Monica Ten-Kate is a typical 21-year-old college junior, juggling school, friends, family, bills and boys…all while communicating with the dead.
In case you haven’t heard, Monica the Medium premieres tonight on ABC Family. The show follows Monica, a junior in college, through her life as she navigates friendships, relationships and the fact that she’s a medium and can talk to dead people. Her uncommon vocation provides an endless supply of emotional and engaging stories.
CelebSecrets4U caught up with Monica to get you the scoop on what we can expect from this unusual ABC Family series. In our interview, Monica talks about how she got on the show, her ability to communicate with the dead and the craziest place she has encountered Spirit!
In the premiere episode, Monica and her roommates decide to throw a back-to-school party and invite friends and other students. During the party, she keeps getting strong vibes from the guy behind her whom she has never met. Unable to ignore it any longer, she finally turns around and does a spot-on spontaneous reading for him…shocking every one around her.
Monica the Medium premieres Tuesday, August 25th at 8PM ET/PT on ABC Family.
Make sure to read our Q&A with Monica below and check out some clips and stills from tonight’s episode.
CS4U: How did you get involved with the show Monica the Medium and why did you decide to continue with it?
Monica Ten-Kate: It’s actually a long and crazy story, but the way I got into TV is probably one of the coolest parts of this whole thing. I was not looking, trying or asking for these opportunities. I didn’t do anything really to get the TV show; it landed in my lap, and the fact that I didn’t try or go out of my way by any means, was a sign from Spirit and the angels that I was supposed to be open to opportunity. About a year and a half ago, three different producers from different production companies unrelated from each other, found me in random ways and all reached out to me asking to have a casual conversation and all asked to set it up the same Friday, back-to-back-to-back. I noticed that Spirit made it loud and clear that I’m supposed to at least be open to it. So, from there things just went on to me flying out [to L.A.] to have meetings, and then I signed with Lionsgate. I always said from day one that if I was going to do a TV show, I would only do it if it was with ABC Family, and everyone told me not to get my hopes up. But I just had a feeling that I was going to have a TV show with ABC Family and here we are now, so it’s been pretty amazing.
CS4U: When did you first realize you were a medium?
Monica Ten-Kate: I was intuitive and impassive growing up, but it really wasn’t until high school that I started to realize that this is not just things I’m feeling and hearing, but there are dead people around me. I was able to see that I had this gift and when you’re in high school, you’re already dealing with a lot of other things to try to fit in and you want to be normal, so it was hard for me. I still suppressed my gift, out of fear of what people and what my classmates would think, so I only told some of my closest friends, but when I started college, I realized I needed to be true to myself. I came out as a medium and I’ve been doing it publicly ever since.
CS4U: What did it feel like when you realized you were a medium?
Monica Ten-Kate: When I first realized that what I was experiencing was coming from Spirit, I went through like every stage of emotion I think [laughs]. Like when you start to first experience it, it can be a little bit fearful just because I remember going to bed thinking “I don’t want to see anything, I don’t want to hear anything, I don’t want to smell anything” because it’s so unfamiliar. Once I started to have more experience and start passing on messages, I realized what a beautiful gift this is and that it’s not a scary thing. It’s a very peaceful, happy and great experience to have, but I still went through different emotions that, of course, just me being a rational person in general, I was even skeptical. I was skeptical of myself when I first started doing this work and connecting to Spirit. I thought it could be a coincidence, or a lucky guess. I was doubting it because even to this day you’re still thinking “Oh my goodness!” It’s so crazy to wrap your mind around, but the more and more that I did it, the more I realized, okay this is not a coincidence, this is definitely Spirit and there’s no question.
CS4U: Where was the craziest place you’ve done a reading and what was your craziest encounter during a reading?
Monica Ten-Kate: The most interesting encounter that I’ve had was in a steam room at the gym, where I delivered a message spontaneously through the fog and steam, and we were in towels [laughs]. That was probably the craziest encounter as far as location goes, but I would say that every reading has something distinct and special and memorable about it. I do try to release all the information, memory and energy after every session or it would just be too much, too draining and too emotional to be carrying around all those feelings, emotions and messages after every reading. I don’t really remember the nitty-gritty of every reading, but I do know that there’s something special about every connection.
CS4U: Can you connect with animals or do readings for any pet owners about their pets?
Monica Ten-Kate: I’ve had clients ask to schedule a reading who have told me they haven’t lost anyone close except for a pet and want to connect with their pets, but for me it doesn’t come through as often in the readings. They do come through and sometimes spontaneously, like somebody’s dog or cat will come through, but for the most part, it’s something that will come in supplemental. I wouldn’t schedule a reading just for them— it would come up naturally in a reading where they’re already talking to other loved ones because their dad or their brother or their grandfather who’s passed might be telling them that they’re with the dog. It’s interesting where animals do come through and communicate just like the people I’m communicating to.
One of the strongest readings I’ve ever done was with a woman over Skype actually. She lost her cat, and I asked if she would call her cat Mr. W, and she lost it. That was what she called her cat, Mr. W. I told her I felt like she was with him from the moment this cat was born and the moment that he passed. Then the craziest thing that I was nervous to say because I’ve never had a cat and it’s not part of my frame of reference, but I told her that her cat was showing me a wooden box and it says Mr. W and I described the box to a tee, and I told her he’s telling me that she cremated him and his ashes are in this box which I had described. She turns around because she was at her desk and pulls open a drawer and pulls out the box that I had described that her cat’s ashes are in and she says “I’ve never posted about this, I’ve never told anyone about it, no one knows what this box looks like,” and it was amazing. So, there are definitely times that animals come through quite strong.
CS4U: Does your gift as a medium interfere at all with your social life and in your studies?
Monica Ten-Kate: It definitely does. I’m learning more and more how to try to juggle and balance everything. Back in high school, where you’re just trying to get through and be a regular girl, you’re already struggling with a lot of other things and you want to be the one to fit in and be normal. But for me, once I was in college, I decided I’m not going to care what people think, I’m just going to come out and I’m going to be loud and proud that I’m a medium and this is what I do. That doesn’t mean that everybody responds in the perfect way or in the nicest way. Especially around college boys. It’s hard sometimes to even say “Hi, I’m Monica,” at a party and then tell them how I talk to dead people, especially when it’s with a guy that you’re flirting with or one that you’re interested in. Some may take that as like a red flag or think I’m crazy. It’s definitely a bit hard and I think socially you want to fit in. This is a very unique thing that is very different than everybody else at school. But I think more and more people are realizing once they have the experience or they witness that I do have this gift and how beautiful it really is, they realize I am just like everybody else. I’m not some weirdo with a crystal ball; I’m very normal.
Photos: Donald Rager/ABC Family