By Koo Hwangbo
In between flights on her journey home, Monica Ten-Kate squeezes in time for a quick interview. Ten-Kate finds herself with less time in her day as her success continues. But even between flights, classes and her reality TV show, she still loves what she does: talking to dead people.
Monica Ten-Kate is a medium from Herndon who stars in the show Monica the Medium. She grew up in Franklin Farm and went to Oakton High School, and her family currently lives in Arlington. Even though she emphasizes her love of Northern Virginia, she has found a new home in San Diego.
“Right now, I’m taking classes at a local college in San Diego where I can transfer the credits back to Penn State because my goal is to finish my Penn State degree. Given my situation, I’m just taking my time. You don’t necessarily need a degree to talk to dead people.”
When being a medium is your profession, running into skeptics seems to just be part of the job. “I’ve gotten used to it; it doesn’t really faze me anymore because it’s something I had to accept very early on when doing this work. You’re always going to have the haters, the skeptics and the negative people, no matter how many thousands of readings you do. You can have your own beliefs. I always say I’m not trying to push anyone to believe in what I do. At the end of the day, I try to work most of my energy toward giving the healings and passing on the messages to the people who are open to it and want that experience.”
Despite any obstacles Ten-Kate must endure, being a medium is the best job she could have asked for. Her favorite part? “It’s 100 percent giving healing messages and seeing how much it helps and heals people. I always say the hug that I give people at the end is the best part. It’s not just something you see in their face or hear from their feedback, but you can actually physically and emotionally feel the transformation. When I give that hug and can see that smile and all that comfort it has brought them, it’s just the most rewarding feeling possible.”
A renewal for season three of Monica the Medium has not yet been confirmed, but Ten-Kate remains optimistic for another season so she can reach more people with her gifts.
“I’d love to continue to share my gift having this platform because it reaches so many more people, and I’m only one person. I can’t give every last person a reading, as much as I would like to. The way I can bring healing and comfort to them is through them watching the healing messages other people get through the show. I would love to get another season, but at the end of the day it’s not up to me. I’ll be doing this whether it’s on TV or not.” // On Freeform
