Embrace Your Inner Rainbow
Living as your full, authentic self in a world that wasn't built for you feels like being an incongruous rainbow in a monochrome movie.
You've been trained to hide your colors, to dim your vibrancy. And whatever you do, don't point out what's wrong with the world around you. So you comply. You put your head down at that toxic job. You suffer through the unfulfilling relationship. You get by. And you never say anything, even though the effort of holding back everything you see and feel physically hurts.
Even when they say they want your colors, you hesitate. Because once they are released, you'll never fit into their monochrome world ever again.
But what if those colors are inside you for a damn good reason? What if you were never meant for the status quo? Quite the opposite: what if you were meant to show the world how important it is to paint? I'm here to help you reclaim your true colors and stop trying to fit into a society you were always meant to change.
Socialized for Silence
So many of us are socialized to not use our voices fully - especially those of us seen as different in some way. We learn not to speak up, take up space, or stand our ground.
This looks different for everyone. It can feel like needing to ask for permission for the right to exist. The urge to apologize for something you haven’t done yet. The pervasive unease of an impossible standard, of needing to find exactly the right words before you can even contemplate speech. We learn to mask, to blend, to code switch.
It’s exhausting.
When the Body Believes the Imagination
Imagine if you didn’t need to mask, blend, and code switch anymore. If the very qualities that made you feel the need to hide were the same qualities that could help you succeed in the world.
What would happen if you could strip away the layers of societal oppression, family expectations, and social pressure? What if you could quiet the voices telling you who to be - and not be? When all that noise is gone, all you can hear is yourself. And then you can rebuild your world from that authentic foundation, through experience and imagination.
Somatic Voicework is about awareness - of your body, your energy, and your emotions. The voice connects that awareness to your power, allowing you to declare your existence on your own terms. Taken together, this visceral experiencing sets you up to heal, release, and reclaim in a way your body and nervous system can actually believe.
Singing when the world is on fire
Tending to your own well-being can seem trivial with so many dangers looming on the horizon. But this is the most important time to resist the pull of despair.
A single voice gets lost in a crowd. But when people sing together, those around them fall silent to hear. Reclaiming your voice empowers you to be the one leading others in song - whether literally or figuratively. (For a real-world example, see how song leaders in Minneapolis are using this concept to form enormous networks of solidarity and resistance through song.)
One of the most potent acts of resistance available to every human being is to dig into your own humanity and band together with others doing the same. Communities are a far stronger force for change than politicians. And the more resilient each member of a community is, the better equipped to take care of each other.
Working with me
Why now?
"My voice feels tiny and I'm sure so does yours. But put us all together we make a mighty roar."
- Rising Appalachia
In a Voice Movement Therapy session, we work together to create a personalized language of movement, sound, energy, and imagination. With that language, we dismantle stories that no longer serve you, transforming them into new ones that reshape the way you experience and interact with the world.
I am a classically-trained singer, and I bring that experience into my vocal coaching sessions. But I also bring all the imagination and magic from my Voice Movement Therapy training. Using metaphor and movement, we'll work together to discover and develop the unique textures and landscapes of your voice.
1:1 Sessions:
Voice Movement Therapy and Vocal Coaching
Group Offerings
Discover my work in an intentional and transformative group setting. I offer themed workshops, vocal exploration labs, song circles, and collaborative special events tailored for retreats.
Click here to check out my current offering: Inner Child Recess
Who is this work for?
Misfits, Dreamers, and Rebels
A lot of people ask me if my work is only for singers and public speakers - people known for using their voices.
Absolutely not.
I can and do work with both, but the voice is the key to so much more. As the bridge between mind and body, the conscious and subconscious, I work with anything to do with self-awareness, empowerment, and expression.
This leads to absolute magic, both reverent and silly. Imagine using song to practice assertiveness and boundaries. Or chicken noises to explore patriarchal dynamics within your family. Rolling on the floor to remove yourself from societal boxes. Singing a lullaby to your inner child. Or confronting your inner criticism, only to discover what a melodramatic drama queen she really is.
I've worked with artists to expand their craft. Healers preparing to step into elderhood, and friends working together to practice assertiveness. I've worked with generational trauma, anxiety, and relationship quandaries.
Please note that this work is most effective if you have already developed a baseline of self-awareness. Experience in the arts (at any level) is also a plus. Finally, I work best with those who don't take themselves too seriously and enjoy it when therapy goes to surreal, bizarre places.
If you'd like to connect with me to find out if we might be a good fit, please book a discovery call. We'll meet on Zoom and talk about your goals, my methods, and address any questions or concerns you might have. I look forward to meeting you!
Kind Words
"I have worked with Kaatje both one on one and in group settings and I can say she is one of the most caring, intuitive, humble, authentic, and creative people I have ever met. Through her one on one sessions we built safety for me to discover through my own voice and movement a path of discovery and healing. I was able to let go of self inhibitions and gain confidence in my ability to find my inner voice and my inner dance."
- Tony
She's like a detective for the body and emotions.
R, age 6
It's impossible to feel embarrassed around Kaatje. She makes me feel safe to express whatever is inside, no matter how strange or ridiculous.
Julia
I cannot recommend Kaatje enough! She helped me see deep-rooted patterns, at a SOUL level. I had no idea I could use my voice to heal and feel my body until working with her.
Domenica
Kaatje is such a comforting, opening, wilding, freeing essence for me to work alongside. She relaxed my nerves with her own freedom.
Capri
Get in Touch
Explore how I can support your journey. Reach out to set up a free discovery call today!
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