Most Replayed Moment: Neuroscientist’s Proof Of Life After Death! Dr Tara Swart

Steven Bartlett (0:00)

Something we think about a lot in The Diary Of A CEO is distribution, because we could have the most interesting guests in the world and the most thought-provoking conversation, but if nobody can find us, none of that really matters. And this logic applies to pretty much any business. Whatever you're selling, however good it is, distribution often is the determining factor of whether you win or whether you lose. And this is why it's interesting to me that so many vacation rental owners are essentially invisible to a huge chunk of their potential market without even realizing it. Let me explain. booking.com is one of the most downloaded travel apps in the world. And since 2010, it's helped over 1.8 billion vacation rental guests find places to stay. That's a huge pool of travelers actively looking for places to stay. So if you've got a vacation rental that isn't on booking.com, that means you're missing out on being seen by millions of travelers already searching their platform. Getting listed takes 15 minutes and nearly half of new hosts get their first booking within a week. If you need that kind of global reach for your listing, which I assume you do, then head to booking.com to start your listing today.

So your husband, Robin, you met him 2016 and he passed away from leukemia in...

Tara Swart (1:14)

2021

Steven Bartlett (1:15)

2021 Now from 2021, when he passed away, what happened in your life? What was going on in your world? If I was a fly on the wall in your context, what would I have seen?

Tara Swart (1:27)

He'd been given two weeks to live, but he actually lived for three and a half weeks. And he died two days before our fourth wedding anniversary. So I was literally reading condolence cards on my fourth wedding anniversary. If it wasn't for the people that have around me who became like a fortress, I don't think I would be here today. You know, never having had that experience before, it was just so, so devastating.

And even though I'm a neuroscientist and a psychiatrist, I just was like totally lost and broken. And then I started seeing robins in the garden every single time I went to the window, both in Hampshire and London. I've never ever seen so many robins in my life, like not before or since, I still see them sometimes. But I noticed it, I thought, of course, that's what I want to see. I have no idea what it means, if anything.

And then about six weeks after he passed away, I was asleep and I heard a noise in the distance and we had been burgled once. I went to check it wasn't the alarm in the garages. Couldn't work out what it was, thought maybe it was birds in the distance, went back to sleep, it was about 4 a.m. And then I got woken up by a massive thump to my shoulder. I wouldn't demonstrate it on you because it would be too much for me to hit you that hard. It wasn't like a tap. So I opened my eyes and I could see next to my bed, a very vague, hazy version of Robin as if he was pushing himself through treacle to be seen. And I was just transfixed and I saw him become more clear. I could see the outline of his hair and his face. And then suddenly he just dissolved from the top down. And my eyes went like this. And I remember seeing his shins and his feet. And I was like up on my elbow watching. And I just gasped out loud.

In my desperation, I did consult a couple of mediums. And again, I had that dual conversation. I said to myself, this is the kind of thing that crazy, desperate people do. And within the same breath, it's okay for me to be crazy and desperate right now. I've lost my best friend, my life partner. Like everything I thought about how the world worked has crashed around me. And I ended up not being impressed by the mediums. And just at some point, I can't even remember when now, thinking if it's possible to communicate with someone that's passed away.

And he was my husband and my best friend. And I am all about optimizing my brain and expanding my consciousness. Then I should be able to do it myself. That's the start of my journey that I've written about in the signs.

Steven Bartlett (4:25)

And do you think you found the answer?

Tara Swart (4:26)

Yeah.

Steven Bartlett (4:28)

How sure are you?

Tara Swart (4:29)

100%.

Steven Bartlett (4:32)

I mean, if what you're saying is true, then that's a pretty, I mean, that's a revelation, right? So many people have lost people or have gone through different types of loss in their life. And you're telling me that through the work you've done over the last couple of years and the research you've done, you understand how to communicate with them in some capacity? And you're 100% sure?