Episode 02: Creating & Finding Connection

October 10, 2025•5 min read

Navigating Grief and Finding Connection With Charla Goodnight & Keri Johnson
Collective Guidance Podcast

🕊️ Introduction

Some friendships are written in the stars.

In this episode of Collective Guidance, I sit down with my dear friend and spiritual sister, Keri Johnson—a woman who has been part of my journey for over two decades. From our first meeting when she photographed my son as a baby to reconnecting years later through my cycling studio, the Universe has woven our paths together again and again.

This conversation is about that sacred thread—how faith, loss, intuition, and divine timing bring us back to remembrance: that we are never alone.

🌙 When the Universe Weaves Connection

Keri and I first met in 2005 when I had my first child. A friend said, “You have to see Keri Johnson—she’s the best baby photographer.” From that moment, something clicked. Keri had a way of capturing not just images, but energy. Her lens saw the soul.

Years later, the Universe guided us back together when she walked into my cycling studio. It was instant recognition—one of those soul family moments where you don’t have to explain yourself. You just know.

💫 Loss, Spirit & Awakening

Both of us have experienced profound loss through the passing of our fathers. That shared experience opened a deeper spiritual doorway.

I shared how, the night before my father passed, I had a near-death experience that forever changed me. In that moment, I promised Spirit that if I survived, I would share the message of love and divine guidance for the rest of my life.

Keri spoke about her father’s passing too—and how sometimes comfort doesn’t come through words, but presence. A “titty hug,” as she called it, that broke the tension and let love in. It reminded us both that human and spiritual moments coexist beautifully.

🔥 Remembering the Connection to Spirit

It’s so easy to forget our connection to Spirit. Life happens—careers, parenting, heartbreak, survival—but Spirit never leaves.

As Keri said:

“We were just waiting for you to ask.”

That’s what faith is: the moment you stop trying to do it all alone and say, “Help me.”

I shared how after my second near-death experience in 2018, I lost my joy for being human for a while. It wasn’t until attending a Dr. Joe Dispenza retreat in 2022 that I began to remember who I truly was. To remember that Spirit is always my partner.

🌠 Manifestation, Trust & Emotional Energy

Keri discovered The Secret during her Saturn Return (age 29)—a major astrological turning point that invites transformation.
We explored how:

Emotion = Energy in Motion. The emotion you attach to a thought determines what you attract.
Trust without emotion is deep faith—knowing everything is working out, even when there’s no visible proof.
Fear isn’t real. As Keri said, “In this moment, everything is fine.” Fear lives in the past or future, not in the present.

When we remember that, we step back into alignment with divine flow.

💞 The Art of Giving & Receiving

We revisited one of life’s simplest truths: the power of receiving.

When someone gives you something—whether it’s a compliment, coffee, or kindness—they’re expressing love. To reject that gift is to reject the Universe’s offering.

Every “thank you,” every free coffee, every refund check is the Universe whispering:

“You are abundant.”

Giving and receiving are one breath—inhale and exhale. Both are sacred acts of love.

🌻 Celebrate Your Wins: The Hindsight Board

Keri introduced something I adored—the Hindsight Board.

Instead of only making vision boards for the future, take time at the end of each month to look back and celebrate your wins, blessings, and growth.

Gratitude amplifies abundance, and reflection fuels manifestation.

Try it:
✨ At the start of each month, write down everything that went right in the previous one.
✨ See how much you’ve truly accomplished.
✨ Let that momentum carry you forward.

🌿 Healing the Body Through Awareness

Our bodies speak when we don’t listen.

Keri shared how she healed physical symptoms by recognizing their emotional symbolism and commanding them to leave.
Dr. Joe Dispenza teaches the same principle: the body responds to belief, visualization, and energy.

When we remember that we are the healer, the body responds with balance and harmony.

🪶 Faith in Action

Through every pivot—photography, acting, motherhood, influencer life—Keri kept her faith strong. She asked for signs, trusted divine timing, and refused to settle.

Her story reminds us that faith and desire are the only currencies Spirit needs.

💗 A Shared Mission

At the heart of Collective Guidance is remembrance:

That we are guided.
That we are supported.
That we are never alone.

As Keri said:

“Everything is neutral until you put emotion on it.”

And that’s the essence of this episode—when we choose love, gratitude, and faith, everything changes.

🎧 Listen Now

🎙️ Listen to Episode 02: Faith, Friendship & Remembering Spirit
Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

🌟 Connect with Keri

Keri Johnson is a photographer, influencer, and founder of Just Saying With Love—a spiritual apparel line inspired by her late father.
Find her on Instagram at @thekerijohnson.