From Silence to Sound: Finding Your Wild Voice

Therapist and nature-based guide Laura Rose shares how an early love of reading aloud and debate gave way to silence after bullying—then slowly blossomed into a wilder, truer voice through chanting, song circles, land stewardship, and community. We explore why language can’t carry all meaning, how sound opens the door, and what shifts when we replace “fit in” with “belong.” If you’re craving permission to express—beyond the rules and into resonance—this conversation will meet you where words begin: in the living pulse beneath them.

Takeaways
1. Your voice often begins before language—in vibration, breath, and sound.
2. High school “fit in” culture can mute authenticity; healing happens in circles that welcome the whole self.
3. Safety strategies (be quiet, take cues, perform “good”) work… until they don’t.
4. Sounding and singing can heal the split between voice and soul.
5. “Presence begins where primal and purpose meet”—and it can take years to find simple, true language for what you know.
6. Nature mirrors our freedom—the wild yard thrives, the manicured one conforms.
7. Speaking your truth gives others permission to find theirs—liberation is contagious.
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Soul Sucker Quiz

Take the Soul Sucker Quiz to learn which Soul Sucker screams the loudest in your mind so you can release them from being in charge and set your voice free!

https://voice-matters.com/soul-sucker-quiz/

Chapters

• 1:25 From eager reader to debate lover
• 2:54 The silence that followed bullying
• 6:38 Healing through song, sound, and chant
• 10:14 When words can’t carry it all + “primal meets purpose”
• 11:33 Big dream: Speaking to liberate others
• 14:54 Body truth: rooted strength vs. anxious constriction
• 16:57 Education, freedom, and the “wild yard”
• 20:55 Anxiety, depression, and the jungle awakening in Peru
• 23:06 New creations: Launching Seasons of Self & women’s circles
• 27:40 Message to her younger self
• 33:17 Pivot Pivot: Fun lightning round questions

Transcript

From eager reader to debate lover

Lauri 0:32

Welcome back to Soulful Speaking. My guest today is Laura Rose. Laura is a soulful pathmaker, seasonal life weaver, and nature-based guide. As a registered therapist and certified life coach, she supports sensitive, heart-centered women in navigating life transitions, healing burnout, and aligning with the natural cycles of life. Very in tune with our wild, untamed, radiant theme for season two. Her mission is helping people design lives that are authentic and aligned with their true essence. One season, one breath, one choice at a time. Welcome, Laura. Thank you, Lori. It's so good to be here. Let's go ahead and dive in. Where did your speaking journey begin?

Laura 1:26

Mm-hmm. My speaking journey began in elementary school. I loved being a part of the debate team because I loved writing and then also engaging with others and you know being up at the podium in front of the class. Actually, as I'm saying that, I think my speaking journey began when I was reading aloud to the class. Like I was that kid in the class that when they said, Who wants to read this? I was like, me, me, me, me, pick me. Um, yeah, so from a very young age, I just love to read and speak and have my voice heard. But yeah, it then went into debate.

Lauri 2:10

What did you love about reading and having your voice heard at that time?

The silence that followed bullying

Laura 2:17

I don't even think I was aware of it at that time, but reading for me was just this way of articulating, even though it was other people's words, it was my way of articulating myself into the world and kind of taking a bit of space. Um, I was shy in so many other areas. So when it came time to reading, something that I felt quite confident and comfortable with, it felt like it was my space, like my time to shine. And yeah.

Lauri 2:49

And that led you to debate. And where else did it lead you?

Laura 2:55

Well, interestingly, so I also did, you know, some music. Um, I remember being in, I think it was grade six and being the star for the Christmas, Christmas musical and singing on stage, and then actually enter junior high school. I completely closed my voice up because I had been picked on when I was in grade six. And so it led me down this journey of then actually keeping my voice to myself. Um, I wish I could say it led me to like, you know, being on stage and greater things and going into drama and expressing myself, but it actually turned a different path. And I found myself for many years suppressing my voice and stopping speaking.

Lauri 3:42

It feels like high school, whether we stop speaking at that point, for many of us, whether we stop speaking at that point or we make another choice to handle the cauldron, the crucible that high school can be in the face of the bully. Um it's like the true voice, the soul's voice goes offline or out of sync. And for some people, that's silence. And for other people, it's like my mouth is moving and words are coming out, but I'm sort of saying what I think needs to be said in the way it needs to be said in order to be safe.

Laura 4:25

Mm-hmm. Yeah, definitely resonate actually with both of those.

Lauri 4:31

What do you remember? Do you remember it being there being a moment where it was a conscious choice to go silent? Or for you, was it a more gradual process with moments? Mm-hmm.

Laura 4:48

I feel like there was this moment of, oh, I'm not safe. I'm not safe to speak up. I'm not safe to actually show up and express myself. And I I feel like there was multiple things. I mean, of course, you know, being a teenager, the the memories get a little foggy, but I do remember feeling like, okay, I actually don't get to show up and express myself in this way. Um, I need to figure out like it was almost this retreat so I could figure out who I needed to be in the world and how I needed to show up. And so I kind of went into this introversion of, yeah, how how am I gonna be? And it took a lot of time to figure that out.

Lauri 5:31

And I'm guessing that there was an identity, a who you were gonna be that was the safe version of you. What what was that? Who was that person when you found it?

Healing through song, sound, and chant

Laura 5:45

Mm-hmm. The safe version looked like learning how to be more quiet, turning to other people for cues on how I should show up, who I should be, what I should look like, even. You know, it's interesting to me now when I reflect on our voice and how it actually has a ripple effect on, you know, our presence in the world or my presence in the world and how I express myself even through clothing or how my hair and makeup is done if I'm wearing any. And yeah, it turned into this like many, many years of looking to the external world for who I had to be and how I had to show up. And a big piece of that was okay, I have to be quiet.

Lauri 6:31

And what is your relationship to speaking now? Hmm.

Laura 6:39

It's shifting and changing. I would say I'm wanting to get more into speaking. Um, I have this little intuitive, you know, nudge or knowing that I'm meant to be speaking in front of more people than I am. I do a lot of one-on-one sessions, but I know I'm meant to be in groups. And for me, a big piece and pivot of that shift has actually been singing and chanting and using my voice in different ways. And it's been a really big healing process in that of like actually just expressing sound rather than worrying about articulating, you know, these thoughts.

Lauri 7:23

Um I remember writing on like one of my older websites that um speaking begins in a pre-language space, and there's a vibration and a meaning and the urge for what we want to communicate, starts somewhere else. And our society, because of things like, who do you need me to be in order to be safe? For me, it I've recently uncovered, as you know, it's like, well, it's like this good girl thing. If I do the good thing, the right thing, don't ruffle any feathers, don't seem too wild or weird or out there. That was my safe, my equivalent of the safe zone. And from the world doing all of that and many other things, it felt to me like the world is expecting the words to do all of the work of connection and communication. And it can never do that. And there's a Maya Angelou quote that I love words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning. And it feels like the you that was reading aloud in class knew that, and that was part of the gift that you had at whatever age that was already a I can bring this to life. It's my gift or one of my gifts, and I'm comfortable doing it, so I will do it. And now through sounding, chanting, and singing, you're finding your way back to that gift.

When words can’t carry it all + “primal meets purpose”

Laura 9:17

I really appreciate the way you're you're articulating it for me. Which is also the benefit of words. And as you were speaking, I was, you know, reflecting on that, right? I had that enthusiasm when when I would be speaking and bringing something to life. And I noticed that even when I'm storytelling, it is different, you know, reading it in my mind as opposed to bringing voice to it, bringing that expression, that emotion that comes. And at the same time, I notice when it comes time to speaking for myself, um, sometimes it feels like there aren't adequate words in the English language in particular. I don't know if I would have the same challenge if I spoke a different language. Um, but I I I notice sometimes there's there's pieces missing for me. And so that's where sound kind of fills that out.

Big dream: Speaking to liberate others

Lauri 10:15

I love that the the freedom to use the sounds. Um sometimes I feel like there isn't a word in the English language to quite capture a thing, and sometimes uh we haven't found our way to some words, and I when we're in it, I never know which one is it. Um, I was in business for like 12 years before I said the sentence, presence begins where primal and purpose meet. And it came in and it was like, oh, that's truth, and that's what I've been trying to explain to people for 15 years in more words. And one day it just came in, and I went, How on earth did it take me 15 years to get to that? And yet, anytime we speak, anytime we sound, anytime we use our voices, it's like we're discovering and expression expressing our soul's purpose.

Laura 12:26

That that that resonates expressing the soul's purpose.

Lauri 12:34

Um what are your biggest dreams for your voice in the world?

Body truth: rooted strength vs. anxious constriction

Laura 12:42

Very easy question to answer. Um, well, my biggest dreams for my voice are that it actually gives space for others to liberate their voice. And that in expressing myself and using my voice, it actually gives that permission because I I notice, you know, this tendency that we have as humans, which makes sense, you know, we turn to other people for permission on how to be in the world. And, you know, this wild woman energy that I've been embracing. Um a big piece of it is I'm now living on an acreage with landmates who also understand this need to express. And so I get to sing and chant and do whatever I want to do at the top of my lungs, and nobody is saying, Can you please be quiet? It's like, oh, I heard you chanting this morning. I didn't want you to stop. And so I want to be able to do that to, you know, give other people that same permission. And I don't even know what that looks like going forward, but I do have this image, and I'm actually going to a song circle this evening, and I have this image of just being in a circle and giving women in particular permission to just sound however they do, and not be afraid of how they look, how they sound, what comes out, even it's just that full permission to express everything.

Lauri 14:24

Yeah. How does that feel different even as you're talking about it in your body or energetically from what you discovered in high school? How is that free permission different in you? Mm-hmm.

Education, freedom, and the “wild yard”

Laura 14:43

When I speak to that, it's like I feel this strength in my core. I feel this rooted energy, like I can literally feel my root, and it just feels so strong. Like, yes, this is the way, versus and and really expansive, expansive and free. Um, versus, you know, the high school version was just very constricted and tight and anxious, like really, really anxious, actually. Yeah. A lot of fear because what I noticed is when I don't get to express myself, I mean, not only is that saying no to things I want to say yes to, but it's also saying yes to things I want to say no to and giving myself that that space instead of that constricted energy.

Lauri 15:35

Yeah. And there's a when we don't know, it's almost like there's a set of rules in a high school that aren't logical and aren't organic or part of any kind of natural flow that we would understand. So we never know when is the bully gonna go off.

Laura 15:59

Mm-hmm.

Lauri 16:00

When are there gonna be Snickers if I speak up and answer a question fully in class because I know it and I love this moment of the subject matter, which can really have a cost. Mm-hmm.

Laura 16:16

Absolutely. And I mean, it makes sense, you know, we're starting to look to our peers for how we fit in and belong in the world. And during a time where there's all these hormones, and you know, when I studied um childhood development in in therapy school, I was like, okay, this makes sense why it happened. And of course, you know, that teenage version of myself still conditioned all these patterns that I now get to unravel and yeah, reprogram.

Lauri 16:46

Do you think that um there is a way that society could do things differently so that there was more people really discovering who they are in that phase of life? Or is it part of our journey that we're meant to wind something up and then unravel it, or both and how much time do we have?

Anxiety, depression, and the jungle awakening in Peru

Laura 17:17

I know that's a question I haven't asked anybody else. Okay, yes, I believe there is an element of both because I do feel you know, we could have ideal conditions, like it's the nature versus nurture. You could have all the ideal conditions and you're still gonna have things to unravel. And I do believe that our education system needs to be shifted. I actually almost became a school teacher. And my parents are both school, they're both music teachers, in fact. And um I almost went that route, and then I realized, oh, I don't really believe in this system that has us all, you know, sitting at a desk all day, paying attention, being the same as everybody. Then I went and traveled to, you know, New Zealand and saw the green school there and the way that they actually encourage students to tune in to, oh, what time of day do you want to be learning math? What time of day do you want to be doing music? When are you going to go out in the garden? Like they had so much more autonomy and freedom. And they were also integrated with kids of different ages rather than just this one grade that you are only connecting with kids and not having that diversity. Because I believe, I feel when there's you know more people around and they're in different stages and different ages, it actually gives more freedom. It gives more of that wildness. I always like it to compare it to like the manicured yard versus the wild yard. And I mean, our acreage is completely wild. There's just all these different plants coexisting together and it's incredible. And then you go and, you know, go into suburbia and there's all these perfectly manicured places, and it's like you can notice when there's one grass that's not cut because the rest of them are so, you know, cut and and maintained. Yeah. I feel like it's the same way for us.

Lauri 19:18

Yeah, which feels like it probably is making that high school like the bullies feeling threatened at the piece of grass that isn't falling into line and um having their own, like, I have a fire in here, and you told me to sit down and be like a blade of grass. So when you let me out of the chair and I go out onto the schoolyard, I have to let it out somehow, and you're not showing me a healthy way to do that. So I'm gonna take down the blade of grass that isn't falling into line because they're catching my attention.

Laura 19:58

Yeah, absolutely. And I can see now how that happened for me. You know, I was this wild and free. I mean, I literally had this curly hair that was all over the place and was very wildly expressed. And so I can see how that was a big piece. And okay, we need to, you know, it wasn't conscious, obviously. And yeah, I became the the blade of grass that was out of place. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Lauri 20:27

How did you find yourself called back to your wildness? So there was New Zealand. What were all of the other moments in your life that were kind of guiding you back? Mm-hmm.

New creations: Launching Seasons of Self & women’s circles

Laura 20:43

A big piece of it was actually I had a lot of anxiety and panic attacks and depression. And it was really challenging periods of time. Went from like late teens up till about 30. And I realized it was because I was trying to fit into these places that I didn't belong. I was trying to follow the mold of what society told me to do, you know, work my way up the corporate ladder after university and have the house and the white picket fence. I actually had a white picket fence. Um and, you know, the dog and the cat and the relationship and all the things, and I still just felt I wasn't actually being my authentic self. I wasn't speaking my truth. And so my first trip away was actually to Europe. And I just saw this different way of living and, you know, came back and fell back into life. And then it wasn't until I went to Peru and actually spent some time in the jungle with no external influence from the Western world. We had no internet, no power, no nothing. It was just me listening to the sounds of the jungle. And that was the first time I actually felt like myself. I felt fully alive and like, oh, this is who I am. You know, I get to like hang out with the monkey and just eat simply and express myself, and it was just incredible. I didn't have to worry about how I had to appear, how I had to show up for anybody else. It was just a state of being. Yeah.

Lauri 22:33

I love that. I love that. How are you using your voice in the world now? And when I say that, I mean like the literal one, as well as where has the wildness led you creatively in the world?

Laura 22:52

Mm-hmm. Well, I have started my own podcast this year. So that's the name of it. It is called Seasons of Self. And yeah, we can put a Shona link. You're going to be a guest on there, so we'll definitely be talking more about that. Um, and that has been a dream that has been coming for quite some time. And a big piece of it is because I wanted to have a space to express myself, but also create a space for other women to come and express themselves and navigate the different seasons of life that we go through, the different evolutions that we go through, because we're constantly transforming. I'm about to have my birthday tomorrow, and I was doing some reflection on this past year.

Lauri 23:37

Birthday to you. I won't sing the whole thing, but just sing a little bit.

Laura 23:43

Thank you. My inner child loves that because I definitely love celebrating my birthday. Good, good. Um, yeah, but I've been doing some reflecting on that and realizing that is my, you know, my way that in me speaking my voice and putting myself out there, I'm also having space for others to come on. So I'm excited to be hosting some guests shortly. Beautiful. And then out in the community, I am speaking up more. And um, a big piece of that is gonna be inviting women into groups because I love my one-on-one work with clients, and I see the value and the benefit because so many of us are carrying a lot of shame around our experiences. And you know, yes, it's great to share it with one person and be witness in that. And I've just seen incredible healings that happen when we're all sitting in a group and it's like, oh yeah, this happened to me. And somebody else is like, huh, okay, I know what that feels like because I had something similar, and oh, I'm not alone. And you know, next thing you know, we're just sitting in the circle of like, right, this is part of the human experience.

Message to her younger self

Lauri 24:52

Yeah, I got chills and I had like 16 different thoughts and associations while you were talking. And one of the group ones was it's um if you know, getting socialized and going to high school and all the other schools, if part of that is what's creating the trauma, it has felt to me like having these groups where we come together and we're letting our full selves out in community is part of healing that for ourselves, for others, for the world. And the other, oh, I remember one of the other synapses that fired was you mentioned both being in a place in the jungle where there was no one around, and also being on the land that you're on now where you are sounding and there are others there. So there is a community, and it feels like both of those ends of the spectrum for you and probably for me as well. Um they're part of the magic that we notice and part of the magic that we're here to hold the space for for people.

Laura 26:16

Yes. Thank you for reflecting that back. Because as you were talking, I love these conversations that we have because I feel like, yeah, even was it yesterday that we were chatting? And I was like, oh, so much is coming through as we're having this. Yeah. And the jungle actually gave me access to my voice because it just there's all of these sounds. And I had countless recordings of the shift in the day and then the night. And it was just this like you could feel this flow of okay, and now it's the nighttime sounds in the jungle. And then, oh, now it's coming into dawn, and you could just hear the shift and that connection with nature. I mean, that is what has given me permission to be so wild and free. Yeah.

Lauri 27:06

I feel like you're gonna have many appearances back here and we're gonna have many conversations together. If you could give advice back to your younger self as the wild you that you are now, what would you want her to know? Or voice to her, not necessarily advice. If you could speak to your younger self, what would you say to her? Hmm.

Laura 27:35

It's funny because as a therapist, I'm like, okay, what would that younger version of myself actually understand? I know what I would say, and um I feel like I would actually just hold her. Yeah, I feel like I would hold her and just say it's okay. It's okay that you feel this way. And when you're okay, when you're ready to express yourself again, I'm I'm here and I wanna I wanna be here to support you along the way.

Lauri 28:16

And I feel like that's also a message for all of the people listening, either them at the age that they are now or their younger selves, or both hearing as they hear this.

Laura 28:29

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Because even as I say that, I can notice this tendency in the West that, you know, we want to like fix it and make it better by saying, Oh, it's okay, don't worry. You know, I I felt the voice that's like, oh, that girl that was bullying you, she was having a hard time at home. And it's like, yes, all those things are true, and and adult me understands that. And, you know, or I could say, don't try to fit in. It's like, well, no, we we we want to belong at a very basic human level. Of course, we want to belong. Yeah. And so it is, it's just holding whatever she needs to go through.

Lauri 29:09

Yeah. And it really, you know, like the word advice came out of my mouth and it felt wrong as it came out, which is why I was like, no, that's not it. And your presence and the resonance of your voice when you said that you would say to her, it's okay, it's okay that you feel this way. And when you're it was a very different presence and resonance than the it's okay, let me make the problem go away. So it's you're pointing to or reminding me that it's so powerful to be with someone who's in pain or going through sensation, which is different than fixing it for them as much as we want to with the people that we love. Even just saying, I wish I could fix this for you, is different than let me give you the advice that will fix it for you, which is why my brain was like, the word advice came out, and I was like, that's not what I mean. Yeah, yeah. If people are drawn to you and want to connect with you to go deeper into their own conversation with you, where can they reach you?

Laura 30:36

And I love connecting with people. So that is another piece that I, you know, tell it's like that was one of my passions traveling the world was just meeting new people and having those connections and conversations. So even if it's, you know, just a conversation, feel free to reach out. Um, they can find me on Instagram, or I guess I'll also give you my my website and they can reach out and you know, see if my energy resonates for them and they want to continue a conversation. Um, but Instagram's a pretty easy way to connect with me.

Lauri 31:08

Beautiful. Beautiful. And I'm feeling the urge to say is there anything else you want to say in this conversation before we slide into our pivot pivot in order to feel complete today?

Pivot Pivot: Fun lightning round questions

Laura 31:24

I would just like to express gratitude. Yeah, I'm noticing I'm just really grateful. For as I continue to open up and express my voice, these aligned conversations and connections that are occurring. Coming from the corporate world, I spent a lot of time in networking events and then shut that down for a while when I was like, I'm wild. I'm just gonna go and hang out with the birds and the trees and you know, go swimming in the ocean all day. And it was just a month ago that I started going to more networking and connecting events and using my voice and showing up. And that's how this connection happened and this conversation.

Lauri 32:09

Yeah.

Laura 32:09

So I have the gratitude that now, you know, it can, it's the same thing in the sense that it is networking and connecting, but it's a completely different resonance and energy. And yeah. So I'm really grateful for you for having, you know, the opportunity for creating the community, for creating this space for people to show up.

Lauri 32:31

And yeah, thank you. Thank you. And thank you to Berlin Comar, who told you about the group. And I realize I have I'm one of the things I'm attempting to do this year is to remember to do the things of like letting people know what the heck it is we're talking about in case they're going, what is that? I want to go. It's called Magic Connections. You can find it on my website. And if it speaks to you and you like our conversation and you want to have conversations with people like us, listener, you can join that as well. And now it's time for our Pivot pivot. Okay, I'm ready. All right, Laura. What is your favorite word? Joy. What is your least favorite word? Hate. What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally? Dancing. What turns you off? Being stuck at a desk. What's your favorite cuss word? Fuck. What sound or noise do you love? Hmm? Love it. What sound or noise do you hate?

Laura 34:12

Machinery that's like building construction. There's a digger right now that's like digging up the earth, and it oh, it really greets me.

Lauri 34:21

Yeah. What profession other than the ones you've already tried would be fun to try? Oh, I'd still like to try teacher. What profession would you not like to do? Doctor. And Laura, what do you hope people say about you on your 100th birthday? Hmm. That I made a difference for them. Well, in the synchronicity of things, I am incredibly grateful to you. I feel like you are making a difference for me. I'm also very grateful that we've found our way to each other, and I look forward to many, many conversations like this, recorded or not. And if you're listening to this and you enjoyed this episode, please like it, rate it, share it, click it, whatever all the things are, in order to help the pulse of this kind of kind of conversation. Find the other people out there that are looking for something like this. Thanks so much, and I'll see you back here next time.