Hey Soul Sista by Melissa Histon

A tragic event in our hometown of Newcastle has sparked a much bigger conversation about the world we are living in.
In this episode of Hey Soul Sista, host, Mel Histon, is joined by writer and social commentator Alex Morris to explore one of the most complex questions of our time:
Are we becoming safer… or slowly giving away our freedom?
After the devastating loss of a young man on Beaumont Street, calls for increased CCTV surveillance have divided the community — raising deeper questions about safety, control, and how societies respond to fear.
Together, Alex and Mel explore:
The emotional impact of violence in close-knit communities
Why fear often drives calls for more surveillance and control
Whether CCTV actually prevents crime or simply records it
The “slippery slope” between protection and overreach
How technology is reshaping privacy and human behaviour
What books like Nineteen Eighty-Four reveal about surveillance, power, and control
And whether it’s possible to build a society based on trust rather than fear
This is not a black-and-white conversation.
It’s a human one.
A reflection on how we respond to tragedy, how fear shapes policy, and what it really means to feel free in today’s world.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when the life you’ve built over decades begins to fall apart?
In this deeply moving episode of Hey Soul Sista, I sit down with acclaimed author and journalist Karina Machado — the writer behind the beloved books Spirit Sisters, Where Spirits Dwell, and Love Never Dies.
For years, Karina has dedicated her work to exploring extraordinary real-life stories of spiritual experiences, intuition, and connection beyond the physical world.
But in midlife, she found herself living her own.
After the gradual end of her 27-year marriage, Karina entered what she describes as a profound tarot “Tower moment” — a time of loss, identity unraveling, and deep emotional transformation.
And then something began to shift.
Not in an overnight, dramatic way… but through subtle experiences of meaning, synchronicity, and life feeling strangely alive with messages and guidance.
In this conversation, Karina shares:
The emotional reality of her marriage ending after 27 years
What it feels like when your identity begins to dissolve in midlife
How creativity and writing became a lifeline through grief and change
The synchronicities and meaningful experiences that began to emerge
Why she believes midlife is not a crisis — but a powerful threshold of awakening
The inspiration behind her app Reconnect & Create
And how women can begin to reconnect with their inner voice, creativity, and truth
We also explore powerful themes of spiritual experience, intuition, and the invisible threads that seem to guide us through life’s most uncertain moments.
Karina’s perspective is both grounded and deeply expansive — shaped by decades of storytelling, journalism, and listening to others share their most intimate encounters with the unseen.
This is an episode about endings… but also what becomes possible when we allow something new to emerge.
✨ If this episode resonates with you, share it with a woman who may be navigating change, grief, or a midlife awakening.
💛 Follow Hey Soul Sista for more conversations on healing, intuition, spirituality, and soulful living.
Connect with Karina Machado:
App Reconnect & Create App
Podcast Spirit Sisters Podcast
Watch the Spirit Sisters Podcast on YouTube
Connect with me on Substack
Connect with me on Instagram
Connect with me on Facebook
Connect with Mel Histon:
Subscribe to make sure you hear the next instalment of Hey Soul Sista!
Follow Hey Soul Sista on Instagram: @heysoulsistapodcast
Follow Mel on Instagram: @melissahiston
Watch the podcast video on YouTube: @heysoulsista
Website: heysoulsista.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After sharing Melissa Demery’s deeply moving story, two weeks ago, something unexpected happened…
Hundreds of you reached out — sharing your own experiences of loss, connection, and moments that felt impossible to explain. Stories of sensing your loved ones, dreaming of them, feeling their presence… and knowing, somehow, they were still with you.
In this follow-up episode, I sit down with psychic medium and psychiatric nurse Rebecca Gibson to explore the question we all ask at some point:
What actually happens when we die?
This is not about proving one truth — it’s about opening a conversation.
Together, we explore:
The difference between the body and the “soul”
What happens in the moments around death
Why so many people experience signs from loved ones
Dreams, sensations, and unexplainable connections
Different spiritual and religious perspectives on the afterlife
The role of belief, scepticism, and grief
And ultimately… what this means for how we live
This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered:
“Are they still with me?”
And for those who have felt it… and just needed to know they’re not alone.
Books Mentioned in This Episode:
Many Lives, Many Masters – Dr. Brian Weiss
Proof of Heaven – Dr. Eben Alexander
Angels in My Hair – Lorna Byrne
Where Spirits Dwell – Karina Machado
Connect with Mel Histon:
Subscribe to make sure you hear the next instalment of Hey Soul Sista!
Follow Hey Soul Sista on Instagram: @heysoulsistapodcast
Follow Mel on Instagram: @melissahiston
Watch the podcast video on YouTube: @heysoulsista
Website: heysoulsista.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the people we love never really leave?
In this powerful and deeply moving episode of Hey Soul Sista, Mel Histon sits down with psychic medium Barbra Banner to explore what really happens after we die — and how those on the other side may still be guiding, protecting, and communicating with us.
Barbra shares how her psychic abilities awakened later in life through a series of unexplainable experiences… from lights flickering to spirit encounters in her own home. What started as curiosity quickly became a calling.
Together, they dive into:
What happens to the soul after death
Signs your loved ones are still around you
How spirit communicates (and what we often miss)
The truth about soul contracts and past lives
Why we choose our life experiences — even the painful ones
How to reconnect with your intuition and inner knowing
Mel also opens up about her own personal experience with a loved one visiting her after death — a moment that completely shifted her perspective on the spirit world.
Connect with Barbra:
Website: bannermedium.com
Connect with Mel Histon:
Subscribe to make sure you hear the next instalment of Hey Soul Sista!
Follow Hey Soul Sista on Instagram: @heysoulsistapodcast
Follow Mel on Instagram: @melissahiston
Watch the podcast video on YouTube: @heysoulsista
Website: heysoulsista.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is one of the most tender and powerful conversations I've ever shared on Hey Soul Sista.
My childhood friend, Melissa Demery, is a mother, dietician, and the heart behind the charity Charlie’s Run for Kids — but before anything else, she is Charlie Carr’s mum.
Charlie was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at just eight months old and spent her entire life courageously battling cancer. She passed away at eight years old.
In this episode, Mel shares:
The moment she was told her baby had stage 4 cancer
What it’s like to live through multiple relapses
The reality of palliative care as a mother
The impact of grief on relationships and identity
The heartbreaking conversation telling her son his sister would die
The moment Charlie took her final breath in her arms
All she has learned about love, acceptance and living your best life with joy!
She also shares a profound experience after Charlie’s passing that completely changed her understanding of life, death, and the soul.
This is a conversation about grief…But also about courage, motherhood, legacy, and choosing to live fully — even after unimaginable loss.
Connect with Charlie's Run for Kids:
Instagram: charliesrun4kids
Website: https://www.charliesr4k.com/
Connect with Mel Histon:
Subscribe to make sure you hear the next instalment of Hey Soul Sista!
Follow Hey Soul Sista on Instagram: @heysoulsistapodcast
Follow Mel on Instagram: @melissahiston
Watch the podcast video on YouTube: @heysoulsista
Website: heysoulsista.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.