Unleashing the Language of Animals with Animal Communicator Danielle MacKinnon

WSC Intro/Outro: This is When Spirit Calls and you on your journey are in the right place. This show is about magic miracles and meaning shared through stories, interviews and channeled messages. We have so much to share about who you are and your divine mission here on the earth. Let's get to it When Spirit Calls is right now.

Today's guest is the lovely Danielle MacKinnon, an animal communicator and intuitive for more than 20 years Danielle is the Amazon number one best selling author of soul contracts find harmony and unlock your brilliance and animal lessons discovering your spiritual connection with animals. Through her Danielle McKinnon school, Danielle has taught her soul level method of animal communication and intuition to students for more than 60 countries. Her newest book, The incredible animal afterlife, what your pet wants you to know, is available now. I can't wait to dive in with Danielle as we explore animal communication, intuition, and her journey.

Oh my goodness, you guys have just learned about our guest today. Hi, Danielle.

Hi, I'm so happy to be here. Oh my gosh.

I love that you saying that? Because I love to make words into songs all the time.

You did that? I never do that. I don't I have no idea.

I must be rubbing off on you naturally.

I am psychic. So

There you go. We're telepathically connected now. So speaking of speaking of all that wonderful stuff, you know, not everyone might be as telepathic as we are. So for our audience to learn about you, I want them to connect with you and learn about your story and how you got here. So would you start us off? Would you warm us up with a little bit of backstory?

Yeah, so I am an animal communicator. But I never intended to be an animal communicator, which I'm sure is something that you hear a lot. I never thought I would be doing this. So I got my start really, really early on with all the animals and all the pets in my life. I was very intuitive, very connected. And I really thought I knew what they were saying. I thought I knew what they were feeling. But of course, my family was like, you're kind of crazy. And you need to tone it down be more normal, be more, you know, be less sensitive, right? That's the thing.

Oh, yeah. Our listeners have heard those before. I'm sure yeah.

Yeah, it's kind of a bummer to hear that. So I really grew up thinking that I was just a little too sensitive and a little too much. And still everyone's well comes up. Oh, I must be too much, right that that negative belief shows up. So I spent a lot of time trying to tell myself that I didn't know what the animals were thinking and feeling that I that I wasn't walking in a room and automatically knowing what was happening in the room without anybody telling me it was like, Oh, I'm just just really good. I'm just really observant. Yeah, I went to in college, I started dabbling, because I'm away from my family. So I started like investigating mind body awareness and meditation and stuff like that. But still, it was kind of like on the side of the college partying, and I was doing modeling, like, all those things don't really go together. Exactly. And then, once I got together with my husband, we had a dog and the dog got really, really sick. And the vet couldn't figure out what was going on. She was at the vet for four nights are not four days. And they did all the tests, and nobody could figure it out. And so I was like, what do we do? I'm so nervous. I'm so upset. So I went to the gym. And at the gym, I met a friend there and she said, Well, why don't you take your dog to the pet psychic. And there was a pet psychic that was in my town. And I had no idea and I've lived there for like three years already. And this was my like, first introduction into something psychic. Oh my gosh, I just I want to I want to explore it. So I grabbed my dog from the vet. I grabbed my husband, who is a hydrogeologist. And he's still working on his PhD in civil engineering. So we're opposites. And the next day we were at the event where this pet psychic was doing readings. Wow grabbed the guy. Now, I would not be psyched if anybody ever did this to me, but I didn't know anything about this stuff at the time. I'm like you gotta come out to the parking lot with me where my dog is not appropriate at all. I know now I didn't know but he was very kind He came out, he started connecting with my dog. He's looking at me, he's looking at my husband. He's looking at my dog, you know, it's very silent. And my dog is not jumping or reacting. She's just sitting there in the in the back of the car, quietly, not her normal personality even when she's sick. And finally he says, okay, she's sick because she ate corncobs she ate the corn cobs, because she's been so nervous. Since you and your husband have been fighting about your mother. And we hadn't been fighting about my mom. We've been fighting about my mother in law. But it didn't matter. I was like, Mother mother doesn't even matter. Yeah. Oh my gosh, this is real. This is what I want to do with my life. What is happening here? Yes, my dog got better. She passed the corncobs. And all was fine. I always forget to say that, though.

I know. I was just gonna say the dog. The dog, okay.

But it was like that life changing light bulb moment for me, that really made me go, what am I doing? I was in like, marketing, I was in the corporate world, I was really good at it. But just because you're good at something, it doesn't mean that that's what you're supposed to do with your life like. So I, I pretty much immediately I took his class the next weekend. It went very well, I can tell you about that. If you want, I can leave it but it was awesome. And then I was like, I'm starting a business. And then pretty much, you know, I don't know, within a week I had started a business. But this was really long ago. This was in 2000. So the internet wasn't the same. You didn't have podcast didn't even that wasn't even a thing. You didn't even see video on the internet at that time. So I didn't have anybody to look at and say, Hey, I'm gonna have a business like that. So I was just like, I'm starting a business and I started my business.

Oh, I love this. I love how beautiful it was that your dog gave you this gift. Thank goodness, your dog ate those corn cobs.

Yeah, yeah, she was supposed to. And this is actually what I teach is that our animal's behavior is meant to help us learn and grow. And so she did that knowing at the soul level that she had to help me get to where I needed to go,

oh, my gosh, I got goosebumps with you saying I just love that. I love that so much. Okay, so you said so many beautiful things in there. And I thank you so much for sharing your story. Because I think there's so many of us that are not being seen and heard from a young age, right? It's like, again, you're too sensitive. You're being weird. You know, you can't read animal's minds. No, you can't write we're being told, No, we can't. We can't, we can't. And this is a condition that many of us have had to, you know, go through. And so I think it speaks to those people that might still be kind of stuck in that conditioning that like, No, it's not possible. I can't really do that, you know, because those doubts come in. And I was the same when I took the Akashic Records class, I was taking it as a skeptic, because I didn't believe it. And now I'm such an Akashic Records junkie, I can't even get enough of it, right. So I never had the intention either. So it's so beautiful to me. When Spirit does work, it's magic for us, and we just start to lean in, and voila, something really exceptional happens out of it. You said something really important. You said just because you're good at something doesn't mean that that's the something you should be doing or something to that effect. You said and I love that because I think that, you know, many of us are good at a lot of things. And so we stay in the job that we're good at, because it's what we're good at. But yet our soul starts to say, but what about me, I'm struggling. And so were you feeling a bit of like that last feeling at that time? Or like, were you feeling like your soul was kind of empty, but you're just going through the motions? Like, what was it that really made you say, Oh, my God, I'm taking the leap. And I'm going to, I'm going to, you know, leave my job or I'm going to start this business because that seems like a very courageous step. And I think that's where people get stuck. So So what happened there? Yeah.

In the moment, when in that reading, he said the thing about my mother slash mother in law, for me, that was the moment where I went, I know what I'm supposed to do with my life. But there's more to that story, because I started my business. And that's all great. And it was going fine. And I was getting readings because I was really focused on readings in the beginning. Yeah. But I continued doing the corporate work. Ah, I did not immediately leave my corporate. This is a like a high level corporate, real huge salary type job that I had where I was really successful. Yeah, and so here I am starting My business and I'm looking at animal communication readings, $50, an hour versus salary and 401k, and all of this. So I started my business, my business was growing, I started getting intuitive messages from animals during readings from my guides, and other times during my meditation Danielle, time to leave time to leave, go to your real business. And I ignored it all. I was like, How can I possibly have this type of money coming in, I have money stuff, right? I need money in my life. I can't leave that to go to this because this is so small, and I could never be be big there. And so this is what the universe does love it. Let's go on for a few years of Danielle ignoring the guidance, we buy a new house, it is the day we are signing the papers, the moving company is coming to deliver the stuff to the new house in a few hours, I get laid off from that corporate job that day, the bank had called an hour before I got laid off to make sure I still had the job. And then I get laid off, and then we show up and like okay, I guess I'll still sign all this and move into the new house, the new house was twice as big as the old. I mean, the old house was really, really teeny. So it's not saying a lot, but still twice as big money, like the whole thing. So we sign the documents and I say to my husband, I think this is a sign and I need to not find another corporate job, I just need to do this work. And he was like, Yeah, I think you just need to do this work. So he agreed with me, which was terrific. And then there were a few challenging years there. The house was twice as big the mortgage, and I'm bringing my business up into a full time level. But I stuck with it. And but it is very challenging. And I was unfortunately one of the people or the universe had to like whack me over the head to make me do the thing that I was supposed to do fully. Oh,

I love that this happened to you. This is the perfect now. Now you love it. Right? Yeah, I know, in the moment, it's not so great. It's like, why is this happening to me? After the fact it's like, Thank God that happened to me. Right? I'm that for you. And you know, you mentioned your husband too, in terms of like, Yeah, I think you're right. So I'm curious to know, because there are a lot of people that, you know, they want to follow their hearts dream, they lean into it, they start these businesses, and then it's not making the money they thought it would. And so then they have troubles with their partners, or if they don't have partners, there's other people that are like, get a job, get a job. And I I was one of those people where, you know, my ex partner was really counting on me, well, you need to get a job, you need to get a job and, and I knew in my heart, that that wasn't the path for me. But when people are kind of coming at you from all angles, it can be a bit overwhelming. And we start to really question our own intuition and our own knowing did you have that happen to was your husband supportive the whole way through? Or were there moments where he was like, I don't know about this? I'm just curious to know,

He was supportive all the way through. Awesome. But let's talk what support looks. So support was totally understanding being okay with things being so tight. We didn't have $5. You know, in the beginning, we couldn't send our kids to the state skate park, because it was $5. And we're like, what? We don't have that. Yeah. So he understood that piece, where he wasn't supportive, and it took him until 2011. To become supportive. Was it really believing that what I was doing was real. He grew up in a very religious household. And he was like, I'm atheists. This is kind of crazy out there. You do what you're gonna do, but I don't really believe in any of it. But he was supportive of me doing it because it made me happy, but he wasn't in alignment with it. And then in 2011, the we live in Boston. We live near Boston, and he was a Boston Bruins fan, which is hockey. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So we're watching that as the year that the Bruins went to the Stanley Cup Finals. I learned all about it. Yeah. I would know who was gonna win on every game. And this made him so mad when he figured out this is what's happening and that if the Bruins were losing, or sorry, rooms were going to lose, I would watch the game. He forbid me he's like, either you need to sit here through the whole game and you cannot say anything or make any faces or you need to leave and do not look at me while I watched this game. So that was the moment for him because he was supportive of what I was doing just not the content of what I was doing. He didn't understand it. And because he grew up in this very extra religious household, he thought I was bringing religion back the way he grew up with it. And that's why I'm doing intuition and guides and the universe. And all this stuff is is very different from this organized religion piece that he didn't want to be part of any more. So it took them a while to learn. There's so many different ways to be with God or spirit or to have connection now. He's cool with it. Now now he's like, Well, what is she saying? What is Touka saying or, or he's even done it himself. So

Oh, I love it. Thank you so much for sharing that I feel like that was really important for some people to hear. And for those that aren't feeling supported when they want to really follow their dream, know that there's people like Danielle and I that will cheerlead you on all the way. Because there's always going to be the naysayers, there's always gonna be the people that come in with as a devil's advocate for us. And those perspectives are healthy for us to receive. But what happens there is we get an opportunity to understand more deeply or for our partners to understand or the people around us. And what you just share with me is that he started to understand exactly like, what was what was it that you were really doing. And in that way, we enable that person to give us more support, right, because now he's got it. So I love that you guys found your way there. It's not that way for everybody, of course, but just know that you know, everything that you need to fulfill your divine purpose here will be supplied for you, just like it was for Danielle. Right. So Danielle, I loved hearing all those stories. What are some of the things that you want people to know out there? What do they you know, can you give us a little bit more context to animal communication? What that means? That look like? What's that process because I bet you there's some animal communicators listening that don't know their animal communicate with us animal communication, and then we'll get into maybe some tips and tools that you have for us.

Okay, so animal communication is intuitively connecting with an animal animals have within them this ability that they use it all the time, they use it with one another, this is how they survive in the world. They don't just use sight, sound, smell, touch, they use knowing they use, really, they have all of the stuff when you're working on opening your psychic senses, they have all of that open all the time, it is part of their every day. So when I'm doing animal communication, what I'm doing, as I am doing the same thing that they are experts at is I'm I'm basically connecting into what they're putting out there, and I'm receiving the intuitive data from them. It is not though. And this is the the kind of funny thing, when I first started doing it, I thought, wow, this is amazing, I am going to go and I'm going to fix all the animals I connect with, I'm going to use animal communication to tell them all how to behave better, and then all their humans, they'll be happy, and I'm going to fix all the animals in the world. It's so not that what it is. And this is what took me a long time to learn. It took me six months in the beginning of doing animal communication to understand this, because I resisted it because that's what I do I resist my intuitive messages. First is animals have mastered unconditional love. And this is one of the things that I want for people to know most animals have mastered unconditional love. And they are incarnating here to help us grow and evolve. So animal communication is not us connecting with them to fix them, or to help them it is connecting with them to receive the messages they want us to have so that we can live better lives, which in turn helps them live better lives. So animal communication is not this. Why are you doing this? Stop doing that does your foot her, although you can ask all those questions and receive answers back. But when you open up to what really animal communication offers, it's actually offering as a pathway through our selves.

Oh, I love that that was so easily explained. And I think that's going to be a big help. Because I do know some people are like, Oh, well, I'll scan and I'll find out what the problem is. We'll get into that fixing. It's the same thing with people. We just help them to tune into their own wisdom and knowledge. Right. So it's so beautiful. Now I can also sense in you you've got strong fairy energy. Someone at some point said you've been a fairy a few times over which most fair,

I hear about that. Yeah.

So you know what I'm talking about. And, you know, for those people that are drawn to animals and drawn to nature or oftentimes, that is a good indicator that there's a connection with that fairy energy. So I just want to share that with everybody. So, you know, for the people that are out there that might be animal communicators, and for the beautiful pet owners out there for those people that have pets in their home, what are some of the things that you want people to know whether it's a tip to help them or whether it's about animal communication? What are some things that would really help people in their day to day around all of this?

I think that the first thing would be that, yeah, I teach animal communication like that, yes, that's what I do. But we already have that within us. So it's very easy for me to teach animal communication, because everybody can already do it. I'm just pointing out what's already in there and helping them find what they were kind of hiding from themselves. Those skills are already there. So

love that I was just going to add, because I often talk about the gifts being already given. And that's basically what you're saying. It's that reminder, you have the knowledge. So for all of you listening, you've got it, you already have the abilities. So Danielle, carry on just

so then you just said a word that kind of a little bit triggers me, which is the word gifts, oh, the eye. And here's why. If we all have this within us, it's not a gift. It just exists. It's part of like, I don't think of my my eyesight as a gift or touch as a gift. So when people are like, they're thinking about connecting with their pet or learning animal communication, or doing whatever, and they're like, I don't know, if I have the gift. The big worry that some people have will only Danielle has the gift or only has the gift. And it's I've honed this, and I play with it all the time, but everybody has it there within them.

And they do I just believe that my perspective is that even if we all have it, it was still given to us it was bestowed on us. Not necessarily see it as that in fact, most people see it as curses. When they're like No, no, it's not a gift it's just innately given. It's at the end of the day, it comes back to just recognizing and remembering that you've got it. That fundamental message there. Yeah, thanks for bringing that up, though. Because if it's a trigger for you, it might be a trigger for the listeners too. And it's always interesting to me the words that kind of bring us into this. Well, wait a second, is that is that right? Is that resonance? Right,

Right. So I get a lot of emails that say I really want to take your class, but I don't think I have the gift. Like literally using that phrasing. So for me it's become a Yeah, a thing. Like, oh, no, it's not but but it's literally just trying to D make gift not special. Make it accessible.

That's, That's it because I to me a gift is not anything. Extraordinary. Right. Right. To me. It's all the gift. It's all a gift. Right. Right.

But then they think it's extraordinary. They think only special. Yeah. I think you and I are saying the same bass was saying same thing. Yeah, yeah.

But I think it's an important conversation. Right. So I love that you brought that up? Because I think it's all about our perspective at the end of the day. Yeah.

The other thing that I would suggest, I want people to take away is that there, like you've already said, they're already doing it. Like so many people think that they just know their dog or their cat their horse so well, that they it's just coming from their experience. But what happens is, when we know our animals really well, we let our guard down. So ever receiving information, that's intuitive, but we don't realize it and we give credit to our experience, or we think we're just really, really smart about our animals. And we're really not because our animals are scanning us they know exactly what we need to do what we need to say what they need what we need to do for us. So they're always sending us that information. Yes, some of it comes from our experience, but so much of it is coming from the animal guiding that relationship intuitively.

Oh, I love that so much. We're already using it. So not only do we already have it, we'll call it. We're already using it. We just don't know it. I love it. Oh, so good. Anything else that you want to add for all of those out there listening in today?

Yeah, I would say so. We're talking about we already have it. We're already using it. But then the next step is using it intentionally and that's where people get a little hung up. Oh, okay, maybe I know this much because we're suitably connect But now what happens if I try? Yeah, and so most people don't try it. Yeah, they'll try with me in a class and that that's, that's fine. But they won't try in a on professional forum. Like, they're not going to be like, Oh, this morning, I'm going to try and just ask a question about their food or whatever. And so I would always encourage people to just try and see what happens. And to give space to see what happens. So like, if I didn't know what I was doing, and I was connecting with my dog is laying right there. And I was asking her, how do you feel about your food? I think give it a moment. I gotta hang for a little bit. I can't be like, huh, nothing. Okay, it didn't work. Like, she may answer me in that moment. She may answer me several hours from now. And so I have to be open to however it's gonna go,

Oh, this is such a good one. I love this one so much. So it's, you know, we try and lean in, okay, so we attempt it. But this second point of yours about creating the space to receive the information is so important, because you're exactly right, I have people that are like, Okay, give me a sign. And then they're looking for the sign for the first hour, they don't see the sign. And so the eagle that swoops down 10 hours later, is not seen as the sign because at the time, we have to remember there's not really there's no space and time in this dimensional frequency that we're working in. And so we might ask a question here, we might get the download while we're driving our car later on in the day, we might get it the next morning when we're brushing our teeth. And so I love that you brought this up, because it's a great reminder for us that the answers aren't always a direct, you know, clear response right then and there that sometimes it trickles in over time.

The answers are very often not on the timeline that we want. But if we can trust like you're saying, if we can trust that the answer will come. Yes. And it will come at a time that that animal knows is actually better for us to receive the answer. And then we actually get answers.

Oh, so and it works the same, whether it's animals, whether it's spirit guides, whether it's creator communicating with us, they know and they will give us in divine time. Always. So thank you for that one. That was it. That was a big one. That was a big.

But let me say that I can say all this, but when I'm in the thick of it sometimes. Very definitely. Yeah. divine timing. No, I wouldn't. Now

here we need the answers that

can get us impatient humans, right. Yeah. And I think I might be particularly impatient. Yeah.

Oh, well. Well, I think you have to have some level of patience if you're working with animals all day, right? And their human counterparts. So Oh, my gosh, that's amazing. I love that. Danielle, I feel like we're just getting started. But I know that I've got to wrap things up. So is there anything else that you feel really compelled to add to this whole discussion of animal communication? You did mention that you teach some classes? Because I know that's going to be the number one question is like, Oh my God, if I'm it might be an animal communicator, I want to learn how to do this. So can you share a little bit about how you teach and how people can access you? Like, do we have to come in person is it done online, maybe just a little bit for that?

I do teach it is my it is my heart and soul. Because I found that when people learn to do it, it empowers them. So so much more than just getting a reading greetings are amazing. And especially if you're missing your pet that has crossed over, there's nothing better than a reading I know to reconnect in that way. But my heart personally is in the teaching. So I teach classes. They are either online Instant Access classes, or I teach classes where they're live webinar type classes. And we've got lessons and then q&a and practices. My whole thing about teaching this whether someone takes an instant access course, or they take one that's a little bit more live online with me is hands on. You cannot just learn the steps you have to actually try it. Because you have to learn how your intuition works. That's right. People will get pictures for some of you like but I didn't get any words and this person's like but I didn't get any pictures. Like everybody does it differently. And so if you don't practice, which is what I'm all about then then it doesn't matter. So I do offer both types of courses throughout the year and there's all the way through from beginner no experience all the way up to a certified people to become professional. So level animals.

Like if if someone was a pet mom and they just want to Take it just for their own work with their own pets, they can do that. But if they feel really compelled, and they're like, No, I have to do this for my life. Now, they can take those steps.

Yeah, I can go all the way through. Yeah,

I love that. I love that. You do have a little something for our audience today. So we do audience about that.

So if you go to Daniellemackinnon.com/whenSpiritcalls, which I thought was a very, you know, unique name there. I put together a little page that has three things on it for your people. One is tips for how to start communicating with your pet. One is my book, The newest book called The Incredible Animal Afterlife. And it really talks about how what animals have told me about the afterlife, I find that people are often grieving. Actually, I find that people who are grieving losing their pet, they often their pet drives them into exploring this and then their pet will be like, hey, learn animal communication. This book is not that this book is just, hey, you're grieving. I want you to know what the animals have shared with me. It's so beautiful love. And then I have also you can explore my be open community, which is where all the animal lovers get together and play and practice animal communication and share with one another. That's a Why live webinars and readings and stuff in there. And

Oh, fun. Oh my gosh, you're filling us up with gifts. So thank you for folks, that's going to be that link will be in the show notes as well for you. So you can just click on that below the interview. Danielle, final words, any final words of wisdom, anything that last minute you want to share with everybody here?

I would share that our animals are here to teach us unconditional love. We talked about this before that they've mastered it. But I always ask the people that I work with to start thinking about everything the animal in their life does is geared toward helping you in some way learn and master unconditional love yourself.

Oh, I love that as a final message to remind us to keep leaning into unconditional love. I think that's going to save the world at the end of the day, whether it's with our animals or other people. That is That's the energy that we need to keep fighting for. So I feel like I need to go cuddle my cat now. So I'm gonna go check on my cat. Thank you, Danielle, for being a wonderful, wonderful guest and bringing your joy and your passion for the work you do. There is no doubt that you love the work that you do. And that was very clear. So thank you for walking the talk for following that calling. When spirit called you in.

Oh, nice. That was very good. Thank you for having me.

Thank you so much, Danielle. And thank you all for listening. I can't wait to be with you again on another episode of When Spirit Calls until then, take care. Bye bye.

WSC Intro/Outro: So happy you could join us today. And we hope that you found comfort and inspiration with wherever you are at right now. If you feel you received a gift in today's message, please pass that gift along to a loved one by sharing this episode with them. To continue this conversation. Please join me at Rosehope.ca And when you do, be sure to access your free gift by signing up for the When Spirit Calls newsletter. I'm looking forward to connecting with you again soon.