Meet Heather Gross

We recently connected with Heather Gross and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Thank you for having me! That is such a great question. My love of singing began at a very young age. My earliest childhood memories were filled with humming, singing, dancing, and vocalizing around the house, and performing one woman shows in the living room for my dad. Since early childhood, singing has been my passion and joy, but I also struggled with expressing myself vocally, and am still on my vocal healing journey.

Growing up in the theater, I got to witness so many people living as their true selves. The theater was a place of acceptance and validation. As I grew older, I always found my way back to the theater, back to performing, and back to singing. Through trauma, I lost myself and my voice. I worked with a variety of voice teachers and vocal coaches and we tried many techniques to increase my volume. There were many helpful approaches, but I was left feeling frustrated by the constraints of my own voice. I thought there was something innately wrong with my voice, and that there was something wrong with me. I wanted someone to go in there and “fix” it!

My voice teachers utilized all of the vocal techniques in the world, yet no one had ever explored how my mind and body interfered with my ability to live vocally. What story was I carrying in my larynx? What burdens was I carrying? And what was my throat protecting me from?

Through self healing practices, I have learned how to gradually unburden my mind, body, and voice through self care, various healing modalities, and somatic mind-body practices.

When I began working with my gender affirming voice clients, I felt like I was right back in the theater, right back in my safe space, and fully aligned and connected. I had this deep inner knowing and need to serve the transgender and gender diverse population from a trauma informed lens. I said, “Okay, universe, I see you! I hear you! This is my purpose.” I have always felt safer in queer spaces. I truly could not be sharing my story without witnessing the courage of my clients each and every day. This community has allowed me to explore my own identity and live truly. It is my hope to provide a refuge right back by holding a sacred space for healing and creating a deeper experience of an embodied life and authentic self expression. This has been a huge part of my healing!

My voice has transformed from a source of confusion, embarrassment, and pain to a wealthspring of joy, passion, grounding, releasing, and healing. I am now a mind-body integrative voice specialist with a focus on gender-affirming and trauma-informed voice. I help people by holding a space where they can safely explore their authentic self through sound. I work with those who feel disconnected from their voice, disempowered by their voice, or dysphoric (negative feelings about one’s voice).

Rather than trying to “fix” the voice, I have created an approach which allows folks an affirming space to access their authentic voice in order to step into their true self expression, to become fully integrated with their voice, heart, and soul.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My mission is to provide holistic and integrative voice lessons for the mind, body, heart, and soul. Live Vocally is a voice studio which provides individualized voice sessions to help you unlock the authentic voice within and help you find a voice that you love. The goal is to not to sound like anyone else, but to find a voice which reflects your innermost self. I do not believe in “good” or “bad” voices. I believe that if you are singing and speaking from a place of love and authenticity, it is impossible for you not to sound beautiful.

I specialize in working with LGBTQIA+ singers and speakers, and provide gender affirming and trauma informed voice sessions. Lessons usually integrate singing and speaking work with breathing, sound healing, mindfulness, yoga, somatic work, and trauma informed approaches.

Through my own vocal and health journey, I have created an integrated approach to help individuals get in touch with their inner voice, access their authentic voice, and become vocally empowered. To live vocally means to find a voice that you love. To live vocally is to say: “I feel heard.” “My voice matters.” “I love my voice.” “I truly love and accept my voice.”

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities and/or skills that have been most impactful in my journey include my experience as a singer living with muscle tension dysphonia and my specialized training in vocal therapy and vocology, my lived experience as a trauma survivor, and my holistic and integrated approach. As a vocalist and trauma survivor, I have learned techniques and tools to heal, prioritize self care for my mind, body, and voice, and become my own health advocate. I am grateful to have the opportunity to integrate all of my passions and experiences in a way that serves the whole person I am working with!

For folks wanting to find their voice and/or integrate all of their passions and find their purpose, know that your authentic voice is already inside of you! You don’t need to go out and find it, or search for it. Your intuition will continue to guide you throughout the journey. Listen to and look for synchronicities, continue to tune into your inner voice, and know that all you learn and go through will guide you to your purpose. Trust your inner knowing.

How would you describe your ideal client?
That’s a great question! I am always looking to connect with soul-aligned humans. My clients are gender diverse, trauma survivors, neurodiverse, and chronic illness and chronic pain warriors. Live Vocally is a space where you will be celebrated and affirmed for being exactly who you are. My ideal client is one who wants to connect with their true voice, and is open to exploring different healing modalities to access their authentic self expression. I work with singers and speakers in the LA area, and virtually everywhere!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Image Credits: Brett Roell Johnny Sage

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