Conversations with Kimberly Harrison-Rieli M.M. and B.A

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Harrison-Rieli. 

Kimberly, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Music and I have been together since the very beginning. In fact, my mother went into labor with me at a concert. I was kicking so hard to the music that I broke her water!

Our childhood was rich with music and the arts. My maternal grandparents were legendary in my home state of Wyoming for their Dixieland Jazz Band. They played for every event imaginable and championed the arts in so many ways. Thankfully they passed this love onto their daughters and grandkids – my mom and aunts all sing and play piano, and three cousins and I became professional musicians. Our family enjoyed singing and laughing around the piano and performing for the community. It was amazing.

The dark side was the significant dysfunction and addiction in my family, including alcoholism, depression, drug abuse, and narcissism. I went through traumatic events and struggled with numerous health conditions and crippling performance anxiety. I had to fight my way back towards wellbeing.

In my early twenties I had amazing performance opportunities come my way, but I turned many of them down. I knew I wasn’t ready to handle the scrutiny or pressure. I also somehow knew it wasn’t my soul’s path.

I studied with many wonderful voice coaches and received my bachelor’s and master’s in vocal performance. I also performed with one of the premier small ensembles in the country. But my voice and anxiety were worse than ever. Academia and allopathic medicine weren’t providing the answers I desperately sought.

Thankfully, I discovered yoga, holistic health care, and sound healing, and I never looked back. My soul had come home. These holistic practices were transforming my life and health. I was intrigued and discovered a great deal of science backing these ancient intuitive and spiritual practices. I love studying about them and practicing them.

I opened a holistic voice studio in Santa Monica, CA, and ended up winning awards as best voice studio for several years running. When I met my husband, we wanted a slower life, so we relocated to Michigan, his home state. I now have an online voice studio and work with clients internationally, and even reached #1 on Google for holistic and spiritual voice lessons. It’s been amazing!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, not really! It’s definitely been bumpy. I had family dysfunction, limiting beliefs, trauma, crippling performance anxiety, and starving artist mentalities to overcome. It’s taken years of extensive healing work to arrive at this more settled and fulfilling place. I’m very grateful for all that I’ve learned, and looking back I see how the struggles prepared me for helping others to find their voices and heal these kinds of challenges as well. It’s incredibly fulfilling.

I boil my work down to two overarching themes. The first is healing the witch wound, which manifests as a deep fear of being seen, speaking up, and stepping into our full magic and power. So many of us struggle with this wound!

The second is related to the witch wound, and I call it The Three V’s: The Voice, Vagina/Vajra, and Vagus Nerve (“vajra” is Sanskrit for thunderbolt, referring to the penis). These areas of our bodies intertwine and have a profound effect on our health and wellbeing.

I’ve done so much deep healing work with my own witch wound and voice, vagina, and vagus nerve, and I love sharing how, especially with women. There are specific practices that are safe, scientific, and simple for anyone to do. We use sound, meditation, movement, and breath work to help our bodies and minds into much happier and healthier states.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have a few offerings right now…

The Singing From Your Soulonline course for voice, nervous system, and sensual healing https://www.singingforyoursoul.com/singing-from-your-soul-course/

Singing For Your Wild Soul sacred sisterhood of voice healing and re-wilding. This offering includes a sonic healing certification and we have sisters worldwide joining! https://www.singingforyoursoul.com/singing-for-your-wild-soul/

Embody – A unique 8-week yoga, energy, and voice series at One

Tribe Yoga in Brooklyn, MI. 6-7:15 pm Wednesdays starting 1/18/22. https://www.onetribebrooklyn.com/classes

Sound baths – my husband and I offer yoga and sound bath workshops throughout Michigan and online with our band Ash To Flame. https://www.facebook.com/AshToFlame/

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I’ve been fortunate to have countless incredible mentors for voice, sound healing, yoga, natural health, and spirituality. You can learn so much from studying on your own, but community and personal support are priceless. If you’re interested in healing, I definitely recommend yoga, breath work, and sounding. They’ve had a profound effect on my life, and it’s wonderful to meet others through classes and training. For instance, I’ve made the best friends of my life in my yoga teacher training, and we’ve continued supporting one another in powerful ways.

Group support is one of the main benefits of the Singing For Your Wild Soul sisterhood. Women deeply benefit from sitting in circle, sharing our lives and voices with one another. And the tools we’re exploring are truly transformational. It’s exciting and fulfilling. If you’re interested, definitely come check us out! https://www.singingforyoursoul.com/singing-for-your-wild-soul/

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.singingforyoursoul.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/singingforyoursoul/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SingingForYourSoul/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/singingforyoursoul
• Other: https://mailchi.mp/singingforyoursoul.com/wildsoul

Image Credits
Jessica Smith
Amanda Marcella-Boyers