Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Laura Rose. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Laura, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I didn’t plan to fall in love with mantra. I was just trying to find my footing in a new city, a new career, and a life that made sense.

I had just moved to San Diego, fresh out of college, for a competitive internship in music therapy. I didn’t know a single soul. But I was proud to be a music therapist. I was young, passionate, and ready to serve. My days were filled with profound work, from singing to premature babies in the NICU to offering comfort to patients in hospice care.

I had witnessed music soothe a mother cradling her newborn. I had sung people through their final breaths. I knew the power of music in clinical settings. It was measured, evidence-based, and carefully tracked. And yet, as meaningful as it was, something in me still longed for more. Not more intensity, but more intimacy. Less protocol, more presence.

Then one afternoon, everything changed.

I walked into a local yoga studio and noticed a class on the schedule called Music Meditation. I liked music. I liked meditation. I figured, why not?

The moment I stepped into the room, I felt it. A subtle vibration in the air, like something ancient had been waiting for me. People were seated in a circle, surrounded by instruments I had never seen, singing call-and-response chants in a language I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t a performance. It was a prayer.

Later I would learn this was called Kirtan, a form of musical meditation from the Bhakti Yoga tradition. But that day, I only knew one thing. I had found something I didn’t even know I was missing.

Mantra after mantra, my body came alive. My voice wasn’t performing. It was offering. Suddenly the self criticism of my voice faded away. It wasn’t about getting it right. It was about being fully present, fully honest. I kept coming back. I wanted to be close to this energy. I wanted to understand it. That curiosity led me to yoga teacher training. Then to India. I bought a harmonium. I studied with teachers who shared mantra as transmission, and it began to rewire everything I thought I knew.

It was like a lightbulb turned on.

This was music therapy too. Music for the soul. Music for remembrance. Music for connection.

And I began to wonder. What if we didn’t wait until someone was in crisis to offer them the healing power of music? What if music could be used as a proactive medicine, like a probiotic for the soul rather than an antibiotic for pain?

That question shifted everything.

I began weaving chanting, breath, and vocal expression into my work. Not just as a therapist, but as a guide for creative and spiritual awakening. And slowly, that work became The Vocal Sanctuary. A space where people could remember that their voice isn’t just for communication. It is a gateway to healing, embodiment and vitality.

Laura, 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?

I’m Laura Rose, founder of The Vocal Sanctuary. I’m a vocal embodiment facilitator, board-certified music therapist, and creative mentor. My work lives at the intersection of music, intimate arts, spirituality and self-expression.

I’ve always been drawn to the voice. The voice is a mirror of the nervous system, a reflection of what we hold and what we long to release. Early in my career, I worked as a music therapist in clinical settings, from NICUs to hospice care to special education. I witnessed the power of music to soothe, connect, and carry people through profound moments. But it wasn’t until I found myself in a devotional singing circle, surrounded by mantra and vibration, that something clicked, I understood in my body that the voice is more than a therapeutic tool. It is a living portal to the Soul.

From there, I began to develop my own body of work, The Sensuality of Singing Method TM blending music therapy, trauma-informed embodiment, vedic vocal practices, creativity coaching, and sacred ritual. I’ve worked with hundreds of clients over the years, from artists and songwriters to spiritual seekers and mothers, helping them reconnect to their voice in deeply personal and transformational ways.

At The Vocal Sanctuary, I offer a range of services; including online courses, live workshops, mentorship programs, vocal embodiment trainings, and intimate ceremonial spaces. My signature programs include The Relational Voice for deeper self-expression in relationships, Voice of the Creatrix for unlocking creative power, and Voice of the Soul a 9-month facilitator training and business development. I also create guided meditation albums, songwriting resources, and vocal tools for people who want to come home to themselves through sound.

The people I work with often come to me feeling disconnected from their voice. Some feel held back by trauma or self-doubt. Others want to express themselves more fully in relationships, in leadership, in intimacy, or on stage. What they all have in common is a longing to feel more alive and a sense that their voice holds the key. I help them move through blocks like perfectionism, fear of judgment, and emotional constriction by reconnecting to the body, breath, and vibration in a safe, empowering way.

What sets this work apart is that it’s not about performance. It’s not about sounding perfect. It’s about remembering that your voice is sacred. It’s about reclaiming the parts of yourself you’ve silenced and letting your true sound rise. I create spaces where people can laugh, cry, rage, moan, sing, speak, and breathe into who they really are and be met with presence instead of pressure.

What I’m most proud of is witnessing people come alive. There’s a moment when someone sings or speaks from a place they didn’t even know was inside them, and everything softens. They stop trying to be good. They just are. That’s when the real magic begins.

If there’s one thing I want people to know about my work, it’s that your voice is not separate from your healing. It’s not separate from your sensuality. It’s not separate from your purpose. Your voice is what your soul sounds like. And it would be an honor to help you remember that.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots in my journey came when I shifted from regularly performing and offering one-on-one sessions to building a business that now lives mostly online through group programs, trainings, and courses.

For years, I thrived in live spaces. I performed often, facilitated intimate 1:1 sessions, and led workshops where I could be in the room, feeling the energy, holding people in their vocal process. I loved the immediacy of it — the shared breath, the resonance, the sacredness of live sound in a shared space. But over time, I began to feel the limits of that model.

I was pouring so much energy into every single offering, and it became clear that the one-to-one format, though powerful, wasn’t sustainable over the long term. I felt the call to grow — not just in reach, but in impact. I wanted to share this work with more people without burning myself out.

The deeper truth was, I didn’t just want to share my voice. I wanted to help others rise in theirs. And to do that, I needed a more spacious and scalable way to lead.

That pivot came quickly, accelerated by the pandemic. I invested in a coach and began crafting my first signature online course. Then another. I started building group containers that could hold more people without diluting the depth. I refined my frameworks, clarified my methodology, and eventually began training other facilitators to carry the work forward.

Today, more than 90 percent of my business is online. I lead group programs like Voice of the Creatrix and The Relational Voice, offer evergreen courses, and host immersive vocal trainings. I still perform and offer occasional one-on-one sessions, but they now live inside a structure designed to nourish both me and my clients.

I’m also a new mom, and working online has given me the flexibility and efficiency to be home with my daughter while continuing to serve my community in powerful ways.

That pivot taught me to lead with vision instead of urgency. It took almost three years to fully establish my online offerings, but it was worth it. It also asked me to trust that I could still create intimacy, transformation, and connection — even through a screen. And it showed me that building a sustainable business isn’t about pulling back on soul. It’s about creating systems that allow you to feel deeply resourced while you serve.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your firm or practice?

You might think running an online business doesn’t take much capital to get started. But once you factor in the website, branding, photoshoots, graphic design, video hosting, booking systems, and marketing tools, it adds up quickly. Online businesses do have overhead, especially if you want to do it well.

For a long time, I focused on my craft. My training taught me how to hold space, how to guide transformation, and how to deliver powerful content. But it didn’t teach me how to run a business. It didn’t teach me how to sell. I had the soul of the work, but not the structure.

In 2021, I reached a turning point. I had a vision for what I wanted to create. A fully online business that supported clients through group programs, evergreen courses, and a deeper body of work. I knew I needed support to bring it to life. So I found a business coach whose program covered everything I was missing. Launch strategy. Lead generation. Systems. Scaling. CEO mindset. It felt like the right move.

There was only one problem. I didn’t have the money.

The investment was five figures. I didn’t have that kind of capital in the bank. But I felt the pull. I was actively working on healing my relationship with money. I was committed to shifting out of scarcity and into trust. So I decided to leap.

I started looking everywhere for financial support. I applied for grants. I searched startup funding opportunities. It was still during the pandemic, and I knew there were resources circulating if I could just find the right ones.

Three days before my first payment was due, I got the email. I had been awarded a grant for the exact amount I needed to join the program.

It felt like magic, but I knew it was more than that. I had said yes to myself. I had gotten clear. I had taken action. And the universe met me.

That decision changed everything. I built and launched my signature group program. I learned how to scale. I found my rhythm. I now have an online business that supports my family, gives me flexibility as a mother, and allows me to serve my clients more powerfully than ever.

And yes, I still use the same strategies I learned in that program today.

But more than the tools, it was the act of investing in myself that made the real difference. That was the moment I stopped waiting and started leading. The moment I stopped surviving and started building something sustainable, aligned, and rooted in who I really am.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thevocalsanctuary.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.vocal.sanctuary
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550974395450
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraandersonmtbc/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SitaRose
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thevocalsanctuary

Image Credits

Darci Fontenot
John Handcock