Hello Reader,

I grew up singing.

In churches, with my musical family around the piano, and in school choirs. I loved it (finding the perfect harmony is still one of the best things in the world), but always had intense anxiety during performances, often forgetting every single word I spent months memorizing.

In college I damaged my voice, and was told I was off key, on a roadtrip with a friend.

So I stopped singing for 22 years.

Many times I tried to find a vocal coach, singing lessons, or just let myself sing around others in group settings, but I just couldn’t do it. I was too afraid to sound BAD.

Many of us long to sing and/or express ourselves vocally, but have a “singing wound” from being told we didn’t sound good, or couldn’t do it as well as others.

For my 42rd birthday, I went to a community singing retreat and sang in circles for a whole week. In these circles, I was told that it didn’t matter how my voice sounded, that all bodies were meant to sing, and that all singing was important. That all voices were welcome.

It completely changed my life.

Not only did my fear of singing around others diminish (it’s still there, but it’s not in control anymore), I also found my voice in other ways.

My ability to speak up for myself, say what I mean, communicate with kindness and clarity, and stand for what I believe (and want) has expanded beautifully.

My sense of purpose is clarifying.

My body is also on the mend from years of pushing through burnout, in ways that just seem... magical, after trying everything.

After doing the research, I fully believe that singing in groups, especially in the oral tradition, is a healing superpower.

It’s the best I’ve felt in ages.

And that’s saying something in perimenopause!

In less than a year, I’ve co-led a 200-person song circle, sang on podcasts and voice memos, held a song-based day retreat, and caught (wrote) a few new songs myself!

I also attended a Song Leader Training in the Oral Tradition, and now I’m co-facilitating circles in places I never imagined… with co-leaders from around the world.

Reclaiming your voice is truly life-changing work.

While I am still in the process of becoming many things as a human, right now I am primarily working to restore my relationship with my voice, my Place and my purpose.

I am striving to remember that I belong here, as a human being, on this planet, at this time, and find my way forward, just like you are.

We are all struggling through a very chaotic and confusing point in the polycrisis.

Singing in groups has been proven to deepen social bonds faster than most other activities. It creates a sense of belonging and embodied joy that is hard to find in our modern culture. It’s something our ancestors did to heal, survive and remember vast amounts of knowledge orally.

And I’m eager to start offering ways for you to explore this too.

Sep 10th is my 43rd birthday and I would like to invite you to this event on the 12th-

What does all this have to do with EarthCare?

Everything.

Our body is our primary patch, our most personal part of Nature, the piece that allows us to connect so deeply with the living world around us. Machines and robots can never replace the human body; science still doesn’t even fully understand it.

Being human is a precious role in this lifetime, and remembering our purpose, while reclaiming our voice and many other vital skills, is HOW we move toward caring for the Earth in a more holistic and relational way. Just like the birds sing as part of their ecological function.

Without the foundation of a healthy relationship with our body, our voice, and our perception of being human on this planet, we will continue to flounder and make a mess of things (*waves hands around like “see what I mean?”*)

My mission is to keep digging deeper into the root causes of the polycrisis and to bring ways for us to connect with Nature, each other and our sense of Place and purpose on this planet.

This next chapter is already singing to me.

And I hope you sing along with me... so hit reply to talk to me directly about this event!

Kendra

Ps. Whats coming up?

📸 2027 EarthCare Calendar photo submissions are due this Saturday (August 1), so if you have any photos you’d like to share, we would love to consider them (check requirements).

🌱 The EarthCare Journey is re-opening for 2 weeks in August! You can join the waitlist using this link to hear more about it soon, and connect with us LIVE in the Summer Wisdom Circle.

🗣️ Reclaim Your Voice - Day Retreat (live, in-person) with me and global song leader Sofia Dugas, on Sep 12th - learn more and register here! I would absolutely love to spend the day with you in this way.

Written by a human - Kendra Marie Hoffman

​​“I want to stand by the river in my finest dress. I want to sing, strong and hard, and stomp my feet with a hundred others so that the waters hum with our happiness. I want to dance for the renewal of the world.” – Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass