Losing Her Voice, Finding Wisdom From North – An Interview with Jannecke Øinæs

What if the greatest setback of your life was leading you toward your true purpose?

Most of us build our identity around something we’re good at, something that makes us feel valuable. For Jannecke Øinæs, that was her voice. As a rising musical theater star in Norway, she had roles, recognition, and a clear sense of who she was—until she lost her voice entirely, and with it, the life she thought she was building. In this conversation, Jannecke opens up about the depression that followed, the childhood memories of feeling like she didn’t belong on this planet, and the long road back to herself that eventually became Wisdom From North, her podcast exploring consciousness, spirituality, and the biggest questions of existence.

Whether you’re drawn to her early memories of connecting with the stars or her hard-won lessons on radical self-love and non-judgment, this dialogue is an invitation to sit with your own darkness a little longer, and to trust that even your most painful chapters might be leading somewhere meaningful.

Continue reading or listen in by subscribing for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or YouTube.

Photographer: Gry Traaen

With all that is going on in our world today, what do you sense is unfolding on our planet right now?

Jannecke Øinæs: A lot is unfolding, I believe. I’ve been doing Wisdom From North since 2012, speaking about spiritual topics and the shift in consciousness, but now I really feel we’re experiencing a shift in consciousness all over the globe. I see it in my own country, and I especially see that the truth is coming out and people are demanding it. We’re no longer accepting that we have to live as we have for such a long time.

We want change, and I see it all over the place. The Epstein files are just one example of something that affected the whole world. It’s so interesting because we’re not simply individual countries anymore; everything is so global. Obviously, that’s partly because of the internet, but it feels like we’re experiencing many of the same things. We’re coming back to our power and not giving it away so easily.

I think that’s where we’re headed. We’re coming back to communities and individual power, and we’re realizing that we’re amazing creative beings who have dimmed our light for a long time. We need to step into our authenticity and sovereignty, reclaim our power, truly love ourselves, and recognize our greatness. We often put people—especially leaders—on pedestals and expect them to make decisions for us.

Now, we’re coming back to the questions: Why am I here? Do I have a mission? Maybe my role is significant, too. I believe we all have a significant role because we’re all pieces of the larger puzzle. I think we’re truly waking up to the truth of who we are.

I’m curious about your own journey of awakening to consciousness, mindfulness, and spirituality. Did you have some kind of faith or spiritual experiences as a child, or did that come later in life?

Jannecke Øinæs: I actually didn’t, at least not that I remember. However, it’s interesting that I found drawings from when I was four years old in which I had drawn UFOs, green men, and a spaceship in the sky. I wonder where that came from.

It really started when I was 11. I was at our cabin with my mom, dad, and a few friends, and we were speaking about mystical things that could happen. They talked about the pyramids, the curses associated with them, and the things that happened to those who excavated the different graves. I remember being puzzled because I asked, “What is the answer?” The adults said, “There is no answer. It’s a mystery.”

I thought, “A mystery? Don’t you know the answer? Don’t adults know the answer to everything?” I thought they knew it all. That opened something within me because I realized that adults didn’t have an answer to everything, and I could think for myself. It started an exploration, and I began reading many books about spirituality when I was 13 and 14 years old. I also remember going into the woods and trying to connect with star beings.

How did you even know that was something you could do?

Jannecke Øinæs: I had read a few books in the early ’90s, and my mom was quite interested in these subjects, although not many people were at the time. I was simply convinced that these things were real.

Do you remember any of the books you read?

Jannecke Øinæs: There were some Scandinavian books. One was by a Finnish woman who practiced automatic writing and had a connection with the stars, and there was also a Norwegian woman. They were local authors, but their work still opened me up to extraterrestrials.

I felt that I wasn’t from here and that my real family was up there. Looking back, I feel a little sad because my family would ask, “Why are you speaking about your real family all the time?” Now I hope it didn’t hurt them because it simply felt natural to me to speak about my real family, even though I received so much love from my family here.

Did you talk to your friends about your real family, or did you mostly keep that to yourself?

Jannecke Øinæs: Yes, I talked about it. There was a lot of sorrow in it because I truly longed for home and felt like an alien here.

The interesting thing is that I was a musical theater performer in Norway and experienced great success. I played Annie and young Cosette in Les Misérables. I got role after role, received so much attention, and was hired for all kinds of things. I had my own record and was on television all the time. We didn’t have social media then, only a few television channels, so the exposure was enormous for a young child.

Yet I just wanted to soar up there somewhere. Even as an adult, I’m still puzzled by my past because I haven’t had a reading specifically about it or come to understand why I felt that way. Obviously, I understand that I have some connection to the stars, but I don’t know what was really going on.

There was this deep longing for home, and then it gradually fell away. I forgot about it because, as my guests often say, life happens. You move on and become immersed in the 3D world. My focus became achieving something big and becoming a musical theater artist. That was my dream, so I forgot all about UFOs and spirituality and concentrated on becoming something in this 3D world.

I had many wonderful roles, but when I was 21, just after landing a major role at a big theater in Oslo, I lost my voice. I discovered that I had vocal nodules and could no longer sing or perform, and I fell into a depression. That was when my spiritual awakening began.

I was in a very dark place and couldn’t see a solution at the time. I felt that I didn’t matter and had no value because I believed my worth was connected to what I did—my performance, my voice, and my singing. Then my boyfriend of five years left me, I lost my job, and I developed anxiety because I was afraid of losing my voice forever and no longer being able to speak. I had no money; everything crashed when I was 21. The depression lasted for a couple of years, and I found myself sitting on a bench in the woods every day, simply looking out.

Fortunately, higher-vibrational and more positive thoughts eventually began to arise, but it took a long time. I had spent so much time tearing myself down, being destructive toward myself, and honestly hating myself. Then I began questioning the negative thoughts in my mind: “Is this me saying these things to myself, or is this the truth? Why would it be the truth? Maybe I’m simply telling myself that it is.”

Suddenly, I began questioning everything—what I had believed since childhood and what I had been taught in school. I questioned it all and realized, “My goodness, I’m simply believing this. What if something else is true? What if anything could be true?” That was the beginning of my spiritual journey.

I didn’t begin working with spirituality until about ten years later, when I started Wisdom From North. It has been a long journey. It wasn’t until I turned 30 that I became interested in the extraterrestrial subject again and thought, “I have to explore this.” Now it’s my job to do so.

Photographer – Gry Traaen.

When you reached that point around age 30, what piqued your interest? Was there a particular experience, book, speaker, or friend who motivated you?

Jannecke Øinæs: There was definitely a particular moment. I was still attached to the dream of becoming a musical theater performer and achieving something on Broadway or in the West End, but I realized that my voice was too vulnerable. I had surgery, and it improved, but it still wasn’t strong enough. I could lose my voice whenever I caught a cold, which made me very vulnerable in the business. I felt that performing every day would give me anxiety.

A process began within me, and I wondered whether I should do something else. That was huge because your identity becomes deeply attached to an idea like that. Even though I had experienced a spiritual awakening, I still wanted to perform. But I began to realize that perhaps there was something else for me.

I tried different things, including studying to become a primary school teacher, but that wasn’t right either. Then, in 2012, I was sitting on a bench with my father in the middle of my studies. I told him, “I can’t become a primary school teacher. There is something else. I’m not passionate enough, and I’m a passionate person. I need to be passionate about what I’m doing.”

Then I heard myself say, “What I really want to do, Dad, is travel around the world and interview spiritual teachers about the big questions of life.” I looked at him and thought, “My goodness, I just found my life’s mission.” He didn’t understand what I was talking about—YouTube, spiritual teachers, interviews—but I simply knew. I said, “Dad, thank you for the coffee. I need to go.” I went home, put on my sneakers, and ran into the woods.

The name Wisdom From North simply dropped into my mind. Suddenly, I could see the common thread running through my life. I understood why I had been so interested in spirituality throughout my life. I had always thought I couldn’t work with it because I wasn’t clairvoyant, but now I saw that I could work with spirituality in another way.

I understood why I had studied theater in America: I had become comfortable speaking English. I understood why I had spent so much time on camera: I was comfortable in front of it. Even my depression made sense because I knew something about darkness. It was as though my whole life suddenly made sense.

I thought, “My goodness, it’s all divinely orchestrated. Life is magical.” I haven’t looked back since. I’m still doing the podcast. It has grown, but I still love what I do.

Do you remember the first person you interviewed for your show?

Jannecke Øinæs: The first person was a Norwegian woman, but I quickly started making videos in English. Two of my early guests were Dr. Eben Alexander and Akiane Kramarik, the child-prodigy painter.

Dr. Eben Alexander was one of the first, and that was a big deal because he had just released his book Proof of Heaven. He had been featured on the cover of Time, so it felt huge. I actually interviewed him again recently. Those early interviews caught the attention of many Norwegians, who wondered, “What is she doing with all these spiritual interviews?” That was my start.

When you first began, what did you feel you were bringing to the table in a unique way? Was it your curiosity, a particular thread of truth you were seeking, or something else?

Jannecke Øinæs: That’s an interesting question. I never thought, “I’m going to be unique, and this is how I’m going to do it.” I was simply tired of commercials. Of course, YouTube has commercials, but at least you can skip them. I was also tired of seeing deep questions about the universe brought up on television, only to be discussed briefly before the host moved on to something insignificant.

I wanted to have long, deep conversations in which we could really get to the core and address the big questions. It felt natural to ask questions based on my own curiosity. I didn’t want to present myself as an expert because I wasn’t one. I wanted to learn as well.

People still tell me that I ask the questions they’re curious about but sometimes don’t dare to ask. We often wear a mask because we want to appear eloquent and knowledgeable. Then we’re afraid to say, “What is astrology actually based on? Can you explain the basics of astrology? I don’t understand it.” Or we might ask, “Who are the Zetas?” Whatever the topic may be, I’m willing to ask the basic question.

That’s what I try to do. Of course, I sometimes fail because I’ve been doing this for a long time and am familiar with many concepts. I’m also evolving and opening myself to new ideas, so the topics are becoming more complex as I continue to learn. But I try to be authentic on the show. I try to be myself and not pretend that I’m somebody else.

Over the last 14 years, how have you changed and developed—first as a host and interviewer, and then in terms of your spirituality?

Jannecke Øinæs: That’s a great question. I’ve really grown in many ways, and I’m writing about that in my book, which is a Norwegian book about self-love. In the beginning, I had many ideas. For instance, I thought I could find answers to the big questions. I don’t believe that anymore. Now I’m realizing that I simply discover more and more questions.

It’s worlds within worlds within worlds, and it just goes deeper and deeper. There are so many levels to all of this. Sometimes I find it difficult to explain these concepts to someone completely new to spirituality, because my latest interviews have blown me away. How can I begin explaining them to someone who is just starting out and asking, “Is there life after death? Are you sure?”

In the beginning, I was also very focused on positive thinking and visualization. I thought that if I just had enough positive thoughts, I could change my life. Now I’ve come to embrace much more of the human experience and understand that self-love is about wholeness. It isn’t about doing endless affirmations and thinking all the time positively. It’s about truly embracing everything I am, including my shadows.

I didn’t discover shadow work until I had already been conducting interviews for a long time, and it shocked me. I thought, “How can I love my negative sides? How can there be anything positive or empowering about them?” I felt that those were the parts of myself I was supposed to hide. Then I began exploring my blind spots and truly discovering my personality and triggers.

In the beginning, my spirituality was more on the surface, and I thought I was very spiritually advanced. I had a huge ego, which I can see now. I didn’t show it or boast about it, but I believed I knew something special. Now I can look back and recognize that as my spiritual ego. I’m more humble than ever because, honestly, I don’t know very much. It’s all so vast.

Another important thing I’ve learned is that I can’t make judgments about another person’s journey. Their journey belongs to them, and it isn’t my place to offer advice unless they ask. I might say, “This is what I observe, but that is only from my perspective and within my reality.” I’ve come to deeply respect that everyone has their own journey, path, destiny, and soul path that they may have chosen beforehand. Who am I to say anything about their soul path?

Nonjudgment is something I’m practicing now, along with radical self-love. That includes accepting my own darkness and the darkness in the world, recognizing that it is also part of the whole. That’s where I am now, and it has been a long journey to get here.

Have there been any particular tools or modalities that have helped you cultivate that sense of self-love? You’ve encountered so many through the people you interview. Have any resonated with you more deeply on your journey toward the wholeness you describe?

Jannecke Øinæs: There have been so many tools. It started with examining my beliefs and discovering what kind of programming I had. That’s an ongoing journey—exploring what exists in my subconscious. What am I telling myself? Where is it coming from? What do I believe, and what am I assuming?

Awareness and observation are key. My biggest advice for everyone listening is to begin observing your thoughts, your actions, what you tell yourself, and what you notice around you. Whenever we begin paying attention to ourselves, we enter the present moment.

That’s when we begin to know ourselves, and we discover both the lovely and not-so-lovely things within us. Notice how you react to other people and what happens not only in your thoughts but also in your body. When you’re triggered, how does it happen? What emotions arise, and where do you feel them in your body? When you continually pay attention to your inner landscape as well as the outer landscape, you practice being in the moment—and the moment is all that exists.

You’re no longer caught in the past or the future, and you have a much richer experience. At the same time, you begin discovering what’s going on inside you and getting to know yourself. You become aware of how you react, when you judge others or yourself, and what you’re actually doing. You might begin noticing spiritual bypassing or recognizing your blind spots. Then you can start doing something about them.

You can explore where a pattern came from and where it originated. You can heal it and begin to change it. For instance, if my partner comes home and has forgotten my favorite oat milk—which is apparently very important for my coffee the next morning—my first impulse might be to react. But if I pay attention, I can feel that urge arise and allow myself to respond instead.

It’s also important not to judge myself for having that initial reaction. A part of me apparently believes that my morning coffee is very, very important. My goodness, we’re living such an interesting life, aren’t we?

Self-love seems to be a central theme for you in this season of your life. What do you love about yourself?

Jannecke Øinæs: What a beautiful question. I love my joy for tennis. I love that I’m so competitive when I play because it brings me so much joy. I can’t believe how much fun it is. I never thought it was possible to have so much fun, and I simply don’t want to stop playing.

I love taking care of my body. I love jogging and being in nature. I also love the warmth I feel toward people. When I’m in a room, I notice anyone who might feel left out, and I always want to include everyone in the same conversation so that nobody feels excluded.

I also love my persistence. I’m able to keep making podcast after podcast—two every week—along with all the other things we’re doing. No matter what happens, I stick with it, and I’m quite amazed that I’m able to do that.

It does come at a cost sometimes. There are days when I’m very tired or would rather play tennis or do something else, but I remain committed. I’m proud of myself for that.

What would you say your partner loves about you?

Jannecke Øinæs: I think he loves that I’m spiritual, even though he says he isn’t. I’m a little different from the people he’s used to, and I think he finds that interesting and exciting. I also believe he loves my warmth.

We share many of the same values and are very warm toward each other. We genuinely care about one another and about treating each other well. We want the best for each other, and I think the love and bond we share is something we both cherish. We love being together and spending a lot of time with each other. I think he loves that, and I do, too.

After hundreds of interviews over the last 14 years, have you discovered a common thread running through all the different perspectives? What do you see showing up time and again?

Jannecke Øinæs: I do think many of them say the same things using different words. I can hardly remember anyone who didn’t speak in some way about the shift in consciousness. There may be exceptions, but most of them talk about the shift and how significant it is in one way or another.

Many also speak about the nature of the soul and God. They describe us as being one, yet divided into different parts. Some use the image of a great ocean: You are a wave, and I am a wave, but we’re part of the same ocean. Many of them say that we are love at our core and that we chose to incarnate at this time. They share an understanding that we are souls who choose to have an incarnation.

They also say that while we’re living these lives, we’re multidimensional. Guests are speaking much more about multidimensionality now than they did a few years ago. There is more discussion of time travel and quantum mechanics in relation to spirituality.

I’m also hearing much more about nonjudgment and neutrality—becoming more neutral toward what’s happening around you. That doesn’t mean saying something is okay or agreeing with it. It means not engaging with negativity or darkness because doing so fuels it.

I’ve had a few guests with different perspectives who have said that we’re not one. But 99 percent of them say that we are all one, we come from the same Source, and we are all Source, God, love, and oneness. They also agree that we’re living in very interesting times and that what is happening will change everything.

Photographer: Ellen Johanna Jarli

I know this is like asking you to choose a favorite child, but are there one or two interviews that had a tremendous impact on you—perhaps shifting your thinking or creating a profound feeling within your being?

Jannecke Øinæs: I’m incredibly grateful because I get to speak with so many amazing communicators and gifted spiritual teachers, many of whom have been through very difficult experiences themselves. It often feels like an honor and as though I’m part of something bigger. Usually, the latest interview is the one that affects me most. But whenever I’m asked this question, I always give the same answer.

I was in Bali when I interviewed Emmanuel Jal. He had been a child soldier in Sudan and had lost many members of his family. He had killed people and experienced all of that. Yet he had met his demons and shadows and managed to transform all that horror and gruesomeness into love.

I remember him describing how he looked into a closet filled with demons and encountered all of them within himself. I was crying during the interview, and it was so humid that I was also sweating. We were outside, and it was such an intense experience.

I thought, “If he can transform all of this horror into joy, then I can love the darkness inside myself. Darkness can also be transformed into light.” That answered many of my existential questions because I’ve struggled with darkness, evil, and the horrors taking place on this planet. That struggle was part of why I constantly wanted to ascend and leave this planet—I couldn’t understand why so many gruesome things were happening. I felt that interview gave me some answers.

For those watching who have their own podcast or show, what does your production process look like? How do you prepare for an interview, and what happens after you record it?

Jannecke Øinæs: Thank you for asking. Nobody asks me about that. In the beginning, I did everything myself. I invited people by email, and sometimes someone would recommend a guest to me. I edited the videos in Final Cut and published them on YouTube.

Then I met Alex Ferrari, who is another podcaster with a huge show. I interviewed him, and he interviewed me. He told me, “Your thumbnails are horrendous, Jannecke.” I said, “Thank you. That’s something I can change.”

At that point, I think I had about 400 videos, which meant 400 thumbnails. I changed them, and things started improving. My whole channel began performing better, so thank you, Alex.

My colleague came into the picture in 2018, and we created a company together, which helped us organize everything more effectively. She creates the thumbnails and prepares the blog posts. We always publish a blog on our website, wisdomfromnorth.com, and we use AI to help us transcribe the entire interview.

I also send the video to my editor. I have one main editor and another who can step in if she gets sick or is unavailable. Fortunately, they handle all the editing now.

Then it comes back to me for the title. I set everything up on YouTube, add the different languages, and prepare it for publication. We also create shorts and have a separate clips channel where we publish selected parts of the interviews.

My husband helps me book many of the interviews, and many people also contact us directly. It isn’t a completely structured process; sometimes things happen rather spontaneously. But we still manage to release two podcasts every week. Now I’m preparing to take a summer holiday, so we need to get eight episodes ready in advance, which will mean two full days of work.

Who are two or three people you would love to interview but haven’t yet had the opportunity to speak with?

Jannecke Øinæs: Joe Dispenza. I haven’t had him on the show yet. We tried at one point, and then I somehow forgot about it, but he’s definitely someone I would love to interview.

A few other people are coming to mind, but I can’t remember their names right now. Joe is the one person I truly feel belongs on the bucket list. I think it’s going to happen.

You’ve mentioned bringing on a partner and creating a company. Wisdom From North is no longer just a podcast—you now offer a membership program and online courses as well. Tell us about those.

Jannecke Øinæs: We started creating online courses with teachers about six or seven years ago. I had interviewed so many teachers, and we eventually began inviting them into the membership as well. I’ll speak about the membership first because that was actually the first product or service I ever created.

Until then, I had only been producing interviews. I realized that people were deeply inspired by them, but I didn’t feel they were necessarily experiencing real transformation. That was what I wanted to provide. I had another moment of asking myself, “What am I going to do with Wisdom From North? Is it only going to be a podcast?” I wanted to do more.

Then I realized that I knew so many amazing spiritual teachers. I thought, “Why don’t I invite them onto a platform where we can create a community?” My colleague Ragnhild came in, and together we created a platform that is somewhat like a spiritual Netflix.

When you join, you gain access to masterclasses, which are video classes with different teachers. These classes are available exclusively within the membership. You might watch a class with a teacher such as Dr Eben Alexander or Dr Sue Morter, Heather Mays, or Anjie Hipple, and then participate in a Q&A where you can ask questions about the class.

It’s a beautiful environment for learning and expanding your consciousness. All the classes remain available within the platform, and I also host live sessions where I share what has helped me on my own journey. We have an extensive library of more than 60 meditations.

It’s a beautiful spiritual community, and it’s growing all the time. We have Scandinavian members as well as English-speaking members from all over the world. I also recently booked Darryl Anka, which was on my bucket list. He’s going to host a live session with the members.

It feels wonderful to offer something like this to people who want to go deeper and don’t want to be alone simply watching YouTube. We’ve also begun creating longer online courses with selected teachers. I have my own online course in Norwegian, and it will probably be available in English as well.

There is a lot for two people to manage, so sometimes we feel as though we’re a little all over the place. But we love what we’re doing, and it’s going very well so far. I feel like I’m receiving help.

You’ll also be joining us at Suzanne Ross’s San Diego Transcendence Retreat. What will you be presenting there?

Jannecke Øinæs: I’m really excited about it. I’m going to speak about self-love through the idea of quantum love—developing self-love and opening ourselves to quantum love.

The quantum aspect relates to mystical experiences I’ve had, in which I felt a depth of self-love I had never known in this body or on this planet. One of those mystical experiences gave me an answer about who I am, and no one can ever take that away from me. I think that once you’ve had an experience like that, you carry that knowing for the rest of your life.

I’m going to share a couple of those mystical experiences, along with what has helped me develop much more self-love. Everything changes when you do. On the scale of consciousness created by David Hawkins, shame, guilt, and fear create a negative downward spiral. He was a tremendous teacher.

I was once caught in that spiral with self-hatred and depression. Everything kept moving downward until I realized I had to stop because it wasn’t sustainable. When you begin moving in the opposite direction—up toward acceptance and courage—you start daring to believe in yourself and pursue your dreams.

It changes everything: your health, career, love life, and so much more. I can’t stop speaking about it. The most important thing is to cultivate that deeper sense of love for yourself. That’s my contribution.

The San Diego Transcendence Retreat will take place in September 2026, and tickets are available at SanDiegoTranscendenceRetreat.com. Mandy and I will be there as well, so it will be wonderful to meet you in person. Where can people find your podcast, join the membership, and explore your online courses?

Jannecke Øinæs: That’s lovely—I didn’t know you would be there! People can visit WisdomFromNorth.com to see everything we’re doing. If they’re especially interested in the membership, they can go directly to WisdomFromNorth.com/membership.

Enrollment is always open. You can join on a monthly or yearly basis. You can also find the Wisdom From North podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Everything is collected at WisdomFromNorth.com, where you can also sign up for our newsletter and receive information about everything we’re doing.

Interviewing former Prime Minister of Norway Kjell Mangle Bondevik

Jannecke, thank you for sharing your story and speaking with us about self-love. Thank you for everything you’re doing in the world. The world is a better place because of your wonderful work.

Jannecke Øinæs: Thank you. I appreciate that. We’re all doing this together, and you’re doing your part as well. The more of us who follow our inner calling, the more we’ll change the world. Thank you, too, for all the work you’re doing.