How Music and Rhythm Reduce Stress and Build Community | with Greg Whitt

Send us Fan MailThis week on Beyond My Diagnosis, Michele welcomes Greg Whitt, teaching artist, team builder, wellness facilitator, and founder of Drum for Change.If last week’s episode with Annelies Gentile explored leading change from the inside out, this week expands that conversation into rhythm, culture, music, and embodied leadership.Greg, Annelies’ husband and creative partner in life, brings a complementary lens to resilience. Where Annelies explores awareness and internal calm, Greg explores connection, rhythm, and community as tools for thriving.Greg facilitates workshops and retreats that connect people to one another and to the world around them. His work centers on ontological design, the idea that the culture we create shapes who we become.In this rich conversation, we explore:• Music as metaphor for leadership and life• Rhythm as regulation for the nervous system• Wellness drumming in healthcare settings• Building culture intentionally• Experiential education and embodied learning• Positive psychology and folk wisdom• Service as leadership• The power of story and shared rhythm• Community as protective factor in uncertain timesGreg’s diverse background includes eight years of service in the US Air Force, ten years in higher education, and decades of global study in folkloric music traditions from Cuba to Belize. He has led interactive rhythm experiences since 2002 and founded the Raleigh Drum Circle community group. His company, Drum for Change, has been full-time since 2009.Through music, storytelling, and experiential facilitation, Greg reminds us that leadership is not about volume. It is about harmony.And in times of change, rhythm helps regulate what chaos disrupts.ABOUT THE GUESTGreg Whitt is a Teaching Artist, Team Builder, and Wellness Facilitator who designs workshops and retreats that foster connection and community.He studied holistic lifestyle practices in graduate school with a focus on wisdom traditions for modern society. His work fuses positive psychology, applied philosophy, folk wisdom, and experiential music-based education.Greg served eight years as a non-commissioned officer in the US Air Force, worked ten years in higher education at NC State University, and has been leading facilitated rhythm experiences since 2002. He founded Raleigh Drum Circle and launched Drum for Change as a full-time business in 2009.Greg has studied folkloric music in Cuba and Garifuna drumming in Belize. He has received multiple professional development grants and has brought wellness drumming into healthcare environments.He serves on advisory and arts boards including the Drum Circle Facilitators Guild and the City of Raleigh Arts Commission.Greg believes culture creates us. Through rhythm and shared experience, he helps groups rediscover harmony, cooperation, and joy.Learn more at:https://www.drumforchange.com