Intro: 00:00

You know, most people think that death is the end of our existence, and all of us live with this quiet fear of death that really impacts many of our decisions we take. But what I witnessed in these final moments when my mom passed away really didn't feel like an ending. It felt like a homecoming. Maybe I can explain a little bit more about this. This is the moment when my mom passed away. I got this phone call from a stranger that my mom had been in an accident.

Melanie Warner: 00:44

Welcome to the Defining Moments podcast, where leaders, innovators, and everyday heroes share the moments that changed everything. These are the stories behind resilience, purpose, and legacy. Now let's dive into today's defining moment.

Claudia Schwarz: 01:00

Most people spend so much time in their lives trying to avoid death. But what if understanding death is actually what teaches us how to live? And what if the fear that we carry every day is quietly stopping us from actually living? If you ever noticed that about people, especially Americans, I feel like sometimes we. We tend to get so focused on the, the, the thought of dying that we forget to just live.

So welcome to Defining Moments today. I have a very special guest on the show. And this show is where we explore the moments that transform the way we see ourselves, our purpose, and the world around us. Not through theory, but through experience. I'm Melanie Warner, I'm joined on today's guest by Claudia Schwarz. 

Thank you. Thank you so much for being here, Claudia. I'm so happy to see you all the way from the Dominican Republic. Melanie in our studio.

Claudia Schwarz: 01:57

Melanie, what a pleasure to be with you here. And I know your show is something that really changes lives.

Melanie Warner: 02:06

Oh thank you, I appreciate that. I'm so grateful that you're here. And I'm Melanie Warner. I'm the founder of Defining Moments Press, the host of the Defining Moments podcast, and our new TV show where we chat with authors, experts, corporate leaders, high-level coaches, and people who are turning their expertise into bestselling books, premium brands, and powerful media platforms. This episode is brought to you by Defining Moments Press.

We are a US-based publishing company, and we help aspiring authors around the world to write, publish and promote a non-fiction book to elevate their expertise, their brand, and create a meaningful impact and create income and impact. So, Claudia, thank you for being here today. Claudia is a transformational speaker and a spiritual explorer. I love that word who helps people reconnect with peace, purpose and what she calls the deeper reality of love. Because what does love mean? 

You know, it's not just contained. Like, I know I lost my son and I still feel that love and connection to my son and to his soul. I know that there's a connection that mother-son love never dies. It is a deep soul connection, and I can feel it every day still. And even though he's been gone for many years. 

And so, you know, Claudia's message didn't come from just going to school or reading books. It came from a profound experience. And you're going to hear more about that today. And how that led to that defining moment led to what she's doing today. And this amazing thing that she is teaching people from all over the world. 

So, Claudia, tell us a little bit more about your defining moment.

Claudia Schwarz: 03:49

Yeah, very good question. It truly transformed my being the moment my mother died, I stopped being afraid of death. And it was that moment that I started living more fully. And when my mom passed away and was in an accident, suddenly I delved deeper in this understanding about death and dying and how it can truly impact us when we understand more about death.

Melanie Warner: 04:28

So you've said that the day that your mother died was the day that you stopped being afraid of death. Take me more into that moment. What was that like for you too? I mean, I know there were some circumstances behind that where, you know, it was a shock. Obviously, it was not something that was expected.

And. And what did you witness that changed your perspective towards death forever?

Claudia Schwarz: 04:52

You know, most people think that death is the end of our existence, and all of us live with this quiet fear of death that really impacts many of our decisions we take. But what I witnessed in these final moments when my mom passed away really didn't feel like an ending. It felt like a homecoming. Maybe I can explain a little bit more about this. This is the moment when my mom passed away.

I got this phone call from a stranger that my mom had been in an accident, and I rushed to the hospital and only to find that nobody could answer my questions at this moment about my mom and I sat down and started to practice an ancient mantra. It is a sacred sound. My mom had taught me many years ago, and by doing the spiritual technique, it truly helped me to find an expanded awareness and inner peace. And in this moment, suddenly I saw my inner vision, my mom in the inner worlds. And it was she who was involved in this incredible, brilliant light. 

It was a light that wasn't a world like an worldly light. It was a presence of love. And it was a feeling of divine guidance in this moment. And when I had this vision, it was a reality. I had stepped in this inner world and it suddenly changed this perception and the way I was thinking about death and dying forever.

Melanie Warner: 06:58

Wow. So you had this profound experience after witnessing after your mother passed away, you were able to feel that connection with her and redefine what it felt like to leave this physical realm and still feel that connection to her.

Claudia Schwarz: 07:16

Yeah, it didn't feel really like an ending. It felt like a homecoming. It felt like, oh, here is just another door. You know what? If death wasn't an ending but just a doorway?

Melanie Warner: 07:33

Yeah, like she just moved somewhere else.

Claudia Schwarz: 07:34

Yeah, a doorway insults evolution. And this experience didn't end there. Later on, you know, I was called into the emergency room and my mom was still at this time hadn't had not died. She was still on the way out. It was a transformational process.

And when I first came into the emergency room, it looked like my mom was still okay. She just had a small bruise on her head and. But the face of the doctors told a completely different story. And I knew at this moment my mom was on her way out to a different realm. And when I 

When I sat next to her, she took her last breath. And at this moment, I started doing this spiritual exercise. Again, this spiritual practice expanded my inner vision. You know, it is a love song to God. It is a sacred mantra. 

And it's two letters H, U, And while singing this I saw my mother again, but this time not lying in the hospital bed. She was in the light, dancing in the light with her arms raised, joyful.

Melanie Warner: 09:03

And this was minutes later.

Claudia Schwarz: 09:05

This was just minutes later, after I had been called into the emergency room, and she had basically, you know, taken her last breaths. And in that moment, she was standing in this light. And I had seen this joyful dance many, many times over during my life. It was her way to say goodbye and that everything was okay.

Melanie Warner: 09:28

Wow. So she was able to send that message through this. I guess I'm trying to. For those that are listening or trying to understand what that felt like emotionally, you saw this vision and it was where you felt like you had entered another realm. Like, tell us more about what you actually saw and, you know, and, and how, how it changed the way you lived.

Claudia Schwarz: 09:53

Yeah, it's a very good question, Melanie, because, you know, in my spiritual practice, I understand, you know, that we, you know, we believe we have a soul. But instead, I had been experiencing for many years, for many decades, spiritual exercises where I understood that we are soul. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin says it very well. He was a priest and scientist, and he said, we are not human beings living a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings living as humans.

We are spiritual beings living a human experience.

Melanie Warner: 10:37

I love that I've heard that quote before and I never knew who actually said that, but I love that. I think it's so true when you realize that, it just makes you feel. This is why sometimes you have a soul connection with somebody, and you're not meant to feel that with everybody. And I think that there are certain family members that we definitely have that ability to continue to feel their presence. And, you know, a lot of people, they argue no matter what religious background people have, people believe in angels, they believe in the soul.

And so when you start thinking about that connection, that soul, that is the wisest part of us, it is the part that lives forever. So even when that physical body is gone, I think there's hope in knowing that we can still have that soul connection with somebody. And it's such a beautiful thing to give people hope that are either dealing with losing somebody, you know, they're in the process, maybe they have a bad diagnosis or they have something that is, is they're fearful about. But when you start thinking about, you know, that fear of death and how it's quietly creating fear of life. And when you realize the bigger picture of what's really there for all of us. 

You know, it can give you that peace and that comfort. How is that showing up for you before this experience?

Claudia Schwarz: 11:53

Yeah. Well, you know, for me, after my mom died, I truly understood. You know, I from there are 20,000 near-death experience studies that doctor and scientist Doctor Kubler Elizabeth Ross has done. And she shares in these experiences that consciousness exists beyond our body and that most people, those who have passed on to the other realm and have come back from that near-death experience, are aware that there's come back with the realization that there's a deeper purpose to our lives. And that is the true, real purpose is to expand and involve, evolve in love, kindness, you know.

Melanie Warner: 12:46

And it's hard. I mean, I'm getting emotional because I had a near-death experience. I've had two. The last one was very deep and I came about 90s away from dying. I was bleeding out at the hospital and to where the doctor said, like, this is life threatening, you might not make it.

And I had such a profound spiritual experience that day of feeling the most love and the most joy I've ever felt in my life, that it was hard to explain. I couldn't even talk to anyone about this for about a year afterwards without bawling my eyes out. And it was something that I thought, how can I even explain this to people? Because it almost felt like how I imagine it was like I felt someone holding me and I felt like it was like what my I would imagine what a baby feels like when their parents are holding them with love. Right? 

And I just felt so safe, even though I was terrified And, you know, I thought I was going to die. But then there was this moment of just pure love and peace that I knew at that moment everything was going to be okay whether I lived or not. I just had so much peace about it, and I didn't know that my son was going to pass away. So that profound experience was preparing me to hold my son when he took his last breath and be able to give him that love and let him know it was okay. You know what I mean? 

And it was just like this moment of preparing me for something that I didn't know was to come. And I, and I thought I was dying, and I didn't know I was preparing myself to help my son walk through that journey. And I think that that experience made me feel closer to him, to where I can feel him anytime I need to feel him. I just feel like he's always right here, you know? And I think that the people that have lost somebody. 

It's that feeling of disconnection, like I'm never going to see them again. That certainty, the finality of that and to have this hope and know that their soul is still living in a way like it's still connected. And, you know, I like to say that we're all with God there on that side of we're on this side, but you can feel that connection with this person. I'm sure you still feel it with your mother as well.

Claudia Schwarz: 15:04

I love that experience, how you said you were prepared. Because truly, if you, you know, look into after my mom passed away and I had this experience, I investigated a little bit more like with a scientist, you know, and a neurosurgeon, Eben Alexander. He explains exactly that same thing. You're just saying it's a realm of love. And that that truly what our truest existence is that love is the fabric of our existence.

Melanie Warner: 15:41

I remember there was a book that helped me as well that I read after I lost my son, and it was called CLOSER TO THE LIGHT, and it was near. It was a scientist, Melvin Morse, I think it was. I read this a long time ago, and he was a scientist and a doctor that was interviewing children that had had near-death experiences. And I don't know why, but that book gave me so much peace to understand the science behind what had happened with these kids and what these kids saw when they came to death and then came back to life. And every single one of them, no matter what their influences were, there were infants and babies that talked about this spiritual experience and the light and how beautiful it felt, you know what I mean?

And I think if, if, if the heavens cracked open and we were told this is how it really is, that there would be a lot of people who would just choose not to be here if they really knew, like how beautiful it was. Right. And so I think that's the key when you see how people are struggling here on this planet in life and they feel like they have to carry this heavy burden, especially of grief. I know so many people who are having a hard time living their life because they're so focused on how somebody died instead of focusing on how they lived.

Claudia Schwarz: 17:03

True.

Melanie Warner: 17:03

So what advice would you give to people that are stuck in that space of not being able to let go, but still not knowing how to connect with that person that's passed on?

Claudia Schwarz: 17:13

Yeah, I do actually have a story about this because right after my mom died, I was really heartbroken and struck with grief for the next weeks and months and months. I was in this spiral of sadness and grief. And, you know, even so, I was practicing my spiritual exercises, and I was very connected with my mom. She was so close to my heart and she was like a sister. And I mean my spiritual body, so to speak.

And at this time, you know, I was trying to see her again in my dreams, you know, working with my dreams. And we usually were very connected. And I had expected her to show up again. But what happened is I could n't see her. And only months later, I saw her again in my dreams. 

And I said, mom, what happened? I was expecting to see you. I wanted to know how you are doing? And her answer might truly surprise you because at this moment she said you were too sad. Where I'm at is a high frequency of love. 

And so we couldn't meet. And for me, that was such an insight of knowing, you know, that. truly those who pass on its part of a cosmic pattern and their golden contract they have made with life. And it is an evolution. And it is not, you know, a loss per se for this person because they have just, you know, moved on to the next step in their soul's plan and evolution.

Melanie Warner: 18:56

And that journey and elevation. So I know after this time in your life, you were diagnosed with thyroid cancer. So what was the first thought that went through your mind when you got that diagnosis?

Claudia Schwarz: 19:11

Yeah, that was really interesting. I said, okay, what could I be at peace if it was my time to go at this moment and fear set in, in this moment. And instead of really focusing on that fear. I made a decision that moment, and I decided to shift to the attitude of gratitude instead of feeding into that fear, like giving thanks to all these, to life itself, to all the people I love, and to truly cherish those golden moments of having a this, this past, this joint journey of, of traveled and still traveling. And whatever happened, I would embrace it with gratitude.

Melanie Warner: 20:11

So you chose not to surrender to fear. So what shifted internally for you?

Claudia Schwarz: 20:19

That was a huge step for me. You know, when I stopped being afraid, I took a very drastic decision. I, I. I told my doctor she had scheduled surgery already for me and I said I would like to try a natural healing method. And she just looked at me with this look and said, I truly, truly respect you for thinking you could heal this with natural healing methods.

But you know, these notes are far too big. They have to be removed by surgery. And so being really in not in a state of fear, I could take another decision and could take other opportunities. And I said, well, nothing is lost. She gave me four weeks and I started my own process. 

Tuning in with life, you know, I, I took four weeks off of work, of work moved into the woods of Maine and started, you know, my own healing journey with spiritual exercises and envisioning, you know, spiritual guides, avatars who would help me have the courage, who would feed me with love and who truly, you know, would hold this space for me. And I envisioned myself in a spiritual golden restroom temple being radiated with light, you know, especially on the thyroid area. And besides this, I shifted really from, you know, having a stressful life of resting, of taking walks of, you know, being uplifted by, you know, the people who surrounded me, changing my nutrition. So there was a combination of many things, but part of it was also to shift from that Experience of fear to the opportunity that healing was possible.

Melanie Warner: 22:32

So do you feel that love healed you?

Claudia Schwarz: 22:36

That's really good. I think if we are really sick, it's an absence of love in some way. And so by feeding us, nourishing us, you know, also spiritually with our presence and realigning again with the divine love that truly is a healing factor.

Melanie Warner: 22:58

You talk about inner guidance. How do people learn to trust that voice instead of fear? Because of fear, it's so much easier to just give in to fear, especially with a diagnosis or, you know, they say death, disease and divorce, you know what I mean? Those are like the biggest stressors for humankind. So how do people learn to trust the voice instead of the fear?

Claudia Schwarz: 23:21

It is really just a shift of attention. Instead of really listening to the outer noises, you know, to the news that constantly bombard us with negative news and, you know, really with fear, you know, they induce fear all the time. It is really realignment and it is a decision we have to take every single day. If I allow myself to nourish myself with the positive and with the, let's say, the divine and tune in into prayer, contemplation, meditation, and take those moments for us to really explore these inner realms. And I think it's a process of trusting your inner guidance.

You know, you start with little things and you ask, ask a question and trust that this answer will always come sooner or later. God will always answer your questions. It is just a matter of how aware I am and do I really trust it?

Melanie Warner: 24:37

Was there a moment during your healing journey that you realized I'm becoming a different person through this process?

Claudia Schwarz: 24:44

Absolutely. You know, once after these four weeks, I went back to the clinic and had to do another sonograph just to check, you know, before the surgery, you know, how things are sitting. So this specialist who is taking this sonograph came out to me and I was expecting the results. But what she said to me, she said, I'm really sorry, but we have to do this again. You look like a different person.

And she said, but this time we are going to take another machine. So we went back to where the sonograms were taken. And she just shook her head and, you know, came out later with the results of a little sticky note. And she said, doctor, call me when you see this patient. And coming back to my doctor. 

She just looked at my files, picked up the phone at this time, and canceled my surgery.

Melanie Warner: 25:45

Wow.

Claudia Schwarz: 25:46

And she said, whatever you did, it worked.

Melanie Warner: 25:50

Wow. So you didn't have to have surgery to remove the nose?

Claudia Schwarz: 25:53

Not at all. And I. I never took medication for myself. Unbelievable.

Melanie Warner: 25:58

Wow. So you went from having, you know, getting diagnosed with thyroid cancer to them telling you you have to have surgery. She wouldn't recommend alternative treatments. And you were able to use this technique to help heal yourself. And how's your health today?

Claudia Schwarz: 26:12

You know, I feel this really was a defining moment in my life because I started to realize the only person responsible for my health is myself. It's me. I cannot pass it on to any other people, to medical treatments, etc. and find ways that I trust to really realign because I think every type of illness is a type of misalignment from this divine love we so readily can receive if we have the right techniques.

Melanie Warner: 26:52

Well, you look amazing even here with me in person. You have this radiating energy and light coming from you. You know you can feel it. You can see it. It's just you just you have, you seem to be extremely healthy.

So I would say whatever you're doing, more people need to be doing. Now. You said that you stopped watching the news. You stopped feeding fear into your mind. How much of modern life disconnects us from our true selves.

Claudia Schwarz: 27:19

Yeah. I think especially, you know, the way our modern life goes with the internet, with, you know, scrolling, with watching TV shows that are violent. All of this, you know, disconnects us from, you know, this true divine love that really pours into our lives if we open our eyes, you know, and instead of, you know, binge watching Netflix or something, we could also take a walk in nature. And because nature really helps us realign again, because there's harmony and peace and nature, you know.

Melanie Warner: 28:05

And you can listen to a podcast while you're walking people.

Claudia Schwarz: 28:10

Correct.

Melanie Warner: 28:10

What's the biggest fear you see that is quietly controlling people today?

Claudia Schwarz: 28:15

I think most of it is fear of death and what's happening in our world, the chaos that's right now happening there. And I think the most important part is, you know, that we make sure our own internal world is in harmony, and it's really aligned with our truest purpose in life to really expand and evolve and love kindness and compassion.

Melanie Warner: 28:46

So for somebody who's listening, who feels overwhelmed, disconnected, or anxious, what's one simple practice that they can begin today?

Claudia Schwarz: 28:57

I would like to share one, this sacred mantra that has helped me over and over again in many of my life situations. It is a sacred sound that has been used for centuries, and it. What it does, it really helps us to come back to inner peace. And it's very simple. And it might defy our minds because it is so simple.

It's only two letters H, U, and it is sung long, drawn out. And maybe Melanie, I can demonstrate it for the viewers here. So our attention is really in our heart center, and we open our hearts and we sing this love song to God, you know, that expands our awareness and brings us back to inner peace. Just like this. You.

Claudia Schwarz: 29:58

You. You. You.

Claudia Schwarz: 30:11

Thank you. Melanie.

Melanie Warner: 30:12

That's so easy. And it does. It just instantly shifts. It's like I remember, you know, it's like some people that say, oh, you know, and they do that, but there's that vibration. And I love that.

It's like you're saying you like, it's almost like you're telling yourself to bring yourself back to you.

Claudia Schwarz: 30:29

Yeah. Very, very good reminder. It is like a tuning fork into this God sound, basically.

Melanie Warner: 30:38

That's beautiful, I love that. Okay, so you have to remember that that's a trick. And I love mantras. I really think, you know, it's there's, they say that worry is like negative prayer, right? And so when you can program in, you program out the news and all the doom and gloom and the chicken Little stuff, and you choose what goes into your body, what goes into your brain, how you process certain things.

And it really does make you feel healthier because you don't just feel like you're this receiver of all this anxious stuff that's going out in the universe lately. And I think that that's where so many people feel overwhelmed.

Claudia Schwarz: 31:16

Yeah. And more so we also become the sender of a positive vibration and a positive frequency. And people can feel it even if you don't speak a word.

Melanie Warner: 31:28

What is living aligned actually?

Claudia Schwarz: 31:31

You know, part of living aligned for me really means step into our truest purpose and to understanding, you know, why are we here? And what is it we really want to give back to the world? And, you know, having been an entrepreneur for the longest time, I was a hotel guy and my career was running a beachfront hotel and restaurant and a store and properties and so on. After my mom's death, I truly realized that I. It was time for me to shift my priority and also my career.

And a few years later, I definitely stepped out of this busy lifestyle to dedicate my life, rededicate and reconsecrate my life to really become in alignment with my true purpose. And that was to share what truly matters. You know, in life, like, you know, realigning with this divine current.

Melanie Warner: 32:45

So you, you ran, you, you moved from Germany to Dominican Republic, right? You ran a beachfront resort while still doing deep spiritual work. So how do you balance spirituality with real-world responsibilities without coming across as woo-woo?

Claudia Schwarz: 33:03

That's a really good question. And I think, you know, once you understand that all the universal spiritual laws really support leadership and entrepreneurship? You know, if you look at the greatest spiritual leaders, some of them, you know, they truly live their life as they say that they, you know, they live their purpose, and they want to give back to life in a much larger way.

Melanie Warner: 33:38

So, Claudia, is there anything else that you want to share with our audience today, just about your experience or something that you're working on right now? If people want to follow you or work with you in some way, what, what, what's the best way for someone who wants to go deeper on this and understand it more? What's the best step for them?

Claudia Schwarz: 33:58

Yeah. We are offering a curated retreat in the Dominican Republic on the north coast For those who really want to come back and realign, restore their health and come to this point of stillness where we are just connecting to that very moment, to the now, and where we do detox, breathwork, you know, the sacred sand when the sun rises facing the ocean, you know, wellness treatments and who really caters to the, to the detox detox program we have designed. And this retreat is going to happen in February, beginning of February in the Dominican Republic and a luxury resort. And for those who are interested, they can find more on my website, Claudiaschwarz.info.

Melanie Warner: 35:03

Claudia schwartz.info. Know T by the way, it's a German spelling Schwarz with no T, and you can click on the link below in the show notes. And here's the thing. I was in Dubai recently and I was at the Museum of the future. It was set in the year 2070.

And it said in the year 2070, looking back, the biggest threat to humanity was not any type of virus or anything. It was actually from the year 2030. So it was referencing from the perspective of 2070, looking back 40 years. The greatest threat was mental health.

Claudia Schwarz: 35:40

Oh, yes.

Melanie Warner: 35:41

And so in the future, there's going to be sound healing spaces and rooms. So I think that you're really, you're, you're ahead of your time in the sense that you're creating these opportunities for people now to become aware. And it's never too late to shift something. And the first step for anybody who's struggling or, or feeling overwhelmed is to just have, you know, awareness that you have this awareness that there's another way to do something. So if you have a diagnosis, if you have something that doesn't feel like it aligns with you, there is a solution.

And I love that you found a non-medical solution. I'm a really big fan of alternative medicine as well. And I do believe that, you know, your body believes every word you say. And I always tell people, you know, if you don't take care of your body, where are you going to live? And so you are responsible for what goes in it, what goes on it, what goes in your brain, you know? 

And so the more responsibility we can take, the better. So those are amazing tools. Thank you so much for being here. And I do have a quick as we're wrapping up, I love sharing a mystery guest. And this is so I mean, you guys, I can't explain how this happens. 

It is divine. There's no other explanation because I'm going to share a story of somebody. You might know them publicly, but you don't know the history. You don't know how they suffered. So this particular woman, before she changed the way the world understood death, before her work, became required reading in hospitals, in universities, in grief counseling around the world. She was simply asking questions that nobody wanted to ask. 

You see, back in the 1960s, back in the 1960s, death was something that was just hidden away. It was almost like this bad thing that happened that nobody talked about. Right. And patients were often isolated. They weren't allowed to be surrounded by family. 

Families avoided the conversation. Doctors focused on treatment, not humanity and terminally ill patients. Well, many of them were just dying alone. Not physically, but emotionally, because no one wanted to speak honestly about what was happening. And this woman noticed something that others ignored, that the dying weren't afraid because death existed. 

They were afraid because no one would truly see them. So she started sitting beside terminally ill patients and listening. Really listening. And what she discovered changed her forever. Because again and again, patients spoke about peace, about clarity, about love and about unfinished emotional truths. 

And she realized that death was not just a medical event. It wasn't some type of life sentence. It was a deeply human and spiritual transition, not just a scientific thing of the body just stops. And the more time she spent with people who were dying, the less afraid of death she became because she saw something so profound that the people that were closest to death often understood life the most clearly, and her groundbreaking work eventually became the book on death and dying, introducing the world to the five stages of grief. And that deeper message underneath all her work was this: when we stop denying death, we finally begin living more honestly, more presently, more compassionately, more awake. 

Because the awareness that life is temporary doesn't make life smaller. It makes it sacred. And that is the defining moment of Doctor Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, who you happen to mention earlier. And I didn't know what you were going to talk about her. So that was meant to be right. 

And the thing is, when I had my own near-death experience, it gave me peace. Even though I was starting to panic, thinking I was dying, the beautiful, peaceful feeling that I felt was so confirming and validating and gave me such certainty about something beyond this life. It made me never be afraid to die again, you know. But I was more afraid of living as if I was just waiting to die. And I never wanted to live with regrets. 

Which is why I finished my book. It's what drives me every day out of gratitude for being here and being alive. Especially because my son can't be here. And I feel like every single one of us, if we're here on this earth and we have a pulse and we're still operating out of purpose, you know, and we can still be connected to our loved ones. And you've been a beautiful example of that, Claudia. 

So thank you for sharing that. I mean, and what's so powerful about her story, Doctor Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, is that being close to death didn't make her afraid of life. It made her more present for it. And I think that the greatest gift that we get when we lose someone we love is just learning to be present. So, Claudia, how much of your own transformation came from realizing that life is far more precious and fleeting than most of us allow ourselves to admit?

Claudia Schwarz: 41:08

You know, the biggest transformation for me was once I realized this. Even so, I had known there's more to life than what we see, and that there is a continuation of life. Even so, I knew that. But experiencing it, like you said, this deep love and this understanding that, you know, we have a deeper life purpose firsthand made me truly change my priorities. The, the, the way I looked at my career and at my lifestyle definitely shifted from that moment.

And I decided, you know, I really want to live this life to the fullest and take advantage of this opportunity here to evolve as a spiritual being. And it made me step so much more profound in giving back to life and creating workshops and teaching one on one or in sharing, you know, my own spiritual teaching and my spiritual principles that are universal to all those who are ready for it and who are awakening to this bigger picture of life.

Melanie Warner: 42:26

Well, thank you so much for, for being vulnerable, for sharing your story about your mother. And I wish I could, I guess I could say thank you to your mother because I feel like she's here, and I think she'd be extremely proud of you and how you've taken this, this, this personal heartbreak that could feel like a tragedy and look at it as the purpose behind not only what her soul was put here to do, but now what your soul is doing to help elevate others on this planet as well. And I think when you start thinking about how healing begins, the moment that fear loses its grip, and that's how really, truly you are able to heal yourself through love and light. So thank you for being here today, and thank you all for joining us. If this resonates with you, do something about it.

Share it with people. Make sure you subscribe and hit that subscribe button. If you happen to be watching on YouTube so that you get notifications every time we actually drop a new podcast. And please watch out for our TV show that's also coming out later this year. You'll see it on all major streaming platforms. 

Again, I want to thank you all for being here. I'm Melanie Warner from Defining Moments, and I want to thank our guests, Claudia Schwarz. Thank you for being here today, and we'll see you next time.

Claudia Schwarz: 43:37

Thank you so much, Melanie.

Melanie Warner: 43:38

All right. Take care, you guys.

Outro: 43:41

Thanks for listening to the Defining Moments podcast. We'll see you again next time.

Outro: 43:45

And be sure to click subscribe to get future episodes.