We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joni Carlson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Joni thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
A defining moment in my life that truly propelled me into the work I do today began with a dream. Literally. My Grandma Lorraine had passed away in 2021 and my Grandpa Gordy was devasted. He moped around for months. He was barely living. He was surviving. I saw him often as he visited my parents’ home twice per day, simply to fill his day with something. One day, as he sat across the table from me, in silence, as he often did these days, I mustered up the courage to tell him about a dream I had about his beloved wife. As I began to tell him my story/my dream, his gaze turned upward, and a small spark shown in his eyes. A spark of life, of interest that none of us had seen in months.
I had a dream about my Grandma Lorraine. She and I sat high atop this grandiose, rust colored, sandstone steps. Behind us stood a church made of sandstone and stained glass. The sky was the most brilliant blue I had ever seen. The trees and the grass were a lush green color. It was summer. It was the perfect day. As I sat at the top of this beautiful staircase, my Grandma Lorraine appeared next to me. She was young and beautiful. She looked to be in her 20’s. She was dressed in a casual dress you’d see on a woman in 1960’s. Her hair was long and wavy. Her skin was flawless and I could feel the joy and love radiating from her. She spoke first. She told me she was worried about Grandpa. He was so sad and lost without her. He was always quiet, and she was always the talker, but now, today, he barely spoke. She told me that I needed to bring a message back to him. I needed to tell him to move on and find joy again. She said, “Tell him, I am fine, I am safe, I am with God.” And then I woke up. I hung on to the details of this dream for about a month. Afte a month passed, I decided to tell my parents. To my surprise, they were floored and encouraged me to tell my Grandpa. I was shocked as I thought anyone would this I was crazy if I said I spoke to my deceased Grandma.
After I shared this dream with my Grandpa, I mean, in that very moment, he sat up straighter. The color returned to his face. He looked me in the eye again when he spoke. He smiled and suddenly the tears began to escape from his eyes as if they were jumping out of him. It was amazing. I could feel the stress and sadness release from him. He let out a big sigh of relief and smiled. I was unbelievably healing for both of us. He felt relief. I felt validated.
After that day, he was completely changed. He went on to find joy. He even randomly bumped into his high school sweetheart, and they reconnected until his passing.
This defining moment showed me that my gifts are real. From that moment on, I allowed myself to share other experiences I’ve had with my family and friends. I trusted myself and knew in my heart that it was safe for me to share my gifts. It was okay for me to share my gifts. And my gifts were meant to be shared with the world to help others feel at peace, like my grandma did.
I could not believe how much this moment changed my grandpa. I thought all I did was share a story with him. But when he told me that it changed his life, and then I got to witness those positive changes, I knew I had some beautiful gifts that needed to be shared. I was given gifts to help people.
Joni, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I was just 11 years old when I first discovered my ability to access and understand the spirit world. I had no idea what to think of it at the time, but today, it has become my life’s purpose to use my gifts to help others. I’m a psychic medium, energy healer, spiritual teacher and intuitive life coach in Upper Michigan. I work from a place of love and light to connect with the energy of your loved ones and your Spirit Guides. Using spirit energy as a guide, I can help support you and provide you with spiritual guidance to gain closure, peace, answers, and the healing you may need to move forward in your own life.
My role as a psychic medium is to translate the images, symbols, and words or phrases Spirit shares with me into meaningful language you can understand. It’s your job to interpret the meaning of those messages, but don’t worry, your loved ones and Spirit guides only want what is best for you; their messages are all about love, guidance, clarity, and closure!
I never envisioned being a psychic medium, but here I am! And I love it! Let me help you connect with spirit energy to tap into the guidance available.
I live in a small town in Upper Michigan with my husband and our two children.
Ever since I was a child, I was intrigued by the unknown. I loved to learn and talk about the unseen/Spirits. This curiosity, along with numerous experiences with Spirit as a child, propelled me toward studying and learning more. I practiced using my gifts on family and friends for years, until I was guided to expand and share my gifts with others. I am so happy to use my gifts to help you.
My Purpose
I connect with/to human energy and Spirit energy. My gifts allow me to connect with energy in a way that allows me to feel it, see it, hear it, sense it, and understand it. I then use the messages I receive from you and communicate with Spirits to deliver healing, guiding, loving messages that will help you feel at peace, gain clarity and closure.
Let’s talk soon. I’m here to help and support you!
Are you grieving a lost loved one and want to connect with them to know they are okay? Do you feel lost in your life and are looking for help, guidance and support? Do you have questions about your health/well-being, career/job, relationships, life purpose/path, etc.? Do you just want someone to tell you what to do as you navigate through difficult times? Allow me to help. Spirit guides me, always. Remember, the messages that come through are not from me. I am simply the gifted one, the ‘middle-man’ between the Spirit world and the physical world, communicating with your team to give you their messages of guidance, answers and support.
I am here to help you. Let’s get together and talk about it.
Are you intrigued and curious about the Spirit world? Have you had your own unexplainable experiences with the Spirit world and want to know more? Are you ready to hear what your loved ones and Spirit guides have to say?
I offer 60 minute, one-on-one sessions/readings that are personal, confidential and discreet. I work with clients on a short-term or long-term basis depending on their individual needs and goals. Sessions are conducted in-person, over the phone or on zoom. During a session, Joni connects with your unique energy and her spiritual team of helpers to deliver the messages you NEED. Your loved ones and helpers on the other side always know what you need. They will never tell you anything to scare you. No need to be nervous or afraid! All of the messages are filled with love and light and all good things. Trust them!
Are you ready to move forward in your life? Are you ready to get those lingering questions answered? Are you ready to feel at peace? Is it time to learn, grow, heal and live the life you were meant to live? I think so! I am ready to connect and deliver the healing, loving, guiding messages that are waiting for you. Are you ready?
Courses I teach:
I teach online spiritual courses so you too can develop your own gifts. We were all born with an inner wisdom, an inner guidance system that speaks to us in a calm, soft whisper. Call it a sixth sense, call it ESP, call it an inner knowing, call it a gut feeling; whatever you call it, we all have it. This inner voice is the voice of your higher self/your soul. When your Soul speaks, it whispers in a very calm, matter-of-fact way. We call this voice your intuition. In my courses, I teach you how to recognize, connect and implement the messages from that voice, so you can lead yourself through the ups and downs of life and live the life you were meant to live; harnessing joy, love and achieving all of your greatest goals and desires.
I currently offer 2 courses: Developing your Intuition Levels 1 and 2.
Level 1: Developing your Intuition Beginner course topics include: Intuition, the specific types of intuitive gifts (you may have more than one), Signs/Symbols/Synchronicities, How to open/close your intuitive gifts safely and effectively, How to use your intuitive gifts to help yourself and others, psychics, mediums, spirit guides, channeling messages, clearing/cleansing your home/space, guided meditations, journaling, and partner practices,
Level 2: Developing your Intuition Intermediate course topics include:
Dreams, dream interpretation, Soul travel, astral projection, remote viewing, spirits and ghosts, precognition, past lives and generational cycles, automatic/inspirational writing & channeling, psychic tools, guided meditations, journaling, and partner practices.
Level 3: Advanced Intuition Devlopment is by instructor approval: topics TBD dependent on student.
Level 1 and Level 2 Graduate group:
If you want to stay connected to your spiritual practices, fellow students and continue to learn and grow your gifts, I offer my graduates the option to join my Guided By Spirit Graduate Group.
Mini-courses:
Coming soon. Content is ready, but hasn’t been uploaded to my website yet.
I offer mini-courses online that cover a variety of spiritual topics including:
manifesting, affirmations, visualization, journaling, universal laws, meditation, working with energy, etc. New topics added as Spirit guides me to add them. Mini-courses are great as you can take them all online, at your own pace.
Spiritual Retreats for women:
We offer weekend retreats for women that focus on a go-with-the-flow, it’s all about YOU vibe. We offer a balanced blend of group activities, one-on-one services, as well as free time to be on your own. We ask everyone to just be; unplug, unwind, relax and enjoy. We’ll take care of you.
All activities are optional, but we hope you will join us for all the magic!
Mornings will be set aside for quiet-time activities: journaling, meditating, being present, sitting by the lake or just sleeping in.
Creativity: Making vision journals and chakra bracelets
Connecting: Guided meditation, sound healing, yoga, bonfires by the lake
Activities: Kayaking, swimming (weather permitting), floating, walking
Add-ons: Psychic readings, massage, and face care treatments
Our first retreat in our Tranquility Series is May 19-21 on Blue Lake in Minnesota. Tranquility Retreat #2 will be September 22 -24 on Lake Superior in Michigan.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
As a child, I had gut feelings and spiritual experiences that I couldn’t explain. I knew they were real, but who do I tell? What do I do with the information I had been given by the spirits I encountered. After all, who would believe me? These thoughts swirled in my head until I had an experience that would change my life forever. Thank you, Grandma Lorraine!
My grandma Lorraine died in 2001. I was away at college when my sister called to tell me the heart wrenching news. A few weeks prior to this devastating phone call, I had been home visiting my family, including my grandparents: Lorraine and Gordon. After a regular visit and chat about school, life, etc., I stood up to say goodbye to my grandparents. We are huggers in my family. We hug all the time! So when I gave my grandma a hug goodbye, after a very typical visit at her house, I sensed something was wrong with her while embraced in this goodbye hug. I could feel it. I can always feel energy: from humans and spirit. Something felt ‘off’ with my grandma’s energy in that moment. She seemed to have hugged me a little longer that day and I again, I just knew (because I could feel that) something wasn’t right. I never told anyone about my gut feeling.
Two weeks later, my grandma died of a massive heart attack. My grandma never complained of pain or discomfort, so nobody knew anything was wrong. There was no warning. My family was shocked at her sudden passing. I was not. Of course, we were all devastated, but deep down I knew it was coming. It’s as if I got a ‘head start on my grieving.’ I had a bit more time to process and accept what had happened, before anyone else ever knew anything.
After my grandma died, I noticed that my grandpa, Gordon, was not doing well. We all noticed. He had no joy in his life. No smile. No light. Nothing. He just existed. He visited my parents’ home often, twice a day as a matter of fact. He was lonesome, bored, sad and lost. He often stared out the window for many minutes and never uttered a word. He was sad all the time, until I told him about my spiritual visit with his beloved Lorraine.
My Grandma visited me one day with a very important message; a message that would be life-changing for my grandpa (and for me, little did I know). During our short, quick visit, she said to me, “tell him I am fine. I am safe. I am happy and healthy. I am with God. Tell Grandpa that he needs to move on and be happy. It’s okay to be happy again.” I will never forget the conversation I had with my grandma, and that was 23 years ago!
I held on to the message from my Grandma for many months. I thought, who would believe me? I can’t tell anyone I spoke to my deceased Grandma. They’ll think I’m nuts! But, I knew that this message HAD to be shared. I finally got the courage to tell my parents. Much to my surprise, they were very excited and supportive of me sharing this information. They encouraged me to tell my grandpa. So, one day I mustered up the courage and I told him the whole story. He cried. I cried. We all cried. Something changed in him in that very moment. I could feel it. Something changed in me, too. He looked up at me, tears in his eyes, and he was different. There was a light in his eyes that I hadn’t seen in a long time. He sat up a little straighter. I sat up a little straighter. His smile lines returned, and his eyes were brighter. It was incredible! We both felt amazing! What just happened? What did I do? I simply told him what my grandmother said, and it changed both our lives. He gave himself permission to let her go, move forward, and find joy again, and I gave myself permission to use and share my gifts. I trusted my gut. I trusted my gifts and it was unbelievable! It was in that moment that I realized; I had a gift that could change people’s lives. I had a gift that needed to be shared. Thank you, God!
As the years passed by, Spirit visits occurred more and more. I learned to listen to them when appropriate. I also learned to ‘shut-off’ my abilities when appropriate. As I grew older, my curiosity grew. I started researching spiritual information and taking courses to help me understand my gifts and how to use them to help others. I learned what my abilities were called. In today’s lingo, I am called a Psychic Medium and a healer. I can hear, feel, sense, understand, communicate (and sometimes pick up on scents/smells) from Spirits. I have learned how to communicate with them and share their messages with others. Through years of practicing on family and friends, I began to understand when and how to use my gifts to help others. In 2016 I made it official and started my business: Tranquil Blue.
Fast forward to today. My grandfather has since passed away, but he’s still around, pushing me, guiding me, and encouraging me to continue to share my gifts to help others find peace and closure. He also insists on being the first story in my book…when I get around to writing it. Here I am. This is Me! I am Joni. I am a Psychic Medium.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Up until June of 2022, I was a middle school and high school Health and Physical Education teacher for 19 years. I loved teaching in the public-school setting, until I didn’t. Something changed in me about 3 years ago.
I officially opened Tranquil Blue for business in 2016, while I was teaching full-time. I worked with 2-3 clients per week, in the evenings and on weekends. I have a husband and two busy children, ages 14 and 11, so my ‘free’ time in the evenings was limited. However, we made it work. It’s funny how when you love something, it just seems to fit into your life. It just seems to work itself out.
I continued to work with my clients as often as I could and began to notice that my schedule was filling up. Fast! I was booked out 2 months. People were literally waiting 2 months to see me for an appointment. I was so honored, excited and proud. I felt so much joy after client sessions. When someone gives you a big bear hug with tears streaming down their face while saying, “You are amazing! Thank you for sharing your gifts with me,” that just changes you. That right there is why I do what I do. Those beautiful moments are life changing. I started to realize that I was making a difference for people. I was helping them heal. Not to mention, talking to Spirit is so much fun!!
As my love for my psychic work grew, my love for teaching in the traditional school system lessened. I had been saying for years that “I want to work with people that WANT to learn from me.” I didn’t feel like public school was it anymore. I was existing in a job. I wasn’t loving it like I used to. I had changed.
I decided to start teaching for Tranquil Blue. I have always loved teaching. I decided it was time to teach people who want to learn from me. I decided to teach people about their own inner wisdom, their intuition. My first course, Level 1: Developing your Intuition beginner course, was a huge success. It was exciting and fun! My students wanted to learn more, so I designed my next course, Level 2: Developing your Intuition intermediate course. My love of teaching, my spark, was ignited again. I finally found my joy again. I was working with people that WANTED to learn from me. It didn’t feel like work. It was fun! It was interesting! It was exciting! I was reminded that you really can LOVE your job. Needless to say, I found my calling. I discovered my purpose. I learned what my Soul came here to do. This. This changed me.
I tried my hardest to keep a positive attitude at work. I tried my best to keep my energy up at school, but it was tough. I was a pretty happy, bubbly person most days, but my happiness at work was fading. I even began to tell people I worked with that I was considering leaving.
I wanted to be working on Tranquil Blue ALL THE TIME! I found myself becoming more and more excited about the 3 hours of spiritual work I GOT to do, than my 19 years of teaching. I started to feel disconnected from my students and co-workers. I started to feel sad when I HAD to go to work at the school. All I wanted to do was work with my business, talk to spirits, teach people about spirituality, and help my clients. I wanted to do this because it lit me up inside.
In 2019, my father died. In 2020 COVID hit. After these two significant events occurred, they changed the way I looked at my life. I started to question my happiness. I started to think about regrets I may/would have. I started to reflect on what REALLY mattered. I wanted to be happy again. I wanted to use the gifts I was blessed with to help people. I wanted to work ALL THE TIME!
I muscled through 3 more years of teaching until I finally decided that I couldn’t do it anymore. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t fully present in my teaching job anymore and I knew it was time for me to go. It wasn’t fair to me, my family, or my students to continue to exist in a job that I did not love anymore.
In June of 2022, I sat down with my boss and handed in my resignation. I may or may not have skipped out of the building with tremendous joy that day.
I made a choice. I decided to step fully into the business I began in 2016; the business I love. I decided it was time for me to GET to live the life I knew I was meant to live.
I am now a full-time entrepreneur. I am learning, growing and navigating a whole new world for myself. Now I’m the boss and I GET TO do this work. No more feeling mad, upset, or angry about ‘having to go to work.’
It’s a beautiful thing; loving your job. I highly recommend you try it. Take that leap of faith. Step into the life you know you are meant to live and live it! I promise, you’ll never look back. It’s worth it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tranquilbluepsychic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tranquilbluepsychic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tranquilbluepsychic/
Image Credits
Brita Caroline Photography