did this was with my dog Cooper. I'll never forget when she was she was 15 and a half, and she had lost her mobility. Her back end was falling all the time. She was incontinent. I had, like, towels and sheets everywhere around the house, and it was coming close. And I remember lying with her on the ground and I was holding her and I was. I was. She was kissing me and I was kissing her. And I really set an intention to really absorb the moment. That moment. And I was talking to her and I was saying, I love you so much and we'll always be together.
- [33:05]
Tom Schwartz
And.
- [33:06]
Michael R. Burke
And this wasn't right. When I was about to put her down. This was before, but I said, I love you. I'm absorbing this moment, this experience that we are sharing right now. I am soaking it in into all of my cells so I can always remember our love and refer back to this moment. We have this together, and we're always together. And I share this with you, my heart dog, my soulmate. And I'll never forget it because I set the intention of really absorb the moment in that moment with her. And so when the time did come where she. She had, you know, I. I had to put her down. And it was very sacred at the house and everything. It was perfect. But I can always refer back to, as I just described, that moment when I absorbed all of that energy, that love in the moment I can feel. So it's cherishing the present. And, you know, it's easy to jump into the future or think about the past, but really absorb it because it's a gift that, you know, 10, 15, 20 years down the line, you can tune back into that feeling and it's like forever in your cells and in your heart.
- [34:21]
Tom Schwartz
Yeah, I like that. I think that's a great takeaway. It's just being more present in the moment, not spending too much time dwelling in the past or the future. One of my favorite things is just helping your. Your cats, your dogs, they really do help you be more present in the moment, which is important because I've been guilty in the past of just spending too much time in the past and the future, for better or for worse. But, like, when I'm with them, I'm snuggled up at the end of the night. It's like one of my favorite things in the world. And all this just to say, you guys, if you're on the fence, if you can handle it, if you think you can handle it, you have the responsibility and the means, adopt a dog or a cat or a bird or. Yeah, right. I'm just. I'm a huge champion for adopting. Not shopping, but I won't judge you either way. Whatever makes you happy and brings you joy and yeah, anything else I need to know about Butters? Anything else I can do to be even a better dad for a little butter boy here?
- [35:18]
Michael R. Burke
The best thing we can do is really be clear about our. About our intentions. Not only, like I said, being present in the moment, but stimulating, being, you know, loving. Having the opportunity to. To serve and to radiate and to. To be engaged.
- [35:42]
Tom Schwartz
Sorry, my Internet's a little wonky right now. I apologize. Guys. You guys, thank you so much for tuning in. Sorry I completely lost Internet service towards the end there. I was having such a great session with Michael. Michael, thank you, thank you. I really enjoyed that. I was touched and I didn't want to take up any more of his time. He sent me a nice little email. He said my final words of wisdom would be, our animals are constantly inviting us into the present moment. When we slow down enough to savor our time with them, something beautiful happens. We feed our spirits together and those quiet, shared moments become a form of communication all their own. And often they're where the deepest healing and connection take place. That was beautiful, Michael. I appreciate you. If you guys want to book a session, you can check out his website. That's MichaelR. Burke. B u r k e dot com. I'll put it on my Instagram as well as he has an Instagram. It's Michael Burke official. And yeah, man, you can check out his book, Intuitive Animal Communication. Co create a meaningful life and deep connection with animals. Available everywhere. I had a great session with him. Butters, Gordo, to all of our furry friends, thank you. Thank you for all the joy, the comfort, the grounding, the hilarity you've brought into all of our lives and for ever. Grateful for you guys and all my pets and all my people and you guys for listening. Thanks for the love. Go book a session.
- [37:33]
Michael R. Burke
Why not?
- [37:35]
Tom Schwartz
All right. Appreciate you tuning in. Till next time. Love you guys.
- [37:42]
Michael R. Burke
Detoxification complete.
- [37:48]
Adam Rippon
Hi, I'm Adam Rippon and this is Intrusive Thoughts, the podcast where I finally say the stuff out loud that's been living right rent free in my head for years. From dumb decisions to awkward moments I probably should have kept to myself. Nothing's off limits. Yes, I'm talking about the time I lost my phone mid flight and still haven't truly emotionally recovered from that. There might be too many sound effects. I've been told to chill. Will I unclear, but if you've ever laid awake at night cringing at something you said five years ago. Congratulations. You found your people. Intrusive Thoughts with Adam Rippon is available now wherever you get your podcast.