how I went from hiding my singing from everyone to sharing it with the world

For most of my life, fear and self-doubt ruled how I showed up in the world.

I stayed quiet when I wanted to speak. I kept my gifts in the background because it felt safer than being seen. Deep down, though, I knew I had the potential to live joyfully as my fullest self.

I just didn’t yet know how to feel safe enough to be that person.

the fear of being seen & heard

I’ve loved singing for as long as I can remember.

If you were to peek into my childhood, you’d find me performing musicals by myself, imagining the thrill of being on stage…safe behind the walls of my bedroom.

But outside those walls, I shrank.

In school, I did everything I could to blend in. I sang in choir throughout elementary and middle school, but sang quietly, terrified of actually being heard. That fear of being seen and heard was overwhelming in my body…so much so that when I entered high school, I quit choir altogether.

When my teacher asked why, I lied and said I just wasn’t interested anymore.
But the truth was, I was terrified of being seen.

For years, I kept me voice hidden—even from family and friends—and that fear seeped into everything: my relationships, my confidence, and my body.

I convinced myself that hiding was the best way to stay safe.

how fear lived in my body

Beyond the opportunities I was missing out on…I didn’t realize how deeply I was holding fear, until it began to show up in my body as chronic tension and pain. I was constantly in survival mode, and that kept me operating in people-pleasing, overthinking, and suppressing myself in order to keep “safe.”

When I finally sat with these feelings and experiences and named them, they were:

Not speaking my truth: avoiding conflict and hiding my real feelings (from others and myself). I thought silence would keep the peace, but it only distanced me from myself.

People-pleasing: contorting myself to fit what I thought others needed. My body carried the weight of that pattern in the form of tightness in my chest, tension in my back and shoulders, until I learned to soften and set boundaries.

Insecurity & self-image: tying my worth to others’ opinions and to how “productive” I was.

Co-dependent relationships: seeking safety in others instead of myself.

Living in survival mode: constant overthinking and self-criticism kept me in fight-or-flight.

the turning point

In 2017, a dear friend invited me to a healing group called Heart Circle. I didn’t know what to expect, never experiencing communal healing before—but I said yes.

One of our first exercises was profoundly simple: sit across from a stranger, hold eye contact, and stay present with love in your heart.

That sounded easy enough, but when I sat there under the gaze and focus of a stranger, my nervous system screamed. My heart pounded. In that moment, being so vulnerably witnessed in silence, I could feel all the ways I had been bracing against the world.

But something miraculous happened: as I stayed with it, breathing into all the nerves, acknowledging the thoughts racing through my head, my body began to let go, sink, and relax. For the first time, I integrated what it was like to be seen gently, without judgment. That moment was like a balm for a deep wound I had been carrying for most of my life.

truly feeling confident

Up until then, I had tried to “think” my way into confidence, trying to outthink fear. If I could just “be a certain way” or “avoid certain situations”. If I made sure I did exactly what other “confident” people did, I would be okay.

But for me, true confidence had to be felt, and the way for me to get to it was to move through the fear… not around it.

For me, this safe, sacred space and somatic healing changed everything.

I learned to be with and listen to the fear in my body instead of pushing it away.

Through grounding, breathwork, and nervous-system regulation, I found safety to slowly begin softening the patterns that kept me quiet.

I practiced speaking my truth in safe spaces that held my nerves with unwavering kindness and love.

I reconnected to my own needs and boundaries.

I stopped measuring my worth by perfection and started honoring my body’s wisdom instead.

As I began to listen to my body and take small, courageous steps, my life started to align. I left draining jobs, built supportive relationships, and, little by little, actually began sharing my singing voice with others. First with my partner, then with my friends and family, then my close community, and eventually, with the world.

coming home to my voice

Sharing my voice has become a living metaphor for everything I teach and embody now.

It’s not about perfection. It’s about trusting that your voice—spoken, written, sung—is worthy of being heard, just as it is.

At this joyful studio, I now help others experience that same transformation: from self-doubt and fear to grounded, empowered self-expression. Through somatic coaching and creative practice, I support deep-feeling, soulful people find the safety to share their true voice, whether in art, work, or everyday life.

If you’ve been hiding your gifts, I see you. And your voice is worthy of being heard, exactly as it is.

It would be my honor to walk beside you as you reconnect with your voice, your body, and your creative spirit.

Because when you’re lit up, you light up the world.

If this story resonates with you, and you’re ready to be seen and heard in your own way, I’d love to support you.

book a free connection call to explore how this practice can help you find safety in your authentic voice and share your gifts with confidence.