We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Lang a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jennifer thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

Quit my full time job to go back to school for a Diploma and Master’s in Voice Performance. I was about 10 years older than most of my classmates. It was humbling, fun, and ultimately a massive journey of self-discovery.

That and then moving to Abu Dhabi, then Dubai, UAE with my husband in 2015. It was a complete re-set of my life, my career, and my reality.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I describe myself as a voice development coach and spiritual mentor. Although at first glance these two may not seem to have much in common, working with your voice is one of the most spiritual and personal development activities you can engage in.

I’ve always been musical from a young age, but didn’t formally begin voice training until my mid-20’s. By then I had a Bachelor in Art History and was working in a variety of admin positions to enjoy my life and singing lessons.

There are several main areas that inform my work: Voice and singing/music, movement and martial arts, and healing modalities such as Reiki, sound healing and herbalism/plant medicine.

When I first started teaching singing, I could ‘hear’ the internal challenges that my students were having, but I didn’t have the tools to help them heal that part – just singing tools and exercises. As I taught more and more students of all ages, I could see that the voices inside our heads keep people just as stuck as the physical voice developed. My work began to be grounded in the physical aspects of singing and movement, but also incorporating the mental and emotional aspects of voice developing and song interpretation.

I had studied karate since my early 20’s and the movement and mental discipline that shaped me also made its way into my singing and teaching work. Physical presence, breath control, mindset, coordination, team work and so much more, all inform the way that I work.

In 2014 I started to add energetic healing modalities such as Reiki and BodyTalk, and most recently, sound healing, to my own training and immediately saw the benefit of beginning to bring them into voice training.

Flash forward to today and my work includes energy healing, singing, movement, voice work and spiritual mentorship. As my journey grows, so do my clients’ experiences.

What sets me apart from other practitioners and coaches is the unique blend of gifts that I bring to my work, whether in group or 1:1 formats. Sensei, Reiki master, opera singer and intuitive channel – plus over 13 years of teaching, leading groups, and working with people all over the world to increase confidence, heal voices, and transform lives.

I’m most proud of the many areas of expertise that I’ve cultivated and the wide variety of people I’ve had the honour of working with – everyone from 5 year old aspiring voice talents to retired c-suite execs who are seeking to transform their lives by working with their voices and bodies.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I fee like my entire life is about pivots!

Three big pivots stand out in my adult life – the first being my decision to return to school in 2006 and begin a Diploma and Master’s in Voice Performance at McGill University. At the time, I had a good ‘safe’ job at the University of Victoria and I could have decided to stay there, live my life, do little activities I loved, and that was that. When I started singing lessons 2001, I knew that THAT was what was waiting for. In 2005 I began the application and audition process and was eventually accepted to McGill, moving to Montreal in Sept. 2006 with my not-yet husband. We married in 2008 and I graduated in 2010 after 4 intense years of singing, summer programs, study, and, well, Montreal winters.

If I hadn’t decided to go into singing, I don’t know where I’d be today.

In 2014, my husband was looking for some changes in his career and he applied for a job in Abu Dhabi, UAE. 4 months later he was on a plane, and I followed in early 2015 with our dog. Living in a completely foreign country and culture and re-creating myself through the lens of business was uniquely challenging. But I’m so grateful for the change was we both learned so much about ourselves, about living and dealing with adversity, and it’s where I really deepened my healing and spiritual journey.

My most recent pivot has been health-related, and is still developing. In late August 2022, I woke up and half my face was paralyzed. It was eventually diagnosed as Bells Palsy/Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. Six months later, my face is nearly back to symmetry, but it has been an exercise in grace, surrender, receiving, and resilience. It’s still developing and I’ve had to really adapt my aspirations to my my body’s need for rest and restoration.

My business has been taking a pause and now I’m just gearing up for a bit of a re-birth!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

A few of the resources that really shaped me both in life and business are as follows:

Books:
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
The Revolution Will be Bloody by Stasha Washburn
Get Rich Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield-Thomas

Trainings/Courses:
B-School with Marie Forleo
Magnetic Money with Miriam Castilla
Copy Writing for Culture Makers with Kelly Diels

Conferences/Speakers:
The World Domination Summit hosted by Chris Guillebeau (I attended 3 in Portland)
The Heart-Centered Business Conference hosted by Tash Corbin (Australia)

There are so many other amazing books and people who have been a part of my journey, but these people and events really stand out for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jenlang.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenlang_soundbodysphere
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamJenLang
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamjenlang
• Other: Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/jenlang_soundbodysphere

Image Credits
All images are courtesy of Meredith Rose Photography