The Oprah Podcast

Episode: How Loved Ones Communicate After Death

Host: Oprah Winfrey
Guest: Medium & Author Laura Lynne Jackson
Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and transformative episode, Oprah Winfrey welcomes psychic medium and bestselling author Laura Lynne Jackson to discuss how loved ones can and do communicate with us after death. Drawing from her own experiences and those of callers, Laura explains the nature of the afterlife, how to recognize signs from those who have passed, and how everyone can cultivate a relationship with loved ones in spirit. Throughout, the conversation is interwoven with profound personal stories, audience questions, and practical advice for healing, deepening connection, and staying “open” to guidance and love from the other side.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Discovering the Gift of Mediumship (03:17–09:58)

• Laura’s Early Experiences:
  Laura recounts sensing and feeling energy as a child, mistaking her psychic perceptions for normal experience.
  • At 11, she had a premonition to visit her grandfather, leading to a meaningful final day with him before his sudden illness and passing.
  • After her grandfather’s death, Laura dream-connected with him, discovering a feeling that "the other side is our true home."
• Owning Her Abilities:
  At 23, Laura realized she was able to connect with consciousness beyond the physical, recounting a powerful reading for a man named Paul whose deceased girlfriend communicated specific details.
  • This experience initially left Laura feeling overwhelmed and fearful:

    “It was just so out there for me that it took me a number of years to really own that truth and also see it as beautiful and comforting.” – Laura (06:17)

• Societal Shut-off:
  Oprah and Laura discuss how children naturally perceive spiritual energy, but formal education and societal expectations shut down this ability by focusing on analytical, "front brain" thinking.

  “Young children come in…trailing the breath of angels.” – Oprah (06:47)
  “We all come here to Earth school to learn a collective lesson in love. And really our only rules are to give love and receive love.” – Laura (07:34)

2. The Science and Practice of Spiritual Connection (09:01–10:54)

• Accessing the Spiritual Brain:
  Laura shares that scientific research has shown her brain “switches” from frontal lobe dominance to other brain wave patterns during psychic states—a pattern available to everyone:

  “We all have a switch in our brains that we can switch off this frontal logical…monkey mind…and re-access that spiritual part of ourself.” – Laura (09:58)

• Living an Illuminated Life:
  Both Oprah and Laura affirm that everyone has the potential for spiritual connection and guidance if they “open their hearts and minds.”

3. Understanding the ‘Team of Light’ and Types of Signs (10:54–16:07)

• Composition of Spiritual Support:
  Laura describes each person’s "Team of Light":
  1. God energy – the connecting force of love.
  2. Spirit guides/angels – contracted before birth, not known in this lifetime.
  3. Loved ones who have crossed – including ancestors and pets.

  “They guide us as well…100% they are our angels as well.” – Laura (11:54)

• How the Departed Communicate:
  • Default Signs: Coins (particularly with special dates), electrical disturbances, manipulated texts, recurring number sequences, and specific songs or phrases.

    “They love messing with electrical devices, so flickering the lights…But now that we have cell phones…they love changing the words when you’re texting people…” – Laura (13:05)

  • Unique, Co-created Signs:
    Laura encourages being very specific with requested signs (e.g., a purple elephant, a pink dolphin) and affirming the communication through number sequences or songs.

    “Make it as unique as possible…Every new word you learn, you have a new way to communicate.” – Laura (14:56)

4. Real-Life Stories of Signs and Guided Healing

Story 1: Brittany and the Giraffe (17:59–31:14)

• Brittany’s Loss:
  Brittany recounts the sudden loss of her seven-year-old son Bodie to a febrile seizure.
• The Giraffe Sign:
  On a family trip, Brittany feels Bodie’s voice guiding her to a stuffed animal display, picking out a giraffe (Bodie’s favorite animal). When scanning its code, they discover the giraffe’s "origin date" matches Bodie’s birthday—an undeniable sign for the family.

  “I said out loud, I need a sign from you. I need a sign that’s undeniable. That undeniable sign is exactly what he gave us of his birth date, 218.” – Brittany (27:42)

• Strength in Sharing:
  Laura emphasizes the power in sharing these stories:

  “The highest way that we can honor receiving a sign from them is to share that story, share the story with others…You and he became teachers.” – Laura (29:15)

• Continuing Relationship:
  Brittany explains how she actively chooses to “love him and foster a relationship” no matter what form that takes (29:54).
  Oprah affirms:

  “You have honored us so much and honored the name of your son, the life of your son, by sharing his story with us today.” – Oprah (30:23)

Story 2: Nikki and the Name Andrea (35:24–40:12)

• Family Sign Request:
  After their friend Andrea passed, Nikki’s children ask for her to send them her name as a sign. Despite no results in a bookstore, they later see a street sign, “Andrea Way”, and the author of their new book is “Andrea Beatty.” Nikki reports frequent encounters with her grandmother’s number, too.

  “Not only did she show me a sign, she showed us a street sign that said, Andrea way.” – Nikki (36:57)

• Advice for Children:
  Laura commends Nikki for teaching her children to recognize signs and advises to empower kids to choose their own “language of signs” with loved ones or guides.

Story 3: Nicole and the Birthday Signs (40:12–45:13)

• Prearranged Signs:
  Nicole shares how she and her mother agreed on sending each other signs before her mother’s passing, including repeating sightings of her mother’s birthday and finding white feathers in her home.
• Seeking Assurance:
  Nicole asks Laura how to fully trust these signs.

  “If you have a moment where you notice something and you have this little voice inside you that says to you, I think that was a sign. It was. That little voice is the connection.” – Laura (42:17)

• Staying Open:
  Oprah encourages “staying open” to communications in grief, reaffirming the ability to continue a relationship that "can be as strong and as powerful and certainly as guided."

Story 4: Karen and Her Sister-in-law (46:33–51:49)

• Yearning for More Active Connection:
  Karen shares her desire to be more engaged in the ongoing relationship with her late sister-in-law and best friend.
• Living Vibrantly in Their Honor:
  Laura recommends performing actions in honor of those who’ve crossed—a run, a good deed, or sharing stories—since “their energy gets to experience that along with us…one of the most beautiful things we can do.” (49:46)
• Oprah affirms:

  “Just speaking her name and sharing the story here is a big thing, is a big, powerful thing.” (51:04)

5. On the Relationship Between Pet and Human Spirits (51:49–54:18)

• Oprah shares how she noticed ongoing spiritual connections with her late dogs, explaining how animal spirits also continue to abide and sometimes show themselves boldly after passing.

  “This is also…true of loved animals and pets that have gone on.” – Oprah (52:47)

• Laura agrees, noting pets are often swift and effective at sending signs, and that surviving pets can sense spirits who have crossed.

6. Final Reflections: Everyone Can Access the Light (54:24–55:31)

• Universality of Connection:
  Laura emphasizes that no one needs a psychic medium to connect with loved ones—simply setting the intention and asking to be guided is enough.

  “That doorway to all of that, that connection, it’s in each and every one of us. You can just do it by setting that intention…‘send me the signs, send me the messages.’” – Laura (54:45) “Use me as a vehicle of love and healing in this world.” – Laura (55:09)

• Oprah echoes:

  “Use me is a beautiful prayer. It's been one of mine for many years.” (55:31)

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Young children come in…trailing the breath of angels.”
  — Oprah (06:47)

• “We all come here to Earth school to learn a collective lesson in love…to give love and receive love.”
  — Laura (07:34)

• “We all have a switch in our brains that we can switch off this frontal logical…monkey mind…and re-access that spiritual part of ourself.”
  — Laura (09:58)

• “The highest way that we can honor receiving a sign from them is to share that story, share the story with others.”
  — Laura (29:15)

• “If you have a moment where you notice something and you have this little voice inside you that says to you, I think that was a sign. It was. That little voice is the connection.”
  — Laura (42:17)

• “She is always there. She abides with you, through you, above you, around you, and in you. She is always there.”
  — Oprah (44:27)

• “No one ever needs to go to a psychic medium to connect with that light.”
  — Laura (54:43)

Segment Timestamps (Major Sections)

• 03:17 – Laura’s early experiences and the journey to mediumship
• 09:01 – The science of spiritual connection, brain waves, “switching”
• 10:54 – Understanding spirit guides and the ‘Team of Light’
• 13:05 – Signs and how the departed communicate
• 17:59 – Brittany and Bodie’s giraffe sign
• 35:24 – Nikki’s story: Andrea’s name as a sign
• 40:37 – Nicole’s signs from her late mother
• 46:57 – Karen’s ongoing relationship with her sister-in-law
• 51:49 – Oprah’s insight on animal spirits
• 54:24 – Laura’s closing message on universal access to connection

Overall Tone & Takeaways

Warm, deeply compassionate, and nurturing, the episode affirms that love transcends death and that ongoing relationships with loved ones are not only possible but natural. Laura and Oprah gently challenge listeners to trust their intuition, lean into hope, and honor departed loved ones by staying open and sharing stories. Whether through unique signs, dreams, words, or shared rituals, the “team of light” guides each of us—reminding all that the illuminated life is accessible to every heart willing to receive.