We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alwayne Spencer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alwayne below.
Alwayne, so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.
“This is my story. This is my song.”
I was born four months premature, and the doctors assigned to my case told my parents that I would likely grow up with significant cognitive and developmental delays. From an early age, I had what speech pathologists would call a speech impediment — my words struggled to flow cohesively, and I stuttered terribly. Recognizing the challenges I faced, my parents sought out support and connected with an amazing service provider named Charlotte Allen, who worked at the Lanterman Regional Center in Los Angeles, CA. She provided in-home speech therapy to help me learn to talk and form sentences. At the age of three, I could barely tell my late grandmother, affectionately known as Teacher Mae, simple phrases like “I love you.” My mother often had to translate what I was trying to say.
As a child, I was deeply embarrassed that I couldn’t speak properly like my peers. So, I became mute in public. I only spoke to a few close friends and authority figures at school. This lasted for about 8 years. During parent-teacher conferences, my teachers would praise my quiet demeanor and commend my parents for raising such a well-behaved child. What they didn’t know was that little Alwayne wasn’t quiet because he was obedient — he was silent because he was ashamed to speak.
Yet, even in silence, I had an innate drive for music and an unshakable passion for writing. The words I refused to say aloud became my song — melodies deeply felt through every chord I played, every lyric I sang, and every page that filled itself with words of expression. Every childhood moment I could capture found its way into a journal. I carried a notebook everywhere I went, using it to process my feelings, reflect on my experiences, and express my creative self through the power of words.
When I exhausted my writing, music became my soul’s release — the agent of healing and change. Singing and journaling are what healed me, freed me, and gave me the confidence to be myself in my truest and purest form.
My father reinforced this growth with what I like to call the sword of education. During summers, my brother and I would visit the Inglewood Public Library, where we were required to choose at least three books to read and write reports on. We learned to identify key themes, extract lessons, and think critically. Education became a part of my identity. Together, music, education and journaling shaped my ability to communicate — transforming silence into strength.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Alwayne; its meaning, Powerful and Complete, reflects the essence of who I am. I am a force and a movement— an agent of change. Since graduating from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in 2019, I have learned to walk intentionally in my purpose and embrace the calling on my life.
I vividly remember preparing to walk across the stage at Black Graduation on Mother’s Day that year. As I filled out my cue card, the question read, “What do you want to do with your degree(s)?” I took a moment to seek God for the answer before stepping forward. Just as my name was announced, these words came to me: “You are to Create Spaces of Healing for the Broken.” I took this divine commission and ran with it. It has guided every step of my journey since.
Over the years, I learned the sacred responsibility of being a safe space for others. This revelation led me to establish The AWE LLC, a multidimensional business founded on the principles of compassion, community, and connectivity. Our mission is to empower others through music education, music industry engagement, and mental health-music therapy services — all centered around creating spaces of healing for the broken.
In 2024, this mission came to life through the “I Will Always Worship” Tour, which invited audiences of faith to experience the presence of God no matter the circumstance or background. The tour offered a glimpse into my personal devotion with God. Recognizing the need to bridge the gap between faith and mental health, I launched Music Therapy Live – a program designed to help participants reconnect with themselves and with God while reimagining a life of wholeness, peace, and divine partnership.
Looking ahead to 2026, The AWE LLC seeks to expand its reach through strategic partnerships that promote healthy collaboration, spiritual enrichment, and community healing. Our ongoing initiatives — Music Therapy Live and I Will Always Worship — will continue to serve as vehicles of soul-activism and transformative connection. On the education front, The AWE LLC will also provide a select number of families with College Prep Coaching Sessions beginning February of 2026. Our waitlist is currently open.
Merchandise and additional information about our work are available on our website (thealwayneexperience.com). Through every endeavor, my purpose remains the same: to create spaces of healing for the broken; and in doing so, to remind others that they, too, are powerful and complete.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three most important qualities that continue to guide my journey are <i>Intentionality, Wisdom, </i>and<i> Integrity.</i>
My advice to anyone beginning their own path is simple: BE.
Be yourself at every stage of your life and do not be afraid to shine or make mistakes along the way —there’s grace for that.
Grace is available to aid you in moving beyond where you have been and transition you into the place of unimaginable wonder —the place that feels impossible yet deeply right. It’s right because it’s divinely aligned to your purpose.
I call that place the state of being —a place within yourself and in God where you are both confident and grounded; unwavering in the essence of who you are. Unrestricted. Limitless. Free.
That’s my advice: BE.
“You are not becoming that version of yourself —you already are. So, BE. You are, as you go.” – Alwayne Spencer
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents have ever done –and continue to do– is love me through every phase of my personal evolution, remaining consistent even when it was challenging and difficult to understand my choices. Receiving love and support through every season is truly a gift and I honor them and GOD for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: thealwayneexperience.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/alwaynespencer
- Facebook: Alwayne Spencer
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlwayneSpencer
Image Credits
Vikrant Photography, Hollow3Photography, Alwayne Spencer, Voices of Hope, Camden NJ
