We were lucky to catch up with Leah Conover recently and have shared our conversation below.
Leah, appreciate you joining us today. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?
The beginning of my career is different than most—my job isn’t one you can find on “indeed”. It is a unique offering that I created from my soul’s passion. Some people search for a path and for others, the path leads the way. For me, singing has always been my passion and something that I loved to do more than anything. I grew up singing with my family, taking lessons, and eventually going on to join bands and write my own music in high school. I went to college at FGCU for visual arts and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Fine Art with a focus in ceramics and painting.
While I was in school, I was synchronistically introduced to non-denominational spirituality which drastically shifted the direction on my life. As my mindset began to shift, my life began to change exponentially for the better. This was my first experience with inner alchemy; witnessing my life change from the inside out.
I soon became introduced to many incredible people and healers and went on to learn from some of them. In this time I became a Reiki Master Healer.
Soon after graduating, I saved up to backpack across Europe for 6 months on my own; visiting 17 countries and learning so much about culture, about spirituality, and about myself.
Then everything changed when I moved to the Big Island of Hawai’i. There is a magic in the land that nurtures artistry and creativity. It was there that my voice began to truly open, and my intuitive abilities began to come alive. I started writing music and began to integrate my voice into healing sessions. I developed my own style of energy healing that incorporated Reiki & intuitive vocal toning.
About a year later the pandemic hit, putting me in the weeds financially and not knowing what to do next. Around the same time in Hawai’i, I met my now-partner Ricky Ware and we formed a band called DaVine. Our musical chemistry was amazing, and we kept writing awesome songs together and sharing them online. It began to make a reach and I was feeling so confident and inspired!
On one particularly emotionally low day, I got a message from a woman who found my music online. She loved my voice and wondered if I would teach vocal lessons for her teenage daughter. Without thinking I just said “yes”—and that was the birthing point of my Voice Activation course: The Alchemy of Song.
I ended up working with this girl for a few months and watched her transform from a shy singer with a cracking voice to an absolute powerhouse song-writing baddie! She was coming to me with Billie Eilish songs and nailing them. By the end she was adding her own flair and hitting notes she never thought she could. I was so impressed by her growth, it inspired me to share this knowledge with all of the singers who need it.
That is why I call what I do “Vocal Activation”, because it is more than just singing lessons. It is a guide to clearing blockages in the voice, supporting the voice with confidence and control, and learning how to harness your creative power.
Since this moment I have helped women from all over the world find their authentic truth through their voice and transform into confident, powerful singers and songwriters. The experience alone has taught me so much, and I am so grateful to see how far my class has come today.
My passion is to show people that they have the power to heal themselves, and that they have the ability to transform their lives from the inside out. I do this through my music, voice activation, and sound healing sessions. All of my offerings are designed to empower you to be your best self through various forms of inner alchemy.
Leah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Leah Isabelle and my gift is my voice and my passion is guiding people to their own healing. My journey began in 2016 as a student, studying to get a degree in Fine Arts. Little did I know, my life was about to take a huge shift into my true purpose. Like most young artists, I was encouraged to find an average 9-5 job from my family, so I studied Early Childhood Education thinking I would become a school teacher. I never stopped singing, and eventually that natural pull to do what I love became my profession. My travels across Europe, South America, and Hawai’i were the catalysts of my dream–seeing the universal language of music, of energy, being spoken all over the world. I ended up naturally giving healing sessions to anyone who needed it along the way, gaining so much experience and seeing the transformational power of it all. I ended up also teaching self-healing Reiki to many people along the way, realizing that my true passion is empowering people to heal themselves through energy work & their voices.
As I stated in the prior question–Hawai’i changed me and turned my gifts fully online. Bring on Volcanic land that was always, shifting, growing, and re-creating itself magnetized artists of all kinds to the area. It was no coincidence that I would spend my time on the Big Island literally living on a Volcano! Talk about creative energy! Beyond that, the islands opened me up in a new way that helped bring back my wildness and reminding me who I am at the core. Being immersed in the jungle, swimming in crystal clear rivers, oceans, and waterfalls, and connecting with the ‘aina, the spirit of the land, helped me feel the connection with the earth in a new way. Everything is so alive there and I began to really integrate the feeling of oneness with all of life. I literally started to witness magic happening right before my eyes and began to really believe in magic through connecting with nature and practicing alchemy and manifestation work–and it all opened as I opened my voice. I spent most of my time swimming and singing in the crystal clear ocean, sometimes playing with wild dolphins, and sometimes singing to humpback whales.
One of the most powerful moments I had with the whales (they have been my spirit animal since I can remember), was when I lived in Maui and had a job as a kayak tour guide during whale season. I would take big tours out, go out into the open ocean, and sing. The whales absolutely loved it when I sang to them, and my tours were so amazed at how they would come right up to the kayaks and listen. One time a pod stayed nearby to us for a while, then a baby whale breached in front of us! That was the moment that I realized how powerful the voice is!
My healing sessions were becoming more and more potent as I was understanding more deeply the nature of the voice. I began to comprehend and witness the voice as a healing tool. I realized that with a sound healing instrument like a sound bowl, rattle, chimes, etc., you only really get one sound out of it. Whereas the voice is unlimited in what you can do with it. I’ve learned how to intuitively find the notes that each specific body needs to heal, and each of my clients actually gets a recording of their healing soul song to keep.
People often describe my voice as “angelic”, and I do not take that lightly. I work with the higher angelic realm during my healing sessions and I know that they are being channeled through me. In fact, when I am holding a note, one way I can tell if it is correct for the client is if I literally hear a choir of different harmonies singing behind me. Some of my clients have actually been able to hear the other voices, but usually it is something only I can hear.
Something about my work that I think is important to express is that I do not believe that anyone outside of ourselves can heal us, and we all have the power to heal ourselves. I believe a great healer is someone who guides you to your own healing process and supports you along the way by sharing tools and energetic support. In our society we are sold “quick-fixes” like a pill or shot that gets us back to health… But that is just simply not the true nature of healing. Healing is a cyclical process that can take years, sometimes lifetimes to truly accomplish. Because healing is not linear, we cycle back into things we thought we healed from later in life so we can see it from a higher perspective. Each time we do this, we peel another layer of the onion, revealing a deeper layer of ourselves. The key is to be able to understand the lesson from the pain and forgive ourselves and others. When people are feeling lost or stuck in a cycle they can’t seem to get out of, this is where energy work comes in to identify where the blocks, find the root emotional cause, and move the energy, At that point, the client must continue to work with this energy to fully release it. A lot can be cleared in a Reiki session, but not everything can be cleared all at once. That would actually be such a shock to our system to remove all of our traumas, toxins, at once, so it is good to have energetic check-up’s every so often.
There is no escaping inner work, but It is is okay to ask for support as you do so,. Be empowered to know that only YOU have the power to learn the lesson, grow from it, and truly heal.
I truly feel that energy work is one of the most powerful modes of healing for emotional trauma. This is because the energy of trauma and pain gets stuck within our bodies, which often leads to physical pain and disease. So many people don’t even realize that their physical pain is rooted in emotional pain that hasn’t been acknowledged or released.
I like to think of emotions like a toddler that wants attention. At first when they want something, they might tug on your shirt and ask nicely. If they’re ignored they will come back maybe whining and upset. If they keep getting ignored, that toddler will likely have a tantrum or do something naughty to ASSURE the adult is listening!
Just like the toddler, our emotions do the same thing. What starts out as shoulder pain carrying too many burdens for others can become shoulder surgery. Grief that hasn’t been dealt with can become heart problems. Fear of expressing yourself could become throat pain that leads to thyroid cancer, etc.
Where I come in as a healer is I identify where the blockages are in your body and assist in clearing out the stagnancy so the energy can flow freely again. I do this by using Reiki and toning of the voice over the clients troubled areas. i give the client all of the energy, support, and tools they need to heal themselves. Many people cry during these sessions and I see that as a part of the healing release. At the end of each session, I always share any intuitive messages that came through for the person and share what I felt in their energy, where I felt it, and offer tools they can use to continue the process of release. The energy stays within each client for 10-30 days (I truly believe it stays as long as you need it), and within the first 3 days my clients experience deep emotional release and tend to have big realizations and gain understanding about their life.
That is the nature of energy work, to move through the subtle body and release the things that go unseen and unnoticed. My power is the gift of clairsentience, and claircognience–the ability to feel and know what is typically unseen.
As I dove deeper into these understandings of the voice as a healing method, I naturally began creating music that expressed these new realizations. What followed was something I would have never expected, which is now my main offering that I share with people: Voice Activation Coaching!
In my 6-week Voice Activation course: The Alchemy of Song, I work with women who love to sing, already have a natural vocal talent and sound, but feel shy or scared to share their voices around others. I do this by educating people on how to use the diaphragm, using our bodies as an instrument, songwriting, the energetics of singing, and the voice as a tool for inner alchemy. A Sound Healing Session is included in the course, as well as 6 one-on-one voice coaching calls. In this course, my clients break through whatever is blocking their expression and become more confident and in control of their voices. The activation of confidence and raw expression ripples out into all aspects of their lives. This is because all things are connected in the quantum; activating the voice opens the throat chakra to higher expressions of truth, clears blockages for healing, and even activates your creativity and confidence.
What sets me apart from other voice coaches is my connection spirituality and understanding that singing is more than our throat, vocal cords, and larynx–Singing is a full-body, fully embodied experience. t doesn’t start and end at the throat. We need our entire energetic chakra system to support our expression for a full, powerful, holistic voice that comes from a place of empowered and heart-connected creativity.
Another aspect of my approach that is unique is that I teach singing as a form of inner alchemy. The definition of alchemy is a process of transformation”. I have witnessed and experienced that when a person unlocks their true voice, they are are healing their bodies while simultaneously transforming their pain and trauma into something greater than itself ~ into creative expression. This is the ultimate alchemical process that transforms our trauma into treasure.
Our voices were made to heal us!
Through practical application of the voice and play, my client’s voices open with support, control, and confidence. My ultimate goal is for my clients to find their own authentic expression and vocal range so they feel powerful and honest in their expression, and that they can speak their truth with ease and let go of the fear of singing in front of people. I want my voice clients to become so fearless and free in their expression, that they are healing themselves and everyone around them just by simply existing as who they are. My goal is to help their talent come fully online as well as their intuitive gifts.
I want to see women speaking out and expressing themselves fully–without holding back.
Many of my clients find me through my music. I am the singer of a two-piece band called DaVine, I write inspiring songs about the emotions of life and how to heal with spiritually focused intention. Through my music, I like to share my unique perspective to those who are seeking uplifting song with a positive message. My music is a form of alchemy for me, and often sing my songs to myself as reminders when I am feeling low.
I currently live in Orlando where my band-mate and life partner Ricky Ware is attending Full Sail University for audio recording. We are currently working on our first full-length album and we cannot wait to share this medicine music with the world! @da.vinemusic
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Genuinely, the most effective strategy I have found in attracting clients is radical authenticity. Most of my life I have been afraid of putting myself out there and being different. I have struggled to find my place in the world coming from such a unique perspective. Finally I realized that my authentic expression is exactly what sets me apart from the rest and is something to celebrate! No one makes a mark in this world by being just like everyone else. Creatives and entrepreneurs are meant to stand out and make a difference. The more we honor and accept ourselves as we are, the more we align with people, situations, and clients that are meant for us. This is a part of the inner alchemy work I teach–finding your authentic essence and gifts together so you can share them to the world with confidence!
The inner alchemy is manifestation. Manifestation means aligning with what you desire. There are many ways to do this, but the very first thing that needs to happen in order to manifest anything is identifying what you want. What you TRULY want is a representation of who you truly are. If we can understand and love who we are on a deeper level, it attracts the things that support you in being the highest version of yourself.
This is why self-love and authenticity are crucial in growing clientele!
When we put up a facade and pretend to be someone we are not, people can feel it and it repels them. When we are being real, raw, and authentic, it breeds trust and honesty that the right clients will be attracted to.
Have you ever heard the saying “what you’re seeking is seeking you?”
The more yourself you are, the more people will be drawn to you. If you are seeking clients, share who you are and what you do from the heart. Share the vulnerable stuff and the trauma that lead you there. Share the parts of you that feel scary to open up about. Because you are likely not alone in that feeling, and there are many people who are seeking the medicine that you share.
BE UNASHAMEDLY YOU!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
There are a couple of things that really helped me build my reputation both online and in-person. Of course, being in a band and singing original music live definitely attracts people to who I am and what I do. But beyond that, something I have noticed in my journey as an entrepreneur is that the more vulnerable I am with my clients and followers, the more people feel safe to be vulnerable with me.
I feel that social media has been a large contributor to the mental health crisis in our country, and I feel that so much of it has to do with how we share and how we compare. Most people only share the good parts of life and leave out the struggle. There is a fear that if we are vulnerable about what we are going through that we appear weak. Because of this, people who are struggling begin comparing their lives with a hand-picked reality from a stranger’s false reality. It is so important to not compare yourself to anyone else! I would love to see a world where our emotions are normalized and people felt safe to express ALL parts of themselves.
Something that I have begun incorporating in my shares, both online and in person, is being open about all aspects of what I am going through along my journey.
Everyone has trauma, and everyone is healing. Being vulnerable about the difficult parts of our lives is a true sign of strength. Being open about my own trauma and fears has helped breed an honest, open container with my clients and has allowed us to see each other from a human level.
One thing I do before taking on a voice client is a free “Alignment Call” where I listen to each woman’s story with singing and ask some deeper questions to really understand her heart. I like to know how her singing journey began, what she is struggling with, and where she would like to be. Likewise, after a healing session I spend up to an hour with the client afterwards discussing what came up in the session and open it up for them to share anything they would like to in confidentiality.
Unfortunately in the spiritual community there is a toxicity that I have witnessed along my journey of becoming a healer. Many spiritual healers and practitioners have this “guru” mentality of being the one who has ascended the 3D reality and like to appear higher-than their clients or students. This is typically a form of narcissism that comes from a place of wanting to appear perfect, but really these people are far from it.
A truly powerful spiritual healer is grounded in reality and not afraid of their humanness. They are open and honest about their own shadow and make you feel safe to be vulnerable as well. In healing work, there can be no judgement about your clients / students and there has to be unconditional support and love.
I always try to be real with my clients as well as open and understanding. It is crucial to me in my practice to create a safe container for women to let go and express whatever it is they need to heal. I do not judge people’s stories, choices, past traumas, convictions, etc. I try to remain a neutral, unconditionally loving space for healing.
Contact Info:
- Website: leahisabelle.com
- Instagram: @alchemyofsong @da.vinemusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPgNq3P0pBs1opnKBi3vA9g/videos
- Other: Tiktok: @alchemyofsong
Image Credits
Ricky Ware @ricky.ware_