EXPANDED Podcast by To Be Magnetic™

Ep. 376 – Dr. Tara Swart on Signs from the Other Side: Love, Loss, and Connection Beyond Death
Air Date: October 10, 2025
Host: Jessica Gill (with Lacy Phillips)
Guest: Dr. Tara Swart

Episode Overview

This powerful episode brings back Dr. Tara Swart, neuroscientist and TBM’s scientific advisor, to discuss the intersection of science and spirituality around “signs” from departed loved ones. Dr. Tara shares her deeply personal journey following the death of her husband, Robin, and the signs she received that fueled the writing of her new book. The hosts, Jessica and Lacy, guide an intimate and, at times, mystical conversation that merges neuroscience, grief, ancient traditions, and mediumship—including a live channeling moment with Lacy. The recording also explores the evolving role of community, art, and beauty in healing and connecting with intuition.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dr. Tara Swart’s Grief and Journey with Signs

[17:39] – [21:47]

• Dr. Tara recounted losing her husband Robin to acute myeloid leukemia in 2021. His passing was devastating, and Tara credits her support network for helping her through.
  • "I was just so broken and lost...I really don't think I'd be here today if it wasn't for the people that I had around me." — Dr. Tara, [18:28]
• Desperate for a sign from Robin, Tara began to experience a series of extraordinary events—seeing robins, feeling his presence through dreams and physical sensations, and even thought insertions she knew were from him.
  • "I was woken up in the middle of the night by a really heavy thump to my shoulder...I could see him appearing, like, more solidly standing next to my bed." — Dr. Tara, [18:54]
• Her scientific background made her question her sanity, leading to self-analysis and a gradual acceptance of these events as meaningful.

2. Science Meets Mysticism: The Nature of Signs

[21:47] – [26:09]

• Dr. Tara describes her skepticism and quest to find scientific explanations for her experiences, exploring research on near-death experiences, inherited traits, and consciousness.
• The book weaves together personal narrative, neuroscience, and ancient traditions of ancestor work.
  • "I've also referenced a lot of ancient wisdom and none of this is new. This is all things that we've forgotten." — Dr. Tara, [28:14]

3. Safety, Skepticism and the Role of Community

[26:09] – [29:02]

• The trio discuss societal taboos and shame around spiritual experiences, especially for professionals in science and medicine.
• Lacy emphasizes the need for discernment and boundaries when connecting across the veil. Tara echoes that the journey needs psychological safety and clear boundaries.

4. Genetics, the Senses, and the "Veil"

[29:02] – [34:54]

• Jessica asks about "the gene" that may explain why some people interact with the spirit world more easily; Dr. Tara explains evolutionary perspectives and current genetics thinking.
  • "I strongly believe that anyone can do this if they want to...I don't think I was psychic or channeling before." — Dr. Tara, [29:53]
• Anecdotes abound, such as seeing the name "Astral Drive" while discussing Robin being on a different plane and other synchronicities, all witnessed by others.

5. Channeling and Mediumship: A Live Transmission

[39:53] – [47:32]

• Lacy channels Robin’s presence in a powerful, emotional moment:
  • "His presence is, like, tall, but gentle, but stoic. Maybe a little funny. Like a little bit of English humor, you know? Very funny." — Lacy, [43:46]
  • "You're going to open up a new thought process, a new bridge, a new connection that many people would have not had access to if it wasn't coming through you specifically." — Lacy (channeling Robin), [44:30]
• Both Tara and Jessica confirm the energy and synchronicity, with Jessica noting:
  • "If you can send her an unmistakable sign today, either during our recording or afterwards, only send it if it can come through with love and it doesn't scare her or upset her…Please come through today when we're all connected." — Jessica, [45:36]
• Tara admits, "I've already had that thought. I had to write this book for that reason, to make his passing like, mean something and make a difference." [45:05]

6. Signs, Connection, and Brain Science

[34:54] – [42:10]; [48:06] – [61:09]

• Tara discusses the phases of connection with loved ones who have passed—from grief to guidance to joy—relating it to changes in brain chemistry.
  • Reference to prairie voles and oxytocin, research illuminating how grief lessens in intensity over time.
• Dr. Tara distinguishes the difference between occasional signs as comfort vs. ongoing guidance.
• Discussion on animals’ heightened senses and their sensitivity to death and spirits.
  • "Cats and dogs have a much more sensitive sense of smell than we do, to the point that they can smell impending death." — Dr. Tara, [48:06]

7. The 34 Human Senses & Clair Abilities

[53:13] – [61:09]

• Dr. Tara’s research identified 34 physiological senses in humans, excluding the clair senses.
  • “Taste is subdivided into five…The latest one to be recognized as a sense is the immune system.” — Dr. Tara, [54:17]
• Discussion of how intuitive and psychic capacities may one day be scientifically classified as senses.
• The neuroscience of mediumship: altered states (breathwork, plant medicine), latent inhibition, and how creativity can open the “filter” to the nonphysical world.

8. Practical Pillars for Receiving Signs & Strengthening Intuition

[32:36] – [73:01]

• Tara outlines pillars that support intuition and connection: openness, expanded senses, intuition, creativity, nature, and social support.
• Connection to gut health, trauma, and the body’s wisdom influences our capacity to perceive.
  • “Physicality was a huge way to not just bring [intuition] back, but take it to the next level.” — Dr. Tara, [62:57]
• Scientific and evolutionary value of art and beauty in human survival and flourishing.
  • "There’s a statistic that shows that people who indulge in the arts, like, every two months, have a 31% lower chance of dying." — Dr. Tara, [70:13]
• The conscious practice of "noticing beauty" as a means of returning to gratitude and abundance.
  • "It's not becoming habituated and just putting your head down and rushing through life. It's looking around and actually appreciating how beautiful life is." — Dr. Tara, [74:01]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On choosing connection after devastating loss:
  "I totally could have become very bitter and felt like life was unfair...But I made a very conscious choice that I wanted to return to love, to gratitude." — Dr. Tara, [00:00]/[69:44]
• On “learning to see signs”:
  "It's like we're in constant communication, and I can ask for something and I'll see a sign that day...I describe it like learning a new language." — Dr. Tara, [19:54]
• On beauty and expanded living:
  “If people can start to access that, that is one's access point to starting to feel into what you're talking about, Dr. Tara—our greater potential, not only in humanity… but individually, our superpowers.” — Lacy, [71:19]
• On our evolving paradigm:
  “Do you ever think about a day in the life of Homo erectus, and are we so arrogant that we actually think we're the last type of human that's ever going to exist? ...I think these are the sorts of questions that we need to be asking each other.”—Dr. Tara, [66:28]
• On art and survival:
  "Why did we hum, chant, drum, dance, sing, why did we make cave paintings? ...art and beauty are essential to our survival.” — Dr. Tara, [63:31]

Timestamped Highlights

• Dr. Tara’s Loss and Signs Experience: [17:39]
• Science Behind Signs & Mediumship: [26:09]
• Ancient Traditions & Community: [28:14]
• Live Channeling with Lacy: [42:10]
• Differentiating Guidance from Loved Ones: [39:53]
• Animals & the Senses: [48:06]
• The 34 Human Senses: [53:13]
• Beauty and Neuroaesthetics: [73:01]

Key Takeaways

• Grief can be transformed into ongoing connection—rooted in both emotion and observable phenomena.
• Neuroscientific and psychological frameworks can explain, validate, and complement mystical experiences.
• The “veil” between worlds may be thinner for some, but everyone can access signs and intuition with openness and intention.
• Practices that foster intuition include engaging with beauty, art, nature, community, and deliberate attention to the present.
• Societal scripts around the supernatural can be rewritten by blending science and lived experience, giving permission to trust one’s own signs.
• Beauty is a powerful path back to gratitude, expansion, and resilience—a bridge between the visible and the unseen.

Connect with Dr. Tara Swart:

• Instagram
• Her new book (details and global links in her Instagram bio)

Closing Message

"It's not becoming habituated and just putting your head down and rushing through life. It's looking around and actually appreciating how beautiful life is."
— Dr. Tara Swart, [74:01]