In a candid conversation with Dr Malini Saba, Managing Editor, LA Evolution Magazine, Kelly Witherspoon, founder of the Spiritual Badass Academy, speaks about motherhood, healing, business, and spiritual leadership. Below are excerpts from the conversation.
Dr Malini Saba:
Kelly, let’s begin at the beginning. Can you share how your spiritual path truly started?
Kelly Witherspoon:
My spiritual journey really began when my son, Charlie, was born. That was the moment everything cracked open. Nothing in my life before that touched me the way that did.
After he was born, I wasn’t okay. Physically, emotionally, mentally and even in my work, everything felt like it fell apart at once. I didn’t feel like the same person anymore, and I didn’t have the energy or clarity I used to rely on.
Quitting wasn’t an option as I had four children dependent on me. There was no backup plan. I remember one night being completely exhausted and overwhelmed; I had an honest conversation with Spirit - not in a fancy way, just honest. I said, “I can’t do this. I can’t heal myself and keep everything else going at the same time. If I’m going to stay here and choose life, I need help.”
That night an agreement was forged. I decided I would focus on healing myself - my body, my mind, my nervous system and Spirit would help carry the business. And slowly, it was. As I started to feel stronger, things around me started to move again too.
Dr Malini Saba:
That connection between your inner world and your business is powerful. How did you come to understand that relationship?
Kelly Witherspoon:
I learnt it the hard way, very quickly. I realised my business was a direct extension of my own energy. Whenever things slowed down or felt stuck, there was no strategy that could fix it. No new action, no push, no forcing. It always came back to me.
If I was stagnant, it meant I needed to move something within myself. So, I’d go back to the basics and ask very simple questions: Am I eating properly? Am I hydrated? Am I moving my body? Getting sunlight? Staying connected spiritually? Keeping the routines that actually support me?
If the answer was "no" to any of that, then the energy just couldn’t flow. Every single time I filled those gaps for myself, everything else started to shift again. Spirit showed me over and over that if I wanted to move the needle in my business, I first had to move the needle within myself.
Dr Malini Saba:
Your TikTok journey has been extraordinary. How did that begin?
Kelly Witherspoon:
Honestly? Reluctantly.
Spirit told me to start reading tarot on TikTok, and I said, “Absolutely not.” I’d been on the platform for two years without creating content. I was terrified.
Then Spirit said, “It’s part of your spiritual development.” That was the button that twisted my arm.
I told myself, “No one’s going to see this anyway.” I filmed myself doing what I already did every morning - pulling cards, speaking what I heard. One of those early videos went viral almost overnight. Suddenly, I was handed a platform.
That’s when Spirit said, “Bring back the intuitive development course you taught in 2020, but bring it back with everything you’ve healed since then.”
That was terrifying. And that’s how the Spiritual Badass Academy was born.
Dr Malini Saba:
What is the cornerstone of your work today?
Kelly Witherspoon:
At its core, my work is about helping people sit with their experiences instead of numbing or running from them; to feel it so they can heal it.
I truly believe we’re all just walking each other home. Along my own journey home, I’ve learnt things that would be a shame not to share. Often when I’m delivering readings, the words that come through aren’t mine; they’re meant for others. That’s why I was given the platform.
Dr Malini Saba:
Your retreats have become deeply transformative spaces. Why are immersive experiences so important to you?
Kelly Witherspoon:
Because I’ve lived their power. When you remove someone from their everyday world, where everyone wants something from them, and place them in a sanctuary where they’re nurtured, nourished, and held, things move fast.
Healing needs safety. It needs space. It also needs joy, and incredible food doesn’t hurt either.
We’ve been running retreats for nearly three years now, both in Australia and internationally. Every time, I’m reminded of how profound that container is. We’re also now hosting healing events on our own land, aligned with the cycles of nature: the moons, equinoxes, and astrological transits.
Dr Malini Saba:
You’ve also spoken about wanting to work with children. Why does that feel important now?
Kelly Witherspoon:
Because if children learn early how to name and move through their emotions, they don’t have to carry that trauma into adulthood.
Even being able to say, “I feel angry,” without lashing out - that changes everything. Emotions aren’t bad. We’re human. They’re meant to move through us, not get stuck in the body.
Dr Malini Saba:
Kane plays a significant role in your work as well. Can you share more about that dynamic?
Kelly Witherspoon:
Kane, a sound healer and integral part of the retreats, brings sound healing through the didgeridoo, and his frequency is something special. He holds a grounded, safe masculine presence, and that safety allows deep emotional release, especially for women.
We mostly attract middle-aged women and gay men, people who are already tuned into themselves. Watching the feminine energy respond to a safe masculine container is incredibly powerful. That safety allows unravelling, and that unravelling allows healing.
Dr Malini Saba:
Your awards and conferences continue to grow each year. What’s the deeper purpose behind them?
Kelly Witherspoon:
The awards are about visibility and recognition, especially for healing work that often happens quietly.
One category close to my heart is men’s work. Interestingly, men often shy away from stepping into recognition, even when their communities want to honour them. I don’t know if it’s fear of judgement, tall-poppy syndrome, or conditioning, but there’s work to be done there.
Men’s work exists. Men don’t just need therapy; they need spaces for embodied healing. The awards bring that work into the spotlight, on the red carpet.
Dr Malini Saba:
You’re also using your platform for humanitarian impact. Can you tell us about that?
Kelly Witherspoon:
While we were in Bali, a beautiful man named Putu lost everything in floods. Despite that, his only concern was making sure our retreat guests were looked after. That told me everything about his character.
I’ve been given a platform, so why not use it for good? We’re raising funds for him and his family and are close to reaching our goal.
Dr Malini Saba:
If you had to do it all again, would you change anything?
Kelly Witherspoon:
No. Every breakdown, every tower moment, every “oh shit” moment shaped me. Failure isn’t failure; it’s expansion.
And honestly? If someone asks me the fastest way to heal, I say, 'Start a business.'
It forces you to face visibility, worthiness, fear, and voice, especially as a woman. Business is the fastest path of personal development there is.
Dr Malini Saba:
Finally, what advice would you leave our readers with?
Kelly Witherspoon:
Find what makes you happy. Find the people you love being around. Then find a way to do more of that together.
Use business as a vehicle, not the destination. You can’t take money with you, but you can take moments, impact, and meaning.
At the end of life, it’s not about what you accumulated; it’s about who you shared it with and how fully you lived.