Eight is enough, please…
Growing up as the oldest of eight children in Southern New England, I learned to follow my heart, as there was little time for others to focus on me or my direction. What I realize now looking back is that I had a strong intuition that always got me where I needed to go for my higher development. Singing, music, and theatre saved me, as did relaxation training, meditation, and T’ai Chi (Chinese martial art for health and relaxation) as I had learning disabilities in a time when this term did not even exist. Since then, much of my life has been in search of ways that would improve my optimal performance. What I have discovered inspired me to pass it on to others; and I discovered that I am a natural teacher.
After high school and having completed four years in the Air Force, I high-tailed it to New York City to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the oldest professional acting academy in the U.S. New York City is such a competitive environment, and I soon recognized that I needed ongoing training in singing, acting, movement, business skills, and so on. My singing studies, which lasted almost 20 years, opened up another world to me.
You never know where your instincts will lead you…
My work with Margaret Riddleberger, a singing teacher who had sung at the Metropolitan but who found her love in taking actors and other performers and helping them develop themselves uniquely, not just a copy of the current trends. She had a Masters in Psychology from Columbia University, in what was then called personality stress and what is now called trauma.
Our work was 100% body oriented: learning to free the body in order to access the natural, instinctive singing abilities that are a birthright. Not just singing, but the ability to be and express yourself naturally.
I was her protégé; two decades of working together lead me to study and receive certification in many methods and approaches that help free the body/mind from the strangle hold of our past. I developed these skills while her partner in running a training studio in NYC / DC.
This work showed me directly that humans know little of their true capabilities; we are an organism but think that we are a machine and the two are worlds apart. Twenty plus years of training others has allowed me to discover that freeing fight/flight/fright responses is key to optimal performance and discovering the natural self.
I love training others in discovering their natural abilities so that they can perform at their best at whatever they do. Having been a student of human nature all my life and having had some wonderful teachers has helped me discover a unique way of helping others transform stress into useable energy for their happiness- and that of our society.
I have learned to respect each persons instincts about what they need for themselves and I encourage all my clients to do so at all times.
Things that I do to promote my own optimal performance:
- Practice T’ai Chi (Chinese exercise for health and relaxation)
- Sing
- Hike with my wife
- Meditate: or focus my mind
- Receive a NeuroCARE neurofeedback session (I do 2 weekly)
- Receive good manual therapy for stress reduction
- Exercise daily- and teach exercise to clients too
- Eat a balanced diet
- Do simple things that make me happy
- Have a party with friends to stay balanced-we all need a good party occassionally!!
Me practicing T’ai Chi in the early morning: this is how I have learned to manage the intense stress of life over the last 20 plus years.
A client took a picture of me after a session with his new fancy camera; he made me laugh at the right moment!!
