Lockdown, Loss and Life on the Road: Interview with Psychic Sally Morgan

Fiona Dodwell
8 min readDec 1, 2021

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(Image Copyright: Nicky Johnston 2021)

I first saw psychic medium Sally Morgan in action when her show — On The Road With Psychic Sally — was first broadcast on Living TV, several years ago. At that time, I, like many others, was astonished by this woman’s incredible gift and undeniable connection to her audience (who travelled from all over the country to see her in action). It wasn’t long after I watched the hit series that I decided to attend a show myself, to see Sally in action. I wasn’t disappointed; I left the show impressed and wanting to learn more about this person who appeared to be able to do something very few others could. I have been closely following her career since.

The huge success of Sally Morgan is due to her talent for contacting the ‘other side’ (in 2005 Sally was tested by Professor Gary Schwartz, a Harvard University PhD graduate. After the experiment he regarded her as one of the best mediums that he had ever studied). Yet it is undeniable that her personality, warmth, empathy and unique spiritual insights offer something extra to her audience. That “something” keeps fans coming back, time and time again.

In her latest book — Secret Spirit — which has just been launched, Sally Morgan delves into the depths of grief, loss, love and what it means to make the most out of your life. After the very sad and sudden loss of her husband, John, the much-loved medium has been tackling her own loss and grief head-on. Secret Spirit is part memoir, and part self-help guide and offers a channel of inspiration at a time when many of us need it.

I recently sat down with Sally to discuss her book, her life’s work and how we can all harness meaning…

I’m sure life must have been hard for you during lockdown and the pandemic, because you seem such a sociable person who loves being on the road. How did you personally find the lockdown and what did you do to get through such an unprecedented time?

Well, I recently lost my husband, so this year is the first … everything is a “first” when you first lose somebody. Normally I’d be eager to start Christmas preparations with John, but now my head is consumed with my grief.

I go back to work in January but I am doing Christmas here with the children. Life is like getting thrown off a horse as they say, you have to get back on again... if I didn’t do Christmas now, and I mean do everything — the tree, the meal etc — I’d probably never want to do it again.

Sally Morgan with husband John, who recently passed away (image copyright Matty Parks/2020)

You’ve done a few live tour dates already, haven’t you? How did it feel to finally get back to doing what you love?

Yes, I went back and did about ten gigs. I’m passionate about local theatre and using them — a bit like I’m also passionate about libraries, believe it or not! This pandemic has really knocked entertainment in local areas for six. So I try to help keep those theatres going. It’s so, so important that they are kept alive.

Your new book, Secret Spirit, deals with a lot of sensitive and emotional issues, such as loss and grief. Thinking about what an unsettling time the world has gone through, I personally think it’s the perfect book to guide many of us out of very difficult times…

I’m glad you like it! It’s become a bestseller in it’s genre. It was written when John was alive, and he was a part of it. Every time I managed to sit down and take notes and get down my thoughts, I’d share it with him.

How did you find the process of writing it? Did you enjoy putting the book together?

It took me about 18 months to write. It all really started on stage; I’m my worst critic… all the time I am criticising what I do every day. Every time I do a reading I look at what I’m doing. When I give these incredible messages — please, I’m not being conceited or arrogant — but the messages are incredible. I’m left thinking, where is this coming from? How can I harness this? And those thoughts planted the seed for Secret Spirit.

We all tend to keep our spiritual side secret… it’s like a fear that we have. We have this energy within us but so many of us deny it or keep it secret, yet if we harness it we can do ourselves so much good. As humans we have a sixth sense, we accept it in animals and our pets, yet for ourselves we make excuses for it.

You must have an incredible amount of confidence — in yourself and in spirit — to get on stage and do what you do. You must have a lot of trust in what you’re doing…

My first manager, going back 12 years now, said I was born to be on stage.

I’d like to think that everything I do is very organic and natural. There’s no one evening that’s been the same when I’m on tour. Every show is unique. You’ll never see the same one, or the same reaction, ever, ever again.

I wouldn’t like to say that I’m perfecting a skill, it’s more that I want it to be natural.

In Secret Spirit, you mention the ways that people can harness their own psychic energy. Is it genuinely true that every individual has the capability of having a gift like yours? I feel like I’d be somebody who could try and try but get nowhere…

I think that it’s incredibly personal to each individual. It’s all about trust. You have to trust in yourself that what you are sensing is there. No good in thinking, “no, that’s not possible,”… You have to be open. You need to trust what is innately within us. If we trust the signs we get, that they are messages that are telling us things.

It can take your life, your whole life, to discover this inner secret spirit. It isn’t something where you think, I’ll try this for a week — it evolves and takes time.

I don’t know why mine [my gift] has just been sitting there, available to me since I was a child. I’ve often thought, “why me?” Like you get natural born musicians… it’s either in them or it isn’t… but I believe every single individual has it, to different levels and intensities.

So far the reaction to the book has been wonderful. Do you get nervous about the public reactions to your work, both in books and on-stage?

I don’t want it to sound arrogant, but I don’t really… I mean, getting some form of validation is always appreciated and nice. But at the end of the day, I like to feel that we are all the same. So if I think, that makes sense to me, then I trust there are others it’s made sense to, too. I know deep down there will be people who feel the same as me.

We have this “well of knowing” which is about being aware of what you can’t necessarily see. We all have this but we never draw on it, and what a pity.

Sally Morgan with Secret Spirit (Image copyright Nicky Johnston)

As someone who is interested in the spirit world myself, I’ve actually attended a few of your shows through the years. I’ve always come away really impressed by your ability. I know you have a lot of dedicated fans, too. Support must feel wonderful, but how do you cope with the sceptics? Does it bother you or have you learned ways to rise above it?

Well, I don’t really rise above it. You’d think with everything I deal with, like trolls on social media, that I’d be thick skinned. I can get hurt, my feelings can get hurt. But at the end of the day, it is what it is. What someone else thinks of me is none of my business. Unless obviously they are being abusive or cruel with threats.

At the end of the day, I like to be my own biggest critic. I am looking at what I am doing, and asking questions. Questions have to be asked about people who profess to do this work. Lots of people who call themselves sceptics fall into the category of not being sceptical, they’re just people who have made the decision already that it’s all a load of hocus-pocus. It’s all criticism, but no constructive criticism.

Each to their own, though. All I’d say is you have to find a genuine medium, that is what it’s all about.

I think if people go and see a genuine Medium and get an amazing message, they could be convinced…?

Yes, although I’m not here to convince anyone or offer proof. I’ll share my experiences which are genuine, but I am not here to prove, I am just here to say “look what’s happening.” Then it’s up to the audience to think…. to get the conversation going. To get a debate going — not a slinging match. I’m up for that.

As someone who has spent a great deal of time on stage over the years, do you have any favourite memories or funny stories from your tours?

I’m not avoiding answering, but I literally have seen hundreds of thousands of people over the years and every single night is incredible. Even if I give just one message that blows the audience away. It’s harnessing the energy, like radio waves… every single show, every single message is unique.

Image copyright Nicky Johnston 2021

LINKS: Buy your copy of Secret Spirit —

Waterstones

WH Smith

Amazon

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