Sylvia Browne grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and revealed her psychic gift at the age of three, announcing that her grandfather was dead (he was) and predicting she would have a baby sister in three years (she did). Browne began her professional career in 1973 with a small meeting in her home. Within a year Browne’s practice had grown so much that she incorporated the business as the Nirvana Foundation for Psychic Research.

Browne was a true professional: she maintained required business licenses, was a member of a national consumer protection agency, and donated a large portion of her time to charitable organizations and also worked with police to investigate missing persons and other criminal cases. She consulted with police and FBI on several high-profile cases, including the disappearance of Chandra Levy and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. She was the president of her business, now known as the Sylvia Browne Corporation, Browne also founded her own church, the Society of Novus Spirit. Her most recent business venture was The Sylvia Browne Hypnosis Training Center, where her unique, proven hypnosis methods for personal and professional use are taught.

With twenty-two New York Times bestsellers, Browne was an accomplished author of more than 46 books. She appeared regularly on the Montel Williams Show for seventeen years, and was a frequent guest on Larry King Live, traveled the country at sold-out lectures, and regularly appeared in the print media. She lived and practiced in California, where she passed in 2013.