Photo by Daniel Domes on Unsplash
Discover how singing can be a lifeline, path to healing, and vital health indicator for those living with cystic fibrosis. Ashley Ballou-Bonnema is a professional vocalist, teacher, and writer whose own experience with singing and CF was transformational. Ashley founded the non-profit organization, Breathe Bravely, to help others combat the effects of CF and progressive lung disease through the science, art, and practice of singing.
Guest
Ashley Ballou-Bonnema is a professional vocalist, teacher, and writer whose own experience with singing and CF was transformational. Ashley founded the non-profit organization, Breathe Bravely, to help others combat the effects of CF and progressive lung disease through the science, art, and practice of singing. Ashley joins me today from Sioux Falls, SD, my neighboring state to the west.
Notes
We discuss:
- What is cystic fibrosis?
- Ashley’s experience: What took her from being adamant that nobody know she was living with CF to starting a nonprofit organization helping others with CF transform their health and wellbeing through music?
- Living with CF can affect all areas of the body (see image) but can also affect the mind. SINGING has proven mental, emotional, and physical benefits. We discuss how singing can be used to help manage and heal from CF.
- Ashley’s nonprofit organization Breathe Bravely is helping others with CF discover and implement the transformative connection between music and wellness. We discuss Breathe Bravely and the resources it offers.
- Breathe Bravely’s sINgSPIRE programs help others with CF discover the therapeutic potential of singing.
- sINgSPIRE Virtual Lessons: A 10-week virtual program that focuses on the art and physical attributes of singing, pairing 35-40 students worldwide with a professional vocal coach for one-on-one weekly zoom sessions.
- sINgSPIRE Virtual Choir: A collection of voices that are a testament to the power of perseverance. The virtual choir videos are made of singers from all over the world, unified by a passion for singing and a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. The sINgSPIRE Virtual Choir has been hailed by Grammy award-winning composer and musician Eric Whitacre as one of six top chosen virtual choirs. All of the pieces performed by the choir are original and written specifically for the ensemble, highlighting their unique voices while defying a diagnosis that would never let them make music any other way than virtually.
- One of Mindy’s favorite quotes from the Breathe Bravely website: “But the very disease that would threaten to silence the music alive within her soul would actually spark an untamable passion and commitment to breathe deeply, live fully, and sing purposefully… With every breath I take, I am grateful, and with every song that is born in my heart, I know that singing has helped save my life. And from that mere truth sINgSPIRE was born – built upon a passion and hope that someone else with CF may know the life-giving power of singing.”
Connect/Other Resources
- Breathe Bravely website
- Ashley’s blog
- Instagram: @breathe_bravely
- Facebook: @breathebravely
- The Cystic Fibrosis Community Collective is a consortium of small but impactful CF nonprofit organizations that are focused on positive collaboration and encouragement.
- CF is an expensive disease. Donations to Breathe Bravely help keep its programs free of charge to participants.
- Ashley’s Huffington Post contributor page
- I found out about Ashley’s work through a recent Sound Health Network e-newsletter. The Sound Health Network aims to promote research and public awareness about the impact of music on health and wellness. I highly recommend signing up for this free newsletter and following them on socials!
- Other resources recommended by Ashley:
Other episodes we mentioned:
- Ep. 151: What are the benefits of singing for our health and wellbeing? with Dr. Diana Allan
- Ep. 167: Having Surgery? Use music to reduce anxiety and pain perception; with Alice Cash, PhD, LCSW
- Ep. 168: Heartbeat Music: Crafting Forever Songs of Connection; with Brian Schreck, MA, MT-BC
- Ep. 192: Beyond surviving to thriving with the essential elements of well-being; with Julia Hotz
- Ep. 172: Arts on Prescription: Thrive with the latest wellness toolkit and unveil a healthier path for you and your community; with Tasha Golden, PhD
- Ep. 150: Chronic pain relief and management through music; with Nancy Jackson, PhD, MT-BC
- Ep. 96: Restoring function and quality of life for those with Multiple Sclerosis; with Betsy Hartman, MT-BC
- Ep.39: Parkinson’s Disease Interventions with Music; “Music provides structure for movement.” Marion Haase, M.M.
- View all episodes related to Science & Health
In-Episode Promo
JAMBAR: Staying balanced in life is very important to me – balance in work and play, activity and rest, and balance in fueling my energy. When I am on the go – or just find my cupboards running a little bare – the fuel I reach for is JAMBAR energy bars. These bars are Certified Organic whole food bars; they’re non-GMO and gluten-free. I especially love that they are higher in protein than the other all-natural bars I’ve found, and they’re minimally sweetened with only all-natural sweeteners. While I love all five flavors, my personal favorites are Musical Mango and Tropical Trio. JAMBAR flavor names reflect the company founder’s passion for music, and JAMBAR donates a whopping fifty percent of net profits to programs that support music and active living. Join me in supporting a balanced life and world by reaching for JAMBARs. Available at Amazon, select retailers, and jambar.com. (Learn more in Ep. 160.)
SONIX: This is a quick break to tell you about Sonix, the service that I use to transcribe these episodes. Sonix is an artificial intelligence transcription service that automatically converts audio and video files to text – and can translate to over 40 languages. I transcribe these episodes to make them more accessible. I tried multiple services, and chose to stick with Sonix because of their accuracy, affordability, and because their site is just so easy to use; that’s a big plus for me, to not need to spend a bunch of time figuring out one more platform! While I love podcasts, I do tend to be a very visual learner. I figure other people probably are, too; and having that written form of your work just makes it more versatile. Sonix transcripts make the most of your hard work and can increase traffic to your site. Sonix is spelled s-o-n-i-x. You can check them out with a free trial PLUS an extra 100 minutes of free transcription by using the link sonix.ai/invite/enhancelife100. There’s a link in the show notes. Again, it’s sonix.ai/invite/enhancelife100 for a free trial AND an extra 100 minutes of free transcription.
Coda
Ashley shares on of her most meaningful musical moments: The sINgSPIRE Virtual Choir coming to life with voices of perceived impossibility defying so many odds and creating a community that spans the globe. She shares a recent piece called “There’s a Mountaintop,” composed by Jennifer Lucy Cook. View the video below or on the Breathe Bravely website:
Closing Words
And that is a little bit of “There’s a Mountaintop,” composed by Jennifer Lucy Cook and sung by the sINgSPIRE Virtual Choir. You can view the video and listen to the entire song at the link in the episode notes.
Thank you so much to Ashley for joining us today and for all she does to enhance lives with music, particularly for those dealing with CF and progressive lung disease.
You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next time, may your life be enhanced with music.
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