030 | Open Your Voice with Songs from Singing Alive Kauai

This month I took myself on a trip to Kauai to attend a gathering called Singing Alive.  I decided to attend after being with my grandmother as she was passing in the hospital. I found song to be such a soothing and sacred way to connect with her during that difficult time and I wanted to immerse myself in an environment of song in the weeks after she passed. On one afternoon I experienced a surreal moment when the women gathered to all sing together.  After anchoring and opening the space, our facilitator invited any woman to teach a song to us. The first woman to stand up called in a sister in spirit - hundreds of miles away - one of my dearest friends for the past four years, Mackenzie Myers. She then led us in call and response to sing one of Mackenzies songs, a song I have heard my friend sing many times. In that moment my skin was covered with goosebumps and tears streamed down my face because of what a powerful song it is. I was thinking about my friend, who only a few years ago was holding fear around stepping up to share her voice. In that moment her song was reaching the ears and voices of fifty or sixty women, and it truly unified us together and opened our hearts.  It is moments like these that remind me why it is so important for women to face their fears and share their gifts, especially their voice.  The song that my friend Mackenzie had written was pure medicine for all the women in our circle. I felt so proud of her for facing her fears and sharing her voice so her songs could spread and be experienced by more and more people. In today's podcast episode I share Mackenzie's song from our women's circle as well as three more powerful songs for you to sing along to. My hope is they create a safe and nurturing space for YOU to open up and share your voice. With love,  Meredith