451: How to Find + Heal Your Voice with Monique Benaboue

Namaste, it's Sahara Rose. And welcome back to the Highest Self podcast. A place to discuss what makes you your soul's highest development. If it's your first time listening, welcome. I'm so grateful to be reconnected with you in this lifetime. And if you're here every week all the time, welcome home. It feels so great to just have these deep conversations and I especially love this one because we got to do it in person in my home in Miami. Monique is a dear friend of mine. She was actually sleeping over my house for a couple days right before she left Miami and we got to really drop in in this conversation. So sharing my voice has been the biggest gift and lesson of this lifetime. For me, a very throat chakra dominant person. And for me, my highest self comes through through expression. However, it has not always been easy. I grew up thinking I had a really bad voice. I, like everyone else, had a fear of public speaking and that fear of saying the wrong thing. And in this episode and in this conversation, we really dive into the medicine and the alchemy of the voice for speaking, for singing, for being in your truth. So Monique is a professional singer. She was on the Voice where she was chosen by Christina Aguilera and went off to create her Hollywood music career and then realized that it was not in alignment with her dharma, that she wanted to dive deeper, that she didn't want to be this commercial curated idea of a person, but she wanted to be herself. She was also going on a journey of who this self even really was. What is her sound, what is her voice, what does she stand for? So this years long journey has brought her now to become essentially a vocal alchemist. She is an incredible singer, produced her own album. She actually sang at the Rose Gold Goddesses retreat and guided us in a song circle which was incredible. But she works with people for them to actually tune into their own intuitive voice both through music and and through sharing your truth.

So her and I have had many.

Conversations about the voice around resonance and sound as well as the embodiment of speaking your truth and being heard and standing in your power as a speaker, as a musician, as an artist of any kind. And in this conversation we really get to the nitty gritty of it. She shares what it means to be a channel versus a vessel. We talk about the quality and the tone of voice. We speak about our own experiences of sharing our truth, our own stories around finding and healing our voices. And there is so much medicine in this episode for you. So whether speaking and sharing your Truth is the scariest thing on earth to you. Or maybe you are sharing on your own podcast or Instagram, or you're singing and you want to dive deeper into this. There is so much goodness awaiting you in this episode.

So.

So without further ado, let's welcome Monique Benaboud to the Highest Self podcast. And before we get into this week's.

Episode, I am so excited to share with you a project I have been.

Working on for months, which is my docu series called you are Multi Dimensional. You see, society tries to label us into a box, trying to tell us to only be one thing. And even through my own experience of.

Becoming an aggravated author, I ended up.

Putting myself into another box. And in this docu series, for the.

First time, I really reveal it all.

I bring you into my personal home in Miami and I share with you.

The lessons that I have learned along.

The way of being true to myself, my inner artist, my inner visionary, my inner creatrix, and how it's possible for you to create a life, a living.

A career that is in alignment with.

Your full multidimensional self, where all of you is informed, invited, and no part of you is random or needs to.

Be hidden, but rather is part of your day to day.

Because the truth is, life is too short to confine yourself to just doing the same thing over and over and over again. And there are so many more parts of yourself that you just have not yet gotten to explore. So this docu series, you are Multi Dimensional was crafted to remind you that you are a multi, layered, multifaceted, multidimensional being. And all of you is sacred and invited. So this is absolutely free.

Free.

It is available this week so you can head over to the Show Notes to check it out right now. I am so excited to hear your feedback, see the revelations that comes through. Share it with me over on Instagram.

And again, head over to the Show.

Notes to download the docu series, you are multi Dimensional. And without further ado, let's get into the episode.

Welcome Monique, to the Highest Self podcast. It's so great to have you here.

Thank you, Sister Queen.

The first question I'd love to ask you is, what makes you your highest self?

What makes me my highest self, my higher self, is spaciousness and tapping in with my guides and praying and really practicing and reminding all bodies of myself and layers of myself that I'm supported.

Beautifully said, always are. And just when we know that and it's not just this, you know, sometimes it feels like this really chaotic and crazy world that we're in and why are things happening to me? And it's a lot just to know that we're always supported and protected.

Yeah. Yeah. Especially as a creator, you know, shout out to all my creatives. Listening, that constriction, you know, when. When you don't have spaciousness, it can really affect your art, you know? And your voice.

Yes. So finding your voice, it's something that almost everyone I know desires yet struggles with. I think the biggest fear in the world is public speaking.

Oh, man. Yeah.

Yeah. Like, more than, you know, heights or car crashes or whatever else, because we're so afraid of not only being seen, but, like, not being able to express and that. And I know so many people, they tell me, they're like, you put how I felt into words, that I'm like, thank you, and that's not how you felt. You have your own words, and no one else can be your words for you. No one else can find your voice for you. It's an internal and lifelong process. So I really want to dive into this in this conversation. So can you share with us a little bit about your story of finding your voice?

Oh, yeah, totally. I'm actually in the process of discovering a new thread around this as I traverse, like, a pretty significant breakup and doing some inner work and looking at my patterns. There's like, this, no one hears me. I'm not good enough node. That has been the core of my work in finding my voice and my life started off I was the youngest of five kids. My siblings are 16 to 22 years older than me culturally, come from a background that's Middle Eastern and very traditional in the sense of older masculine and feminine dynamics in the household and the role of the what a good girl is and what a good boy is and what is not. And so there was a lot of suppression culturally to begin with, and so. And I have always been just a different energy. You know, I've always been very expressive. And a lot of my life, it's been about controlling that. That shakti, that. That energy, that God flowing through me. And then I was heavily bullied, and that bullying created, like, a stint around humiliation, which, you know, suppressed my voice even more. So it was a lot of stuff on the front end for me that I had that I was queued up with to transmute and to turn into power. And my voice was super raspy when I was younger, and it turned that way when I was about 5 or 6 when the bullying started. And so a lot of my vocal work in the Professional aspect has been developing clarity to my tone. And I've done so via a lot of emotional, spiritual and personal development from that whole first half of my life. You know, there was a transition. I became popular. I started getting into musicals. I was like, yes, I'm finding my voice. People are recognizing me. I have value. And then there was another wave of, like, some off stuff that didn't really allow me to relish in that energy. And I ended up dropping out of high school because I really couldn't focus on academics. I felt like I was constantly feeling unsafe and unable to actually pay attention and retain the information. And the cost on top of that, like, constant anxiety was dealing with these people who just didn't really care to understand me at that point. And so I dropped out of high school. I got my ged, passed it super, like, no problem. Moved to la. I was like, I'm going to be a singer. I'm doing this. So I moved to LA and I went to community college there for a few years. Decided that I wanted to go all in on music. And I ended up auditioning for the Voice. I don't know that this is public knowledge, but how these castings go are. There's very few castings that truly come from the cattle call styles that we love to watch. Right. You go through thousands. They go through thousands of applicants in each city. It's really nuts. But most of the people that are on these shows that we fall in love with, these characters, they're casted like before the show in a private capacity via an agent or a label. And, you know, there's a lot at stake. So they're hedging their as an organization and a company and doing their thing. But it was the perfect storm for me to break through into a new part of my voice in this moment because I did make it from a cattle call and I did get up at 5 in the morning when I didn't want to on my only day off that week. And I sang and I got through. And just from that initial experience, my voice grew from confidence from, like, this feedback of, you are good enough. And it healed something, which was when I auditioned when I was 16 for American Idol, that the guy in front of me in a clown suit was given a golden ticket, but I wasn't. And so just feeling again like I didn't have the goods. This healed that. And I got to see for the first time the correlation between, like, emotional, mental, energetic growth and breakthrough and how it showed up in my voice. Right. You know, I Went through the whole voice experience. Then I did artist development with a really well known, like music camp out of la. I spent three years there learning how to write, writing under some of the most sought after artists in the world that are writing like our favorite songs that are blasting everywhere and. But there was. There was no completion. And again, I felt like my voice was just being held back and I couldn't find my voice and what I want to say, and it wasn't actually that I didn't know, it was that I was being told that it wasn't the thing to say. And so another hurdle of just like learning to advocate, like you're saying, for my voice, not what someone else is interpreting for my life and my future and my vocal signature and my brand. And ultimately the music that I created during this time will never see the light of day because it wasn't coming from me. It was coming from guidance that was chasing a trend, right? Not trying to really reveal and uncover an artist. And so after I left that experience, I actually didn't know if I wanted to continue singing. And I had another breakthrough moment and it was to pause and to get back to the root of my creativity, which for me is rooted in such feminine principles of fun and play and expression. Right? And love also was part of that voice. And when I thought about that, the things that came to me were images of my mother and I cooking Moroccan food in our home. And so I stepped out of my management deal and away from my whole network. I was pretty traumatized at this moment and it kind of burned my bridges. There's. I still have many people who support me, but for the most part, you know, like it was a starting over situation if I was going to go back into the industry. And so I did that. And because of this inspiration around coming back to my roots and cooking with my mom, I decided to start cooking and I decided to create a supper club. And it was called the Moroccan Supper Club. And within a year we were on the Bravo network. We were being featured in different food blogs and Timeout magazine and doing epic collaborations with other dining clubs like the Disco Dining Club. And it was so fun and so amazing. And the changing the medium of my expression brought me back to my voice because I got to practice creativity without the pressure and the pattern that I had been inside of with creating music that became transactional and soulless. So I just needed to tap back into some kind of creative essence that brought me back to even the desire to create like that again. And after a year, I Stepped away. And I was fully ready to recommit to my music career and to finding my authentic voice. And that authentic voice didn't speak about popping bottles. She was speaking about healing. Yeah, man. And what it takes to stay the course and believe in your dreams.

And I want people to just, just before we can get further into the conversation, I want them to feel your music because it is otherworldly. Can you just bless us with whatever song wants to come through right now?

Yeah. Thank you.

Grateful I am your humble servant till the end I feel you breathe as my own very praying Guiding me with sound Take me up through the depths I am here I am here to serve your divine intelligence and nothing I do and nothing I see or nothing that comes to be Is just by chance a coincidence Is so much more than we see and I surrender I surrender no, there's no greater love so I surrender Surrender and I surrender oh, I surrender no, there's nothing above so I surrender Lifts me up high When I am down Know a higher ground I surrender.

Woo. Wow. Yes. So much meaning to all of your songs. And you recently did this beautiful TEDx talk where you merged your speaking with music and. Oh, just. Yes. And thank you for just being an example of. I feel like right now what I have been tapping into in so many is like moving beyond just like the words and the self help and the how to into the embodied experience. And like you just singing that song shifts how we feel without really like words needed to be say. It's the energy, it's how you're saying.

Those words, the connectivity.

Yeah.

Thank you. You, thank you, thank you for giving this a space to be felt. Because that's really what I care about at the end of the day is that people begin to start rehumanizing and feeling, feeling deeply, feeling like this level of nuance is where intimacy with self is created. In my work, I always say that presence is the portal, presence is the real medicine. And when we're speaking, when we're singing, when we're expressing, the most important thing is practicing that presence. Writing the energy, writing what you're feeling like a surfboard, like so bonded. And in that we receive every bit of guidance, every bit of energetic support, physical support, because what we're expressing turns into a thing like those currents, those vibrations, you know, through scientific law of a wave collapsing into a particle, creating our very physical reality that we enjoy. You know, it's just that presence is so important. And it's what. And you know, we say this and I want to Add a little asterisk here, little audible asterisk, that it's not easy to be present. And that's why when people come to me to do voice work, we do somatic healing first. Because if we can't feel safe in our body, there's no way for us to actually stay present, because our reptilian brain is on high alert, constantly looking for the next shoe to drop or the next thing to happen that we need to brace ourself for. And it takes us out of channel. Everybody can access channel through presence, but it's the discipline of becoming a channel and then progressing into the vessel. That's really where it's at when you're trying to do this as a thing in the world, as your purpose, as your function as a creative. And, you know, I think there's also, like, a big disconnect, too, with people not considering themselves channels or artists. And I think that that's a big part of my mission and my message, too, is to really revolutionize what it means to be an artist. And for me, that's defined by bringing a level of nuance and fluidity to your craft. And so somebody who's in numbers is considered a patterns artist. To me, someone who is in sound is a frequency artist. Somebody who is in, you know, visual arts is a visual artist. Someone who. Look. Marie Kondo, the Home Edit These ladies have taken their craft into artistry, and they're known as a brand because they have mastered a level of presence and intimacy with their thing. And we all have it so beautifully said.

I really resonate with the archetype of the artist, like an energetic artist, a word artist, you know, embodiment artist, and so many others.

So totally embodiment artist.

Yes. A joy artist artist.

Yeah. Yeah.

So, so many different topics. I want to speak. I want to speak about the fear of our throat chakra, but there's something really interesting that you shared with me about how our voice actually is a reflection of where we hold our energy and that you can know someone so well. And something that I've. I think we've all intuitively felt. You hear someone's voice and you just know something about them. You know, information, you know, how grounded they are, you know, how rooted they are. But you have a science to this. So can you share a little bit about how we can even. And I hear a lot of people say, I hate the sound of my own voice, you know, so how can we tell what's going on energetically in our chakras through hearing the Voice.

Yeah, yeah. So usually when someone comes to work with me, you know, part of that initial assessment is just like hearing them speak, tuning into the language they're using. And because of my own discipline and practice, I trace my own vibration and sound inside of myself, inside and see where what wounds are they're connected to and how the wound in different states colors the voice. And so when people come to work with me, we identify the blocks of the throat. Often one of those is like, I can't, like sustain my breath or the note, or I run out of breath or I get short breath. Like short. I have short breathing when I start to public speak, or I can't, I sing off pitch. These are all this is all pointing to for me, a root chakra block or a solar plexus block. And if you imagine the two snakes, the two serpents that make up up this chakra chain, and then the crossings are called nadis. There's. I call the vocal chakra or the vocal chain, the side of the serpent that crosses from the root, the solar plexus, the throat and the crown. And so when someone speaks and I hear like a raspiness, almost like there's a hole in their windpipe and that not all of the power and pressure of their diaphragm is fueling their voice, then I can go even further into that and start to track where I'm hearing their vibration coming from. So it'll tell me whether it's root, it'll tell me whether it's solar plexus. It'll tell me if it's somewhere in between the heart and the solar plexus, or if there is actually something that we need to clear in the throat, that's a childhood suppression. But again, even with things of childhood suppression, or if you want to go past life on it and talk about persecution, being hung, being killed, drowning, all these different things that have to do with the throat, chakra and the lungs. You know, again, there's going to be some place that it's manifested in the lower chakras. So if you die by persecution, depending on the narrative, that's going to hit the power center, you know, that's going to hit your level of safety in the world. So it's this circuit between the root, solar plexus, throat and crown, which is that level of worthiness that. That place where we're really embodying like God presence, that fluidity with our creator in the world. And the way we get to that is by doing these lower root clearings and Bringing it up through the voice, where it becomes an alchemical process of healing and stepping back into empowerment.

So if there's issues with raspiness, feeling out of breath, feeling you can't breathe when you're public speaking, there's a root issue, safety issue. What about, let's say you feel like you can't find the right words to say you're in your head, you're, like, looking away, using a lot of filler words. What is that related to?

Yeah, again, it could be root and solar plexus. Right off the cuff, we're definitely going to see solar plexus. I'll call it energetic residue. Or a narrative, a story that is. That's disempowered at the level of self trust, which also then does go to the root because that is a survival instinct. That's a survival tool. Right. That we develop. And so I would say that that is what we would see a lot of in someone's vocabulary and how they speak about themselves. Internal narrative is. Is so huge in my work. Right. Like, how are you gonna be singing, like, diva empowerment song when how you're speaking about yourself is like filth inside, you know, like the vibration that you're gonna be singing that from, the resonance, it's actually not going to activate and captivate your audience, Creating that portal, creating that movement on the other side of that song where some. Someone's going to heal through it or it's going to be an anchor for them when they're in a moment. So, you know, the most powerful art that we create and the most powerful things that we can express or say or do or create come from that healing, come from that clearing. And you don't have to be fully healed to create that kind of experience. It just has to be truthful. Like, sing where you're at, express from where you're at. And that also builds self trust because your cells and your inner self, your inner child, are listening to you. Keep your word and speak a narrative that is true. And when we speak narratives that are not true, we're also now working with the level of the crown chakra and saying we are unworthy in our true state to be seen and received and accepted and loved as is.

Yeah.

Then going back to root, it just cycles.

Yeah. Like, I took this singing lesson and I consider myself to be a good speaker, but not a singer. I like my speaking voice, but for some reason, I don't like my singing voice because of, you know, the conditioning. When you're a kid and you try Singing, people say you're not good. And so even as I was singing and just hearing myself, I had this, like, disgust of hearing my own voice that it made me want to just stop. And it's like, how am I gonna sing this Rihanna song when, like, I am embodying, like, self hatred right now? And that was like that solar plexus of like, I don't even think I'm worthy to sing the song. And I actually stopped going because I felt bad for the guy that he had to listen to me.

Oh, my gosh.

I was like, this isn't for me. And like, this guy was a backup single singer for Usher and he's too good to listen to me try to sing. And. And it's so fascinating because it's like I could speak on a stage to 10,000 people, but sing in front of one person. I'm like, I'm not worthy.

Oh, my God, you so are. And I love you so much. And you actually. You kind of already unwrapped it a little bit. What's underneath that? As you said, I'm trying to sing this Rihanna song. Yeah. And when we don't like the sound of our own voice. And by the way, I didn't like the sound of my own voice until probably a few years ago, and I've been doing this for 14 years, and I've been singing since I was three. And that is a total reflection of accepting, like a level of self acceptance. Like every single thing about me is divine and on purpose. And in the acceptance of that and in the leaning in to get to know what your whole tone, whole embodied, resonant voice sounds like, that's where you fall in love with your voice. And we drop the comparison of trying to sound like the track and we. We search for the resonance and then we. We call that successful. Then we call. Then we actually enjoy ourselves inside of that song.

Exactly. Because it's like, I'm not Rihanna. I'm not her personality. I don't have the same chakras as her. I don't have the same past lives of her. Of course I'm not gonna sound like her as different story, you know, so. And that's, I think, the challenging part of like, we try to sing like other people. We try to speak like other people. And I think often when we're learning, like, even when I started speaking, I would listen to like Gary Vee and Tony Robbins because they're like famous speakers. And I would like, find myself almost like talking like them. Sometimes I'm like, that's not me, you know, like, that's Gary Vee's authentic self. Tony Robbins is. But that's not how I am here to speak. And I think it does take trying on different ident. You really find your own.

Yeah, absolutely. It's. It's such a huge, you know, and it's like, if we can drop the comparison component and just take it as, like, flavors that inform our flavor. Right. It's like a stew. We are all of the people that we have connected with. You know, we're the sum of all the people we've connected with in our lives, all the experiences. That colors our voice, too. That colors our story, that colors our narrative so big. And yeah, I think, like, we spend most of our time in that trial and error stage, and then once we get enough information about, like, what has resonance for us and what doesn't, then we go into, like, the last phase of the development before you do the thing. And that's innovation. That's where we make the principles and the formulas that we've absorbed from our mentors our own. That's where we put our own stank on it, our swag. This is like, the part of artist development I want to, like, just roll around. And I love it so much because this is where we get to mine and harvest for, like, each person's authentic voice. What are they wild about? And how can we create from that place? How can it become a win win for the world and them? The win win for the world's needs and their needs. It's exciting, and it's a journey, and you quit 10 times before you actually start the real work.

And I love how you said our. Even our voices, the sum of all of the people who we have connected with. And I think a lot of people right now have vocal fry as a result of watching the Kardashians, like, the Valley Girl presence in our society. And I've also noticed, noticed, and I do this sometimes, too, of ending sentences going up.

Hey, Monique.

Welcome to the podcast. So good to have you here. I love you so much.

Totally.

And to me, when I hear that, I don't trust that person.

Yep.

It feels ungrounded to me. And I've witnessed myself over time, my voice actually gets lower and lower as I get more grounded and grounded.

Oh, yeah.

So can you speak a little bit about, like, the pitch of our voice? And maybe someone has recognized that they have the voice like this and they're just doing it because all their friends do. How do we catch ourselves and Then deepen into our root.

Yeah. Oh, my gosh. I actually have a practice around this for myself because it's a trauma response. When our voice goes up, it's a constriction in our diaphragm, it's a constriction in our throat chakra, it's a constriction in our root women, it's a constriction in your uterus and your yoni. All of your cervical organs tighten. And then the bottom, your diaphragm tightens and then your vocal cords tighten. And then there's this stepping back of the true self. And then what comes in is the ego that is rehearsed from safety. And usually that high pitch voice is like, everything's okay or just, you know, like, either don't ask me about it or like, I want you to like me. Some form of appeasement. Some form.

Making yourself small.

Yeah, yeah. And just agreeable. And. And like the good girl. The good girl, totally. And it's so that's a mechanism of safety trying to regulate the body is trying. Not trying to mess with you or have you express as some inauthentic being. It thinks it's regulating itself. It thinks it's like keeping you safe. And it is actually doing the opposite. And I have the same reaction when people communicate for me from that place of resonance. I'm like, well, they don't feel safe inside of themselves. Like there's something kind of fake there. There's something I can't feel in my body that makes my body go. I don't want to receive that frequency. So for me, and this is, this is for people who voice note. I voice note a lot.

Me too.

And the place that I find my voice actually doing this still is when I don't have. Have spaciousness. Going back to the first question, it's where I. All my stuff comes up. It's where I contract. It's where I start getting short. It's where I start self abandoning. It's where I like all the voices of not good enough and lack and scarcity all start to penetrate. This is my dojo. This is where I really work it out and refine it. And so how I do that is by listening back to my voice notes before I send them. And it's so funny. I'm in a mediation right now with my ex and we're like on the, you know, we're in. We're using coaches and I intentionally today sent a voice note that I would never, ever send because it was in a trauma response, but because it was my coach, you know, I allowed myself, myself to do that. But usually the practice is to not send voice notes that are in that place. And so when I'm like going back and forth between like session and responding to a client on WhatsApp and then another session, and then this person needs something from me, if I am speaking with urgency or I'm speaking with that higher pitched voice, I delete it. And sometimes I record that message three or four times until I can really ground my voice and ground. And what, what the practice actually is after catching it is asking myself where I want to come from. And when I really sit with that for like just a couple beats, just a couple breaths, it drops me back into my root and it drops me back into the, that lower vibration of the chest that, that energetically communicates more than our words to the other person on the receiving end that you are coming from a true place, that you are connected to what you are saying.

I love that practice of listening to your voice notes because we do them in such an unconscious way. You know, you're running between things and you're doing things, so you're actually hearing yourself in every. Whereas if I go and I sit and I'm like practicing speaking, I'm recording my myself, that's not my true authentic voice. So even when I started podcasting, I, I could not listen to my own podcast. It was, I, I was like, this is a waste of time. There's no point. I already said it. So why re listen to. And it was because I was like so afraid of listening to myself. And I recently went back because we had the five year birthday episode and I went back and I listened to my first two episodes and it was so beautiful to just hear like the deepening of my voice voice. And like, I had so much compassion for that version of me who was just like, I don't know what I'm doing. I have this like 16 microphones. I'm just gonna like talk on it and like see what happens. And, and, and I was also so proud of myself too, for like even just like putting that up. And I can hear the growth.

Oh yeah.

Not in what I'm saying, but how I sound.

Oh yeah, absolutely. And, and for the visual artists on, you know, listening in too, doing this. Coaches, like, when I work with coaches and I want to work with healers who do a lot of lives, their homework is to watch their lives back and take notes about where they're dropping their channel, where they're going into trauma response now. You can apply this wherever you want to your medium, but it's like digest your own vibration. Digest and receive yourself back before giving yourself out.

Yes. I love that so much. And I want to speak about filler words, like, and again, I think in California, where we both met, we don't live anymore, but I feel like saying the word like has become so just normalized.

Yes.

And we are sort of like human parrots that if someone is speaking a certain way, I, I find myself mirroring that person. So once I had a conversation with a friend and she actually just smoked a joint before. So I, I, so she started to say the word like a lot. So then I was saying it, she was saying it. And then after I listened to our conversation, I'm like, right there, there it was. But there was the word like just overused in so many ways. And I'm like, where did this come from? So why do we use these filler words? And how can we catch ourselves in this?

Yeah. So I have a theory that these filler words happen for a couple reasons. One, there's a very practical sense, which is like the repetitive use of those words in our culture and in our media. So again, that parrot effect, right? The mirroring. So when it's locked in, it's literally after a certain amount of repetition, it's been hardwired into our brain and the part of our brain that activates our speech. And so there's that on the more like energetic, emotional, spiritual kind of placement. I feel that likes and ums are a byproduct of a there being scarcity in the fields in your energy and your consciousness and your experience and one's experience, so that they feel like they have to get out what they are saying quickly and that they can't take up space. Okay. And so they begin to fumble on words and there's a constriction which then cuts them off from the train of thought or the clarity they actually do have about what they want to say. And because they begin to again, go into a trauma response, a micro trauma response of, of like, I gotta get this out. That scarcity, that crunch, that constriction cuts them off from fluidity. And so they're pausing, their brain is needing to pause, and they're not really able to be present, which again, presence is gonna bring that fluidity. And presence also is for us as we speak, to hear ourselves in real time, so that we're not just speaking to people, we're having a conversation with, with People and the divine and spirit, and wherever that inspiration is being sourced from, it's its own energetic and information and like encyclopedia of whatever energy and information. So that's one placement. The other placement is not trusting yourself and feeling like you're too much. So not trusting yourself. So you say that you hesitate to actually make your point. Point, dumbing it down a little. And then the too much is going to be the likes. A lot of likes to make it digestible, more digestible for people. And I'm even doing the right because. But for me, that right now is to slow down my thought and come back to the point. So with the too much, I'm too much kind of narrative or belief, you're gonna think that you're too intense or that your clarity actually makes people uncomfortable or shrink. So you shrink yourself or water yourself down to present less. Like, not as like astute is coming up. But not like, not as clear, not as sharp. Because that can be intimidating.

It's so true. Because when I speak with people and you're using a lot of the like, oh my God. Yeah, I feel like I need to do that too. To not come off as this sharp Capricorn bitch.

Know it.

All right. If I'm like, okay. And yes. It feels like in a conversation you want to find the middle ground. And oftentimes it's easier for us to just go our way up like the helium balloon than it is for that person to drop down. They've never done that in their lives before. And again, it's our own unconscious thing. So. So it's us being able to stand and not be afraid to just. I'm going to hold my vibration.

Yes.

Even if that person's over there, I don't need to match them.

Yes. Yes. Hallelujah.

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There's also something else here too that we can like create as another option because like you're saying about dropping down, there's also sometimes and you know, this is for those who are in education, this is for those who are even with raising children. You know, like that's a significant difference in consciousness. And so instead of talking down, which is like the default or like there even being a tinge of that in there, the empowered place that we can step into with owning our sharpness is actually by having a different conversation with ourselves and first adjusting the expectation. And if we are going to Come down and meet someone where they're at for the sake of bridging them into where we're at. Then we look and get curious about that individual's body or, like, vocabulary, their set of vocabulary, to understand, like, what their orientation is with language and where their values lie. And we use it as, like, in that alchemist, magician kind of way, where we're taking language that means something to them that we have a different equivalent for that's more refined maybe, or more like rooted in an academic kind of definition or way. And we can bridge the language gap and then begin to slowly weave or create comparisons of just like, okay, so in my, in my work, this is what we call this. But like, in your, in your work or in your field, this is kind of what the equivalent is. So if I say this word, you know, it's like taking the time to bridge is a way we can step into our power. If this is you too, and you have that, like, I'm too clear and I'm too much.

Right. Or the way you speak is too lofty. And, you know, in coaching, mirroring your client's communication is like 101. If they're. They keep using the word I want to feel freedom, you know, that's a key word for them, use the word freedom. Whereas I might use the word I want to feel peace. Maybe peace is not their priority. It's freedom. So I think it's important to also be listening and weaving in the words that people are using, because at the end of the day, finding your voice is about getting through. You know, you can be saying all of the things and, and it's interesting, I. I noticed myself, like, before, I would like overwrite, over, explain, over, share. And as time goes, I use less and less words. I'm like, how can I say this in even less words? How can I improve? Whereas before, I think it's like, also our conditioning from childhood of I need to make sure I get enough words in this essay. So let me, like, add in some more words and fill this thing up. And I think true communication is just again, I mean, beyond even words. It's energetic, but it's using very meticulous, chosen words that speak that thing across.

Mm, so delicious. Yes, 100%. And that intentionality, you realize when you're present with your words, you actually don't need many. And so like, this work with the voice is really about safety within self and coming home and belonging to yourself. The path of the voice is one of sovereignty, of really stepping into a sovereign Power and distilling your voice, which is your power, like, it's literally connected to where our power centers are. And that is the thing sourcing it, creating, like, its ripple. Does it. Does your word and what you're speaking into the world, is it a big bang and it's undeniable to the universe, or is it like a. That'd be nice. And the universe is like. Well, she doesn't really feel like a full yes. Or like she feels worthy of it. So if we flow these blessings to her, can she sustain it and stabilize it and be responsible with these gifts and steward them well and circulate them? And I don't think so. Not yet. I don't feel that from her vibration as she's spoken that desire into the world. There's one thing I also want to, like, pit stop on that you brought it back to, which is listening. This is a big part of the throat chakra. So. So in the medical field, you have an ears, nose, and throat doctor. And this is someone who specializes in the anatomy of the throat and the throat chakra. And so I love that, and I'm so grateful for that bit of, like, proof, right, that they're correlated. But our voice, our ability to articulate with intention and express ourselves and really, where that. Where we refine the inner dialogue comes in, our ability to create a relationship with silence and create a relationship with listening. So often from the place of I'm not enough, we eject ourselves from the present moment of listening to another person because we are more concerned with how we're going to respond to. To them and what value now we're going to add versus listening and knowing that everything you need of value is right here to be responded to. Conversation is live alchemy, which is why we never get tired of it, because it's something new every time. I love that, you know, and so, like, there's some real healing to be had around listening. And again, I'm gonna bring it back to the trauma cycle because. Because our ability to listen directly reflects our level of safety in our body. And this is where we now get into fight, flight, or freeze. There's other things that have been added there, but for, you know, flight, fight, or freeze. And we activate the parasympathetic nervous system into survival mode. So when that happens, the inner hairs of our ears behave like that of. Of a dog's tail. So when a dog's tail. When a dog has done something wrong, it gets scared and it tucks its tail. When we're in A place of survival or urgency like that. Our tail are the hairs of our ears and our actual tailbone as well as our shoulders. And so the hairs of the ears begin to bend in, which decreases our ability to hear high frequency by half, Meaning our ability to hear is only gauged towards and available for low vibrational conversation and communication, which is why people don't hear each other when they're fighting. Right? You're in an argument, you're like, you're not listening to me. And it's like, of course they're not listening to you, because they're in a trauma response. They don't feel safe. Safe. And they can only pick out the negative thing that you said, not the positive thing, because that part of their anatomy is actually shut down and unavailable. And so when we regulate the nervous system, when we can ground that parasympathetic nervous system again, the hairs of our ears begin to open, and then they, like, start to wiggle like this, the way a dog's tail would wait when it's really happy. And so the key to our listening is nervous system regulation. And there's some really quick ways to do that that take a few minutes from just stomping our feet and having that heel vibration. But the rhythm of those stomps need to be in a specific, consistent order so that the current, the vibrational current that's shooting up from the base of the feet, ripple up the spine and hit the back of the skull, vibrating that pulse from the earth into our inner ear chamber, which shakes the hairs of the ears, helping to, like, manually ground the parasympathetic nervous system. And this process is called bone conduction. We also can achieve that through specific toning seed sounds. I use hum and ham often with my students to develop both the lower chakra and the higher throat chakra. Hum and ham are the Sanskrit mantras for vishuda, the throat chakra. And so when we use the technology of that mantra sound, it does the same things. It allows our throat chakra to open and blossom like the lotus that it is. And then for our ears and hearing as well. And so we can drop into that at any point. We can stop, drop, and hum, as I like to say, at any moment, even in social gatherings, because it doesn't have to be loud. The vibration is for us to absorb from the inside side, and that is its own cellular reconfiguration.

Thank you for those beautiful tips. I did this breath work practice that involved humming, and I didn't want to stop. It was like, once the hum came through. I was like, why am I not doing this all the time? Like, this feels so amazing. And just the way that we can give ourselves a vibrational healing free instantly. Hello. Why aren't we doing this? We should. That I surrender.

That's right. You know, like just singing a little diddy like that. How does that feel in our body? Like instant attunement, instant state shift. And it's real and it's lasting.

Yes.

I hope all of you after this find a song that just really embodies your joy. And you don't have to sing it well, it doesn't have to sound good, but just hum it in all the ecstasy and bliss and permission that you can muster up in that moment and just hum it out and see how you feel.

Totally. And that's why I love karaoke, because it's just such an instant state shift. And also I love it too, because it allows you to in a fun way. Like, I love doing the Toni Braxton unbreak my heart on that energy. And then Celine Dion, I try that on and it like, lets you step into different archetypes. It's really playful way as long as you're. And it's funny because when I'm doing that, I'm never judging myself. I'm having the best time ever. It's like when I feel like I'm like trying to sound good, that's when the pressure. Because that's when the comparison comes on. But if I. But the actual act of singing. Singing is so joyful for anyone. Just like dancing. Dancing genuinely is joyful for anyone. If you don't like dancing, it's because you're judging yourself.

Yeah. It's because you have some trauma to work out. For real? Yes, 100%. Yeah. And you know, like, for those that. That resonates with. Just know that it is shiftable and it is possible because I still have those moments, someone who does this, where, like, I have to move some. Like when I am going through something, I have to make sure to move my physical because I will regress to an old pattern of freeze. And same thing with my voice. Like when I take my takes too seriously in the studio, my capacity to actually express decreases significantly. And then I become frustrated with myself. And it's because I've dropped the fun out of it. And the fun is the whole point. That's the state shift. That's what keeps us coming back. That's what creates ecstasy. And this also, we can tuck it right back into that crown chakra. That's part of this vocal chain. And there's some real medicine there to having a practice that is joyful and fun because it's rewriting a much deeper narrative culturally that says we have to earn that and that it's not something that we just are deserving of as like it's our birthright. Joy is our natural state. And so it feels so foreign. And I love this LeVar Burton quote, shout out my reading Rainbow Peeps. He says we have to practice our authentic selves. And it's because we've practiced our inauthentic selves most of our lives trying to fit in.

I love that so much. You know me, joy is. Is the medicine. And that's why sharing your voice is so important, because it allows you just such a wide range of expression to channel your joy. And to channel. And not just your joy, your anger, your sadness, your heartbreak, your. All of it. And just beautiful. Exactly. And that's why we're here to express. And you shared with me something so beautiful, it really stuck with me. And it's the difference between being a channel and a vessel. So can you share with me this? Because I feel like there's a lot of conversation around channeling. And channels are very popular. Abraham Hicks this, that. But what is it to go beyond that into being a vessel?

I love this topic. I have so much emotion that comes up when you just ask this. Because it's the hero's journey of the sage and of the medium to go from channel to vessel. Because it's a. It's a facing of oneself in order to distill and purify the instrument that they are and become a responsible, safe, stable, consistent vehicle for spirit to rely on. It's about that consistency piece becoming available. And so, you know, just to break down, like this concept of channeling I mentioned, like, I think everybody can channel because what channeling is, is a state that we reach through a discipline of being in stillness and being inside of ourselves enough to be present with everything that is there with us in that moment as it unfolds. So essentially, being a channel is having access to something greater than what is obvious to the eye or the physical realm. And so being a channel means that we have access to these really cool things. Light, language, information, future knowledge, past knowledge, melody, words, poetry, downloads, mic drops, all the things access. But can you access it on demand? That is a whole nother thing. That is where you become the vessel. When you know how the control system in this intangible, tangible space works for you. And it's not like a one size fits all. This is highly, highly personal. And that's where that intimacy, that self trust is developed. And that's where the comparison is dropped. And the fullness of your design and vibration and expression is embraced and integrated into the system. Then you become a vessel. Because what then is able to occur is completion. Access is granted to those who can still themselves enough to be present. What is available to the vessel is consistent blessings, wisdom, creation, ideas, guidance. And that happens when we become a responsible space for the universe to flow all of that through, knowing that we're going to be responsible, stewarding those gifts, circulating it back into the world. Why? Like, if you're a songwriter, if you're a poet, if you're an artist of some sort and you're so frustrated and you have writer's block, writer's block is. There's many different ways, but if you're just. The well is dry, a place to really check in with is like, have you done something with what you already have been given or have you put your songs out? You know, like, I intentionally don't write music. Like, I'm not writing music right now unless it is pouring out of me and it's cathartic. But I'm not going to write music unless I'm being brought in for a session and I open the channel for that session with that artist and we're in a flow and I'm intentionally helping collaborate and steward something that's going to see its life through, whatever that is. Right. And then we, we define that. That's like the, the next step is like, how do you define the completion of that blessing, of that inspiration, of that wisdom attained, taken, given, received. Because it's not for us to harvest and, and just keep. It's for us to share. And so that's the responsibility and the cree of the vessel is being someone that can complete and birth in fullness those creative babies, you know, into the world and let them have a ripple, regardless of the impact. But oftentimes we. We have to. We were so obsessed about controlling the metric or the impact that we don't even put things out. I know that that's been one of my greatest blocks. And it's something I've been actively healing. And every song I put out, it's like, it's so big for me because I'm overcoming so much. I'm overcoming visibility, fears of visibility and saf. I'm overcoming another layer of criticism. I don't want to, you know, take or I'M afraid to take and if people don't like it or if it's not high quality enough to qualify me for the next level of creation and collaboration, you know, just all of these things. And. Yeah, so it's like, it's the hero's journey for the artist, I think. Truly.

Yeah. I recognize even myself in that process of channel two vessel. Channel being. Like you said, like, I used to have a story of, oh, well, I can only write when I feel inspired. So, like, I need to go back to Bali. Like, I need to have nothing on my calendar. And if I don't have that, no way I can write like, it's gone. And then one day, I just, like, the entire book proposal for Discover your Dharma came out literally in. I wrote the whole book proposal in three hours. It takes people, like, months to write a proposal. Just, like, one chance to transmission, not an edit. Like, that was it. And then I. Man, you know, then I had a book deal, and I'm like, wait, but I have a business to run. And, like, all these responsibilities and things, like, I. I can't. I sometimes just have an hour between calls, and that's all I have to write. And I was like, that inspiration is within me. And that taught me, like, in that hour between calls, what can I write? And then I realized I don't need the full. Sure, it would be nice, but I don't need it. And it actually allowed me to take. Tap in to the creativity on demand that now, like, even recording a solo cast on the podcast before, I was like, oh, I need to just, like, let the inspiration hit me. And now I'm just like, I can hop on the mic and deliver and just. And I'm channeling. But it's that on demand. I know it's always there. And I don't have to, like, wait for the muse. I am the muse.

Hey, hey.

And every single person has that. And I think sometimes it comes when you have no choice. Like, it's like, okay, I either drop my creativity or I figure out a way to make this work in the nooks and crannies of life. And then you realize you never needed those training wheels in the first place.

Yeah. Also in what you were saying, like, with the hour that you just had and that commitment like that more than what was created inside of that time. Because the compound effect of that is actually the structure of the vessel, which is you're becoming someone who does that. It's much more than the product, but it's again, that it's the becoming of, like, who you be. You're someone, like, who meditates. You're someone who writes. It ingrains, and it becomes part of your identity, and you own it in a different way, you know? And when you own it a different. Again, it's just like, the more you own it, the more it gives.

And I love what you said about the sharing of it. So I've been writing a lot of poetry recently, and again, I just write it and I just, like, put it on my Instagram, like, not. I don't edit it, Nothing. And it's just, like. And I feel like that's why so much of it is coming through right now, because I'm just letting it come through and I'm sharing it. So then more comes and I'm, like, tapping into the. Well, whereas I know. And I've done this too. Like, even with my My Joy book, I've just been, like, sitting with, like, writing it and, like, kind of holding onto it, and it hasn't seen the light of day. And I've been working on it for over a year, and now I'm, like, not even sure if I'm going to do it or not. And, like, honestly, I could have probably released it at this point, but it's because I'm holding onto it that then it, like, you know, it molds. You know, it's like that energy of it, like, molds and clusters. And then you're like, oh, God, I got to clean it. Like, I didn't even. Like this. I need to redo it.

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

But when it's out, it's like you're. You don't. It's not even in your field anymore, so you can't redo it. So you have no choice but to channel the new.

Yep. When we finally put it out, like, we make that space for more. Right. And so, again, like, I don't know for you, but for me, I totally, totally mirror that, like, keeping it and could have released it already a year ago type of thing with, like, a music video and a single that I have right now that's going to be out in a month and a half. So it's like, that could have been out in January easily. But I made reasons. And, like, you know, what was underneath that reason was, you know, all of my stuff and probably, like, a little bit of, am I going to be able to top this? And, like, having the faith that more will come and more will come, because you will always grow. We will always grow. Meaning that the way Things hit the way we understand it, the way we translate it, and the way we shape, share it will be new as well. And so just really trusting the process of the natural evolution and that, like, we are literally created to effortlessly evolve. That is our truest program, is to evolve.

Yes. And to not be afraid of how it will be received. We're not responsible for that. You know, like, our media has created this world where we're rating and reviewing people like, as if every person's on Yelp. I mean, even, like, with my book coming out, like, the most anxious part of every single book coming out for me has been reading the Amazon reviews. And it's because it's like you pour your heart out there. It's like printing out pages of your diary. And then people are just like, meh, I didn't like her writing. You know, and it's soul crushing. And you can't let that stop you, you know? And I see so many people, they don't put out their artistry. They don't share their voice because. Because they're afraid that it won't be received. People won't like it. People will make fun of them. People will think, oh, who does she think she is? Like, I knew her back in high school and she wasn't like that. Or I work with her, and she's no spiritual person. So how do we overcome that fear of people not receiving our creativity?

Yeah. So when we have those voices airing, we first get to recognize that those are our own judgments of ourselves. That's the problem we have with ourself. Like, there's a part of us. There's a mean girl or mean guy inside of each of us that's, like, talking shit to us about, like, our. Our greatest, like, fears. Like, I don't want to come off inauthentic. So if someone ever called me inauthentic or out of integrity, I would be freaking crushed. You know, like, that would cut me to the core. And I'd have to go, like, I'd have to process it. And so, like, we hire and fire people in our life all the time to represent the internal voices that live inside of ourselves, to make it real, straight up. So, number one, it's like, as soon as you see that, like, how can you take responsibility for that voice and those judgments of yourself and. Because that's going to lessen the urgency because we're putting it outside, and it already makes us feel out of control, which makes us want to control more. Right. So it's a huge, just, like, Decompress real quick, diffuse it. And then I'd say, like doing that inner work little by little, gently. And the more that again, we practice those, like, moments of presence and we create that trust within our. Inside of ourselves, ourselves. And we do our practices, those practices really on a subconscious level inform our identity. And once we have that practice going and that identity starting to percolate in form at the beginning, it allows us little by little to advocate for our uniqueness more and more until we're not in comparison, until we've given ourselves full permission to be heard, seen, loved, accepted in the unique expression that we are without any modifications for another. But if we, other than ourselves, if we want that modification and that shift for ourselves. Oh, yeah, but if it's from the come from to serve another, it's usually not coming from consideration. It's coming from our own need to.

Yeah, yeah. And I think again, it brings us back to. Then we're so afraid of that rejection and that abandonment that we adapt our voice and we try to talk like this and use the word like and like, maybe if I make myself small and palatable, then you'll. You'll love me. And then that very thing is what draws people away, you know, And I think for. There was actually a study by the People's Research Institute of the number one thing that people don't like about someone else. And can you guess what it was?

Their voice. Oh, no, I have no idea.

Body language. It's a feeling that someone's being inauthentic.

Oh, okay, okay, okay.

So this is like a deep one for. For everyone that no one wants to feel that way because we don't want that. But then here we are distorting ourselves so people don't think we're inauthentic.

Yeah, yeah. And just like, as, like an honesty check for everyone, like, knowing that fact is actually very powerful because then we can approach life with the understanding that even if someone doesn't understand trauma, even if someone doesn't understand what we've been through or know our history, their body's intelligence knows how to translate vibration fluidly. And they know it's the symbol of, like, I don't really like that guy or something. You know, something's a little off about that person. You know, like, they're nice, like, but I don't fully trust them. It's like, yeah, trust that, trust that. And then ask questions in the right time for yourself. But, like, everybody at some degree is responding to your truth, whether you are offering it or not.

Yes. I always say your voice is like your calling card. You know, you could just hear someone say the word hello and know so much about them. And that's why I think it's so important in this social media world. We're missing that, you know, you don't really hear people's voices, even on reels. They're not talking, they're just pointing at things and mining. Exactly. That is like, how can I know anything about you? How can I hire you to be my coach if I'm never heard of your voice? It's like blind dating, essentially. And I think that it's, like, it's quite interesting if you actually analyze, like, the way social media has gone. It's like everything but the voice, you know, And I think Clubhouse was the platform that was all about the voice. But that shut, you know, kind of didn't shut down. People just don't use it for whatever reason. I guess podcasting is that medium, but it's less conversational, more say it's more like just us two talking, people listening. So, yeah, like, something to really sit with for people listening. Like, have you ever shared your voice on your social media? Like, if I found you, can I hear your voice anywhere?

Yeah. I love that.

Mm. Yes. And another thing that I just want to touch upon because it's related to this is also body language and eye contact.

Totally.

So a lot of people who have that throat chakra blockage, which we've clarified is not just your. Your throat, but it's often related to your root and other chakras as well. But I noticed that there's this. It's inability to look into someone's eyes because you're afraid of being seen, you know, so how can we, if we know this about ourselves? Like, you have a hard time really maintaining eye contact with people. Do you have any tools or practices for that?

Yeah. I'd say number one is breath. Ujjayi. Breath.

Breath.

But really like doubling the. The time of the exhale. This is going to significantly ground the parasympathetic nervous system, which will allow you to hold a gaze. It's all connected to safety. It's greater than the visibility component. We can latch onto that visibility story. It's true. Like it is. And underneath that is a sense of not feeling safe within yourself or knowing yourself enough to be seen. It's that, like, feeling of like, you're seeing more than I can see type thing.

Yeah.

They feel so naked. So it's like, if you know that this is what happens for you before you go into those conversations, like taking a couple breaths, grounding and finding an intention around like why you're going to connect with this person or why you're going to start a conversation or what this conversation is about and what the goal is that conversation is. Maybe it's like a very intense like conversation where you're bringing up feedback or triggers or something like this. And like the throat's already doing its thing and you're having a hard time making eye contact. And that only when our eye contact connects with also like the pace and speed of our thoughts. And so the more that we do that, the faster we are propelling our thoughts, which again, it just like, it's like this black hole nervous system crash into panic. And so breath intention have an anchor, like an internal totem to come back to, to remember. Right. We're talking about this. I also hold mudras when I talk to people. So for me, this is like my.

Your two pointed fingers up.

Yep. And I, I rest it on my ro root, usually whether I'm standing up or I'm sitting down. And it really grounds me, anchors me into alignment and safety and creates like a closed circuit of my energy.

So I often find myself like holding my womb space.

Yeah.

You know, it's just like that power center that we hold.

Yeah. But safety.

I feel like the, the eye contact thing. I mean, I think we all do. And then like certain people probably trigger it more sometimes. It's like the people who have the very intense gaze, it like triggers you into not being able to hold it. And I think there is a level maybe in the conscious community of like the over gaze.

Totally.

No, and you're just like, totally. I can't stare into your eyes any longer. And we're not talking, we're just breathing, you know, But I think for so many people, they also don't recognize how much they can't hold the eye contact. The majority, majority of the population is like that. And when you, you know, when you're in a world like, of conscious friends and people where you're like really seeing each other and then you're with someone who's not, like, it actually can even trigger rejection for the other person. So like, you might be in your own of like, oh my God, like I feel weird, like I can't keep eye contact, but you're making that other person feel like they don't really want to see me.

Oh, nice. Yeah. Yeah, dude. I actually have to check myself, myself all the time because I can get very intense in My Aquarian Gemini, like, communication. And I can see. I, like, see the feedback live. And I'm like, oh, soften the gates. Like, it's getting intense and serious. Mikaela. You know, it's like, you can keep saying your thing, but maybe add a smile or, like, what is. How do I want them to feel, receiving this energy? Like, bring that energy to your idea eyes.

So instead of, like, are you consciously saying this in your head or.

I'm totally consciously saying this, cueing myself.

Because I feel like, subconsciously I'm always feeling into how I'm being received. Like, okay, am I losing this person right now? And then you're kind of, like, manipulating into, like, okay, how do I keep the conversation going? But for me, it's always a very subconscious thing. So it's interesting how you're like, oh, okay, I'm losing that person. Like, bring in the eyes.

Like, yeah, it's mostly if it's too intense. Right. And, like, I don't want this. Them to absorb my intensity. That's like, that requires consent.

Right.

And I'm not trying to, like, be, you know, you. We've all had conversations with those kind of people who you feel run through after, you know, they talk to you. And I have totally done that in my past. And I've learned, like, just micro things of just, like, you know, like, I'll talk to you like this, and I get really excited. I'm like, blink. I just blink. And it resets the gaze. And then, you know, it's just, like, little simple things. It doesn't have to be, like, super in your head and regulating and like, oh, my God, how am I? Because that will take us out of the moment, too, and people can feel that as well.

Yes. And I think overall, with sharing your voice, it's living in alignment with your purpose and your truth. And when you're doing that, that you don't even need to, like, figure out the words. And you're not really in your head anymore about doing it. It's just, like, the transmission of who you are. So would you like to leave us with any final songs or words to be help just anchor this resonance in?

I'm going to take a second to, like, drop in and see what wants to come up. I think I went into comfort zone just like, a little. A little verse and chorus. Yeah. Because that's what it's all about, right, Y' all getting out of our comfort zones so we can be in our higher self. Yes. All right, this song is tuned to the Crown Chakra actually. And to call forward, call into that embodiment. Right. As I mentioned, when I started writing this kind of body of work, it was really documenting the guidance that I was receiving from spirit. And, like, my healing and my healings were these songs, and I got to sing them to myself before I ever sang them out to people, to work its medicine through me so that I could actually be a true match, to represent it in the world. And so it's a really potent prayer, and it to this day reveals layer after layer after layer as life unfolds, meets me and I meet it. This prayer always just, like, brings me back to that place of power and choice and, like, the realization that I have been chosen with these gifts, for these gifts. Yeah.

Standing at the steps of my new home Searching for the strength to take the throne Inches between all what's right and wrong My heart hurts but I.

Know.

I'm giving up what's good to hold what's great I'll honor the divine to meet my fate Surrender to my purpose and find my place here I know what it takes and I gotta get out I've gotta get out Gotta get out of my comfort zone and are you gonna claim your worth? We need your light to heal the earth and will you sigh a safe.

Life.

To know what it is to live? Yes. What it is to.

Are you going to claim your worth? We need your light to heal the earth and will you sacrifice a safe life to know what it is to live? We're deep in the portal. So good.

Just felt all of that, and that's it. It's moving past our comfort zone and continuously moving towards that thing that scares us, but we know is going to bring us to our highest point of expansion, and that is why we're here.

Yeah.

We're here to evolve. And I know for someone listening to this right now, you know it's sharing your voice.

Yes.

In a bigger way, in your authentic way. And it doesn't need to look like singing. It doesn't need to look like podcasting. It doesn't need to look like social media. It could just look like speaking your truth.

Yeah.

To one person.

That's it. There are, like, you guys. There are over 8 billion. We're almost at 9 billion people on the planet. One of my homies and someone who I've worked with as a mentor before, Preston smiles. He says all the time to his. To his coaches in training. There are at least 100,000 people in the world of almost 9 billion who will resonate and match with your message in only the way that you can deliver it. And that goes for everyone. With a message and a mission and a vision and a voice place, there are people. Go find your people. But your people are going to come to you and be reflected to you in your life to the degree that you are willing to get real with who you really are. So attract those people from the realest, most honest place that you can reach. And yes, you're going to have to dig for that. You're going to have to work for it, and it's going to be. Be so worth it. So worth it.

Yes. Thank you for all of that. I'm so grateful that I've found myself to be a vibrational match with you, Queen sister. So grateful to everyone listening on the podcast. You're here for a reason. This is not a conversation that majority of the population would ever choose to listen to, you know, because most people are still so succumbed to our culture's numbness.

Yeah.

Hi. How are you? I'm good. How are you? And that's considered conversation. Like, it actually kills me. Like, it physically gives me pain to have small talk because it's like, there is so much more depth that we can go to. I want to know why you cry at night, and I want to know what makes you laugh, and I want to know what you think about. Like, I want to know these things. And do you like coffee? You know, so when you share your voice and you have those conversations, it's like, I'm always that person who, let's say everyone's just, like, talking about, I don't know, like, politics or the weather. I'm like, what is one of your fondest memories of life? Like, be that person to drop in. Be that person to take it a level deeper. Because everyone is waiting. We're just waiting for someone to give us permission.

And someone's waiting for us to give them permission.

Yes. Well, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful message, story transmission. And where can people listen to your music and connect with you further?

Absolutely. Thank you so much. Thank you guys for listening. Yeah, you guys can find me on Instagram, oniquebeneboo. I'll get on TikTok soon. I. I know, I know. There's so much music that I'm gonna. I can't wait to share on TikTok. But for now, if you want to listen to music, I have a few projects that are on Spotify and Apple Music and, you know, all the different streaming platforms. I also have a great YouTube channel if you love 90s music if you love R and B. I've done a really cool thing called 30 days of medicine. 30 covers in 30 days.

And.

And I flipped all these different covers and I put them on like, either R and B, reggae beats and like, I did like, you know, Celine Dion. My heart will go on over like a sick beat, you know.

Amazing. It's so fun.

So there's different projects for different moods and different flavors, but you can find me online at Monique Venabou almost everywhere.

Well, thank you so much for sharing, Queen. We are so grateful.

Yeah. Thank you guys so much. Blessings.

Oh my goddess. How incredible was that conversation with Monique? I received so many gems around the Voice and was able to share some of my own experience as well. For me, speaking has been my greatest life's gift and it's something that I believe any of us have inside of ourselves. It just takes diving into the wisdom of the voice. So if you are interested in learning more about making your voice, your message, your career, right now, my docu series, you are multi dimens is available. So this docu series is all about taking all of the unique aspects of yourself and integrating it into your life's work. So head over to the link in bio. It is absolutely free. I share the behind the scenes of my own life, my own struggles, my own dreams and how sharing my voice and my truth throughout it all has been really the guiding force throughout it. So if you are interested, head over to the link in bio. It is so beautifully created and I can't wait to share it with you.

You.

And thank you so much for tuning in today's conversation and I'll see you in the next one. Namaste.

Sam.