She died—and came back with a message.

Amber Cavanagh, known as the West Coast Medium, joins me for a deeply moving conversation about her near-death experience, the psychic gifts she’s had since childhood, and how surviving a massive stroke transformed her life, purpose, and perspective on what it means to truly live.

We explore:
✦ Seeing spirits as a child—and realizing others couldn’t
✦ What happened on the other side and why she chose to return
✦ The healing journey after her stroke and brain injury
✦ The surprising link between empathic sensitivity and physical illness
✦ Why she believes everyone has the ability to connect with spirit—and how to start

Amber’s story is vulnerable, mystical, and grounded in lived experience. This episode is for anyone on the path of spiritual awakening—especially those who’ve felt overwhelmed by their gifts or out of place in the world.

#neardeathexperience #psychicmedium #consciousness #spiritualawakening #empath #channeling #psychicdevelopment #lifeafterdeath #energyhealing #podcast #viralvideo

✦ Subscribe for more videos on reincarnation, metaphysics, and the evolution of consciousness.
https://www.youtube.com/@ianvogelmedia?sub_confirmation=1

✦ Join the Alternate Timelines newsletter for deeper insights I can’t share anywhere else: https://alternatetimelines.co/newsletter

About the Guest:
Amber Cavanagh, known as West Coast Medium, has been aware of her psychic abilities since childhood, including seeing spirits and having precognitive dreams. After denying her gifts for years, Amber fully embraced her abilities. She survived a massive stroke that led to a profound near-death experience, which further expanded her spiritual perspective. Now an author of "At the Stroke of Eternity," Amber conducts readings, healings, and teaches classes while providing free content online to help others on their spiritual journeys.

Guest Links:
✦ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Stroke-Eternity-Remarkable-Near-Death-Experience/dp/1738150631
✦ Website: www.thewestcoastmedium.com
✦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westcoastmedium1?mibextid=LQQJ4d
✦ Instagram: https://instagram.com/westcoastmedium1?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Don't miss any of the action (Ian's links):
✦ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ianvogelmedia
✦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alt.timelines.ian/
✦ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ianvogelmedia

Hey, I’m Ian Vogel—host of Alternate Timelines. My journey started on a small farm in the midwest, where I always felt a little out of place. After years of skepticism and even a stint as an atheist, a near-death experience changed my perspective on everything. Since then, I’ve explored plant medicine, past life memories, and the mysteries of consciousness. Now, I’m sharing those experiences to help others navigate their own awakening. Through real stories, deep conversations, and wild explorations of the unknown, we’re building a community where it’s okay to question reality. You’re not alone in the unknown. 👽✨

This episode includes discussion of mental health challenges and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling, please seek support. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (00:00):
from my earliest, earliest memories,
three, four years old, it wasn'tjust my psychic abilities, but,
I could see dead people, I wokeup at 4 45 in the morning,
paralyzed completely on theright sides, blind,, on the
right side.
And I had had a massive stroke.
And because I didn't wake up, itcaused a second stroke.
So I'm actually missing all ofthis part of my brain and most

(00:23):
of this part of my brain.
Luckily on the other side, theytold me.
this is what would happen if youdied.
This is what would happen if yougo back.
I had a true like soul levelknowing that we all planned
this,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1 (00:43):
Amber.
It's a pleasure having you on.
I'm so excited to talk to youever since we set this up.
I've been really looking forwardto this conversation.
I know each of us have haddifferent experiences in our
past, but there seems to be alot of overlap in different
areas, and

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (00:57):
Yep.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (00:57):
the first question that comes to my
mind is, have you always beenaware of your psychic abilities?

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (01:05):
Oh, thanks for having me.
I'm super grateful.
Um, and yes, I actually, Ialways say I was born different.
I don't know another way to sortof explain it, but from my
earliest memory, I knew, like I,it was almost like I didn't feel
like I fit being a kid, and itjust didn't make sense to me to

(01:27):
be a kid.
And I didn't like properly, Idon't know, socialize and I, I
had different expectations thanthe average kid.
Um, but from my earliest,earliest memories, three, four
years old, it wasn't just mypsychic abilities, but, um, I
could see dead people, but Ididn't know they were dead.
They weren't scary.

(01:48):
It wasn't like TV where like ifthey died in a car accident,
they looked really scary.
Um, it was more, I just thought,I.
Most of the adults around meignored certain people because
they would walk right by them orwouldn't say hi to them, or, you
know, wouldn't acknowledge theirpresence.
I didn't know until I wasprobably maybe six or seven-ish

(02:10):
that they actually couldn't seethem.
Um, and with my psychicabilities, I, I didn't
necessarily understand how itworked when I was young and a
lot of my psychic sort of giftscame through in my dreams until
I kind of learned about it.
And so I would have thesehorrible dreams about plane

(02:33):
crashes and, um, all sorts ofawful things, bear attacks, and
I would just think it was anightmare.
Um, and then like a week later,10 days later, I.
A month later I would see on thenews or hear somebody talking
about the dream that I had.
And then because I was young, Ithought it was my fault.

(02:54):
I thought I was causing it.
Um, and it took me a long timeto realize it actually wasn't
me.
Yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (03:01):
Wow, so, so you were having or
precognition of events that werehappening in the

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (03:07):
yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (03:08):
Now with these events, were you in
any way attached to them or wasit just, did it just feel like
something random that was comingin?
Like you, it was just a kind ofthe luck of the draw as to what,
what you were experiencing andwhat your precognition were.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (03:25):
It was more kind of like I was
watching a movie, like I didn'tget like, fully immersed into
it.
So I wouldn't necessarily, um,be on the plane once in a while.
Like I do remember, I.
Like a bear attack thing.
It was me, um, like I wasexperiencing it, but it was more

(03:45):
like I, I didn't feel likenecessarily it was real life for
me.
It was just like a horrible sortof nightmare.
Um, whereas the dead people,they didn't scare me.
Um, they didn't try to get me todo anything like they do now.
I just didn't know how to setboundaries.
And so now I have really goodboundaries.

(04:07):
It's taken a lot of years.
Um, and so I, I, they don't bugme.
They're not hoing me or anythinglike that.
Um, and I can filter out my sortof psychic visions or gifts
unless it's something I canchange.
So for an example, my, my dad isin his eighties and he would,

(04:28):
and my mom were going somewhereto a different town.
And I just had this.
Like thing that I had to tellhim, make sure you are not
walking up a sidewalk stepbecause you're gonna fall and
break your hip.
So if you are gonna go on asidewalk, go to where there's
the like wheelchair ramp.
And he's, he is pretty steady onhis feet.
He was still working at thetime.

(04:50):
Um, and so if I can preventsomething, then I do get that
push.
But if I can't change it,prevent it or stop it, um, I
have really good boundaries.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (04:59):
And now that you've gotten to a
point where you're able tomanage your psychic abilities to
a certain degree or haveboundaries around, uh, your
energy and the energies thatare, that you're experiencing
and interacting with around you,what does that look like?
What is your current practicelike?
How do you utilize your skillsand abilities, in a way that,

(05:20):
uh.
is beneficial.
'cause I have a, based on thefact that, you know, you wrote a
book about your, your experiencein your life and some of the
experiences that you've had, I'dlove to talk about that, but I
get a strong sense that you comefrom a place of wanting to share
and wanting to serve.
So how, how are these giftsbeing utilized now to, to
achieve that?

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (05:41):
So I call it my light switch.
So if I'm going about my regularday, I try to have my gifts
mainly turned off, um, since Ihad three years ago a stroke and
an NDE.
Some of them I don't feel theneed to turn off like I did
before.
So my really strong empathicgifts I tend to leave on'cause

(06:01):
it just makes my life easier andkind of entertaining.
It's kind of fun.
Um, but like my mediumship andpsychic gifts and stuff, I just,
it's a light switch when I amnot working and be, I want to be
present with my kids and myhusband.
I am not participating in theother side, but I do try, like
if I go three or four days ormore, not tuning in, I start to

(06:25):
get super grumpy and justfeeling just kind of off because
I'm not sort of honoring mypurpose, I guess, or what I'm
here for.
So I do private readings andgroups, um, healings.
I've just started doing thatagain.
Um, I teach classes, but I do aton of live videos for free

(06:46):
online just to answer people'squestions and do what I call
mood control.
So I have this sort of uniqueability to sit with my guides
and allow them just sort of likeflow through me, but filter and
cleanse people's energy so thatthey can feel calm and just get
a break a little bit from.

(07:06):
The human sort of chaos thatsort surrounds us.
And so I know a lot of peopletell me like they put, you know
how some people watch theircomfort show if they're anxious
and can't sleep?
People put my videos on'cause Ican mood control.
But also apparently my voice iscalming.
Which is funny'cause I used tobe made fun of for my voice when

(07:27):
I was young, but it's.
Fine now, I guess.
But yeah, so I, I do a lot, butI make sure that I'm also caring
for myself first.
And I think a lot of humans missthat part.
You know, when you're born withthese gifts or you feel like you
have these obligations to sortof the collective consciousness,

(07:48):
um, we tend to sacrificeourselves for the greater good,
which is unhealthy for us, butalso can make us a little
resentful.
And so I try to maintain abalance.
I don't always, sometimes, youknow, I am human and so I, I
have moments, but I do try tomaintain a balance between work

(08:08):
or spiritual work and my actualphysical life.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (08:12):
Yeah, I love that saying that you, you
can't pour from an empty

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (08:15):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (08:16):
my sense is that a, a lot of people
who are impact.
Ethic and who have maybe latentpsychic abilities or abilities
or senses that they're not superin touch with,

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (08:27):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (08:27):
that their default is to not take the
time and maybe they don't evenhave the skills and they don't
really recognize that they are,putting out so much energy or
that, that it takes so muchenergy just to maintain, uh, to
keep everything, you know, inregards to their psychic
abilities, to keep everythingunder wraps and

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (08:47):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (08:48):
under control to, to, to the degree
that which they can then livetheir life in a meaningful

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (08:53):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (08:54):
and have a, have a normal life.
And it's, it's really inspiringand awesome to hear that you
found a, a way and that you'veable to, through developing your
abilities to kind of toggle themon and off and to turn the
switch off as you say,

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (09:09):
It took a long time, like a long
time when I was young.
I learned around 13 that anytype of substance actually would
turn it off, um, or help meignore it.
And so I had like a year and ahalf where nowhere.
And I live in Canada, so it's alittle bit better, but I smoked
a lot of pot because it turnedit off.

(09:30):
Um, and then I, because I, I hadno idea why, like, why I was
struggling so much, what waswrong with me?
Why was I so different?
In my mind, I had kind of aspiritual awakening at like 15
or 16 when my family moved toMexico to open a restaurant.
And at the time I was not doinggood things.

(09:50):
I had dropped outta school.
I again was smoking pot a lot,which you can't do in Mexico.
So I'd sort of stopped, but Iwas just going on the wrong
path.
And I had this like I was awake,but I had this like vision where
I had two paths ahead, ahead ofme.
One was like all my friends, allthe things I'd been doing, and

(10:10):
the other was just light.
I couldn't see anybody.
I didn't know what was there,but I just felt this strong draw
to go that way.
And I chose that way.
But my 15, 16-year-old mind likesort of equated it to light
means religion, right?
Don't, wouldn't you think rightin the nineties light meant

(10:31):
religion or God or whatever.
And so I came back and I wasn't,um, I.
Raised religious, but I, Ithought that that's what that
meant.
And so I started, I called itshopping for churches'cause I
didn't really know religion thatwell.
And so, you know, as a15-year-old, I'm now going, I
think I went to like 10different churches looking for

(10:52):
something that spoke to me orfelt like that vision.
And I did choose one.
Um, and I, I, you know, it didhelp me to feel a little bit
more normal because in theirminds what I was feeling and
doing was a sin.
I kind of was able to use thatas a light switch, wasn't super

(11:12):
healthy and, but it helped meget through, you know, the next
decade.
Um.
It took me a long time torealize, you know, that light
wasn't actually, at least forme, religion, it was spiritual.
But I think, you know, whenyou're that young, you have no
idea what's going on, why you'redifferent.
Church felt right.

(11:32):
Um, until they kind of kicked meout for having gifts once I
accepted them, um, in a lovingway.
But still, you know, it's, it'snot necessarily like sh upon for
people like me in churches.
Um, but yeah, I, I think eachperson's journey, journey is

(11:53):
kind of different.
And I'm sure not many look likeme'cause we're all individual,
but I was always searching and Icouldn't figure out why.
I felt like I wasn't getting theanswers until I accepted my
gifts and I didn't accept themuntil I was, I wanna say I.
Around 35 in 2015.

(12:14):
I'm really bad at math now withthe brain injury.
So whatever that, so that's 10years ago, and right now I'm 43,
so, or maybe I'm 44, I don'tknow.
But yeah, so you know, I've onlybeen sort of living this life
for 10 years.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (12:32):
Oh, wow.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (12:34):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (12:35):
You know, and something that you
said struck me in that whenyou're not connecting with
spirit or utilizing yourspiritual gifts, or if you had
the light switch turned off.
For more than several days thatit can affect your mood and it
can affect your flow and yourexperience of life.
And I wonder how many peoplejust out there in the world are

(12:59):
in a place where they don'trecognize, they don't know
what's going on, they

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (13:03):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (13:03):
not right.
And, and if the reason for thatis what, what you just mentioned
there yet, yet they're not awareof

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (13:10):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (13:11):
in your experience, is, is that
something that you see or issomething you

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (13:14):
Yes, all the time.
And it goes a couple of ways.
So it can affect your mentalhealth and or your physical
body.
Um,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (13:22):
hmm.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (13:23):
I always sort of, and anybody who
is sort of gifted or spiritualprobably have, has done this,
but not realized.
But I would look in the mirrorand look at my eyes and I would
automatically, when I was young,go, this is so weird that I'm,
this is me and I have thisphysical body.
Like, it doesn't, when I waslooking at myself, it was almost

(13:43):
like I was disassociated, kindof.
And I would just sit theregoing, it's so strange that I'm
in this.
You would, I would do this ateight, nine years old.
Like, it's so weird that I'm inthis human body.
I don't, I don't, it feelsstrange, but then that would
pass.
Um, but.
The whole time before I acceptedmy gifts, I, my physical body

(14:04):
suffered more than my mentalhealth.
I was very, very stubborn and Ialways worried people would
think I was crazy if I ever toldthem anything.
But because I was so stubborn,my physical body really crapped
the bed.
I had had probably close to 10surgeries for, um, issues in my,
my gut, my, um, reproductivearea.

(14:26):
Um, I had very low iron.
I was so anemic.
Um, I was sick all the time.
I would even like, as a earlyteen, get strange infections
that kids shouldn't get, likeshingles, which is like a very
stress.
Induced type thing if you've hadchicken pox before, but like

(14:47):
really strange.
And the doctors would always saylike, this doesn't make sense.
Like, you're the 1% that hasthis complication.
Um, and it's because my body washaving to carry the brunt of me
living in complete denial andigni like denying sort of my
purpose here.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-202 (15:07):
something you said there.
You know, I spent a lot of timefacilitating plat medicine
ceremonies, uh, many ceremoniesfor a number of years.
one thing I would notice when,when somebody would come in with
a GI issue,

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (15:19):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (15:20):
uh, for me it was a, like a red flag
or like an indicator, becausethat's something that I went
through

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (15:25):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_ (15:26):
Crohn's disease for, for several years.
Finally, I came to therealization that for myself
initially, and then I startednoticing it in other people.
there's chronic inflammation inthe gut, it usually means
they're not following their

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (15:41):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (15:41):
The people who tended to have
chronic, GI inflammation werepeople who really wanted to be
doing something with their life,but they weren't,

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (15:48):
Yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (15:49):
that, their intuition, that inner
calling,

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (15:52):
yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025 (15:52):
somebody who wanted to be a singer, but
they were working as a, youknow, as a barista at a, at a
coffee store or somebody whowanted to be, you know, they,
they just weren't oftenfollowing their, their inner
guidance.
And that that incongruency ledto inflammation in the gut'cause
they weren't following it.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (16:11):
yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (16:11):
that, that was something that I
experienced personally.
It took me, uh, many years tocome to that understanding.
But now, I

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (16:17):
yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (16:17):
Key in on that.
If I hear somebody talking aboutGI inflammation, I start asking
questions around are like, sowhat do you do for work?
Like, is that in alignment?
Do you

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (16:26):
yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (16:27):
be doing that?
And, you know, I don't straightup say it often, but I ask
questions and get them thinkinglike, is is what I'm doing
really in alignment

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (16:37):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (16:38):
With my purpose, what I feel like I'm
here for.
And, and I'm curious, do you, doyou feel like now you are in
alignment with your purpose?
Like what you're, what you'rehere to do?

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (16:48):
A hundred percent.
Yeah.
And I don't have any of thosehealth issues anymore.
Um, I did have a massive strokeand that was after I accepted my
gifts.
Um, but that was a learningexperience I chose before I came
here.
Um, and I don't think I couldhave avoided it even if, whether
or not I accepted my gifts.

(17:09):
Um, but I'm a lot more blunt, Ithink, than you because I
actually do say, what's up?
Like, you're having all thesehealth issues.
Have you set boundaries?
Because it can be not livingyour purpose, but it also can be
over doing it.
So, you know, maybe you're superexcited to be now on this new
path that you never stop and younever shut it down.

(17:31):
You never take like sort of.
The time to cleanse your energyand let go of all the stuff that
you're doing or the peopleyou're working with, not letting
that go.
Um, I always say like, when Ileave this room or any sort of
work space, I leave it allthere.
So when I have a reading withsomebody, when I get up and walk

(17:52):
out this door, I don't rememberthem, their face or anything we
talked about because I can'tseparate the two and I can't
carry that with me.
That's a lot of the reason I wassick all the time, was because I
was taking everybody's pain andprocessing it as my own.
Um, I also was very angry as akid.

(18:13):
Um, everybody always jokedbecause my parents would put us
three girls in matching outfitsand they would take a picture
and I would be like, likescowling at the camera.
'cause I just felt angry.
Yeah.
I I was angry all the timebecause I didn't understand like
nobody.
Saw me and nobody could tell mewhy I felt so different.

(18:35):
Um, I get it now and I'm not anangry person.
Um, other than sometimes thatmyself if I'm not listening to
myself.
Um, but yeah, I think trying tofigure out, and that doesn't
mean there aren't actual justmedical issues and some people
are gonna go through themwhether or not they're like
living their purpose and stufflike that.

(18:57):
But I can kind of see,especially when people on are on
a spiritual path, like, okay,like, have you done X, Y, Z?
'cause I don't think you have,'cause you're not feeling super
great and not always justphysical.
Again, it can be mental health.
Usually it's one or the other.
And once in a while it's both.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (19:15):
So you mentioned your, um, the, the
stroke that you had a couple of

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (19:20):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (19:21):
and I'm curious if you could talk a
little bit about that and.
what things were like leading upto it and, and how that
experience, uh, changed your,your life and your trajectory.
I know you said you started the,the spiritual path, or in this
way of being about 10 years agoand the stroke was three years
ago.

(19:41):
So, for me, in, in myexperience, my spiritual journey
started with an NDE yours cameafter your, after you began kind
walking down

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (19:54):
Yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (19:54):
So I'm curious if you could talk a
little bit about that experienceand, how that has impacted your
life and, and how you nowutilize that to,

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (20:05):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (20:06):
to help people moving forward.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (20:08):
Sure.
Um, people always say like, whatkind of psychic are you?
If you didn't know you weregonna have a massive stroke, um,
I didn't technically know, but Iprepared for it, which is super
strange.
Like we, it was leading up toChristmas'cause I had the stroke
two days before Christmas in2021.
And usually like I cook, it wasgonna be my first.
Huge meal.

(20:28):
Usually I cook for 40 people,all my family come over.
But because it was covid it,that was the first year that I
could do that.
And normally I'm baking andfreezing it and doing all that
sort of stuff.
But the six weeks before thestroke, for some reason I felt
the need to make freezer mealsfor my family.
And Mike is, my husband is like,what are you doing?

(20:48):
Like, we need that space for theTurkey and all the ham and all
the baking.
I'm like, I don't know.
I just feel like I need to dothis.
And so I cooked, uh, six weeksof freezer meals right before
the stroke the couple of weeksbefore.
So that when I did get outta theICU and stuff, my husband who
has never done the homemaking,it's always been me, had food to

(21:09):
feed our kids.
So I didn't technically know,but somewhere I knew.
Um, but I, I think a good sortof warning just for everybody.
If, if you ever have a headachethat is the worst headache of
your life and you're not, it'snot something you get a lot.
Go get checked.
Um, I didn't, I had the mostcrazy headache of my life.

(21:33):
We had decorated gingerbreadhouses that day, and I, I went
to bed with this bad headacheand I don't remember, but
apparently like an hour later, Itexted my husband and said like,
this really hurts.
Can you bring me some Tylenoland Advil?
And he did.
And I went into unconsciousness,which meant I didn't wake up in
time.
You have a golden time where youcan get treatment for a stroke.

(21:54):
It's, I think it's three to fourhours and then the treatment
doesn't work well because I fellasleep or into unconsciousness.
We didn't totally know.
When I had the stroke, I woke upat 4 45 in the morning,
paralyzed completely on theright sides, blind, um, on the
right side.
And I had had a massive stroke.
And because I didn't wake up, itcaused a second stroke.

(22:16):
So I'm actually missing all ofthis part of my brain and most
of this part of my brain.
I.
And uh, and people don't believeme when I say it, but my brain
scans are online.
Um, and it shows the giant,giant stroke.
Um, anyways, long story short,there was a bunch of medical
stuff.
I was in bed alone.

(22:37):
My husband fell asleep on thecouch.
I fell on the ground'cause Ididn't know I was paralyzed and
tried to crawl the door and Icouldn't,'cause you can't drag
paralyzed weight.
It's super hard.
And I banged on the wall.
He came in, he knew what washappening.
He had first aid training, theygot me to the hospital.
They tried to treat it with themedication they normally give.
It didn't work.

(22:57):
There wasn't even a.
A shadow of movement on theright side.
Nothing changed.
So they needed to lifelight meto another hospital, um, to do
brain surgery.
And so my family all got calledin to say goodbye.
They said I was dying andthere's probably nothing they
could do.
Um, and so even my kids who were12 and 14 at the time had to

(23:18):
come, um, and they let myhusband fly with me because they
didn't want me to die alone onChristmas.
And so we took off and the sunhit my face and my husband tried
to block it because I lookedlike I was getting hot, because
when you're dying, you can getreally, really hot.

(23:40):
Um, and I like lookeduncomfortable and tried to hit
him away because when he, thesun hit my face, I just had this
wonderful feeling and I openedmy eyes and I was on the other
side.
I didn't have to go through atunnel of light.
Nobody had to call me.
I was, I was just there in thisbeautiful garden, um, surrounded

(24:03):
in loved ones.
My dogs like crossed over dogs.
Um, also one of my dogs that wasstill alive, so that's kind of
weird, but it made sense.
Four days after the stroke, shewas 17 and a half.
And when I was still in thehospital, she had to be put
down.
Um, we had planned to put herdown after Christmas, but she
was on the other side'cause shehad dementia and they can go

(24:25):
kind of between places.
Um, and I was there to make adecision and I had to decide
whether or not I wanted to comeback.
Um, it was not an easy decisionyou'd think it would be.
Um, but.
They showed me what would happenif I lived and if I died.
Um, and it felt like I was therefor 50 years.

(24:47):
There was no pressure to makethe decision.
There was no like, come on, likeyou need to make, come on,
you're gonna like, you gotta doit or else you're gonna be dead.
There was because time doesn'texist there, and so my guides
were there and helped me decide.
They didn't necessarily tell mewhat to do, but they just sort

(25:08):
of showed me everything I neededto see to make the decision.
Yeah.
And I chose to come back.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (25:16):
How long after you came back and you
come back into your body, youcome back to this plane,
obviously you're in a hospital,you just had a massive stroke.
There's a whole, a whole lot ofthings that are happening around
you that you didn't expect.
Just boom, you're in thehospital, recovery, all this and

(25:37):
that.
long did it take you to, beforeyou started talking about this
experience, or was it, was itright away?
Did you, did you start telltelling people right away or
did, did it take a little bitfor you to kinda sit with it and
integrate and, and kind of cometo terms with it a little bit?

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (25:52):
So I didn't, I wasn't aware of
anything for a bit, so I was onthe other side while we flew,
uh, landed, and then I had agrand mal seizure because my
brain was swelling so quickly.
Um, I, I made the decision tocome back while the seizure was

(26:14):
happening.
As soon as I made the decision,I wasn't in the garden anymore.
I.
I don't know, just all of asudden I wasn't, and then I was
kind of floating above my bodyin this like light-filled
waiting room.
So I was watching myself havethe seizure.
It did not look fun.
Um, the second the seizure wasover, I was back in my body and

(26:35):
not aware of anything.
So I wasn't, it wasn't like Icould hear people or anything.
I, I only now know.
What people like I've been told.
So I had the seizure, um, andthen I was unconscious for like
that whole day.
They brought me to the ICU.
Um, they dec decided not to dothe brain surgery.

(26:56):
They said I was too far gone.
Um, so no matter what, you know,I probably would stay how I was,
if not worse.
And I probably either won't liveor my husband would need to put
me in a care home, startresearch, all that sort of
stuff.
Um, they did give my hu husbandthe choice, you know, we can do
the brain surgery.

(27:17):
More than likely that will killher.
'cause I'd had that clot bustingmedication.
Uh, my husband didn't know whatto do, so he said to the
neurosurgeon like, what wouldyou do if it was your wife?
And he said, I wouldn't do it.
So I didn't get the surgery.
I was in the ICUI think forabout 24 hours.
Um, and I didn't wake up at all.
And then I was moved to theneuro ICU and I woke up there.

(27:40):
So I.
The stroke was on the 23rd, likethe night of the 22nd into the
23rd.
Um, I don't really remember mostof anything until the 24th,
25th.
Um, and when I woke up I wasstill completely paralyzed, um,
blind kind of, and I hadcomplete aphasia, so I couldn't

(28:04):
talk.
I could say my sister's name andthe F word, which is really
nice.
Um, on Christmas day, theneurosurgeon came and said, you
know, like, she can't talk, buthave you tried singing with her?
Because the stroke was on theleft side of my brain.
Singing and swearing

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (28:22):
Hmm.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (28:22):
on the right.
So we sang Christmas carols andI actually sang even though I
couldn't.
And so it.
It took a couple of days beforeI could start to actually
verbalize anything, and at firstI, I kind of wanted to keep it
to myself.
I also didn't have a lot ofwords, so I think around like

(28:43):
the 27th is when I kind ofstarted talking about it.
Um, and I was kind of on a high,I was on a high probably till
the 29th or 30th, so quite a fewdays.
Then I was not.
And then everything felthorrible and I was so angry and
frustrated.
I felt like such a burden.
I didn't think I was ever gonnaget better.

(29:03):
And I wanted, unfortunately, todie.
I wanted to go back.
The other I would ask, like,plead with my guides, please
just take me back.
Like, I don't, my kids don't,you know, I don't want to be
taken care of forever.
Like, I can't eat or talk orwalk or reason.
I feel like a child.
Um, and I was very childlike,very severe brain injuries.

(29:27):
You do somewhat seem like achild at first.
Um, and I had to learn everysingle word on repetition.
Like it was, it was horrible.
It, I wouldn't wish it on myworst enemy.
Luckily on the other side, theytold me.
You know, like this is whatwould happen if you died.

(29:49):
This is what would happen if yougo back.
The first six months will be theworst time of your life.
It will be harder than anythingyou've ever experienced.
And I haven't had an easy life,you know, being born, being able
to see dead people, not great.
Um, and they said the next 12months would be not as bad, but

(30:10):
still horrible.
You will wish you would've died.
Um, but then things will starthappening and it will start to
get better.
And they were not lying.
I was on so many medicationsbecause of the seizures.
Um, 30 to 70% of people I thinkafter massive strokes develop
seizure disorders.
And so they try to keep yourbrain not as swollen to prevent

(30:33):
it.
And so I had that grand malseizure, but then I continued to
have them for a few hours, justsmaller ones.
And so I was on like horse leveldoses of anti-seizure
medication.
They also, like my sleep centerand hunger and thirst center was
destroyed.
I don't have it anymore.
And so I couldn't sleep, Icouldn't eat, I could, I

(30:55):
couldn't do anything.
Um, so yes, I talked about theNDE, but I was also so angry.
Um, but I started actuallytalking about it online, still
in the hospital.
I was in the ICU, the neuro ICUfor two weeks.
And I have live videos on myFacebook of me trying to talk

(31:17):
about it, trying to find thewords.
Um, but yeah, it, it took me abit, I, until I got off the
seizure medications, my life washorrible and horribly
uncomfortable.
And I kept having complicationafter complication and more
seizures and more issues andmore strokes, little mini

(31:40):
strokes.
Um, so I spent a lot of time inthe hospital.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-202 (31:46):
Something you said there, you know, it
really re resonated with me inthat, you know, you said that
when you didn't want to comeback.
And I, I've had that experiencemyself, specifically the, the
first time I did a very highdose of mushrooms.

(32:06):
took me, my, my consciousness sofar from my body.
It was a, it was quite anexperience.
I, I was.
Like the furthest and mostdisconnected my consciousness
had ever been from my body.
And it was just like, okay, thisis what it's like.
This is what, and it was justthis almost a sense of deep
remembering like, oh, yeah, thisis normal.

(32:29):
That's not normal.
This is the real reality.
And I was able to think ofsomebody and boom, I was there.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (32:36):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (32:37):
of somebody else, think of my aunt.
Boom.
I was there, think of somebodythat I cared about.
Boom.
I was there.
And I could sense what was goingon with them, and I could sense
their, the things that they werehurting about.
And it's like, wow, I can, Ifeel like from this place I can
really help people, people in mylife whom when I'm in my body,
I, it's just much harder to, andin this state, I feel like I can

(32:59):
do a lot more.
I'm, I'm free.
I can go wherever I want and Ican really, I can really help
people from this state.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (33:05):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (33:06):
As I started coming back into my
body, realized what washappening.
I was like.
Oh, no.
Like, no, this is this.
I, I started making these plans,like, I'm gonna help this
person, I'm gonna help thatperson.
And I came in, I started cominginto my body and I was realizing
like, oh, this, okay, that's notgonna work.
And I start, I started thinking,well, when you're, when you're

(33:26):
in that, say, when you take it areally high dose of mushrooms,
like you're, you're thinking iskind of, it gets kind of
squirrely.
And I was like, okay, well Ihave a problem here.
I'm coming back into my body.
What, how can I resolve thislogically?
The most, the, the, the thingI'm gonna have to do is jump off
this cliff.
And thank, and I, thankfully, I,I sat with it.

(33:47):
I thought it through.
I was like, no, that's, I'msupposed to be here for a
reason.
That's not what I'm supposed todo.
Like, just, you know, throw thebaby out with the bath

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (33:56):
Yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (33:57):
get, ditch the body like.
Chill for a little bit and thinkthis through, and thank goodness
I did.
But that what, what you weresaying there, it reminded me of
that like, like being in thatstate and knowing that that
exists, having that experienceof that is, something, yeah, you
can't put into words.

(34:17):
It's not a, it is justimpossible to, to really
articulate

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (34:22):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (34:23):
like and what it's like to be in that
state.
So, I connected with that and,and I think on some level, on a
really deep level for a lot ofpeople, missing

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (34:34):
Yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1 (34:34):
people are, are, are missing that they,
they, they may not beconsciously aware of, of that
longing or that, you know,wanting to go back to that
place.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (34:43):
yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (34:44):
very deep in the unconscious,

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (34:46):
yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (34:46):
you know, so many people, especially
individuals with I.
abilities or people who are moresensitive or empathic people on
a spiritual path.
I think those set type of peopleare more, are more acutely aware
that that's, that exists andthey're, maybe they've
experienced it in meditation or,or have had some sort of maybe

(35:06):
an NDE

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (35:07):
yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (35:08):
that gave them a taste of it.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (35:09):
yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (35:11):
once you have that experience, you
can't put that back in the box.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (35:14):
And you, you crave it.
I craved it at first, like, youknow, my human life was so hard
and so awful, and everybody Iknew was hurting and.
The looks of pity when peoplelook at you and automatically
assume you're never gonna getbetter, because the doctors were
saying, I was never gonna getbetter.

(35:36):
It was awful.
And all I wanted was to feellike I could have stood in the
grass on the other side, feelingthe energy of everything around
me, feeling like that vibrationof pure love from whatever the
highest energy is, I could havestood there.
For a millennia and never gotbored.

(35:57):
I went between the grass and thewater like 50 times because it
felt like everything made sense.
And while I was there, I couldsee my family, I could see my
kids madly packing the mostrandom suitcase of things I
would never wear.
Um, I could see my familypanicking and everybody running
to their houses to get ready todrive the hour and a half to the

(36:21):
other hospital.
I could see all of it.
And I didn't.
I wasn't sad.
I didn't feel bad for them.
I had a true like soul levelknowing that we all planned
this, you know?
So it wasn't just me having thestroke, my kids planned a mom
that was gonna have a stroke,you know, like everything made

(36:42):
sense there.
And then I came back to my bodyand it was like, I.
This sucks.
I didn't sign up for this.
It looked all rainbows andunicorns on the other side.
It's horrible.
And again, I had a few thingsagainst me.
The one seizure medication,unfortunately, one of the side
effects, and I don't know if youcan even put this on here,'cause

(37:03):
sometimes it gets censored, butthe one side effect, um, that
was awful was suicidal ideation,like unloving yourself.
Um, and I felt that.
And so, uh, you know, I'mupfront about mental health.
I, before I accept my gifts, mybackground was in mental health
and social work.
And so I went to my doctor andsaid, Hey, like this isn't

(37:25):
normal.
I've never felt like this, butit's a very strong feeling.
And he said, yes, that's theside effect of medication that
happens sometimes.
We'll try to put you on anotherone, but for seizure
medications, you can't startlowering your dose until you're
at a full dose of another one.
So they tried.
Uh, introducing a new, horribleseizure medication and started

(37:46):
bringing me up and it madeeverything worse and I ended up
in the hospital'cause I was sosick.
Um, so I had that against me aswell as like, I'm having to do
rehab for 10 weeks or whateverit was.
And I got COD and it almostkilled me.
And I ended up back in the holike it was like one after
another.
Then after Covid my like, souldog died of cancer.

(38:09):
We, he was diagnosed one day,died the next day, and then like
two weeks later, um, I developedco covid pneumonia, which I had
gotten back.
I always say it was like a badcountry song.
It's like everything that couldhave happened happened in that
first six months.
I don't know that there's.

(38:30):
Any other time in my life whereI didn't wanna be human as much
as them, like I, I just feltlike all the suffering in the
world for everybody I lovedrevolved around me.
And everybody's lives were soawful and I blamed myself and,
you know, so I was still.
Doing live videos for everybodytalking about my progress, but I

(38:52):
also talked about the horriblepart of it.
And you know, I have thisspiritual purpose, but sometimes
being human overrides that, andsometimes it's awful.
And it doesn't matter howwonderful your life is or how
blessed you are, or oh my gosh,you're gifted and all that sort
of stuff.
I'm still human and had mytoddler temper tantrum moments

(39:13):
where I didn't wanna be.
Um, and there's a reason weforget the other side, usually
between the ages of three tofive.
Um, we forget it because if weremember it, we will not stay
here.
Um, and you know, I actuallywon't channel around children,

(39:34):
young children because of that.
Um, somebody booked for areading and she showed up and
she had a newborn baby with her.
And I'm like, sorry, but no.
Like if that little one feelsthe other side from me.
I don't wanna take respons.
What if they dive Sids thatnight because they had a little
taste of that's actually ourhome.

(39:55):
We need to forget it in order tolive in this life because this
life is hard.
Um, and sometimes I was kind ofangry that I fully re remembered
everything and experienced it'cause it made me want to be
there.
I don't feel like that anymore.
I'm firmly here.
I still look on it with fondnessand like when I need any type of

(40:18):
like cleansing moment, I picturethe grass and I picture the
energy.
But I'm firmly planted hereagain.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (40:27):
Thank you for sharing that.
I know that's, uh, an incrediblestory and something that's very
personal to you, so

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (40:33):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120647 (40:34):
I appreciate you for being open
and honest and sharing the, thedetails.
And I didn't know that you werecontinuing to do Facebook Lives
and

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (40:44):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (40:44):
of the progress or sharing your
story as you were going throughthe healing process.
Uh, now that it's three yearspast that point, years in a
little change in a few months,do you feel like you've
completed the healing processaround that?
Or is is it a lifelong thingthat you're going to Well, I, I

(41:06):
understand that there areaspects of it that are lifelong,
but is.
Do you feel like you've come toa certain point of completion
with the healing process aroundthat?

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (41:15):
I don't know.
I, I would like to think so, butI think I would be lying to
myself.
I think it's still kind of adaily, sometimes hourly struggle
to feel like I fit here.
Um, I also have issues withshort-term and long-term memory.
So even though it's been overthree years, sometimes it feels

(41:39):
like yesterday.
I think as far as some of thetrauma of, you know, the laying
on the floor trying to crawl myways to the door, that was super
traumatic.
Like from the moment I woke upwith a stroke until I lost
consciousness, I actually had todo a bunch of therapy to try and
not live in like PTSD from that.
And so I think a lot of that isdone and I, I don't have, you

(42:03):
know, that fight or flight thingwhen, when that is going, like
when I think of it.
But I think, you know, I, Ithink I probably will always
struggle trying to fit in thishuman body, especially now that
it doesn't work like I want itto do.
And I also think, you know,grief is a process and you know,

(42:25):
yes, grief usually is focused ondying people.
We miss'em and that sort ofstuff, but.
Having a huge brain injury, um,and having so many deficits, I
will grieve who I was for therest of my life and say, some
days it's really easy and I amjust grateful and thankful, and
I'm glad I'm not that personanymore.

(42:47):
And other days, you know, when Ithink of things I can't do and
will never be able to do, I'mangry or I'm sad, or I'm living
in denial, whatever that thegrief process is in that moment,
I think that, you know, griefdoesn't get easier, it gets
lighter.
So it's not, it doesn't weigh medown like it used to, but

(43:09):
sometimes I just feel sad or Ifeel angry or regretful or, you
know, I, I look at my kids andthink, you know, having a brain
injured, mom's probably notsuper fun.
You know, I, I don't do a lot ofthe things I used to, you know.
So I think, I think it's alifelong process and I, I, I

(43:30):
would a hundred percent be lyingto myself if I said, oh no,
everything's good now.
You know, I'm, I look normal.
People wouldn't know I had astroke unless they talked to me
at nighttime, um, or tried tolive with me or anything like
that.
You can't see, you can't telllooking at me that I can't feel
any of the right side of my bodyand that I have no ability.

(43:50):
I, I can mirror this side, butI, you know, I can't, there's so
much I can't do.
Um, so I think the healing and,and the acceptance piece of it
will be the rest of my life.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (44:04):
And.
In regards to your book, the, Ihaven't, I haven't personally
read the

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (44:09):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120647 (44:10):
I am going to, now, this has been
really fascinating.
I, I wanted to put that on theback burner until we spoke, but
tell me how the book ties inwith this and, and like how the
book relates to your story and,and what's is shared in the
book.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (44:24):
So my guides when I was on the other
side said, these are all thethings you're gonna do.
And they told me I would writethree books.
And I was like, how the heck,I'm not an author, what are you
talking about?
And uh, they were right.
Uh, we, somebody contacted me'cause I wanted to write, but I
can't type anymore and Istruggle, um, putting thoughts

(44:46):
like stringing them togetherkind of, and processing.
Um, anyways, she was like anangel in disguise and she typed
while I talked.
And so I wanna say right at the18 month mark is when we sort of
contacted each other andstarted, and I just talked while
she wrote.
And so this, the book is a tinybit of my life before, but

(45:09):
that's just the introduction andthen the stroke, the NDE, and
then the whole second half isjust lessons from my guides that
I've learned and stuff likethat.
And then each chapter startswith a poem that I wrote.
But then the other thing, Idon't think you probably know
this, but like a year after thestroke, my guides said like, you
need to paint.

(45:30):
And I was like, what?
Why?
Never painted in my, I'm notartistic, just like I'm not an
author, but they said, can youjust do it?
Just try to paint what you sawon the other side.
And I, I thought they were nuts,but I was like, okay, I haven't
painted in a bit, but let mejust, I'm just gonna grab
something'cause it's right here.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (45:50):
Yeah, absolutely.
I, I'd love to see it.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (45:52):
And I picked up like a paintbrush.
These are all like, you know, awhile ago, but like I just
started painting

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (46:02):
wow.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (46:03):
and I, I tried to paint like all the
flowers on the other side.
It was a lot harder than Ithought it would be.
Um, because it's hard to likeput it sort of into perspective
when Yeah, when, I don't know.
It's, it's, it's not here,right?
So

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (46:23):
Yeah.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (46:24):
I just started painting.
Um, so that plus the book, ourtalents, even though I'm very
brain injury injured, that cameout of going to the other side
and having a stroke.
Um, oh, and then there's, oh,where is it?
I just saw it.
This if, if anybody, if anybodydoesn't think that I've had a

(46:47):
stroke, this is my brain.
So this is the first stroke thatreally big one.
And because I just grabbed thisfrom a video, I tried to get the
second stroke, which is here,but the first one goes all the
way through the brain.
The second one they did, theyweren't able to stop that one
from spreading anymore.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (47:07):
hmm.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (47:08):
Yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1 (47:09):
That's fascinating.
It's, and the fact that eventhough your spiritual abilities
and talents had come online atthat point, the stroke.
Uh, it's opened up evendifferent avenues for you

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (47:23):
yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (47:23):
sense with the painting and the, and
just the, the creation of abook.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (47:28):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1 (47:29):
pretty remarkable and really inspiring
because I often get the sensethat, that people perceive
injuries or traumatic eventslike this as, as something
that's gonna hold you back orprevent you from living your
life, or prevent you fromachieving the things that you
want to achieve in your life.
And, and in your case, that wasthe catalyst for you to be able

(47:53):
to create this book that, uh,people are reading and that are
touching people's lives.
And you get, you get to come andshare the story with myself and
the audience, the people wholisten to this.
And I'm super grateful for that.
And, and just am in inspired andin awe of how you're able to
turn a, really challengingsituation to say the least.

(48:16):
Into something that's inspiringand that people can, can look
at, and that can help people intheir own challenging
experiences.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (48:23):
Well, and I think we all could sort
of.
Take a page from my guides bookof trust your gut.
You know, like you might notthink you'd be good at something
or be able to do something.
And if you were gonna ask me howto write a book and how to, I
would have no idea.
It was step by step.
But because I was trusting thatthis was meant to be the right

(48:47):
people were put in my path atthe exact right times and they
helped me moving forward.
Um, and I think that you couldsay that for anyone, there's
nothing off the table.
If it's something you're drawnto or you want to do or
sometimes you don't wanna do it,but you feel inspired to do it.
Um, I think it's nerve wracking.

(49:08):
You know, if you asked me 10years ago, you know, what would
you be doing in 10 years?
I never would've guessed this.
I worked in like a medical detoxfor drugs and alcohol, a
homeless outreach team like.
I never would've thought thatthis would be my life.
Um, and even though it's notperfect and you know, I could

(49:29):
say a, a bunch of stuff that Iwould love to achieve one day
more physically and gettingbetter kind of thing, it is
perfect in its imperfection andI think we're so judgy of
ourselves and there's alwayssomething the next thing we need
to be doing.
And sometimes the next thing isjust realizing that just by

(49:52):
existing, just by waking up andbreathing every day, you're
doing what you're sent here todo.
You're doing exactly what you'resupposed to be doing.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (50:02):
I, I love that.
And that, that's something thatI try to remind myself every
morning.
Like, whatever happens today,it's gonna be perfect.
I.
God doesn't make mistakes.
I'm exactly where I need to be.
Uh, today is gonna be an awesomeday.
Like I, I try very hard to, tostart my day that way.
And it's, um, on a randomInstagram reel last year, about
a year and a half ago, I sawthis thing and this guy said,

(50:24):
one of the best practices youcan do is to go to bed thinking
about the things that you'regrateful for.
I was like, oh, that's, that'sreally interesting.
I'm like, why not?
I'll give it a try.
And I am not kidding.
That changed my life.
I started, started having thisgratitude practice, like going
to sleep as I'm falling asleep,as I feel myself start to drift
this, start to think of thethings that I'm grateful for

(50:45):
and, and how great today was andhow great tomorrow's gonna be,
and wouldn't, you know it moreoftentimes than not, I wake up
in the morning and those samethoughts are still kind of
percolating,

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (50:54):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1 (50:55):
that's how my day starts.
And just this simple littlepractice of like, yeah, like
it's, it's imperfect, but it'sperfect.
It's exactly the way it'ssupposed to be.
This is exactly what I'msupposed to be doing.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (51:06):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120647 (51:07):
I wouldn't be doing

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (51:08):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (51:08):
that.
That very simple practice has,has changed, like literally
changed my life.
It's one of the most impactfulthings that I've ever, I've ever
incorporated into my dailypractice.
And I've tried a lot ofdifferent modalities, a lot of
different things.
But, but what you, you saidthere, just acknowledging the,
and accepting the imperfectionin every moment and, and just

(51:33):
saying, this is, this is great.
This is, this is what I'msupposed to be experiencing
right now.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (51:38):
And it's strange, but I have the
exact same process every singlenight.
Um, I used to call it prayingwhen I was religious.
Now it's my gratitudemeditation.
Same thing, right?
When I'm just about to fallasleep, especially if I've had
an anxious day, I start listingall the things I'm grateful for.
And sometimes honestly, it's,I'm grateful that I have the
ability to be frustrated thattoday wasn't exactly how I

(52:02):
wanted it to be.
And I'm grateful that I knowtomorrow won't be the same
because it's a different day.
So even if the gratitude islike.
Like kind of positive, but alsoa little bit negative because
maybe my day wasn't great.
Um, I constantly expressgratitude.
Anytime I sit down with myguides to do any type of

(52:23):
spiritual work, I have a grgratitude sort of mantra that I
have every single time.
Because even though my life isnot perfect, I, I can't pretend
that it is, I'm so grateful thatI can even recognize that
because there was a timelinewhere I wouldn't have survived
for survived.
And I, you know, every mormoment I'm here is a moment I

(52:46):
wouldn't have had.
So even if my day sucked, or Iam sick, or I'm, whatever it is,
I'm grateful that I get toexperience it and that we get to
come here and do this humanthing in all its chaos and
sometimes recognize that it'samazing that we're even here.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (53:05):
I've had experiences different, know,
plant medicine, differentthings, meditation, where you
get to touch the other side andit kinda sparks that remembrance
again.
It's like, wow, that's, that'ssuch an amazing, like, just
that, the energy of that place,it's so amazing.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (53:21):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (53:22):
And here where I'm right now is
where I get to learn

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (53:26):
Yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (53:27):
it's like going to the gym and in
remembering past lives, it'slike, okay, is, this isn't, the
first time is not the last time.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (53:35):
yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (53:35):
It's, it a, it's a continuous cycle.
We're always learning andgrowing and this is an
incredible opportunity.
Yes, there are challenges andyes, sometimes we may not feel
like we wanna be here.
if you don't do the homeworknow, you're gonna have to do it
later.
Like the, the lessons are gonnahave to get learned.
respect everybody's decision to,to do what they will and what

(53:57):
they want with their lives.
Uh, 100% completely and totally.
And wherever you go, there youare.
And you know, you can do it now,you can do it later.
the, the lessons that, that oursoul is supposed to learn, we
will learn in one way oranother.
And I believe that is a, afundamental part of, of just

(54:20):
spirit.
That there's an, an impulse inspirit to grow and learn.
And if you're not doing that, ifyou're not growing and learning
and evolving in some way, you'reki you're kind of pushing
against an evolutionary impulseof spirit, God source itself.
It's, you know, the universe isin a constant state of
expansion.
And if you're not as well.

(54:41):
You're, you're out of flow.
You're not in alignment.
So, you know, as we start towind this down, I, I'm curious
if you have anything you'd liketo add to that and, and how you
would like to, uh, uh, wrap thisconversation up.
I'll, I'll, I'll give you the,the microphone at the very end
and, and let you Yeah.
Bring us, bring us home.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (55:00):
So I, I agree about lessons and when I
work, I often say I don't do yesor no, kind of, I call them
cheater questions because if Igive you the answers to a lesson
you're supposed to be learning,not only will you not learn it
this time, the next time when itcomes around because it will, it

(55:22):
doesn't go away.
It probably will be moredifficult.
So I think recognizing that.
You don't always get everyanswer all of the time.
Spirit gives us what we need,not what we want.
And going to somebody or seekingout someone that will give you
answers to attest in order tonot get them yourself is not

(55:47):
helpful for you and actuallymakes it a little bit harder.
You need to be at the placewhere rather than a yes or no
answer, will I get this job?
Will I not?
What would I learn if I did getthis job?
What would I learn if I didn't?
And wrap your head around thelessons that you're working on
to figure it out.

(56:08):
You don't need people like me.
Nobody needs people like me, andthat's not great for my job.
But it's true.
We all have the innate abilityinside of ourselves to connect
with our higher self, connectwith our purpose, and answer our
own questions.
Yes, it's fun sometimes to go tosomebody to get that
encouragement or that sort ofpush in the right direction, but

(56:30):
you don't need me.
You don't need, you know, thatpsychic or this spiritual guru
or this way of living do it if,if it's going to sort of fill up
your cup and make your soulhappy.
But you have the ability withinyourself to know exactly.
How to live this life andexactly how to be human.

(56:51):
And the opportunities forlearning will never stop.
You will be learning joyfully,but sometimes very difficultly
for the rest of your life.
So identify the lessons, and itdoesn't mean you don't have to
do them right now, but if you'regoing through a really hard time
and you start to continuouslycome up against, I call it like

(57:12):
a hamster wheel, like you'redoing the same thing, maybe
you're getting in the samerelationship or attracting the
same type of person into yourlife, or maybe you work with
like kind of narcissisticpeople, but you switch jobs and
then there's anothernarcissistic person and like you
constantly come up against thissame sort of theme.
Kind of take it apart a littlebit.

(57:33):
Okay?
Maybe it's not actually the samelesson, but you are stronger now
to look at a different layer ofthat lesson.
So maybe last time, you know,yes, you, you set a boundary and
whatever, but actually you wentout of the situation feeling
very hurt and made you questionyourself.
Maybe this time you're not gonnado that.

(57:54):
You're gonna set that boundaryand you're gonna go away, guilt
free, regret free, and you'reready for that.
You're ready to learn.
It's like you're starting inhigh school and you wanna work
your way up to college.
But to do that, you have to do alot of the same things over and
over again.
So be patient with yourself andtry not to.
Feel overwhelmed with the factthat as humankind as a human

(58:18):
being, you are learning all ofthe time.
You are never failing.
You're never doing it wrong.
That's not a thing.
You're never, there's no reward,punishment, there's no right or
wrong path.
Whatever path you're on, as longas you are breathing, you are
learning exactly what you'resupposed to be learning.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (58:37):
Thank you so much for saying that,
hearing that come from you, uh,somebody who, who does this sort
of work, that's something that Itruly and deeply believe, that
we all have the answers insideof

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (58:46):
Yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (58:47):
yes, sometimes it's nice to get an
outside perspective or a littlenudge or a little hint

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (58:51):
yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (58:52):
thing or another, but ultimately all
comes from within us and we allhave access, a direct access to

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (58:58):
yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (58:59):
you know, hearing you say that is,
is very inspiring.
And, and, you know, it's, it'strue.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (59:06):
yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (59:07):
And.
Like, nobody has to go outside.
Nobody has to go looking for,

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (59:11):
No.

ian-vogel_1_05-1 (59:12):
sensationalist like dramatic channeled messages
from, from, you know, fromanywhere.
Like

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (59:18):
Yeah,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (59:19):
if that entertains you, if you like
that, cool.
And you don't have to do that.
Like

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (59:24):
no.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (59:24):
have the ability to, to, to connect
with source directly and receivethe information and guidance we
need.
Wonderfully said.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (59:32):
Okay.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12064 (59:34):
So Amber, what is the best way for
people to get in touch with you,to see your work and to, to
connect with you?

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (59:40):
So I am on most of the social medias.
Facebook, I'm old, so I do mostof my live videos on Facebook.
Um, I'm on Instagram, I'm onTikTok, but I never post people.
There tend to be super mean.
So I stopped posting there overa year ago.
Um, so my like business name ormy professional name is West

(01:00:01):
Coast Medium.
Um.
I'm in Canada.
When I applied for that name, Ididn't know there was also a
West coast medium in California.
So her name is Vicki.
That is not me.
I am Amber and I live in Canada.
So online, um, or if for mybook, it's on Amazon, but it's
also I think in most bookstores.
Um, I self-published, so it's akind of weird workaround.

(01:00:26):
Bookstores can buy it fromAmazon kind of thing.
Um, so yeah, it's West Coast,medium.
Um, again, I am not tech savvy,so I have, my website is awful.
I have not made a new one and Iknow I need to, um, so my
website, you can't contact meon, but you can through social

(01:00:46):
media or my email, which is bothon, on both my social medias.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (01:00:51):
Oh, thank you.
And what is the name of yourbook?
I don't think that, I don'tthink

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (01:00:54):
It is, oh yeah.
It's called at the stroke ofEternity, a play on the,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (01:00:59):
str

amber_1_05-14-2025_100 (01:01:00):
painting and the stroke.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (01:01:03):
had the stroke of eternity.
That's brilliant.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (01:01:06):
me.
This is in the island I live on.
Yeah.
All the ferns and whatnot.
And it's written for people withbrain injuries or things like a
DHD.
I have a hard time reading booksnow'cause everything's so
squished.
So I

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_120 (01:01:23):
hmm.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (01:01:23):
one and a half spaced it so that
somebody with a brain injury canactually read it.
And I like pictures, so it's gotpictures, which costs twice the
amount to print the book, whichis a pain in the butt.
'cause I have to pay that.
But I don't know, I, I like, Ilike pic.
That's the first time I walked,like, that's exciting.

(01:01:44):
Right.
So,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (01:01:45):
Yeah.
No, it's you.
I, I, I really appreciate that.

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (01:01:49):
And there's some of my paintings in
there as well.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_1206 (01:01:51):
Oh,

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (01:01:52):
Yeah.

ian-vogel_1_05-14-2025_12 (01:01:54):
Super cool.
Amber, thank you so much forsharing your story.
I know a lot of people are gonnafind a lot of value from this
conversation and inspiration in,you know, in what you've shared.
Uh, thank you again,

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (01:02:05):
Yes,

ian-vogel_1_05-14-202 (01:02:05):
everybody out there check out Amber at
West Coast Medium.
I, I actually found out abouther on Instagram from her lives,
and they're, they're reallyinteresting.
They're fun to watch.
So yeah, connect with her inthat way.
And again, Amber, thank you so

amber_1_05-14-2025_100647 (01:02:18):
yes.
Thank you for having me.

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