We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alesha Gordon-Brown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alesha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

I incorporate both musical exploration and spirituality into team-building, crowd engagement, and performance. In other words, I am inviting the audience or staff to show up as their whole selves, with respect and celebration for their differences. An example would be a trauma event that I was the closer for, where people were sharing experiences in panel discussions, listening to an interview, and watching a performance from a youth group. Watching the whole event (so that I knew how to bring it all together and present an inspiring call-to-action), I was aware of the unity consciousness that was needed in the room. Trauma is trauma. There is no need to compare, dissociate, or avoid the unity of the pain. People generally want their story to be heard and acknowledged. Then, and only then, can a step forward truly be taken. So, at the end of the event, I invited people onstage to volunteer for an activity and contribute ideas in quite an open “yell-it-out” formula while we talked about trauma bonds. To close it all out, I asked them to tap into the connection with their Higher Power (whatever they called Them). To those that didn’t believe in one, I invited them to tap into their greatest self. We all took a moment feeling the oneness of that positive life-giving light, Then, I was able to interpret my message in the multi-faith, multi-cultural, mixed race room of people with respect for all of their beliefs and differences whilst also honoring and promoting the unity in the room. This is my approach wherever I go. I am a safe space where ALL are welcome and acknowledged in the experience.

Alesha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Alesha Gordon-Brown. I am known as AleshaNicole – Musician, Creative Arts Educator, Spiritual Mentor, and Self-Healing Coach. I have been playing piano for 30 years, was born to a mother who taught music for 30+ years and a father who has been a pastor for 40+ years. By no surprise, I have become the fusion of their two careers, essentially. I love to use music for community outreach with a specialty in holding safe space for confronting subconscious traumas and hidden wounds through creativity and crowd-engagement. Music is both my talent and my tool.

I am known for making activities and experiences up on the spot right there in front of the crowd, where they feel the “once in a lifetime” thrill of being a part of something that will never happen quite the same way again. I have been performing for close to 20 years in various roles. I have been a vocalist and keyboardist in multiple bands, I have been a dueling piano player for many years performing at piano bars, corporate parties, fundraisers, weddings, private parties, and more. I also have two self-released albums of my own original music.

I’m also fluent in Spanish with 27 years of speaking the language, a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature, and living/working abroad in Spain. While achieving my Bachelor’s degree, I was called into the office of the Department Head of Women and Gender Studies, due to my expressed passion during a debate in an Intro class that I took as an elective. She said that I had a knack for this field and that I was only a class or two away from receiving a minor so “why not go for a double major?” At the age of 20, with no idea what would transpire years later in my career, I simply shrugged and said “ok!” It was the day after walking across the stage with my double B.A. diploma from Oakland University that I went on the road as a dueling piano player. I worked as a full-time dueling piano player for 5 years, and my experiences onstage during this stretch of my career taught me most of what I know about interacting with a crowd.

After those years performing around the country, a tumultuous marriage, a very difficult birth story with my first son, a divorce, and a few years of trauma healing for myself, I began what I had only dreamed of. It is because of all of my life experience, with a special appreciation for the obstacles and past traumas, that I am able to serve clients who tend to have a therapy stigma or a disinterest in religion. They come to me because I am safe, I have lived what I am advising, and my anointing as a Spiritual Healer is felt more than it’s spoken of. I am a believer in humble confidence, and when you show up as your whole self, it makes quite a difference. People feel the authenticity and know that they, too, can show their truest self. So, now, when I offer team-building activities, crowd engagement at conferences or meetings, personal readings, private lessons, top notch performances, or a listening ear for someone who wants to tap into their personal authority and spiritual power in order to getter, I have what it takes to accompany them on an organic and genuine journey. As my bio says, I now “stand at the intersection of my many talents and deliver interactive, impactful creative services to a variety of clients. My aim in life is also my call to action for everyone I encounter: Spread Love, and Share Joy everyday in Your Own unique way.”

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I went to six different schools from preschool to senior year of high school. I played soccer and volleyball. I was in bands and choirs. I was a Girl Scout. I was the pastor’s daughter, and the daughter of the music teacher everyone in the city knew. This well-rounded childhood taught me so many things. I never imagined that its greatest lesson would also be my greatest challenge. I was a chameleon.

I could relate to just about any group of people, fit in just enough to be respected and yet never quite make it to being accepted. I was able to show only the colors that were agreeable with the environment I was in. It worked for everyone except me. When I was alone, I didn’t know who I was because I was always so busy being who the room needed me to be.

I had to unlearn the camouflage, the people-pleasing, and the “always onstage” mentality. It wasn’t even false advertising. It was partial truth, which to me was just as bad as a lie. So, much like the story of Obatala and Olokun, I had to stop adapting, copying, mirroring, and accommodating in order to discover who I was, independent from a cue or need of the room I was in.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Thus far, I have let my gifts and talents pave the way for my business. If I’m quite honest, it was much more intuitive than it was logical or intentional. I just wanted to jump into work. Like I said, when I graduated from Oakland University, I jumped right into performing the next day. There were definitely missed opportunities financially at the age of 23, where I could’ve saved up a fortune to really have a kickstart in my business. However, I was focused on mastering my talent and doing so my way, instead of adopting the cookie cutter model that so many creatives were adopting around me. I went after what lit me up, and I somehow have always had what I needed. I believe that the Universe/Goddess/God/Spirit/Source/Divine/Ancestors/Guides (whatever you call Them) work that way. If I am created to serve a certain divine function, then I am equipped and provided for in that flow. My serving of my purpose is my worship. All the powers that be then conspire to help me when I’m glowing from that fulfillment and outpouring of my gifts. I could certainly use some funding, donors, grants, and supporters. Until they come, I’ll keep authentically showing up and glowing.

Contact Info:

• Website: AleshaNicole.com
• Instagram: @aleshaunleashed

Image Credits
Photographers: Brad Quarrington Photography, Shannon Coon, Crystal Baskin, Chad Schwartzenberger,