Hi! I’m Dr. Cara Gubbins.
My goal is to give you the inspiration and tools you need to make your dreams come true and live the life you are here to live.
Because when you do that, you are able to create a life that is sacred, playful, authentic, open, wild, free, magical, and enlightening. In short, you get to live An Enchanted Life.
(My version: think Snow White whistling while she works with all the animals helping her.)
I want to help you create your Enchanted Life – a life in which your dreams come true and you are connected to the divine in yourself, animals, and the natural world around you.
I believe that dreams do come true and, in fact, our dreams MUST come true because they are like blueprints, glimpses into the future our souls have planned for us.
So who am I?
I kind of think of myself as one part Dr. Doolittle (I can talk to animals), one part Jane Goodall (I’m an award-winning scientist who studied dolphins for over a decade) and one part Deepak Chopra (I’m all about expanding consciousness, spiritual transformation, and realizing your potential). With just a sprinkle of Jim Carrey – playfulness with a dash of spiritual truth bombs!
When I was a kid, I used to spend hours exploring the coastal salt marshes and redwood forests of northern California with just my dog for company. I dreamed of being Dr. Doolittle and sharing animals’ messages with the world. Or Jacques Cousteau, investigating the inner world of animals and exploring wild places in nature all over the globe.
Along the way, however, I bought into the dominant paradigm that dreams DON’T come true and that I had better get with the program and say “no” to my crazy dreams and find a safer, more conventional way to be with animals.
So I became a biologist and taught college biology.
But, my dreams wouldn’t let go of me that easily and when I was 44, I decided it was now or never and I had to at least TRY to make my childhood dream of communicating with animals come true. It was time to stop wishing on a star and start taking action toward my dream.
I enrolled in a One Year Psychic Training Program in order to get the tools and training I needed to talk to animals. And I embarked on a journey of self-discovery that became the biggest adventure of my life and the best thing I could have ever done to realize my full potential: I earned a Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology with an Emphasis in Consciousness, Health, and Healing. Spiritual Psychology helped me clear the limitations in my own mind that had been holding me back from simply allowing myself to be who I am: Me.
When I let myself be me, the rest of my dream fell into place.
I started to talk to animals, quit my job at the college, opened my own business as an Animal Intuitive, and started living an enchanted life like the heroine in a Disney movie – Snow White’s got nothing on me!
Today, I love to help other dreamers live the lives they’re here to live. The Animal Wisdom Circle is a monthly portal to the inner world of animals and a catalyst for the spiritual growth of all the Circle members. My Coaching programs are based on my belief that our success lies in realizing the full potential of our souls, knowing that we are here to share our unique gifts, talents and abilities with the world as we learn our spiritual lessons through our challenges and personal growth. And my soulful international Retreats connect participants with wild animals and the wild part of their own souls, improving everyone’s lives in the process (human and animal alike).
So, welcome! Jump in! The water’s fine! And let’s get those rabbits and bluebirds on your team, helping you live your Enchanted Life!
PROFESSIONAL BIO
Cara began conducting scientific research as a high school student and she holds BA, MA and PhD degrees in Animal Behavior, Physiology, Ecology, Conservation, and Evolution. Cara and her research have been featured on CNN, the BBC, the Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Specials. A lifelong learner, Cara returned to graduate school in 2009 and completed an MA in Spiritual Psychology with an emphasis in Consciousness, Health and Healing.
Cara was born with a natural psychic ability to which she was highly attuned as a child. Rejection of her gifts at the age of five caused her to shut down her intuitive abilities for nearly two decades. During college, her skills naturally re-surfaced and she began doing psychic readings for friends in 1985. Since then, she has studied many disciplines of energy readings and healings, including Matrix Energetics, Reiki, EFT, and traditional psychic development, including completion of a mediumship class during summer and fall 2012 to strengthen her natural ability to help her clients connect to the spirits of loved ones who have passed on. Cara’s most fulfilling skill is her ability to communicate intuitively with animals and share their messages with people. She lives with her husband, their two children, and their mini Australian shepherds Dazzle and Po and orange tabby cat Chester in northern California.
With spiritual insights grounded in the real world, Cara inspires a global community to live the lives they’re here to live by saying “yes” to themselves and their dreams, connecting with animals, nature, and Spirit, and remembering that there is always time to play.
BOOKS
Words of Wisdom: What the Owl Knows – How an Owl Inspired Me to Find My Voice, Speak Up, and Take Charge of My Life. Take Charge of Your Life without Being “Aggressive” or “Pushy” What if you could find your voice – the one inside you that you’ve been holding back – and actually speak up in situations where you’ve censored yourself in the past? What if you could ask for what you want without feeling guilty? What if you could say “no” to something that you don’t want to do . . . and feel GOOD? Sound impossible? It’s not. Bestselling author Dr. Cara Gubbins takes you along on her healing journey from being nervous, shy, and worried, to speaking up for herself and taking charge of her life. And she’ll show you how to do it, too.
Words of Wisdom: What the Elephant Knows – How an Asian Elephant Taught Me to Believe in Myself and Never Give Up. #1 AMAZON BESTSELLER! Your Path to Personal Power: Cara was a busy wife, mother, and entrepreneur when an encounter with an Asian elephant named Naamfom changed her life forever. Faced with a life-threatening crisis, Cara raced against the clock to find a way to save her family. With Naamfon’s help, she succeeded. In this Short Read, Cara shares the wisdom, insight, and tools she gained that anyone – and everyone – can use to cultivate the strength and confidence they need to face any challenge in their lives. Honest, vulnerable and inspiring, Cara shares her story to help you harness the power of an elephant inside of you. She and Naamfon will help you believe in yourself and never give up. It’s time to reclaim your Personal Power.
Divine Beings – The Spiritual Lives and Lessons of Animals. AMAZON BESTSELLER! Walk with the Animals and Talk with the Animals… One of the finest spiritual scientists exploring our world today takes us on a dramatic, inspiring, revelatory journey into the inner world of animals. As she seeks answers to compelling questions about the spiritual framework of our world and the bonds between humans and animals, Dr. Gubbins captures the personalities and experiences of animals so vividly that she transports the reader deep inside the animal kingdom. You will swim with gray whales along the California coastline, stalk prey in a backyard wilderness with a house cat, and fly with bats at dusk. The beauty and magic of each animal is revealed through scientific, mythical and intuitive lenses – combining to create a rich tapestry that celebrates the majesty and diversity of life, and the unique place each soul has within it. If you’ve ever dreamed of walking with animals, talking to animals, or even being an animal, this book is for you!
Cara’s first book, The Dolphins of Hilton Head ~ Their Natural History, introduces readers to the unique population of bottlenose dolphins that inhabits the warm water and brackish salt marshes of South Carolina’s inland coastal waterways. Drawing on years of research in Hilton Head and the latest discoveries of scientists throughout the world, Cara Gubbins describes this atypical habitat and explains how the distinctive behaviors of Hilton Head dolphins distinguish them from other populations. She identifies their particular behavior patterns, vocalizations, behavioral ecology, and local traditions. Gubbins also offers practical suggestions on how best to view and understand these animals while visiting the island. Learn more here.
Cara is the co-author of Power Stories ~ Everyday Women Creating Extraordinary Lives, a compilation of twenty true stories shared by ordinary women who overcame personal, professional, and spiritual obstacles to become empowered, extraordinary women. Find out what these everyday women learned to make your special dreams come true! Learn more here.
Cara’s upcoming book TOTEM: Finding My Power in the Animal Kingdom is an unforgettable memoir of one woman’s quest to find her purpose, realize her full potential, and say ‘yes’ to herself and her dreams even while raising a young family. This beautifully written, inspiring memoir explores the powerful yearning we all feel to connect – with animals, with nature, with our own souls. It offers a rare glimpse into the development of an internationally renowned psychic – and the animals she talks to – while telling a profoundly moving story of personal courage, redemption, and the healing power of love.
Cara has also published all kinds of articles in local, regional, and international magazines, celebrated the natural world in her Naturally Speaking newspaper column in the (Hilton Head) Island Packet, and can’t stop writing about animals, intuition and spirituality in her blog and in her upcoming Animal Wisdom Oracle Card deck and guidebook.
