We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Leslie Garbis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Leslie below.

Hi Leslie, thanks for joining us today. Can you recount a time when the advice you provided to a client was really spot on? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

I’d say that the best client advice is more of a process and a holding of space that I provide for them to move through, and is something that I give to all of my clients because it is so incredibly relevant. I believe that our bodies are FOR us, not against us. I believe that we can trust our bodies, and trust our voices. I believe that we are all singers, and that it can be joyful and healing to sing. I believe that we have to be willing to let go of limiting beliefs and tensions and constrictions to get to our most free, most powerful sound. I can now talk about a particular client and address more of the above. My student/client Sally (name is made up to protect my actual client) came to me in a point of pain. She had been singing for years, but all she felt was anxiety and discomfort around her voice. Her pain was physical, emotional and mental. Sally was in her head, and not really in her body…she was constantly judging herself and her voice in a critical way that created more of what she did not want. I advised her and led her to ground more into her body and her breath. I asked her about her discomfort and we got really curious about pinpointing as many areas as possible, to then lovingly be released. I taught her about allowing the breath and voice to be…and to do her best to stop TRYING and pushing so hard…..to instead try an easier, more joyful way. I asked her to figure out why she sings in the first place? I asked her to remember a time when singing was pure bliss. Pure ease. Uninhibited. I had her journal about this and remember how it felt. Sally started to go for that feeling again, and she also trusted the process of letting go and shedding all of the layers of things (physical, emotional, mental) that were blocking her truest voice from coming through. She completely shifted her relationship with her voice from one of judgment, to one of gratitude. Through this process together (and I still support her in this growth), Sally is trusting her voice and singing feels SO much easier and more joyful. She is singing professionally a TON! She is so thankful for the huge transformation that our work together has provided, and she remembers that when she first showed up at my door, she thought she’d never sing again, or that it would always hurt and be hard to do so.

Leslie, 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?

The name of my business is Singing is Healing (singingishealing.com). I believe that singing IS healing, and that singing is our gift and birthright. I have been singing for most of my 51 yrs. I have two degrees in music (vocal performance) and have enjoyed performing on stage for many years in a variety of styles. Teaching voice came along as a natural part of what I was doing, and I found I was good at it, and that I enjoyed it as well. I have taught at universities in NYC, Miami and Nashville. Although my students were able to experience my very holistic approach, I found that academia was a bit too small of a box for me. I wanted to be able to easily have my client lie down on a mat to help open up their breath (I am also a certified Pilates instructor), or pull out my crystal singing bowl or my frame drum to shift the energy, or frankly just to meet the client wherever they most needed to be met, without a specific curriculum to follow. I left teaching in universities almost a year ago so I could focus on my private studio with my singers and clients who want to heal, to release what is not working, and to connect to their voices. I can now do this in a way that feels even more free and authentic for me. Women’s circles, workshops and retreats are also things I love to do, and I want to be able to have more time to create and lead these sort of offerings as well. I always lead singing, in the form of simple chants that I write, as a part of these experiences. What I’d love to put out in the world is that the simple act of showing up for your voice with a sense of love and curiosity can shift your relationship with your voice from one of disconnection and discomfort, to connection and gratitude. This can honestly lead to huge transformation. I love to hold safe space for people to peel the layers of what is constricting them (that shows up in the voice) and lead them towards ease and expansion and joy. I am definitely all about alchemizing the overly yang approach to singing into one of ease and joy and receptivity of our innate gifts. The icing on the top is that this process of course leads to more open, free, easy and powerful singing.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I feel that teaching or guiding or holding space for my clients is a privilege. My ego is not in the equation. My heart is open and I offer full presence and a feeling of safety to everyone I work with. THIS is the secret to my ability to very quickly help my students/clients get results, but in a process oriented approach. It’s more of an inside out approach, than an outside in process. My ability to show up with my grounded energy, a sense of contribution as my highest purpose, and in total presence is everything. All of the skill and training and knowledge can then come through, but it is really secondary in the way I see it.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I wish I had some cool marketing strategies to share here or something like that. However, I rely almost 100% on word of mouth to meet and start working with new clients. I think this is a very cool and organic way to operate. I also admit to wanting to grow a bit more at this point, and that I will need to make more of a marketing plan. Gratefully, I have gathered many wonderful testimonials and stories from students over the years, and many snippets of these can be found on my website. I think that people love testimonials, and this has led to people finding me and wanting to work with me as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: singingishealing.com
• Instagram: singingishealing

Image Credits
Derek Jones, Dustin Kirkendall