Messages from the Beyond, Empowerment from Within — Discovering My Purpose as an Intuitive Animal Communicator

By Sushma Hallock, PhD

A friend once taught me a simple method to manifest my dreams. At the time, I had no idea it would lead me to love, heartbreak, and ultimately my true purpose.

The method seemed straightforward: write down what I wanted in my future husband and then wait. I used a large page from an art book, and I wrote the words, “My Future Husband” in the center of the page and circled it. Then I drew lines from those words outward with the characteristics of my future husband. He would be over 6’0” tall, intelligent, love to laugh and make me laugh, have a good job, and have other attributes that were important to me.

Fast forward five years. I’m working as a massage therapist and teaching anatomy at a local college. I was doing well but still hadn’t met the person of my dreams. However, I started to feel that I needed to go to graduate school. And let me tell you, the universe was not subtle in letting me know where I needed to go. I started noticing signs about Massachusetts, specifically Boston. In the end, I followed my instincts and was accepted into Boston University School of Medicine Master’s program for Anatomy and Neurobiology. Interestingly, this was the only grad school that I had applied to. And it was where I met the love of my life.

Kevin was from rural Michigan, and I wasn’t sure what to make of him. He was 6’5”, had Einstein hair, wore jeans and a sweatshirt every day. I couldn’t tell if he was cute or not. Unlike me, he was a postdoc, whereas I was just starting my grad school journey. He had a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry and Biophysics. Before we go any further, let’s review my wish list: over 6’0”—check, he’s smart—check, loved to laugh and make me laugh—double check, had a good job—hmm… I was willing to bend a little on this one, because he was a postdoc (and cute)!

After eight months of being friends, our relationship slowly evolved into something more. When we started dating, I told my dad that anytime we went out, Kev would always put his hand out for me. My dad said, “because he will always support you” and that is precisely how it has been ever since! We got married in 2008, and after a year, decided to start a family like many other married couples. Kevin and I were both from the world of science and research. We were extremely goal-oriented and thought this was something we could achieve. We didn’t smoke, we exercised, ate healthy, drank minimally—you name it we were all in! But things were not as easy as we had envisioned. Every time someone asked when we were going to start our family, I would break down and cry. People eventually stopped asking.

We decided it was time to speak with a fertility doctor. Like other women, when I stepped into the world of fertility treatments, I dreamt of holding a child in my arms, believing that medicine would help make that dream come true. I had faith that we were meant to be parents. My journey with IVF was one filled with equal parts hope and heartbreak.

Each round brought a mix of cautious optimism, waiting, praying, and wondering if this would finally be the moment. But with every failed attempt, the weight of disappointment grew heavier. It felt like I was being tested—in ways I could never have imagined. The endless appointments, medications, and procedures were not just physically exhausting, but emotionally draining as well. There were moments I felt utterly alone, as if my body had betrayed me, and I felt that I had failed.

During this time, I looked for answers through alternative healers. I wanted to understand why we weren’t getting pregnant. I discovered that in this lifetime I would not have children (alas, a story for another day). This was before I found out through the doctors that I had severe endometriosis, and that I might never carry a baby. It took seven years to find out the reason. I found myself moving through deep grief—grieving the life I had imagined, the family I thought I would build, and the identity I believed was tied to motherhood.

I knew I needed to heal; I knew I wanted to be there for other women who went through what I went through. I didn’t want women to feel alone. I turned my attention to my academic and spiritual training. While I didn’t become a mother in the way I once dreamed, the journey reshaped me and taught me resilience, compassion, and how to create a life filled with meaning in other ways.

I became a spiritual student under the tutelage of Tony Stockwell from England. With him, I started my formal training in a branch of mediumship called Trance Mediumship. He described it as an altered state of consciousness that allows a blending of souls for channeling guidance. With his guidance, I developed and strengthened my skills as an intuitive medium, enabling me to communicate with people who had crossed over to the other side and provide intuitive readings for the living. For some reason, I was drawn to people who loved animals—this was ironic because I was scared of them.

After one of my channeling classes, I was speaking to a classmate named Stacy who had two dogs, and I had a feeling about her dogs. I started sharing the intuitive thoughts coming through for Lola and Monkey. Lola was a chihuahua and rat terrier mix, and Monkey was a chihuahua and miniature pinscher mix. I was drawn to Monkey. There was something about him that I could not resist. I was able to tap into his spirit easily. I knew things about his personality, habits, likes, and dislikes, which only Stacy could validate. Stacy is a natural animal communicator and has worked with other animal communicators, so it was a surprise for both of us that I was able to do this.

After this eureka moment, I took a leap of faith—I started offering free readings via Zoom for pet parents—I did group, one on one, and email readings. It was at the end of my first group reading in July 2020 that a participant (Julie) asked me if I could read horses. (During the gallery, I had been able to connect with her dog Ripple). I told her that I didn’t know but was willing to try!

In August of that summer, I read for Star—her favorite horse. It was another monumental moment in my life. We had a fantastic session! Intuitively connecting to Star was like connecting to an old friend. I could share things with Julie about Star that only she knew, and other things that she did not. Julie was incredibly kind, patient, and willing to work with me for several weeks, bolstering my skills for reading different animals. I read for Donnie the goat, Jimmy the sheep, Twix the pig, followed by a mini donkey! We even did a trance/channeling reading for her horse, Feisty.

That summer changed my life. I noticed that many in the intuitive world were connecting with people, and while I knew I could do the same, my heart and spirit felt called to walk a different path—animal communication. It just felt right.

One of the most popular types of sessions is called an “email reading.” In these sessions, the client sends me their animal’s picture, name, gender, and whether their fur baby is still here or has crossed over. I ask for no other details. Using a structured template, I share intuitive impressions under headings such as: Info from Fur Parent, General Thoughts and Feelings, and Guidance for the Fur Parent.

I also explain to clients that, as a diverse energy practitioner, information may come through in many ways—intuitive messages, past-life impressions, or other channels. I encourage them to take what resonates and set aside what doesn’t, trusting that sometimes meaning reveals itself with time.

Over the years, I’ve been blessed to work with many animal companions, though a few readings stand out in particular.

A client asked me to connect with her beloved dog, Princess, who had crossed over. When I connected with her, I immediately felt the discomfort she had carried in her body. My chest grew tight and heavy, as though I couldn’t get enough air. It felt like I needed to cough up mucus but couldn’t, and I received an image of blood in the lungs—a sense of internal bleeding. While difficult to put into words, this was the clear physical impression that came through. I also sensed significant joint pain, and my anatomy background allowed me to see the word “osteoarthritis” as though written on a whiteboard. When Princess crossed over it felt like a powerful release: “she could finally breathe...I am taking the deepest breaths as I type this.” The last image that came through was of Princess playing with sheep on the other side.

Here is a synopsis of my client’s validation:

Thank you Sush for the reading. You captured her personality perfectly...every aspect of it! She was 13 when we had to put her down…so even though older, we weren’t ready. She did have a lot of medical issues: in her chest area she had three very large tumors, one of which she broke open in January. They didn’t think she’d survive the surgery to remove the tumors and if she did, it would have been very hard on her. She did have a lot of bleeding in the chest area from this…The tumors did put pressure on her lungs making it difficult to breathe and was painful for her. She did have coughing and “reverse sneezing” often as well…She did have osteoarthritis–both front and back, but it was most severe in her back legs and hips. She could hardly walk sometimes and toward the end of her life, it was very difficult for her to sit or even get comfortable. She was a herding dog, and I have no doubt she is with the sheep and loving it.

Working with horses always feels like greeting an old friend. I had the honor of reading for a client’s gelding, Jupiter, who was very much alive and thriving. I shared the following with the client:

“Overall, he [Jupiter] feels confident—sometimes he may shy away from something new to try, but I feel that he takes your encouragement to heart and will try it (new task etc.). I am wondering if there is anything going on with his ears—it feels like they get itchy on the inside—maybe an extra cleaning would be ok…just a gentle recommendation. There is also a feeling that eyesight in one eye seems to be stronger than the other eye. I feel like he will turn his head to let the stronger eye see what’s going on (I know that horses don’t wear glasses like a young child but that is the image I am seeing). I also feel that when you speak with him, it’s like having a conversation with a friend. You have a sense of what he is thinking and feeling. And so, this is why the two of you have such a good relationship. There is genuine love and kindness that is exchanged…People are drawn to him. They want to be close to him; they want to say hello. There is something magnetic about him…He is here to protect you as much as you are here to protect and love him. He is “your happy place.” I feel the connection between the two of you doesn’t feel like it just happened in this lifetime. It’s like a promise was made on the other side to watch out for each other.”

My client’s feedback:

You’ve got him to a T, and it was fun to read it and to share it with my daughter who is also very close to Jupiter. Honestly, it’s so good that I can only offer one tiny piece of feedback—regarding his ears, he doesn’t have any health issue and they are always clean, but I think the reason that came up for you is that he does really love to have his ears scratched on the inside and our special little thing is that I scratch into both of his ears whenever I’m with him and he really likes it. I’ve never had another horse that enjoyed having their ears scratched as much as Jupiter (on the inside—the rest of them have all hated it) and I’m the only one that does that for him (even my daughter doesn’t do that with him), so that is our unique connection whenever we are together. He’s also a horse that really, really loves his massage/scratching all over (he has almost knocked us over by shoving his butt toward us to get his back end scratched), so I’m not at all surprised that the “itchy” thing came up. He has broken fences, knocked over small trees and pulled gates off their hinges by doing his own self-massage against anything he can find. He is a character!

These experiences not only deepened my trust in spirit but also expanded the reach of my work far beyond what I could have imagined. I established myself within the intuitive community as an animal communicator, which allowed me to work with people from many countries including England, Australia, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Before becoming an animal communicator, I never truly understood the depth of people’s emotional connections with their fur babies. As a child, I had a frightening encounter with a dog, and for years, I carried that fear. Everything changed when I learned how to communicate with animals. When Monkey passed, it felt as though a piece of my heart had been torn apart. I cried as if I had lost my own child. Even though I never held him in my arms, I loved him deeply. For me, I was Auntie Sush—and that bond will always remain.

Through this journey, I’ve learned that purpose often emerges from heartbreak, and the wisdom of the unseen can guide us toward fulfillment in unexpected ways. I discovered a deeper purpose: to intertwine my passion for empowering women with my gift of connecting to the animal kingdom. The animals have become my greatest teachers—reminding me to love unconditionally and to fully embrace the present moment. Truly, their messages from beyond continue to bring me empowerment from within.

Ann Arbor resident, Sushma D.A. Hallock MBA, MA (affectionately known as Dr. H) was born in Guyana, South America, raised in Canada, and educated in the U.S. Her journey has taken her across continents and into both science and spirit. She holds a Master’s in Anatomy & Neurobiology from Boston University School of Medicine, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Sexology with a focus on Sex Education from Modern Sex Therapy Institutes located in West Palm Beach, Florida. As a lifelong learner, Dr. H connects with people on both an intellectual and soul-to-soul level and serves as an intuitive animal communicator helping people connect with their pets, both here and in spirit. Learn more at therainbowbridgemedium.com.

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