Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Ainslie.
Hi Melissa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started out as a young girl growing up in Catholic school in Ohio, not understanding why I was always so overly sensitive to people, emotions, and energy around me. At a young age, I experienced a major loss when an old boyfriend passed away during my senior year of high school. That experience shaped my understanding of grief very early on. I also learned how uncomfortable people can become with grief if they haven’t experienced it themselves. After a month or so, the world moves on, but the grieving person often doesn’t.
As a child, I could sense spirit, but I had no idea what it was. It actually scared me quite a bit. I remember praying for the ability to see spirits to go away, and thankfully it did. It never came back in the same way.
Years later, after my beloved mother passed away following a long illness, I went through intense complicated grief and eventually had a nervous breakdown. During that time, I began searching for mediumship, healing, and answers. Before I could truly step into this work, I had to first face the pain and heartache within myself.
At the time, there weren’t many online spaces or communities to learn from, so I practiced on anyone willing to let me read for them and connected with others who had similar experiences. Over time, mediumship became not only part of my healing journey, but also a way to help others feel less alone in theirs.
After my father passed away, I felt strongly that he encouraged me to channel my grief into teaching and helping others. That eventually led to the creation of Eleven Intuitions, where I now teach, mentor, and help others explore intuition and mediumship in a grounded, supportive, and ethical way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the biggest struggles throughout this journey has honestly been judgment and misunderstanding. Mediumship is talked about much more openly today than it was when I first started nearly ten years ago. Back then, I was terrified to even publicly share what I did. Over the years, I’ve lost friendships and even had some family members distance themselves because they didn’t understand my work. There are still people in my life who avoid the subject completely or never ask about this side of me at all. I’m still just Melissa, and the work I do is one of the most meaningful and fulfilling parts of my life, so it can be sad knowing that some people never really want to know that side of me because the subject itself feels taboo to them.
The second biggest challenge has been learning how to actually run a business around deeply emotional and spiritual work. From the outside, people often assume mediumship is simply doing readings, but there is so much happening behind the scenes. Over the years, we’ve built systems, mentorship programs, community spaces, and structure that take a tremendous amount of time and energy. That process has taught me a lot about leadership, boundaries, communication, and creating something sustainable long term.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a psychic medium, mentor, and teacher, but a huge part of my work today focuses on helping other developing mediums build confidence in a grounded and ethical way. Over the years, I realized one of the hardest parts of learning mediumship is simply finding safe people to practice with consistently. When I first started, I had to search constantly for anyone willing to let me practice on them because there weren’t many communities or spaces online for this type of work.
That’s one of the reasons I created the Eleven Intuitions Woo Woo Crew, which is a free sitter community connected to my mentorship programs. In mediumship, a “sitter” is someone who volunteers to receive a practice reading from a student medium. Through the Woo Woo Crew, people can sign up for free practice readings while students gain real-life experience working with many different personalities, energies, and communication styles. I stay involved behind the scenes to help guide students if needed, and sessions are recorded, transcribed, and include notes so students can continue learning from each experience afterward. One thing I’m especially proud of is that we’ve created an environment where students are encouraged to practice different techniques, grow their confidence, and learn responsibility and structure within mediumship instead of simply relying on “natural talent.”
Another part of my work that I’m very passionate about is the Eleven Intuitions Podcast, which I created to help developing mediums feel less alone in their journey. Through the podcast, I share personal experiences, lessons I’ve learned throughout the last ten years, and educational conversations about how mediumship actually works. My goal is not only to support developing mediums, but also to help educate the public and create more understanding around spiritual work and grief. I’m currently working on Episode 20, which has been exciting to see grow.
I’m also very passionate about giving back to the community through charity readings that support local animal rescues. We partner with rescue organizations and offer discounted readings where a portion of the proceeds goes directly back to helping animals in need. As someone who deeply loves animals, being able to combine healing work with supporting rescues has become one of the most meaningful parts of what we do.
What sets me apart most is my focus on creating supportive and grounded spaces where people can safely explore mediumship, grief, healing, and intuitive development while continuing to learn and grow together as a community, all while helping educate the public about the work that we do without fear. Over the years, that work has also expanded into areas like intuitive case work and rescue mediumship, which have further deepened my focus on ethics, compassion, and responsibility within this field.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I’ve lived in Central Texas for nearly three decades, so Temple has really been home for most of my adult life. One of the things I love most is that while the area has grown tremendously and continues expanding, it still manages to keep a small-town feel in many ways. When we first moved here, there were far fewer opportunities, businesses, and things to do, so it’s been exciting watching the area evolve and grow over the years while still maintaining a sense of community.
My husband’s recent job change will be taking us toward the DFW area soon, but thankfully my work allows me to connect with people virtually from anywhere. That flexibility has been one of the blessings of building this business.
As for challenges, I think living in a more traditional area while working in mediumship can sometimes feel isolating. Even though conversations around spirituality and intuition have become much more open over the last decade, there is still a level of misunderstanding surrounding this type of work. At the same time, I’ve also watched attitudes slowly shift over the years, and I think more people today are open to healing, connection, and conversations around grief and spirituality than ever before.
Pricing:
- Mediumship readings starting at $75
- Tarot $35
- Psychic readings starting at $40
- Animal communication readings starting at $75
- Charity giveback readings $50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elevenintuitions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevenintuitions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElevenIntuitions
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaainslie/
- Twitter: https://x.com/MelissaAin48466
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ElevenIntuitions-11
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@elevenintuitions
