I use my psychic powers to help corporations make money. My best ideas have earned me more than $500,000.

• Kate Tomas uses her powers to consult for businesses and individuals.
• She didn't initially find the work rewarding, but she's found success and meaning in her career.
• Tomas is no longer taking new clients and now shares free advice on social media.

This is an as-told-to conversation with Kate Tomas, a philosopher, spiritual mentor, and practitioner of ritual magic. She has over two decades of experience consulting for businesses, governments, and high-profile individuals.

For as long as I can remember, I've had a different way of experiencing the world.

I had a vague cultural awareness of clairvoyance, but I didn't realize what I was experiencing until I was 16 or 17.

I'd mainly have prophetic dreams, but there came a point where I couldn't walk down the street without getting extra information about people. I'd know if they were struggling with their relationship or if their kidneys were inflamed. It was invasive, especially since I didn't have control over it. Over the years, I've learned to manage and establish boundaries around my intuition.

I thought psychics were underpaid 'cat ladies.'

The truth is that I didn't want to be a psychic. I frankly saw them as underpaid cat ladies who lived in the forests of Wales. I wanted to be a barrister. I was ambitious and I've always been pretty motivated by respect, money, and success.

Thanks to capitalism, I guess, I was forced to use my ability to make money. I started reading Tarot cards for people so I could pay for university. I was good at it and built up a base of clients. Eventually, I moved to London and started practicing.

But I hated it. It wasn't rewarding work. Everybody has the same issues, and certainly, under colonial patriarchal capitalism, the same shit is going to come up most of the time. People are held back from success because of structural oppression. It was frustrating to advise people since only a small percentage were in a position to take action. I could offer comfort, but sometimes, it felt a bit like I was rearranging the deck chairs of the Titanic.

I realized, though, that this was a business — and I was good at it. So, I went on to do my Ph.D. at Oxford in Theology. I wanted to understand how Western philosophy defined intuition. I wanted to explore intuition as it pertained to the idea of "gifts from God."

Consulting for businesses was more rewarding than I expected.

The poverty of student life pushed me to make money doing intuitive work. Many clients approached me, and some started asking me to look at their businesses.

I thought, if I could look at life, why not look at business and try to get the same information? So I did it and it worked, and I made an awful lot of money for people.

My advice was so profitable that these clients started recommending me to their friends in other businesses and industries. I had entertainment agents coming to me, including people at big television networks, clients in fashion, and some in finance. I oversaw mergers and acquisitions. I worked with several hedge funds.

Though initially reluctant to consult for businesses, the move helped me find more meaning in my work. By and large, the businesses I worked with are not good forces in the world — they're capitalist extractive machines. What I could do, though, was pivot the mindsets of the individuals I advised to bring positive changes. Sometimes, that was as simple as adjusting the culture to benefit those who needed help.

I work with clients if we have synergy.

These days, I spend most of my time sharing my work for free on social media and working behind the scenes on projects that further liberation. I earn money by advising wealthy people like Hollywood celebrities, agents, producers, etc. I'm excited about art and creativity. I advise on scripts, plot lines, and the endings of television shows and movies.

I work only based on referrals. I usually set up an introductory call with the client. If I'm working with a corporation, I need to be in contact with someone on the board or in the C Suite so I have energetic access to the decision-making process.

I'm paid by results, so I need to know that the energy I'm putting in will be profitable for my client and myself. I only move forward if there's synergy.

From then onwards, I have a call or an in-person meeting once a month. All of my client relationships include absolute access to me in all ways.

My spiritual clients pay me a flat monthly fee ranging from a minimum of £4,000 to a maximum of £20,000. For businesses, I usually work on a minimum six-month contract. I charge a minimum retainer fee of £2,000 per month, but my real income comes through a success fee. The exact fee is pre-negotiated and industry-specific. A good idea might net me £100,000. A supremely good one? Maybe £500,000.