¶ Introduction to Isabel Maxwell
This is Ready Set Reiki , a podcast about Reiki and all energy work , from the curious beginner to the seasoned master teacher , welcoming all systems , all lineages and all levels . Reiki is a journey and not a destination , and on this Ready Set Reiki journey , I refer to myself as a guide . So I'm Tracy Seawright and this is Ready Set Reiki .
Hello , my beautiful friends , welcome to Ready Set Reiki . Today , joining me on this journey is a wonderful and amazing intuitive teacher , professional medium and trailblazing spiritual leader with 19 years of experience . Isabel Maxwell has dedicated her life to guiding people through their most profound spiritual transformation . Now , this isn't just a passing interest .
It's really her calling . She has worked with thousands , helping them kind of shatter this invisible barrier that has kept them stuck , confused and disconnected from their true power . Her approach isn't about recycling mystical theories or vague spiritual concepts . It's about providing practical , powerful strategies that create tangible , life-changing results .
Her training comes from nearly two decades of deep spiritual work , professional mediumship and transformational leadership . Now she is the founder of the award-winning course the Sage Method , author of Cracking Open Adventures of a Reluctant Medium and the builder of the popular online spiritual community , the Sage Circle . Welcome to Ready Set Reiki .
Thank you . Well , I'm so happy to be here because your message resonates deeply with me and I knew we'd click .
Let's begin our journey together . So here we go . So tell us a little bit about yourself .
Well , I'm a former skeptic , opened up into the spiritual world by my grandmother . A couple hours after she passed middle of the afternoon , showed up in my living room . That was an experience . That was not anything I thought would ever happen .
I assumed it was grief and then I tested it because I didn't really want to lose her and I wanted the possibility to be there . And that started my journey , like you said , 19 years ago , and the proof started to come in . That's when I went and got Re you know Reiki set up for Reiki .
I did the training , started using it , all this alignment came into place and then I found myself working as a professional medium also . So I did energy work , clearings of buildings and individuals and a medium really .
And eventually it just started to where I got really excited to teach others and my guide point blank said you need to teach others how to open up intuition , because I'm the poster child I think of , like if I can do it , anyone can , kind of thing . So that's how I got to this spot today , beautiful , beautiful .
So you are where you are today and when you kind of look back , reiki kind of blossomed . So tell us , did you find Reiki or did Reiki find you ?
It was suggested to me . So here's how I came across it . Now , mind you , mind me . Now mind you , mind me . I knew nothing I'm talking about . I had a degree in mathematics . There was no religion , no science or no religion , no spirituality in my life .
So I was brand new , 32 years old , trying to find my way , and I went to a Tai Chi instructor and said you're the strangest person I know , can you help me ? And I now see that that wasn't the most polite approach , but he loved me through it . Spirituality brings compassion and a whole lot of inner awareness .
But he was the one that said your energy fields are all over the place . And I was like , okay , you know , I was having a hard time believing stuff .
And in a matter of and I actually tell this story in my book , but in a matter of 24 , three days really , but very short , compact time I had a car , just I mean , the lights on the dashboard went , I parked it and the next morning it was it was dead . It was dead and the alternator was fried , brought it into the shop .
The two or three days later it was the middle of summer , super hot . I have my air conditioner blow out , my kid's clippers blow out in the middle of his haircut , a laptop blow out , and I was just I'm like that's it to my husband at the time . I need to take a break .
I'm taking the truck because my car's in the shop and I'm going to just go get a coffee , a latte and actually a chai tea . And I was brought the truck there . As I parked it in the parking spot , the dashboard lit up and I turned it off and I went in and got my chai tea , of course , and then came out and it was dead .
So that car got towed and we went to the mechanic who was next door to our apartment complex and it was so fun because he leaned in . He goes you got what my brother's got , that's that he gets mad and stuff starts blowing up .
So I went back to the tai chi instructor and he said I think you could benefit from reiki , yes , and wow , did I like chapter turned ? Uh , I think after reiki too was when I felt aligned for the first time , and then didn't know what I was feeling , because I was aligned for the first time .
It was wild and it just enhanced my intuition dramatically as well . But that's how I got into Reiki Beautiful beautiful .
So when did you kind of realize , oh , I think I might be a medium ?
So the mediumship was happening before Reiki . So the mediumship was happening before Reiki . I think I was open about almost a year intuitively . There was a couple parts of my home and such , and then another really big opening there , but so the mediumship came first . I was just all over the place and unbalanced with it .
But yeah , if the mediumship didn't show up , I wouldn't have met the Tai Chi instructor and wouldn't have gotten into Reiki and I wouldn't have been able to be sitting here with you .
Sure . So it's kind of almost like it helped be an anchor through your experience and kind of get these things under control a little bit and to help and help open up that intuition , that third eye .
Yes , and now , having taught intuition , intuitive development for 17 years 16 years , something like this I can't tell you how many people start with reiki and then reach out and say I think my intuition's opening up , yeah , so yeah , absolutely 100 .
And they're like I'm doing these reiki sections , sessions , and then all of a sudden , like a message would come through and like there it is , there it is .
If they just trust the process you know and let things unfold . So 19 years in this business as a medium . What are some of the misconceptions about being a medium ?
There's a bunch of them , Some of the popular ones , though we'll go with some of the popular ones . There's a quirky one too . We'll start with quirky that they , they visit you all the time , every time like in the bathroom , and all that kind of stuff too .
That's a big fear of like , oh no , I'm going to be seen everywhere , which leads into the one that people listen to , a medium talk , and this makes complete sense . They say , oh , I see this , I see that they're showing me this , I'm hearing this .
And when you hear someone say that , it makes you feel as if they're seeing everything in living color , like it's right off of a movie screen , and that's so far from the truth . And a lot
¶ From Skeptic to Medium: Isabel's Journey
of people are seeing . They just don't know that they're seeing because they have an expectation of what it's going to look like . That's a big one . And my favorite one , I think , is that people think that you have to be special or gifted .
You have intuition , when the truth is , we're all intuitive , Every single one of us , and your intuition is already 100% strong . It's just covered up .
And the uncovering of it which is why Reiki increases intuition the uncovering of it , that clearing of that energy and decluttering of your environment , your mind , all of that type of stuff is what allows you to access what's already there .
Right , I feel like I'm able to see things more now than I was when I was a child . I did have the abilities , but I feel like going through Reiki helped heal different parts of me so that I would be able to kind of clear that clutter from the mind . But I agree with you on the . They think it's kind of a whole movie or a whole longer conversation .
And you may be . I tell them it's like charades in a bit , like they show me something and we have to figure out the meaning . And I did a session with someone about a week ago and something came through and it just blew her mind , I don't know .
She asked her mom , she asked her sister , she's asked family members and I said but it may not be what you're thinking , it may be , you know , another understanding of what that person meant . It might have a different meaning . So don't take it as that physical object that I'm telling you .
We have to kind of try to peel back the layers and try to decode it and I think they don't understand . Like , even when I work with animals , you know the caregiver will ask well , what kind of favorite food do they like ?
They are a brand of food and sometimes that doesn't come through right , because I'm meeting the animal for the first time and they're just warming up to me , so it may not be something that they may say right away .
So exactly , and the best intuitives let the information come in that needs to come in . We can ask questions , but we don't try to steer people the event . We say to them what's the most important thing you want to say , because they might not answer what kind of dog food , but they're going to tell you that their green ball is their favorite toy , right ?
So you know , you got to let them say that , and spirit is going to know what the sitter needs to hear way more than we are . The the minute we think we should say this or say that or say this , we're blocking the intuition Right .
So you have helped many people on their journey with just life-changing results through these challenges and struggles . But what has been one of the biggest challenges or struggles you faced in your own healing journey ?
First off , I love my job . What a cool job , hey To be , to just be surrounded by people that are like becoming empowered . Seriously , I hit the lottery with this job , so opened up at 32 .
I started to have to set boundaries and that was the most brutal , because setting boundaries with people especially important , key players in your life the first one was my mom . That was very difficult . And then the second one was getting divorced of a 20 year marriage . Those two boundaries had to be set , but it's just .
It goes against everything that , like an empathic person , is
¶ Reiki as an Energetic Anchor
wired to do . I have to hurt this person to save myself , and that was probably by far the most difficult thing that I did and also by far the most wonderful thing I did . It's that conundrum , you know .
Yeah , I completely understand . I had to make a decision , actually believe it or not . In my 30s as well , I had my mother and a divorce , so we're similar on that .
It was one of those ones where you know she could be your anchor or your ache and it was the ache , and so I completely I can feel it and , pat , I get you sister , so yeah , it's really hard , but I've never , I've never been happier .
That's the one thing that I keep telling people is pursuing um , balancing your energy , uh , reiki , intuition . Whatever your path is , it's so important because there's a level of happiness that you will step into that you haven't experienced before . There's like the grass is greener .
Or , and also you know you have culturally , religiously , you know those are society wise . That it's your mother , you know you have . That's the excuse , no matter what the other parent did , it's your mother . And I don't think I've ever had someone asked me well , what did your mother do to you for you to make that difficult choice ?
It was always my responsibility to repair the relationship . Let it go , throw it aside . She gave up everything for you . You know you owe her kind of thing . So I can say the Reiki definitely helped me heal with that prayer . You know it was a struggle because it was ingrained in me in church growing up honor thy mother and father .
That was it , no matter what . But what do you do when it's hanging by a shoestring right ?
Exactly and I completely relate . I cut my mother off . I went no contact back in 2000 . And I think 11 , somewhere around there . Back before people were more openly discussing it as a mental health issue , and when you're drowning it's it's first off .
Back then people had to do this and then live with it silently Because , yeah , you couldn't say it out loud because shame on you and Tracy , I'm an only child . So rule and I get it , but at some point you have to decide if you're going to sacrifice the rest of your life for a person that's hurting you .
And you know , most people that go no contact , just like myself , do everything they possibly can do before finally making that decision . So I would say that mine was a 10 year process of trying to do everything I could do , you know , to get it somewhere close to healthy , and then and then there's nothing left you can do .
And it's just kind of like it can't be sustained if you're the one kind of doing all the work . Yeah , so I was around probably the same time period as well , and it's it's an horrible decision to have to make , to put yourself in , because it goes against everything .
You know your mother is supposed to be your best cheerleader , your biggest fan , and when you have to cut that tie , and especially when you have your own children , right , exactly , Difficult journey .
So it is , and I actually ended up cutting it because of my kids . You know , I started to see the patterns and went nope , nope , so it . It's that difficult . It's so difficult that as a grown woman , I couldn't do it for myself . But the minute you mess with my kids , we're all set , you know .
So , yeah , it's an incredible journey and energy , work and alignment and all of this is the most important self-care you can do . Just , I still , to this day , do the two seconds of Reiki just to get lined back in to make sure that I'm grounded , I'm cleared , I'm protected . That's what I teach in my courses . Is'm grounded , I'm cleared , I'm protected .
That's what I teach in my courses . Is GCP ground , clear , protect .
So you ground , anchor into Mother Earth , as we know how to do Clear it all out , wash it all away that it's not yours , and then put up a filtration bubble , kind of protection thing to say if it's not supposed to be here , it's not coming in , and if it's supposed to be here , it's coming in . And that kind of self-care is foundational , absolutely .
So this can also be a medium question as well , Because when I do I feel like I'm more of a psychic than a medium . But I do trade with friends because I feel they're able to see things on my end more clearly than I can on myself .
So when it's time for you to get an energetic tune up or to get guidance , what do you look for , either in a Reiki practitioner or into a medium ?
Here's a couple of things . I have worked hard , Tracy , to try to find ways to make this sound positive . I talk in terms of red flags . That's hard to do red flags in a positive way , but I tell people to look for red flags If there's any sort of positioning whatsoever . I'm better than you . You can never reach my level . I'm super special .
Oh yeah , yeah , that's , that's the biggest red flag . I tell people to look for people who are authentically tapped in and authentically um , channeling energy and doing good , good healing work . Know that the two of you are in it together and that it's not a , you know , pedestal type thing . That's my . That's the number one , really .
I'll speak specifically to mediumship . On the second one , though , because this isn't true for Reiki , People need time with Reiki to heal certain aspects . It's usually not a one , and sometimes it's a one and done , but they need time to build their strength back up .
But with mediumship , if you have a medium that tells you that you got to keep coming back to them over and over , like once a month , don't , just don't . And if they show you a candle and say it's $300 and you're cursed , anyone brings out the word cursed , walk out the door .
Yeah , yeah , there's like something attached , you know .
¶ Medium Misconceptions Debunked
Yeah , something really dark . I've been in situations where I've seen things on people and I won't . I'm like I'm not going to charge you for that because it gets it on . I've seen it on Tik TOK , like something's attached to you , $300 .
But if I see somebody , one of the Reiki that I do the style of holy fire , is there is a spirit release with that and I'll help them and I'm like I'm not charging you for that because I'm just being of service with that .
Yeah , we are spending time together and whatever you need in this time , I will facilitate . There's no add on , there's no upgrade , there's none of that , just two people together raising the vibration in any way shape possible . And I've done clearings of buildings , land , people for almost 18 years . It's not a multitask Clear it and then it's done . That's it .
Clear it , set the boundaries and it's done . And it also isn't a four hour event , you know yeah .
I've heard it like $150 to $1,000 to come and do clearings and it's some of them are online as well and it was like hmm .
Yeah yeah , that's that fabulous fear tactic . It's just not the case . Somebody that's good at clearing can do it very quickly , very efficiently . Usually it's a very boring meeting . There's no hands in there . I went to a house clearing once and it was really . It was actually kind of cute .
I went there and the woman that owned the home had like three of her friends there and it was kind of like this , like what is she going to do , right ? So I tapped into the home I said , okay , I feel like there's two spirits in here that need to cross over , need to go home . That's another thing .
We've got the spook factor around ghosts and I try to tell people ghosts are people too . Okay , this is somebody that passed and is trying to also cross over . When it comes to this house , though , I said , okay , this is what's going on , so I'm going to clear it now . And she said , okay , do you need us to circle ?
Do we need candles , do you need any ? And I was like I'm just going to sit on your couch and it's going to probably be really boring and it's just going to sit there with my eyes closed . She's like , oh , and they were super let down , but but we got the house cleared .
You know , that's all the show is being is a kind of a put off for me . Very good , so what advice after 19 years ? What advice do you have someone who just is entering spiritual ?
work . Ah , to know what you're going to battle within yourself . And this is what you're going to battle within yourself . You are going to battle patience . Patience shuts down intuition . You are going to battle patience . Patience shuts down intuition . Turn your impatience into curiosity as often as
¶ Setting Boundaries for Healing
you can and you will fast forward .
You are going to battle having to take a very good look at yourself and you're going to learn the things that you don't like about yourself and knowing that that's going to happen , trying to walk through that without shame and remembering that the things that you don't like about yourself , or the behaviors you don't like , they developed to protect you at some point
in your past . And rather than feel bad about that , say thank you to yourself for having those traits when you needed them to protect yourself and then come back into the present . So a lot of inner work . That happens when you open up spiritually . This is why life gets so good , because when you do the inner work , you heal and it gets better .
And but it's between the impatience , I think , and the self judgment are the two that if you know that those are going to come up , you know how to deal with them . When they come up , you're going to be in a much better place .
And it's a process , like you said earlier , it's not a one and done , it's cumulative . And I had found myself years ago and it's a nice spin that you put on it with it was a coping mechanism .
So I would get 500 things would happen and the 501 thing would be so small like a glass would break or a drink would spill over , and I get reactionary right and I didn't like that about myself and so I started doing the work and now I'm not as reactionary , but looking back I can see how that could have been a coping mechanism for things in my life to
kind of okay , I need to be heard . Now I have to get loud and reactionary where . Now I've learned no , there's another way . So it takes time . It's a process .
Exactly For me . An example would be I am ferociously private and I wouldn't tell anybody anything or ever let anybody in . And then you open up and you start doing the inner work and you start realizing that how that's received by others and it's not good .
And I had to learn how to open up and ask for help and not just be have it be a one-way street all the time , with me taking care of everything and me people pleasing . That was a really difficult , really really difficult one to go through , but that was my coping mechanism . That's how I survived my childhood .
So and that's what the type goes back to , the type of mother right . Yep , yep , yep .
It's not . Thanks mom . Thanks , mom , right . No , in sincerity , she did the best she could do , so sure .
Yeah , that's how you know you're healed , because you can look through the eyes of grace .
Yeah and say no , I get it , I get it .
So what books do you recommend ?
I so some of my I don't do a lot of books just because a lot of just my personal path . I know I have a lot of friends that devour just tons of books , but the ones that pop up the most probably . Eckhart Tolle is a good one , great thinking book .
My favorite , though , is the four , four I almost said four commandments , four agreements not commandments , absolutely not commandments . The four agreements I not commandments , absolutely not commandments . The four agreements , I think is probably one of the most life-changing books a person can read , and it's a short read . I'm trying to think there's one more book .
It's a woman that went to Australia Mutiny Mutant Messages Down Under . I think I got that right . I read it like 20 years ago and that book woke me up to what is possible energetically in this world . It was really cool book .
Thank you for sharing that . So what other services or modalities do you offer ? Do you trainings , classes , events ?
My big , the big offering really is the trainings . I am just a passionate teacher . I absolutely love explaining how things work and explaining things that people can try and do . So the Sage Method course is a seven week course that I've been teaching since 2007 , 2008 . I brought it online in 2019 .
I had taught it in person up until that point and now we have students all over the globe and it's just empowering .
I've created an online spiritual community that's been available for about four years now and that supports the students , so that you're not just sitting there taking a course all by yourself , because that could be tough , and that community is great .
We meditate , we do energy work , card readings , q&a , all that kind of stuff , and that's that's close to my heart , because when I opened up , I didn't have anybody in my circles , and so there's a lot of people .
There are a lot of people in this world that don't have anybody in their immediate circle that they can talk to about this type of stuff , so that that's communities growing fast as well , and that's global too .
Beautiful , beautiful . So where can we find you ? Where can we look to see where we can book a session with you or reach out to you ?
I do really good at keeping everything on one website , as an organizational skills of the former skeptic . The sage methodcom is the best place to go .
It's a T H , e , s , a , g E methodcom Beautiful . Well , that ends the first part of our journey and I'm going to continue to be your guide through the second part , which is questions from social media . Now , the first one we touched on just a little bit , but we can circle back around and go into a little bit more .
Number one what red flags should I look for when I'm dealing with a medium ?
Right , I wish we , I wish we had more of these discussions . I would not recommend going anywhere that had fluorescent lighting in the window . That's one . That's another one Like if , what is that lighting called ? It's you know what ?
I mean the neon lights , yeah , neon lights , yeah , yeah , just if you see the word psychic and neon lights , don't , don't go there . I would definitely ask friends if they know anyone that is qualified . I'd stay off of hotlines , and I know that when we're looking for an intuitive , we want answers and we want them now . At least that's how I am .
But if you do find an intuitive that's booked out a month or two , that's a very good sign . That's a very good sign . So if you can just give it a little time , you know , and let that go out , yeah , that's . Those are the things that I would add to that one . Such a great question , though See , every it's . There's such a common question
¶ Red Flags and Finding Authentic Practitioners
like how do I know I'm not somebody that's not real ?
Right , yeah , I mean , I usually have found it word of mouth , like in my case . I also , you know , do readings and people just think that you're available right then and now and not realize like I got , like I teach yoga , I do all those kinds of other things .
I'm booked up for like a couple months , exactly , exactly , and so yeah , and I always just go to if it feels right . If you start with that process and it already feels awkward and weird , listen to that inner intuition , listen to that gut Yep . Number two you spoke about it a little bit , but we can go and uh and elaborate on it more .
Tell us about your award winning course , the sage method .
So that is that seven week course and , oddly enough , what happened was after my grandmother showed up and I started working with , with trying to communicate with her . Shortly after that I met my first spirit guide and I called him big dog just cause he felt so big , um , like tall and stuff . So can I call you big dog ? He was like sure .
I worked with him for about two years . He taught me everything I know about past lives , how we come down here , how we leave all of that , and that that was priceless . It meant the world to me . But he also demanded some of the inner work that I do and some of the different things that I try .
And two years later I was a professional medium booking out and it was great , it was wonderful . I was like , okay , maybe this is my career . And a little while after that he said I need you to take everything I taught you and bring it out into the world . And I was like , okay , small task , that's , that's a lot , dude . And he was like I know , dude .
And so I said , okay , fine , I went through all the journals of the two years and the best I could do is get it down to seven weeks of training . So it's because it was a lot .
In essence , it is what I did for two years that opened me from , took me from a complete skeptic to very strong intuition , and it's created in such a way to help you figure out why your intuition is blocked , how your intuition is unique and how all of this works . So it's a very that's .
I think those three components are what make the course so popular , because people come out of it going I get it now . You're like yeah .
And we're able to find that on your website . Right , and you said there was a group , right that yeah ?
Yeah , and when you ? Well , when you sign up for the course , we automatically give you 60 days for free in the membership so that you're you're covered , no matter what . You're not taking the course alone , you're in a free in the membership so that you're covered , no matter what . You're not taking the course alone , you're in the community .
If you want to be in the community , you don't have to log in . If you don't want to , but we automatically put you right into that community so you have access to me and to all the people that are in there .
Beautiful , beautiful . Our third question what inspired you to write Cracking Open Adventures of a Reluctant Medium ? And that wasn't one of the books you recommended , by the way .
¶ The Sage Method and Spiritual Community
Oh my bad . So the best book I've ever read is Cracking Open . So wait , there it is . So I have two reasons that I wrote this book . One is completely selfish and one is completely not selfish . So we'll start with the selfish one . So hopefully you'll forget that when I say the second one , I I was teaching the sage method and I had been teaching it .
So the book came out in 2011 and I had been teaching for I don't know six years , just years . And I remember thinking to myself I don't want to tell this story again , like there's so much of it and people are so curious about it , and I was like , okay , I'm going to write it down , I'm going to do a book and then when they're curious , I can go .
Here you go . So it was a very selfish reason and at the time I was probably a little bit burnt out still married , you get it trying to set the boundary with mom . But the true reason that's that's all a little lighthearted there . The true reason is I wanted to put out there the truth , the truth about what it was like to open up .
I I read a couple of books and they kind of irked me because they were like and then the power of the light of the greatest and I was this and I was that and I did that and I was like , oh , that is not what it's like to open up , it is more like a jaggedy roller coaster .
And I needed to put that out there to say , here is a true version of an average person and what happened to them ? The screw ups , the positives , the frustration , all that kind of stuff . All the good too , but I needed I needed to put that out there for people , because that was the beginning of me kind of pushing back on pop culture .
Beautiful , beautiful . Thank you for sharing that . Well , that was our last question and , as we've been talking , is there anything else that you'd like to share , or maybe something that you forgot ? The floor is yours .
What else do I love to tell people ? Two small things . The first one would be take a step , any step , I don't care how small it is . Take a step . Stop planning and take a step . One simple step . That's all you have to do , because all those steps do start to add up .
That old adage is true , absolutely true , and for those that are interested in intuition , this is the one I want to share . When you see something out of the corner of your eye and then you turn to look at it and it's gone , I can tell you why .
It's because when you turn to look at it , you take your physical eyes and you're landing on physical objects in the room . The reason you saw something out of the corner of your eye is that your peripheral is defocused .
So when we can remember that what we are looking for in spirit , energetically and intuitively is not in the material world , that will allow us to let go of the material world , defocus from it , and that's where what you're looking for will be found that's where you're .
What you're looking for will be found Beautiful . Thank you so much for sharing that . It was wonderful and thank you so much . That's why I consider this a journey right , it's not a destination .
So we're learning and it's great that you're able , as you go through the journey , to find people like you that help and can be of support , and that you never are alone . So know that the helpers are out there . So check out the website , check out the book , check out the information . You have amazing and wonderful resources .
So thank you so much for taking time out of your very busy schedule to join me on this journey . Thank you for having me . Wonderful , all right , my wonderful listeners . If you would like your question featured on Ready Set Reiki , reach out wwwreadysetreikicom . I'm Tracy Seawright and this has been Ready Set Reiki © transcript Emily Beynon .