Claire Broad has spent nearly three decades bringing messages from the spirit world, but her journey began at four years old, delivering a message to her grandmother in a cemetery that left no room for doubt. From a career in advertising alongside names like Leo Burnett and Disney, to three published books and a two-year waiting list for readings, Claire's path unfolded through persistent guidance from Spirit – including a longstanding relationship with The College of Psychic Studies, where she once slipped in during lunch breaks and now teaches. We spoke to her about her spirit guide White Feather, her most unforgettable reading, and the advice she'd give to psychic mediumship students just starting out.
When did you give your first message from Spirit?
I gave my first message from the spirit world when I was four years old. I was at Richmond Cemetery with my mum and my nan. They were tidying my grandad's grave about a year after he had died, and I was just playing nearby with some stones and a vase when I felt my grandad's presence. It was like being wrapped in his love.
I heard his voice in my mind say, "Claire, tell Nanny Grandad says I love you, Iv."
I had no idea who "Iv" was. I called my grandmother Nanny, and my mum called her Mum. I was four - I just wanted to carry on playing. But the message was so persistent that I felt pushed to say it. Finally, I shouted across the cemetery, "Nanny, Grandad says he loves you, Iv."
My nan froze. Everyone knew her as Connie, but her first name was Ivy, and only my grandad ever called her "Iv". There was no way I could have known that. She remembered that moment for the rest of her life.
Looking back, that was the beginning. At the time, I didn't think of it as mediumship at all. I was simply an innocent child passing on what I had experienced.
Can you describe your spirit guide, White Feather?
White Feather first made himself known to me in my teenage years in two very distinct ways.
The first was through his presence. I'd wake during the night aware that someone was in the room, and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I would see a tall shadow figure standing at the end of my bed. I could clearly sense he was an exceptionally tall Native American man, standing with his arms folded, simply watching over and protecting me.
The second way was through a very distinctive smell. It would appear suddenly - strong and unmistakable - and then disappear just as quickly. Other people could smell it too, so I knew it wasn't my imagination.
Later, when I visited the medium Sheila Thomas, she asked, "What is that smell?" I couldn't smell it at that moment, but she said, "I can smell your spirit guide. He's telling me his name is White Feather, and he brings that scent because that's how he used to smoke plant medicine when he was on Earth."
That moment changed everything. Sheila took me under her wing and introduced me to meditation and disciplined spiritual development. As my own clairvoyant connection deepened, White Feather no longer needed to appear as an apparition or through scent. Our relationship became a quiet dialogue through the mind.
One of the greatest lessons he's ever given me is: "I walk with you, not for you." That has shaped not only my life but the way I teach others.
Before mediumship, you had a career in advertising, working with major names like Leo Burnett and Disney. What finally drew you away from that world and into this one full-time?
I never made a conscious decision to leave my advertising career and become a professional medium. It was more that life or perhaps Spirit gently led me there.
For around ten years, I balanced both worlds, working with companies such as Leo Burnett and Disney while also developing my mediumship in Spiritualist churches.
When I had my daughter and was at home with her, friends began asking if I would give them readings while she slept. Motherhood can be all-consuming, and mediumship became something that was just for me. It kept me balanced and connected.
Word spread naturally. Before long I had a growing client list, then theatre demonstrations, a two-year waiting list for private sittings, and eventually publishers approached me.
Many years earlier, a medium had told me that Spirit said I would write books and teach. I couldn't imagine that then, but step by step, that's exactly how my life unfolded.
How long was it before you felt confident enough to deliver your first reading?
I don't think I ever reached a moment where I thought, "I'm ready." If anything, I was quite a reluctant medium. I never sought public attention; I simply wanted to understand my experiences and develop them properly.
It was my teacher who decided I was ready before I did. She invited me to share the platform during a church service. I was nervous, but I trusted her, and the demonstration went well. Afterwards, other churches invited me to demonstrate.
I continued developing every week for around ten years. When people began asking for private readings, I initially didn't charge because I didn't feel confident enough. It was only through the feedback from clients that my confidence gradually grew.
Looking back, I see a consistent pattern. I wasn't pushing doors open - the opportunities always arrived at the right time. My experience has been that if you focus on serving with sincerity and integrity, the next step reveals itself.
What was your most effective technique when developing your psychic mediumship?
Meditation was the most effective thing for me. Learning to sit in my own energy, to sense what was mine, and recognise when Spirit drew close.
There is no quick route to mediumship. It asks for consistency, dedication and repetition. Sitting regularly, opening and expanding my awareness, and becoming familiar with the subtle feel of energy helped me take responsibility for my channel, find my own power, and develop a deeper connection with my guides.
Can you share more about your journey with The College of Psychic Studies?
My relationship with the College goes right back to my early twenties, when I worked nearby in Sloane Avenue. I would slip into the College during my lunch break to hear trance addresses and meditations. It felt like stepping out of the rat race and back into my soul.
I couldn't have imagined then that years later, after my books were published, I would be invited to teach there.
It has been a real privilege to go from quietly sitting at the back, being taught by mediums I deeply respected, to being invited to become one of the mediums helping others on their own personal journeys.
White Feather predicted decades ago that you would write for the spirit world. What was it like when that prophecy came true with Answers from Heaven? How does it feel to write with Spirit?
When I was twenty, a medium gave me a message from White Feather. She handed me a white feather quill and said I had come to write books for the spirit world.
I couldn't fathom it. I wasn't a writer and English certainly hadn't been my strongest subject. The message stayed with me for around twenty years, although I couldn't imagine how it would ever happen.
Then, quite unexpectedly, I was approached by Theresa Cheung to contribute to one of her books. That led to publishers asking me to write my own books, and before I knew it, three had been published.
It wasn't something I chased or planned. It unfolded naturally through the opportunities Spirit placed in front of me.
It has felt both surreal and deeply fulfilling. When people from across the world tell me that my words have touched them, I feel immensely grateful, because I know the guides who work with me have helped to open hearts and minds, reminding people of our deeper connection, especially in challenging times.
Can you share an extraordinary moment from your psychic mediumship experience?
After nearly three decades of this work, it's difficult to choose just one experience, but one still gives me goosebumps.
During a private reading, I connected with a client's partner in the spirit world and gave clear evidence of their life and passing. At the end of the reading, her partner gave me one final piece of evidence. I was told to let my client know they were aware she was carrying a tiny plastic bag containing their ashes.
We were both stunned. She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a tiny bag of ashes. There was absolutely no way I could have known that.
Moments like that stay with me, not because they're about proving anything, but because of what they change in the person sitting opposite me.
Much of your work centres on helping people heal after bereavement. What have grieving clients taught you about the nature of loss itself and how Spirit can support us?
For many years, my work centred on bringing evidence of the survival of consciousness to people grieving the death of someone they loved. Helping people find comfort during one of the most painful times in their lives has always been deeply important to me.
Over the last decade, I've come to understand that grief isn't limited to bereavement. We grieve the loss of our health, relationships, careers, identity, certainty and the life we thought we were going to have.
My work has therefore evolved into helping people navigate loss in all its forms - supporting them to find stability, clarity, meaning and purpose when life feels uncertain and emotionally overwhelming.
What one piece of advice would you give to aspiring psychic mediums?
Learn to sit with your fear.
When the body is in fight-or-flight mode, the mind focuses on survival, making it much harder to connect with Spirit. Whether it's the fear of getting it wrong, not being good enough, disappointing a client or failing altogether, those fears become the greatest barrier to clear communication.
When we learn to acknowledge our fears without being controlled by them, we become steady, centred and present.
I was always taught, "When I step in, Spirit steps out." When our ego and our fears become louder than our trust, they block the very connection we're trying to make. The real work is learning to quiet yourself. That's what allows your channel to become clear.
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