March 25, 2025 • 42 mins
Emmy award-winning vocalist and intuitive vocal coach Deonna Marie shares her powerful journey from childhood trauma to becoming a transformative voice teacher who heals more than just vocal technique. Through her unique approach, she helps clients remove psychological masks and connect with their authentic expression, teaching that true singing is about feeling, not just sound.
• Discovering her singing talent during childhood trauma when her mother went to prison
• Overcoming drug addiction and finding forgiveness through unexpected personal experience
• Receiving divine guidance that led her to classical vocal training in Italy
• Developing intuitive abilities during three years of vocal silence after surgery
• Creating an unconditional, judgment-free space where clients feel seen and understood
• Teaching clients to identify and remove masks that hide their authentic selves
• Focusing on emotional connection before technical singing ("a feeling, not a sound")
• Using daily meditation and specific intention-setting to stay aligned with purpose
• Asking three daily questions: "What do you want me to do? What do you want me to say and to whom?"
Whatever your heart truly desires belongs to you. If something is in your soul and heart's desire, it's because you're supposed to have it. Don't let anyone, including yourself, tell you that you're not worthy of your dreams.
Connect with Deonna
Facebook: @deonnamarieofficial
Instagram: @officialdeonnamarie
Website: www.deonnamarie.com
LinkedIn: @deonnamariecattledge
Thanks for listening! To book a free consultation with Aideen visit https://www.confidenceinsinging.com/contact/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Aideen Ni Riada (00:03):
Welcome to the Resonate Podcast with Aideen.
I'm Aideen Ni Riada.
My guest today is Deonna Marie,and I am so excited to meet you
, deanna, how are you today?
I'm so well.
How are you?
I'm great.
So I found Deonna Marie in suchan unusual way.
She is another intuitive vocalcoach and because I had been,
(00:25):
you know, working as anintuitive voice coach, I was so
surprised to find you online andI had to, you know, meet you
and I had to get you on the showbut to talk about all things
voice coaching and about usingthe intuitive powers that we
have.
I think each of us has thatopportunity to tune inward and
(00:46):
feel what is real in a situation, not just from the mind, and I
am excited to find out moreabout how you do that.
Deonna Marie (00:55):
Oh, I'm excited to tell you, and everyone else as
well, this is going to be great.
I'm excited it is.
Aideen Ni Riada (01:00):
Let me tell everybody a little bit about you
.
I'm going to read out a littlebit about you and then we'll get
started.
Deonna Marie is an Emmyaward-winning vocalist,
storyteller and intuitive vocalcoach from Grand Rapids,
michigan.
She is the multi-passionate,light-hearted writer and creator
of the Deonna Marie Experience,a one-woman show about
surviving her very unique lifejourney.
(01:22):
It debuted in 2023 in OklahomaCity.
She is a classically trainedsinger with over a decade of
experience and has worked withinternationally known vocalists,
stage directors and choralconductors.
I can see there, this has beena journey right.
It's like this.
There's the hint there of whatyou've had to survive in your
(01:44):
life.
And then we see also emmy awardwinning, we see you classically
trained, international clients.
Tell us about that journey alittle bit like what was it that
brought you to where you aretoday?
Deonna Marie (02:00):
I would have to say music if I was to say put it
in one word yeah.
So so when I, when I discoveredmy voice, I was actually I
wasn't talking because my motherhad just left my sister and I
to serve a prison sentence for ayear and she didn't tell us
that she wasn't coming back.
So the day that I found out mymother wasn't coming back, I
(02:23):
stopped speaking.
Now I didn't know that I couldsing yet.
So maybe a month later, I guess, I was singing in the in the
bathtub and my cousin burst inthe bathroom and she thought
that I had stolen a radio andshe didn't know it was me
singing.
So she was shocked and shewrapped me in a towel and she
took me out of the tub andplopped me in front of the
living room and called all 13other people that lived in the
(02:46):
house and said do it again, youknow.
And I did it again, you know.
And everybody's mouth was onthe floor.
They didn't really say much,but I knew maybe something was
kind of special then.
But my mom came back fromprison and a little bit late and
then and then after that Iended up in foster care.
So in between, my mother comingback.
(03:08):
I really didn't sing that much,I was probably nine or so, and
then I was in foster care and myfoster mom she could sing and
she loved my voice.
She had me singing all the time, whether it was cooking or
cleaning or at the random peopleat the grocery store or the
dentist's office.
I was singing all the time.
(03:28):
And so that's when I discoveredmaybe I had something special,
and so that's kind of where myvoice was discovered.
But then life happened, as lifedoes, and I ended up using drugs
with my mother when I was 18.
So we're just going to flashforward, okay, and that was a
(03:48):
crazy journey that I had andthat we shared.
I mean, I had a deep journeyfor a mother, for a mother that
loves me, accepts me, see me,hear me, understand me, and I
figure maybe if I join her whereshe is, I could have that.
Well, that was definitelysomething that needed to happen.
Um, and I'm going to.
I'm saying that because Icarried a lot of hatred and, um,
(04:13):
a lot of resentment for mymother and my father, because
how my childhood was, and it wassomething about when I, when I,
used the drug with my mother.
18 years later, after livingthis, this childhood, I forgave
her.
I forgave her because Iunderstood the effect of the
(04:33):
drug in one time, one time, andso I began to.
I felt convicted because I hadcarried so much resentment and
and um from from my mother andand other people who use drugs
too.
But it hits you different whenyou do it.
You know I had a completelydifferent perspective, um, but
(04:53):
you know that was a five-yearjourney.
And then I ended up um at GrandRapids Community College where
I met my first voice teacher.
Now he told me that I was anopera singer and I said no, I'm
not.
I don't think I'm.
No, black people don't do that.
Totally ignorant.
Now, mind you, he's AfricanAmerican.
Aideen Ni Riada (05:14):
Okay.
Deonna Marie (05:15):
And and I didn't.
I didn't believe him, and it'sjust, and I was 27 at the time,
I had already was starting late,so to speak, you know.
And I said, ok, god, theuniverse, whoever you are, I
need you to show up again,because the first time I asked
this question if you're there, Ineed you to show me by doing
(05:37):
this I asked to be deliveredfrom drugs.
Well, long story short, I wokeup clean One day.
I woke up and I was clean.
That's how it happened.
So I said, oh, I'm going to trythat voice again.
I remember, I remember.
So I said okay, if you want meto be an opera singer, I'm going
to make a deal with you.
Okay, if you want me to be anopera singer, I need you to.
(06:00):
I want to go to school in Italyand I want to learn Italian,
and if you do that for me, thenI will take this, because I
heard it would be at least adecade If I was to go this opera
route and train classically Iwould.
I would at least need 10 years.
I said, ok, well, if you dothat for me universe, god,
(06:20):
whoever, because I was, you knowthen then I, then I'll commit
the 10 years.
Well, be careful what you askfor.
Okay, because the next summerthat summer I was in Italy
studying at the UniversitàPercianieri I stayed on Via
Frave Vignati.
It was crazy and I said what?
(06:42):
So I knew, I knew.
Then I said, oh, not only do Ihave a special connection and I
can make very specific requests,if I'm very specific and I
really, really, really want it,you know, um I, I have um this
journey that I have to embark onnow.
So that's what I did.
Aideen Ni Riada (07:02):
I did that.
It was a commitment.
Right, it was you were.
You were committing tosomething and allowing yourself
be guided by the circumstancesaround you.
I mean, for me I was alwaysvery stubborn person.
I was like, well, I want this,I want that, and I I spent my
first 40 years chasing thingsthat weren't coming.
(07:24):
Naturally that my, that myfamily were trying to dissuade
me from that.
You know people were going.
I'm not sure if that's theright thing for you, but I could
not hear anybody else's umopinion.
If it wasn't coming from my ownmind, I would discard it.
And to just cause.
You don't know my story thatwell, some of the listeners do.
But I in my forties, asked Okayfor guidance and I said I want
(07:50):
to do more with music.
I don't know what that is and II really need help with this.
And three weeks later I heard avoice in my head saying do a
singing workshop for adults.
Now, the reason I knew itwasn't me was because I didn't
want to do it because my mom's amusic teacher.
She's a guitar teacher.
(08:10):
I, like I'm not a singingteacher.
When I asked, could I do morewith music?
I wanted to sing at weddings orsomething right.
So I had my own ideas, so Ihave some experience with that,
so I'm really there is somethingout there that wants to help us
along the way, but I thinkpeople find that difficult to
(08:35):
discern where like a good idea,is it not a good idea?
And we use our brains to filterthat.
And now you've mentioned youknow that you are an intuitive
vocal coach.
Yes, so from what you're sayingabout you know asking for
guidance and you know the factthat you do intuitive vocal
coaching.
Asking for guidance and youknow the fact that you do
intuitive vocal coaching.
(08:55):
What is it you say to people tohelp them to tune in to
something?
Deonna Marie (09:00):
greater than themselves for guidance if they
need it.
Well, in in with my clients, um, I introduced meditation.
We all read, um a book calledthe four agreements, um, and we
we kind of take a deep dive into, and one of the agreements.
The first agreement is beimpeccable with your word, and
it really breaks down howpowerful the word is and it
(09:21):
breaks down different scenariosand how we break ourselves down
with our own words on a dailybasis throughout our lifetime,
and how it piles on us and so wehave to kind of so.
So the whole thing for me istapping into the power of their
word, the power of their thought.
That's how I get, but usuallyhow I get people to tap in right
(09:42):
away.
When they first come to me, Iusually tell them something that
only they know.
So then, and I'm also very,very transparent and vulnerable
as well so some people maybedon't need that, they need to
hear something about me that islike you know, that's shocking
or whatever.
Aideen Ni Riada (10:02):
I don't know, you know, uh so I try to open
someone up, you know, becausethis is it's about trust, right?
Yeah.
So if you can bring outsomething, if you can help them
to trust you or help them revealsomething that they are
unwilling to usually share, yeah, and you create a safe space.
(10:24):
So one of the things I, youknow, I talk about sometimes is
that I have this idea of thisnurturing environment.
Like it's almost like, you know, everyone becomes my friend.
Like I had a client walk out ofthe house the other day and I
said love you like that.
And I walked back in and thetwo guys who were still in the
room, I said I just told herthat I loved her and I said I
probably shouldn't have donethat.
(10:45):
It's not professional, but Ilove you guys too.
So I guess that's just the wayI tend to create these
relationships with people.
That is, um, that isn't just abland, you know, exchange.
There's something way deeper toit and it feels to me like
that's how you're working aswell.
Deonna Marie (11:05):
A thousand percent , a thousand percent.
I tell them I love them all thetime.
Um, some I give themaffirmations.
I tell them you are loved, seen, heard and understood.
I'm thinking about you.
Here's some energy for you,like, just, I love them, like
they're.
They're my family, you know,because they're led to me.
So I feel like they're a partof my soul family, they're a
part of my tribe.
I have a, I have a job, I am alight for the lights and um or
(11:29):
or a healer for the healers, andso when people come to me, I
consider myself as they are.
When they come, they are aspiritual hospital for other
people, which is why people comeand they open up themselves and
they but you have to be carefulwith that.
You have to be careful and onlyopen up yourself, up to those
who are assigned to you, and sothat's another thing that I, um,
(11:50):
I really work on is people'senergy and seeing, like I tell
them we have a cell phone, youstart off with 100 percent
battery.
Where is your battery going?
By the end of the day?
Most people really wake up at 50percent and don't even really
understand that there's 100percent.
But that's another storyaltogether.
But I bring them to anawareness of their energy and
(12:10):
their power.
And then we go a little bitdeeper and we talk about the
things that maybe they nevertalked about about their
childhood.
That that's really.
I see it as a chain that'sbound to them spiritually and
once we begin to, you know, talkabout these things and it's
locks, that kind of come offtheir voices.
(12:32):
Then I was like now we cantrain it, let's go.
Aideen Ni Riada (12:36):
That is awesome .
What I mentioned to you beforewe came on and started recording
was this idea of identity,because of all of the stages of
your life story and all of theways that others would have seen
you in a certain way, because,oh, you've been through that or
you did it to your mom even.
Do you know what I mean?
(12:56):
We have a judgment.
When somebody's going throughsomething, we see it as a kind
of failure, like for me.
My mother moved to Ireland.
She's American, from Michigan,but my mom and dad broke up.
So I was like well, mom, youmade a mistake.
Obviously, you know you made amistake because you didn't stay
(13:18):
together.
I I had a difficult time in myteens because of all of this and
then eventually, years later,you come back and like that you
can forgive and you realize it'snot a mistake.
And at my wedding, when I, whenI got married about six years
ago, I just said that it's not amistake and I I stood up in
front of everybody there and Isaid there's no mistake and we
all deserve second chances.
And so, yes, we can be hard onour moms, right?
(13:40):
I think everybody does.
Deonna Marie (13:44):
Sometimes, once they get that second chance, a
third, fourth and fifth andsixth is not necessary.
And a lot of times people holdon to people, places and things
because of their titles, becausethey feel entitled, because
it's my child, it's my mother,it's my spouse.
No, no, you don't have to takeany abuse from anybody because
(14:08):
of what their title is.
And so for me, over the years,I had to learn to cut some of
those ties because it wasn'tserving my highest good and I'm
better, and I'm better and I'mnot you know, yes, well, I can
know that is a tough one.
Aideen Ni Riada (14:27):
That is a tough one Because when, when I, when
I kind of pulled away from myparents because they were going
through their thing and it feltlike a betrayal, okay, um, I
started to look to other peoplewho did not deserve me, to give
them any time, you know.
I was looking for another safeplace, but I wasn't always
choosing the right people, um,so I went on a huge journey with
that myself.
But, um, tell me somethingabout identity.
(14:50):
That's what I was trying to.
I went on a tangent as well.
Well, like who?
What do you identify with?
Because it like you.
Okay, we talked about you know,being multi-passionate,
lighthearted, like when peoplecome to you, they are coming
with all that stuff.
They identify with a certainversion of themselves.
What can you tell me?
I just have this feeling thatyou've something very profound
(15:13):
to say about this.
Deonna Marie (15:15):
About when, when, when people come to me, how do I
get them to identify withthemselves?
Yes, well, first of all, peopleare covered in masks, so we
have to identify what those arefirst.
And so I, I, we, we go throughand say, okay, how do you act at
work, or how do you act atschool, or what's your
professional voice or what's youknow?
(15:36):
So we have to identify where itis that they're hiding, so we
can begin to crack the mask oneby one, destroy them, and
destroying that means so everytime we break one, we realize
they find a piece of themselves.
It's like a treasure chest.
Once they crack the mask, theyfind something like you know
what?
I really don't like that, or Ireally should have said this Ah,
(15:58):
okay, you know, and so it's.
You know, it depends on howmany, it depends on the person
and it depends on how many masksthey carry and how strong that
mask is.
How long have you had that?
What made you?
What made you feel like you hadto?
Because a lot of people they,they don't understand.
The more mass they create, themore they lose their own
(16:18):
identity.
And so I, I really pride myselfon helping people find them.
They're, they're real now,because it's so lost in society
and the way our world works andthe way the system is.
So many people are justfloating around and I just our
world works and the way thesystem is, so many people are
just floating around and I justgrab them up and say, wait a
minute, let's look at this inreality, not just what you think
(16:44):
it is or what you perceive itto be.
What it is it really is.
A lot of times we have aperception of things to be one
way, like my childhood.
One person could say you knowyour parents are terrible, you
know they left you hanging, theylet you get abused, they put
you in different foster homes,and I can see that perspective.
(17:04):
But I see it as a win, becauseevery spiritual scar that I have
on my back is not for me, it'sfor other people, because I was
designed.
I heard that same voice thattold me that I, my voice, was to
help.
I was created to help, to usemy voice to help raise the
consciousness of humanity, inwhatever facet that is.
(17:27):
And so that means too much isgiven, much is required, and so
that means too much is given,much is required.
And so now I identify, I think,the hardest trials of my life.
I identify, you know, as thewarrior, as a survivor, you know
as the thriver, as the one whois supposed to stand on the
(17:49):
front line and help weave thefabric of humanity back to its
rightful place absolutelyamazing purpose.
Aideen Ni Riada (17:59):
You've got a very definite purpose in that.
One of my favorite lines I readin an email from a spiritual
therapist was that no one getsleft behind.
And that's means so much to me,because when I see some of the
stuff going on and you can seethe person who's vulnerable, you
(18:20):
can see the person who is being, um, you know the victim in a
situation like truly, that theyare a victim of that situation
to some degree.
And to the oppressor is the onethat I'm going.
Hey, they, they got.
That person needs so much loveright now.
And they to.
(18:41):
To change your mind aboutsomething that you've believed
for a long time, to change yourmind about you know prejudice,
or to change your mind about, um, you know what's right or
what's wrong.
It takes a huge amount ofself-compassion and courage.
When we're being too criticaland too hard on ourselves, we
can't give ourselves the graceto change.
(19:01):
That's good, that's true,that's true.
Deonna Marie (19:05):
We can't, you know .
You said nobody's left behind.
Let me expand on that a littlebit if I can.
Nobody's left behind.
Let me let me expound on that alittle bit, if I can, Unless
they choose to be left behind.
See, there are people, placesand things in this world that
choose to stay tethered to thesystem, tethered to ideals that
they've made up or that they'vegotten from outside sources
(19:26):
besides themselves, andsometimes you have to let them
stay, because the energy that ittakes to pull them you could
have pulled.
You could have found a hundredpeople who are ready, who are
searching, who are, who want tocome, and so you also.
You know I, I, I teach and Ifeel and I live this way.
(19:47):
You also have to be careful who, how long you're pulling, if
that's what you're doing, or howlong you're trying to make
something happen, because thatyou could be wasting valuable
energy on something that is notassigned to you that's really
beautiful.
Aideen Ni Riada (20:02):
Thank you that this term being assigned to you.
Are you using that?
Is that based on FlorenceSchoville Shin?
By any chance she talks in thatway.
Do you know her?
Deonna Marie (20:14):
no but I have, I have, I have goosebumps all over
, so I should, or maybe I do,and I you know, yes, yes, wow.
Aideen Ni Riada (20:26):
so for those listening and for yourself,
dionne um, florence Schoville,shin um is an author who wrote a
book called the game of life toher and how to play it, and she
wrote another book called yourword is your wand, and she has a
number of absolutely amazingbooks and she has a way with
(20:46):
words like the way that you usethat word assigned.
It just reminded me so much ofher.
So definitely worth looking herup, um, for spiritual kind of
you know wisdom.
There's really a lot of wisdomabout how to manifest, how to
change.
You know your way of thinkingabout things.
Deonna Marie (21:08):
Thank you, that's good.
I had goosebumps, so I'm doingit, don't worry about it.
Aideen Ni Riada (21:13):
What else would you like to talk about during
our interview today?
Because I feel like there's somany aspects you like are
certainly multi-passionate.
There is so much, I mean, andsuch a deep wisdom.
I know it's been hard one andyou see that it is all
worthwhile and I love.
I love that because we've allbeen through some things and
when we make, when we see thelesson and we can take the um,
(21:39):
the goodness, out of the bad,that is a very, very um
resilient and a very strongapproach.
I really admire that.
But I have a feeling that youhave something you'd like to say
to us, so there are peoplelistening right now.
What is it in your heart thatwants to come out today?
Deonna Marie (21:59):
Well, um, I, I want a little uh, expound a
little bit on, uh, what you justsaid, and, and as far as
perspective, it's so easy to, um, um, think that something is
happening to you instead of it'shappening for you.
You know it's, it's it's.
This person did this, they saidthat, but what is it in that
(22:20):
that can make you grow?
What is it that you need?
In that there's something,because there's nothing that
happens by chance.
Every single thing happens fora reason, and so it is our job,
and this is also a thing that Iteach my clients too.
We reflect daily, because when Ispeak to people, I ask before,
(22:42):
before the day begins you know,um, who, what do you want me to
do, what do you want me to sayand to whom?
So I know anything that comesout to any person, it, it, it's
an, it's an assigned.
They're assigned to me becauseI was talking to everybody when
my gifts started really firingoff and I realized the magnitude
(23:08):
of some of them.
I wanted to help everybody,every single person, because I'm
like everybody's on fire, not,so to speak, but you know, even
if it's in their mind, if it'sin their heart, you know, and,
but that it was draining, it waskilling me.
Yeah, so, and that's just myheart, my nature.
I want to give, I want to help,I want to heal, that's what I'm
(23:31):
a servant.
So this is when I got wise andstarted asking wait a minute,
who am I supposed to talk to?
And when I need you to tell mespecifically, I need them to
light up, like the 4th of July.
So I know.
So, if people come up to me andthey do every single day,
everywhere I go, I don't knowwhy I'm here, I don't know you.
(23:54):
Oh, I said I hugged them, Iembraced them, I said come and
we talked and I tell them whatthe message is for them and
they're just and that and that'sthat.
So, so now I don't have to workso hard.
I think a lot of us work reallyhard, work really hard on a lot
of things, and I believe that ifyou just sit down and visualize
(24:14):
it, if you just believe it, ifyou just talk to other people
about it and have them to agreewith you, if you just know
without a shadow of a doubt whatthis thing looks like, what it
feels like, that is the only jobthat you're supposed to do, how
you're going to do it when it'shappening is not your business.
And we are so inundated with somany ideas in the world and so
(24:36):
many things going on in our headand, um, we don't really take
the time to sit and just ask andjust wait for an answer.
Or if you, if you don't want towait for an answer ask for a
specific sign, then I need Ineed to see, uh, a black crow.
Or I need to see, uh, um, aladybug.
Please give me threebutterflies.
(24:58):
If this is real now, thebutterflies can be anywhere.
This is where people miss it.
Let me tell y'all y'alllistening.
Don't miss it, because I knowwhat you're thinking is cold
outside there are no butterflies, okay, but there could be a
butterfly on somebody's car.
There could be a cup that youhappen to get at a coffee shop
that has butterflies on it.
(25:18):
There could be butterflies inthat you happen to get at a
coffee shop that has butterflieson it.
There could be butterflies insomebody's hair, barrettes in a
kid in a store in front of you.
Don't miss it.
And a lot of people ask forthese things.
They're asking and they'rebegging and they're missing
their answers Because they'renot present in the moment to
understand.
The answer is right in front ofthem when it's time.
Aideen Ni Riada (25:38):
Tell me this prayer when you get up in the
morning.
You're saying to the universe,to God, whoever it is, where do
you have me go?
What is those three phrases?
Tell us so we can write thisdown.
Deonna Marie (25:55):
What do you want me to do?
What do you want me to do?
What do you want me to say andto whom?
Aideen Ni Riada (26:02):
What do you want me to do?
What do you want me to say, andto whom?
Deonna Marie (26:07):
I love it.
So now you know, and when youbelieve that it is so, because
you have to believe it, you haveto believe okay, thank you is.
So, if you, because you have tobelieve it, you have to believe
okay, oh, thank you right.
So if it's, if it's a male manthat comes to your house and he
never knocks on the door, buttoday he knocks on the door for
whatever reason, you're supposedto say something to him or he's
(26:28):
supposed to say something toyou, don't miss it.
Don't miss it because so manypeople, it's, it's the little
things, it's, it's the, it's thelittle, it's the little things
that, uh, the whispers of thewind, um, the ruffles and the
and the and the trees, likethese, these things are speaking
to us often and again we'remissing it because of the noise
(26:48):
in our mind.
So I am very, very, um, vigilantand I teach very like we.
We do hardcore meditation, youknow, and it's hard for people.
It's hard sometimes and I say,okay, we're going to start with
17 seconds, no big deal, 17seconds.
Think about what it is that youwant.
You just want a peaceful second, just breathe 17 seconds.
That's all you got.
(27:09):
This is all you need to get inthe zone, we take a breath, we
do that and then, uh, we, we getup to, uh, I don't know, three,
four hours, sometimes, itdepends, you know.
And they, because theyunderstand that time stops and
it's fun in there.
This is awesome.
Aideen Ni Riada (27:27):
so I have a theory, okay, because, um,
obviously we both have beenteaching singing voice right,
and so my theory is that whatyou're doing is you're bringing
people into a deeper sense ofpresence, self-awareness,
self-compassion, and from there,that is enabling them not only
(27:48):
to be in the world better, butalso they can be, they can
communicate through theirsinging in a completely
different way, so there's adifferent level, right, singing
in a completely different way,so there's a different level
right, it's a completelydifferent.
Deonna Marie (28:01):
I can't.
It's like I'm trying to.
I saw a big tree.
I saw a big tree and we're andso let's just say we're trees
walking and some people, butit's time to be rooted.
It's time to be rooted intoyourself, into your gifts, and a
lot of people don't know whatthat means because they've been
unplugged their whole life ormost of their entire life.
(28:21):
So what does that even looklike?
To be still and plug in and andjust sit with your thoughts,
sit with yourself, sit with thegood, the bad and the ugly.
Let's talk about the bad andthe ugly.
You know, and a lot of peopleare when they come to me oh you,
oh, you shouldn't have did that, but I love you anyway.
We gonna figure it out.
You know, because it's a, it'sa, it's a no judgment zone.
(28:43):
Who am I to judge?
You know, I, I want I create aplace where people are seen,
heard and understood and lovedunconditionally.
So now, with that condition off, because a lot of people don't
even know they love withconditions.
I love you if you do this.
If you don't do that, it'sconditions in there, man, and so
(29:05):
I, I take the conditions offand I and they feel it.
So.
Therefore, some things come outthat you know maybe they would
never want to say even tothemselves out loud, but that's
okay.
That you know, maybe they wouldnever want to say even to
themselves out loud, but that'sokay.
We need to, we need to figureit out, let it come out, let it
flow, and it's freeing for them.
It's like poison coming out oftheir soul.
Then they can stand in theirpower, then they can sing.
Aideen Ni Riada (29:35):
Juicy, very juicy.
I just feel so inspired by you,so inspired.
I'm like, wow.
So these clients that come toyou, they're like what they're
getting way more than what theymight expect from.
I mean, the word intuitive isin the job title but still they
think they're coming for a voicecoaching or vocal coaching.
Do you get a lot of surpriseclients?
(29:56):
What's happening when you getin there?
Deonna Marie (29:59):
Well, I let them know that we have a consultation
first, and the consultation I'mlike surprise, I know you
thought it's so funny becauseI'm real silly too.
So we're, we're cracking up Imean crying, okay.
(30:21):
So.
So, because laughter is a bigpart of this thing, you know,
because it's like if, if we canjust laugh through, all of this
is hilarious, and I don't evenknow where we're going.
That's the thing I know.
Your whole life is going tochange.
You will not be the same.
You're going to come in hereand you're going to walk out
different all the way around.
I don't.
So that's what I got.
(30:41):
Well, we, you know, and I justlet them know.
This is what we're doing andthis is why you're here again,
in the door.
I tell them why they're here.
They don't know, but I tellthem because I speak.
Their soul speaks to me and Ispeak to them.
I said, ah, you're here becauseof this, this and what.
What happened to your mother?
Why didn't you tell her thatbefore she passed away?
(31:02):
So now we have to find, we haveto tell her.
And they're like you know, andmost of the time, at this point,
there is no shock, there is no.
Well, how do you?
How do you know?
Because I am so confident thatwhatever speaks through me is a
thousand percent accurate.
I have no conviction, I have no.
(31:23):
You can take it or not, it's upto you, but this is why you're
here and this is what I'm goingto help you do, and we're going
to do this and that.
And they're like so, yeah, it's, it's intense, it's intense,
but it's so because I like tohave fun too.
You know, a lot of peopleforget to be children, and I
(31:45):
forgot to be a kid too.
And let me tell you how I evengot to being an intuitive vocal
coach.
I had done 10 years of study atthe university, at one of the
most prestigious universities inthe country, the best voice
teacher I mean, they're, yeah,voice teachers everything.
(32:07):
And I ended up having a vocalcyst right after I graduated,
the largest vocal cyst that mysurgeon had ever seen.
I thought I was going toBroadway, I, literally or the
metropolitan opera, because Ihad audition set up, everything
you know.
And no, it didn't happen.
(32:28):
Like that.
I, I lost my voice and I had a50% chance, rather, I would ever
sing again.
I had to have the surgery.
If I ever right, right, right,right things.
I know drugs and I know music,and now the music has been taken
away.
So I get the surgery, okay, Igot the surgery and I was
silenced for three years andeven if you know me just a
(32:53):
little bit right now, you know Ilike to talk, all right, okay,
okay, so, um, that was very hardbecause I felt like God, the
universe, had abandoned me, hadhad what, what are you doing?
Like I had already been throughall of this crap.
Now you're taking my voice, one, you know, and, um, it was in
my silence that my spirit beganto speak volumes and give
(33:14):
spiritual gifts, gifts that arebeyond anything you can imagine,
for me for sure.
Begin to speak, begin to grow.
And it was that.
Now, when I graduated, I was asoprano without high notes.
I had done all the work, but Icouldn't sing high notes, even
(33:36):
after graduating with twodegrees, which is why I end up
having the vocal cysts, Ibelieve, because I was trying to
sing these high notes andnobody ever spoke to my soul.
They didn't realize I didn'thave high notes because when I
had gone through the sexualabuse and trauma as a kid, I
never screamed.
It happened so often that Iheld my my voice and I held
(34:00):
myself.
So I had never even screamed ona roller coaster if someone
scared me, but nobody, they went, they didn't go that deep
because it's university, it'snot professional, it's not you
know, um.
So I needed I.
I need, I needed to meetsomebody that could unlock me
and see the trauma from theinside, and so I had to become
that, and so that's kind of howI became that, and things were
(34:23):
revealed to me why I wasn't ableto sing high notes.
I mean, I'm fine now, but it'scrazy how I had to be silent for
three years to even understandthe journey that I would take
myself through and others.
Aideen Ni Riada (34:35):
That must have been quite daunting to go back
into singing after those threeyears.
Deonna Marie (34:41):
It was hard.
You know what I mean.
I had a whole team of eightpeople putting me together
because I decided I wanted to goback to school and get, and get
a master's in voice with novoice, and that's what I did.
Okay, so I went and I appliedand and and I got in the school
of music with no voice and myvoice teacher, Dr Streets, and a
(35:02):
whole team of people justliterally helped me to build my
voice back from nothing duringthat that three year time.
I usually, as the masters, aretwo years, but it took me three
because I couldn't sing.
You know, I had to build it andand I'm talking about building
it slowly after that three yearsI could get through my hour
(35:23):
recital, which is a requirementfor different languages.
You know you have to have anhour recital to graduate out of
the master's program and I wasable to do that.
So I worked three years just todo that.
Amazing.
Aideen Ni Riada (35:36):
I had an experience of kind of losing my
singing voice.
At one point.
I was working in um recruitmenton a headset, you know, working
to KPIs like performanceindicators or whatever they are,
and I was so desperate to dosinging I was.
I felt like a piece of my soulwas missing and I went to my
(35:57):
teacher.
I went to an audition for voicelessons and a woman called
Evelyn Dowling and I could singfive notes, like I think you
know, I could nearly get to a, gor something, but then my voice
stopped and I remember that thethe relief I felt when she said
I think there's a, there's agood voice in there, you know,
(36:19):
and she believed in me and younever forget that.
Like every time I have someonecome to me, I've I've worked
with people who will they canbarely sing happy birthday.
Actually, here's here is likebig reveal.
I've worked with people thatare still struggling to sing
happy birthday but they havegotten so much from being in
this in the playful learning ofthat they needed me for
(36:42):
something in that moment andthat was.
It was really a pleasure andit's the deeper work that I find
the most interesting now andeven though I love, I love the
impact that singing can have.
Like when we sing and your soulis soaring and you're
completely in the moment andyou're not in your head and
(37:05):
you're communicating your truthand your emotions, there is
healing in the room foreverybody.
And I don't care if you've hadthe 10 years of training you
could have had no training butyou can have an impact.
So I believe everybody's gotthe song in there somewhere that
they need to sing and it takesyou somewhere Like look where
your singing has taken you, lookwhere it's taking me and your
(37:28):
clients, of course.
Deonna Marie (37:30):
Yes, but you know I had a voice teacher, a
Florence Birdwell she, when Ifirst got there, she, when I
first got to OCU, she took musicaway from me.
This is before the surgery.
She took the notes away from mebecause I was hiding behind the
music.
I was hiding behind mybeautiful voice and I wasn't
(37:53):
saying anything.
And so my, my model for mystudio and this came from her
it's a feeling, not a sound.
So a lot of times we won't evensing for six weeks because I
really don't care how beautifulyour voice is or what you really
want to do, if you're notsaying anything to my soul, I
really am not interested.
And I say it just like that.
(38:13):
Ok, all right.
So we take songs, let's justsay we take a song and we begin
to build a backstory, somethingfrom their life, something that
they felt in real life, and sothey can now begin to open up
their souls, which we began toallow other people to just open
up theirs.
Um, I teach to brand the soulsof your listeners.
(38:35):
I'm not.
I'm not interested in just yousinging me a pretty song.
I really don't.
If you're not willing to andthey must, if they come and work
with me, you have to tap intothe deepest part of you, so then
you can tap into the deepestpart of the souls of others.
And again it's a feeling, not asound.
So even even in that works twoways as well.
(38:57):
It feels like something whenyou're singing correctly, when
you're in alignment.
So instead of I don't use apiano, I don't use any music, I
make them feel it in their body.
We build, we build a piano, webuild an instrument in their
body.
So if they sing a G sharp,let's just say they know what
that feels like.
(39:17):
So if the microphone goes outor if something crazy happens
cause it always does Sometimes,they're there, they're so
reliant on their soul and notthe music they can just sing and
let it come out anyway.
So I, I, I took, I took allthat out too.
So people have nowhere to hide.
Aideen Ni Riada (39:37):
Ooh, and that just looks like such a great
thing when you say it.
It sounds like a great thingand, of course, if we can tap
into our essence because that'sreally what we're expressing in
every area of our lives there isabsolute magic.
That can happen and that's themagic sauce that we all need in
this world when a lot of peopleare feeling very lost.
(40:00):
We're going to wrap things upnow, deanna, but I know I really
want to keep talking, but isthere something you'd like to
say?
There's people listening rightnow.
They're probably going.
Oh my gosh, my brain, I don'tknow Like.
So much has been said.
There's so much wisdom here,but is there one thing that
you'd like to leave with peopleor something that you'd like to
tell our listeners right now?
Deonna Marie (40:21):
Don't let anybody, including yourself, tell you
that you are not worthy.
If it's something in your life,in your mind, in your heart
that you feel that you want,it's because you're supposed to
have it.
So let's just say, for example,you know, I'm 50 and I want to
start music, or I want to win aGrammy Award.
(40:42):
If that is in your soul andyour heart's desire, it belongs
to you.
It belongs to you.
So be careful of who you tellyour visions to and your dreams
to, because the naysayers willkeep you from going forward.
You must find people that agreewith you, that can see beyond
(41:03):
what they perceive is happeningnow, because there's many things
that are happening.
More things actually arehappening in the unseen than
what we can see.
So believe in yourself,understand that you have the
feeling, because it is yours.
It is yours, and so I just Iencourage people to really sit
with themselves and really askthemselves what do I want?
(41:26):
I don't care about your age, Idon't care how much money you
have, which, your lack of love,none of that matters.
What is it that the inner childwanted as a child?
You have to go back.
You owe it to yourself, you oweit to humanity to figure that
out, because you too are herefor a very specific and special
person, to deliver somethingthat only you can deliver to the
(41:47):
world.
That's what I would say.
Aideen Ni Riada (41:51):
Amen, hallelujah.
Deonna Marie (41:52):
And so it is.
Aideen Ni Riada (41:55):
Awesome Thank you so much, deanna that Deonna
Marie is here, she's in thehouse, she's living her truth
right now.
She's available for people tolearn from and connect with.
I'm going to put all of yourdetails with the show notes and
you've got an amazing story andI would highly recommend people
to check out your website.
(42:15):
There's some great informationabout your life everything there
.
We are so pleased that you'vetaken the time to listen today,
but, most importantly, pleasestart listening to yourself and
listen to your heart, and thatwill guide you always
beautifully.
Thank you everyone.
We'll see you on the nextepisode of the Resonate podcast.
(42:36):
Bye-bye.
Welcome to the Resonate Podcast with Aideen.
I'm Aideen Ni Riada.
My guest today is Deonna Marie,and I am so excited to meet you
, deanna, how are you today?
I'm so well.
How are you?
I'm great.
So I found Deonna Marie in suchan unusual way.
She is another intuitive vocalcoach and because I had been,
(00:25):
you know, working as anintuitive voice coach, I was so
surprised to find you online andI had to, you know, meet you
and I had to get you on the showbut to talk about all things
voice coaching and about usingthe intuitive powers that we
have.
I think each of us has thatopportunity to tune inward and
(00:46):
feel what is real in a situation, not just from the mind, and I
am excited to find out moreabout how you do that.
Deonna Marie (00:55):
Oh, I'm excited to tell you, and everyone else as
well, this is going to be great.
I'm excited it is.
Aideen Ni Riada (01:00):
Let me tell everybody a little bit about you
.
I'm going to read out a littlebit about you and then we'll get
started.
Deonna Marie is an Emmyaward-winning vocalist,
storyteller and intuitive vocalcoach from Grand Rapids,
michigan.
She is the multi-passionate,light-hearted writer and creator
of the Deonna Marie Experience,a one-woman show about
surviving her very unique lifejourney.
(01:22):
It debuted in 2023 in OklahomaCity.
She is a classically trainedsinger with over a decade of
experience and has worked withinternationally known vocalists,
stage directors and choralconductors.
I can see there, this has beena journey right.
It's like this.
There's the hint there of whatyou've had to survive in your
(01:44):
life.
And then we see also emmy awardwinning, we see you classically
trained, international clients.
Tell us about that journey alittle bit like what was it that
brought you to where you aretoday?
Deonna Marie (02:00):
I would have to say music if I was to say put it
in one word yeah.
So so when I, when I discoveredmy voice, I was actually I
wasn't talking because my motherhad just left my sister and I
to serve a prison sentence for ayear and she didn't tell us
that she wasn't coming back.
So the day that I found out mymother wasn't coming back, I
(02:23):
stopped speaking.
Now I didn't know that I couldsing yet.
So maybe a month later, I guess, I was singing in the in the
bathtub and my cousin burst inthe bathroom and she thought
that I had stolen a radio andshe didn't know it was me
singing.
So she was shocked and shewrapped me in a towel and she
took me out of the tub andplopped me in front of the
living room and called all 13other people that lived in the
(02:46):
house and said do it again, youknow.
And I did it again, you know.
And everybody's mouth was onthe floor.
They didn't really say much,but I knew maybe something was
kind of special then.
But my mom came back fromprison and a little bit late and
then and then after that Iended up in foster care.
So in between, my mother comingback.
(03:08):
I really didn't sing that much,I was probably nine or so, and
then I was in foster care and myfoster mom she could sing and
she loved my voice.
She had me singing all the time, whether it was cooking or
cleaning or at the random peopleat the grocery store or the
dentist's office.
I was singing all the time.
(03:28):
And so that's when I discoveredmaybe I had something special,
and so that's kind of where myvoice was discovered.
But then life happened, as lifedoes, and I ended up using drugs
with my mother when I was 18.
So we're just going to flashforward, okay, and that was a
(03:48):
crazy journey that I had andthat we shared.
I mean, I had a deep journeyfor a mother, for a mother that
loves me, accepts me, see me,hear me, understand me, and I
figure maybe if I join her whereshe is, I could have that.
Well, that was definitelysomething that needed to happen.
Um, and I'm going to.
I'm saying that because Icarried a lot of hatred and, um,
(04:13):
a lot of resentment for mymother and my father, because
how my childhood was, and it wassomething about when I, when I,
used the drug with my mother.
18 years later, after livingthis, this childhood, I forgave
her.
I forgave her because Iunderstood the effect of the
(04:33):
drug in one time, one time, andso I began to.
I felt convicted because I hadcarried so much resentment and
and um from from my mother andand other people who use drugs
too.
But it hits you different whenyou do it.
You know I had a completelydifferent perspective, um, but
(04:53):
you know that was a five-yearjourney.
And then I ended up um at GrandRapids Community College where
I met my first voice teacher.
Now he told me that I was anopera singer and I said no, I'm
not.
I don't think I'm.
No, black people don't do that.
Totally ignorant.
Now, mind you, he's AfricanAmerican.
Aideen Ni Riada (05:14):
Okay.
Deonna Marie (05:15):
And and I didn't.
I didn't believe him, and it'sjust, and I was 27 at the time,
I had already was starting late,so to speak, you know.
And I said, ok, god, theuniverse, whoever you are, I
need you to show up again,because the first time I asked
this question if you're there, Ineed you to show me by doing
(05:37):
this I asked to be deliveredfrom drugs.
Well, long story short, I wokeup clean One day.
I woke up and I was clean.
That's how it happened.
So I said, oh, I'm going to trythat voice again.
I remember, I remember.
So I said okay, if you want meto be an opera singer, I'm going
to make a deal with you.
Okay, if you want me to be anopera singer, I need you to.
(06:00):
I want to go to school in Italyand I want to learn Italian,
and if you do that for me, thenI will take this, because I
heard it would be at least adecade If I was to go this opera
route and train classically Iwould.
I would at least need 10 years.
I said, ok, well, if you dothat for me universe, god,
(06:20):
whoever, because I was, you knowthen then I, then I'll commit
the 10 years.
Well, be careful what you askfor.
Okay, because the next summerthat summer I was in Italy
studying at the UniversitàPercianieri I stayed on Via
Frave Vignati.
It was crazy and I said what?
(06:42):
So I knew, I knew.
Then I said, oh, not only do Ihave a special connection and I
can make very specific requests,if I'm very specific and I
really, really, really want it,you know, um I, I have um this
journey that I have to embark onnow.
So that's what I did.
Aideen Ni Riada (07:02):
I did that.
It was a commitment.
Right, it was you were.
You were committing tosomething and allowing yourself
be guided by the circumstancesaround you.
I mean, for me I was alwaysvery stubborn person.
I was like, well, I want this,I want that, and I I spent my
first 40 years chasing thingsthat weren't coming.
(07:24):
Naturally that my, that myfamily were trying to dissuade
me from that.
You know people were going.
I'm not sure if that's theright thing for you, but I could
not hear anybody else's umopinion.
If it wasn't coming from my ownmind, I would discard it.
And to just cause.
You don't know my story thatwell, some of the listeners do.
But I in my forties, asked Okayfor guidance and I said I want
(07:50):
to do more with music.
I don't know what that is and II really need help with this.
And three weeks later I heard avoice in my head saying do a
singing workshop for adults.
Now, the reason I knew itwasn't me was because I didn't
want to do it because my mom's amusic teacher.
She's a guitar teacher.
(08:10):
I, like I'm not a singingteacher.
When I asked, could I do morewith music?
I wanted to sing at weddings orsomething right.
So I had my own ideas, so Ihave some experience with that,
so I'm really there is somethingout there that wants to help us
along the way, but I thinkpeople find that difficult to
(08:35):
discern where like a good idea,is it not a good idea?
And we use our brains to filterthat.
And now you've mentioned youknow that you are an intuitive
vocal coach.
Yes, so from what you're sayingabout you know asking for
guidance and you know the factthat you do intuitive vocal
coaching.
Asking for guidance and youknow the fact that you do
intuitive vocal coaching.
(08:55):
What is it you say to people tohelp them to tune in to
something?
Deonna Marie (09:00):
greater than themselves for guidance if they
need it.
Well, in in with my clients, um, I introduced meditation.
We all read, um a book calledthe four agreements, um, and we
we kind of take a deep dive into, and one of the agreements.
The first agreement is beimpeccable with your word, and
it really breaks down howpowerful the word is and it
(09:21):
breaks down different scenariosand how we break ourselves down
with our own words on a dailybasis throughout our lifetime,
and how it piles on us and so wehave to kind of so.
So the whole thing for me istapping into the power of their
word, the power of their thought.
That's how I get, but usuallyhow I get people to tap in right
(09:42):
away.
When they first come to me, Iusually tell them something that
only they know.
So then, and I'm also very,very transparent and vulnerable
as well so some people maybedon't need that, they need to
hear something about me that islike you know, that's shocking
or whatever.
Aideen Ni Riada (10:02):
I don't know, you know, uh so I try to open
someone up, you know, becausethis is it's about trust, right?
Yeah.
So if you can bring outsomething, if you can help them
to trust you or help them revealsomething that they are
unwilling to usually share, yeah, and you create a safe space.
(10:24):
So one of the things I, youknow, I talk about sometimes is
that I have this idea of thisnurturing environment.
Like it's almost like, you know, everyone becomes my friend.
Like I had a client walk out ofthe house the other day and I
said love you like that.
And I walked back in and thetwo guys who were still in the
room, I said I just told herthat I loved her and I said I
probably shouldn't have donethat.
(10:45):
It's not professional, but Ilove you guys too.
So I guess that's just the wayI tend to create these
relationships with people.
That is, um, that isn't just abland, you know, exchange.
There's something way deeper toit and it feels to me like
that's how you're working aswell.
Deonna Marie (11:05):
A thousand percent , a thousand percent.
I tell them I love them all thetime.
Um, some I give themaffirmations.
I tell them you are loved, seen, heard and understood.
I'm thinking about you.
Here's some energy for you,like, just, I love them, like
they're.
They're my family, you know,because they're led to me.
So I feel like they're a partof my soul family, they're a
part of my tribe.
I have a, I have a job, I am alight for the lights and um or
(11:29):
or a healer for the healers, andso when people come to me, I
consider myself as they are.
When they come, they are aspiritual hospital for other
people, which is why people comeand they open up themselves and
they but you have to be carefulwith that.
You have to be careful and onlyopen up yourself, up to those
who are assigned to you, and sothat's another thing that I, um,
(11:50):
I really work on is people'senergy and seeing, like I tell
them we have a cell phone, youstart off with 100 percent
battery.
Where is your battery going?
By the end of the day?
Most people really wake up at 50percent and don't even really
understand that there's 100percent.
But that's another storyaltogether.
But I bring them to anawareness of their energy and
(12:10):
their power.
And then we go a little bitdeeper and we talk about the
things that maybe they nevertalked about about their
childhood.
That that's really.
I see it as a chain that'sbound to them spiritually and
once we begin to, you know, talkabout these things and it's
locks, that kind of come offtheir voices.
(12:32):
Then I was like now we cantrain it, let's go.
Aideen Ni Riada (12:36):
That is awesome .
What I mentioned to you beforewe came on and started recording
was this idea of identity,because of all of the stages of
your life story and all of theways that others would have seen
you in a certain way, because,oh, you've been through that or
you did it to your mom even.
Do you know what I mean?
(12:56):
We have a judgment.
When somebody's going throughsomething, we see it as a kind
of failure, like for me.
My mother moved to Ireland.
She's American, from Michigan,but my mom and dad broke up.
So I was like well, mom, youmade a mistake.
Obviously, you know you made amistake because you didn't stay
(13:18):
together.
I I had a difficult time in myteens because of all of this and
then eventually, years later,you come back and like that you
can forgive and you realize it'snot a mistake.
And at my wedding, when I, whenI got married about six years
ago, I just said that it's not amistake and I I stood up in
front of everybody there and Isaid there's no mistake and we
all deserve second chances.
And so, yes, we can be hard onour moms, right?
(13:40):
I think everybody does.
Deonna Marie (13:44):
Sometimes, once they get that second chance, a
third, fourth and fifth andsixth is not necessary.
And a lot of times people holdon to people, places and things
because of their titles, becausethey feel entitled, because
it's my child, it's my mother,it's my spouse.
No, no, you don't have to takeany abuse from anybody because
(14:08):
of what their title is.
And so for me, over the years,I had to learn to cut some of
those ties because it wasn'tserving my highest good and I'm
better, and I'm better and I'mnot you know, yes, well, I can
know that is a tough one.
Aideen Ni Riada (14:27):
That is a tough one Because when, when I, when
I kind of pulled away from myparents because they were going
through their thing and it feltlike a betrayal, okay, um, I
started to look to other peoplewho did not deserve me, to give
them any time, you know.
I was looking for another safeplace, but I wasn't always
choosing the right people, um,so I went on a huge journey with
that myself.
But, um, tell me somethingabout identity.
(14:50):
That's what I was trying to.
I went on a tangent as well.
Well, like who?
What do you identify with?
Because it like you.
Okay, we talked about you know,being multi-passionate,
lighthearted, like when peoplecome to you, they are coming
with all that stuff.
They identify with a certainversion of themselves.
What can you tell me?
I just have this feeling thatyou've something very profound
(15:13):
to say about this.
Deonna Marie (15:15):
About when, when, when people come to me, how do I
get them to identify withthemselves?
Yes, well, first of all, peopleare covered in masks, so we
have to identify what those arefirst.
And so I, I, we, we go throughand say, okay, how do you act at
work, or how do you act atschool, or what's your
professional voice or what's youknow?
(15:36):
So we have to identify where itis that they're hiding, so we
can begin to crack the mask oneby one, destroy them, and
destroying that means so everytime we break one, we realize
they find a piece of themselves.
It's like a treasure chest.
Once they crack the mask, theyfind something like you know
what?
I really don't like that, or Ireally should have said this Ah,
(15:58):
okay, you know, and so it's.
You know, it depends on howmany, it depends on the person
and it depends on how many masksthey carry and how strong that
mask is.
How long have you had that?
What made you?
What made you feel like you hadto?
Because a lot of people they,they don't understand.
The more mass they create, themore they lose their own
(16:18):
identity.
And so I, I really pride myselfon helping people find them.
They're, they're real now,because it's so lost in society
and the way our world works andthe way the system is.
So many people are justfloating around and I just our
world works and the way thesystem is, so many people are
just floating around and I justgrab them up and say, wait a
minute, let's look at this inreality, not just what you think
(16:44):
it is or what you perceive itto be.
What it is it really is.
A lot of times we have aperception of things to be one
way, like my childhood.
One person could say you knowyour parents are terrible, you
know they left you hanging, theylet you get abused, they put
you in different foster homes,and I can see that perspective.
(17:04):
But I see it as a win, becauseevery spiritual scar that I have
on my back is not for me, it'sfor other people, because I was
designed.
I heard that same voice thattold me that I, my voice, was to
help.
I was created to help, to usemy voice to help raise the
consciousness of humanity, inwhatever facet that is.
(17:27):
And so that means too much isgiven, much is required, and so
that means too much is given,much is required.
And so now I identify, I think,the hardest trials of my life.
I identify, you know, as thewarrior, as a survivor, you know
as the thriver, as the one whois supposed to stand on the
(17:49):
front line and help weave thefabric of humanity back to its
rightful place absolutelyamazing purpose.
Aideen Ni Riada (17:59):
You've got a very definite purpose in that.
One of my favorite lines I readin an email from a spiritual
therapist was that no one getsleft behind.
And that's means so much to me,because when I see some of the
stuff going on and you can seethe person who's vulnerable, you
(18:20):
can see the person who is being, um, you know the victim in a
situation like truly, that theyare a victim of that situation
to some degree.
And to the oppressor is the onethat I'm going.
Hey, they, they got.
That person needs so much loveright now.
And they to.
(18:41):
To change your mind aboutsomething that you've believed
for a long time, to change yourmind about you know prejudice,
or to change your mind about, um, you know what's right or
what's wrong.
It takes a huge amount ofself-compassion and courage.
When we're being too criticaland too hard on ourselves, we
can't give ourselves the graceto change.
(19:01):
That's good, that's true,that's true.
Deonna Marie (19:05):
We can't, you know .
You said nobody's left behind.
Let me expand on that a littlebit if I can.
Nobody's left behind.
Let me let me expound on that alittle bit, if I can, Unless
they choose to be left behind.
See, there are people, placesand things in this world that
choose to stay tethered to thesystem, tethered to ideals that
they've made up or that they'vegotten from outside sources
(19:26):
besides themselves, andsometimes you have to let them
stay, because the energy that ittakes to pull them you could
have pulled.
You could have found a hundredpeople who are ready, who are
searching, who are, who want tocome, and so you also.
You know I, I, I teach and Ifeel and I live this way.
(19:47):
You also have to be careful who, how long you're pulling, if
that's what you're doing, or howlong you're trying to make
something happen, because thatyou could be wasting valuable
energy on something that is notassigned to you that's really
beautiful.
Aideen Ni Riada (20:02):
Thank you that this term being assigned to you.
Are you using that?
Is that based on FlorenceSchoville Shin?
By any chance she talks in thatway.
Do you know her?
Deonna Marie (20:14):
no but I have, I have, I have goosebumps all over
, so I should, or maybe I do,and I you know, yes, yes, wow.
Aideen Ni Riada (20:26):
so for those listening and for yourself,
dionne um, florence Schoville,shin um is an author who wrote a
book called the game of life toher and how to play it, and she
wrote another book called yourword is your wand, and she has a
number of absolutely amazingbooks and she has a way with
(20:46):
words like the way that you usethat word assigned.
It just reminded me so much ofher.
So definitely worth looking herup, um, for spiritual kind of
you know wisdom.
There's really a lot of wisdomabout how to manifest, how to
change.
You know your way of thinkingabout things.
Deonna Marie (21:08):
Thank you, that's good.
I had goosebumps, so I'm doingit, don't worry about it.
Aideen Ni Riada (21:13):
What else would you like to talk about during
our interview today?
Because I feel like there's somany aspects you like are
certainly multi-passionate.
There is so much, I mean, andsuch a deep wisdom.
I know it's been hard one andyou see that it is all
worthwhile and I love.
I love that because we've allbeen through some things and
when we make, when we see thelesson and we can take the um,
(21:39):
the goodness, out of the bad,that is a very, very um
resilient and a very strongapproach.
I really admire that.
But I have a feeling that youhave something you'd like to say
to us, so there are peoplelistening right now.
What is it in your heart thatwants to come out today?
Deonna Marie (21:59):
Well, um, I, I want a little uh, expound a
little bit on, uh, what you justsaid, and, and as far as
perspective, it's so easy to, um, um, think that something is
happening to you instead of it'shappening for you.
You know it's, it's it's.
This person did this, they saidthat, but what is it in that
(22:20):
that can make you grow?
What is it that you need?
In that there's something,because there's nothing that
happens by chance.
Every single thing happens fora reason, and so it is our job,
and this is also a thing that Iteach my clients too.
We reflect daily, because when Ispeak to people, I ask before,
(22:42):
before the day begins you know,um, who, what do you want me to
do, what do you want me to sayand to whom?
So I know anything that comesout to any person, it, it, it's
an, it's an assigned.
They're assigned to me becauseI was talking to everybody when
my gifts started really firingoff and I realized the magnitude
(23:08):
of some of them.
I wanted to help everybody,every single person, because I'm
like everybody's on fire, not,so to speak, but you know, even
if it's in their mind, if it'sin their heart, you know, and,
but that it was draining, it waskilling me.
Yeah, so, and that's just myheart, my nature.
I want to give, I want to help,I want to heal, that's what I'm
(23:31):
a servant.
So this is when I got wise andstarted asking wait a minute,
who am I supposed to talk to?
And when I need you to tell mespecifically, I need them to
light up, like the 4th of July.
So I know.
So, if people come up to me andthey do every single day,
everywhere I go, I don't knowwhy I'm here, I don't know you.
(23:54):
Oh, I said I hugged them, Iembraced them, I said come and
we talked and I tell them whatthe message is for them and
they're just and that and that'sthat.
So, so now I don't have to workso hard.
I think a lot of us work reallyhard, work really hard on a lot
of things, and I believe that ifyou just sit down and visualize
(24:14):
it, if you just believe it, ifyou just talk to other people
about it and have them to agreewith you, if you just know
without a shadow of a doubt whatthis thing looks like, what it
feels like, that is the only jobthat you're supposed to do, how
you're going to do it when it'shappening is not your business.
And we are so inundated with somany ideas in the world and so
(24:36):
many things going on in our headand, um, we don't really take
the time to sit and just ask andjust wait for an answer.
Or if you, if you don't want towait for an answer ask for a
specific sign, then I need Ineed to see, uh, a black crow.
Or I need to see, uh, um, aladybug.
Please give me threebutterflies.
(24:58):
If this is real now, thebutterflies can be anywhere.
This is where people miss it.
Let me tell y'all y'alllistening.
Don't miss it, because I knowwhat you're thinking is cold
outside there are no butterflies, okay, but there could be a
butterfly on somebody's car.
There could be a cup that youhappen to get at a coffee shop
that has butterflies on it.
(25:18):
There could be butterflies inthat you happen to get at a
coffee shop that has butterflieson it.
There could be butterflies insomebody's hair, barrettes in a
kid in a store in front of you.
Don't miss it.
And a lot of people ask forthese things.
They're asking and they'rebegging and they're missing
their answers Because they'renot present in the moment to
understand.
The answer is right in front ofthem when it's time.
Aideen Ni Riada (25:38):
Tell me this prayer when you get up in the
morning.
You're saying to the universe,to God, whoever it is, where do
you have me go?
What is those three phrases?
Tell us so we can write thisdown.
Deonna Marie (25:55):
What do you want me to do?
What do you want me to do?
What do you want me to say andto whom?
Aideen Ni Riada (26:02):
What do you want me to do?
What do you want me to say, andto whom?
Deonna Marie (26:07):
I love it.
So now you know, and when youbelieve that it is so, because
you have to believe it, you haveto believe okay, thank you is.
So, if you, because you have tobelieve it, you have to believe
okay, oh, thank you right.
So if it's, if it's a male manthat comes to your house and he
never knocks on the door, buttoday he knocks on the door for
whatever reason, you're supposedto say something to him or he's
(26:28):
supposed to say something toyou, don't miss it.
Don't miss it because so manypeople, it's, it's the little
things, it's, it's the, it's thelittle, it's the little things
that, uh, the whispers of thewind, um, the ruffles and the
and the and the trees, likethese, these things are speaking
to us often and again we'remissing it because of the noise
(26:48):
in our mind.
So I am very, very, um, vigilantand I teach very like we.
We do hardcore meditation, youknow, and it's hard for people.
It's hard sometimes and I say,okay, we're going to start with
17 seconds, no big deal, 17seconds.
Think about what it is that youwant.
You just want a peaceful second, just breathe 17 seconds.
That's all you got.
(27:09):
This is all you need to get inthe zone, we take a breath, we
do that and then, uh, we, we getup to, uh, I don't know, three,
four hours, sometimes, itdepends, you know.
And they, because theyunderstand that time stops and
it's fun in there.
This is awesome.
Aideen Ni Riada (27:27):
so I have a theory, okay, because, um,
obviously we both have beenteaching singing voice right,
and so my theory is that whatyou're doing is you're bringing
people into a deeper sense ofpresence, self-awareness,
self-compassion, and from there,that is enabling them not only
(27:48):
to be in the world better, butalso they can be, they can
communicate through theirsinging in a completely
different way, so there's adifferent level, right, singing
in a completely different way,so there's a different level
right, it's a completelydifferent.
Deonna Marie (28:01):
I can't.
It's like I'm trying to.
I saw a big tree.
I saw a big tree and we're andso let's just say we're trees
walking and some people, butit's time to be rooted.
It's time to be rooted intoyourself, into your gifts, and a
lot of people don't know whatthat means because they've been
unplugged their whole life ormost of their entire life.
(28:21):
So what does that even looklike?
To be still and plug in and andjust sit with your thoughts,
sit with yourself, sit with thegood, the bad and the ugly.
Let's talk about the bad andthe ugly.
You know, and a lot of peopleare when they come to me oh you,
oh, you shouldn't have did that, but I love you anyway.
We gonna figure it out.
You know, because it's a, it'sa, it's a no judgment zone.
(28:43):
Who am I to judge?
You know, I, I want I create aplace where people are seen,
heard and understood and lovedunconditionally.
So now, with that condition off, because a lot of people don't
even know they love withconditions.
I love you if you do this.
If you don't do that, it'sconditions in there, man, and so
(29:05):
I, I take the conditions offand I and they feel it.
So.
Therefore, some things come outthat you know maybe they would
never want to say even tothemselves out loud, but that's
okay.
That you know, maybe they wouldnever want to say even to
themselves out loud, but that'sokay.
We need to, we need to figureit out, let it come out, let it
flow, and it's freeing for them.
It's like poison coming out oftheir soul.
Then they can stand in theirpower, then they can sing.
Aideen Ni Riada (29:35):
Juicy, very juicy.
I just feel so inspired by you,so inspired.
I'm like, wow.
So these clients that come toyou, they're like what they're
getting way more than what theymight expect from.
I mean, the word intuitive isin the job title but still they
think they're coming for a voicecoaching or vocal coaching.
Do you get a lot of surpriseclients?
(29:56):
What's happening when you getin there?
Deonna Marie (29:59):
Well, I let them know that we have a consultation
first, and the consultation I'mlike surprise, I know you
thought it's so funny becauseI'm real silly too.
So we're, we're cracking up Imean crying, okay.
(30:21):
So.
So, because laughter is a bigpart of this thing, you know,
because it's like if, if we canjust laugh through, all of this
is hilarious, and I don't evenknow where we're going.
That's the thing I know.
Your whole life is going tochange.
You will not be the same.
You're going to come in hereand you're going to walk out
different all the way around.
I don't.
So that's what I got.
(30:41):
Well, we, you know, and I justlet them know.
This is what we're doing andthis is why you're here again,
in the door.
I tell them why they're here.
They don't know, but I tellthem because I speak.
Their soul speaks to me and Ispeak to them.
I said, ah, you're here becauseof this, this and what.
What happened to your mother?
Why didn't you tell her thatbefore she passed away?
(31:02):
So now we have to find, we haveto tell her.
And they're like you know, andmost of the time, at this point,
there is no shock, there is no.
Well, how do you?
How do you know?
Because I am so confident thatwhatever speaks through me is a
thousand percent accurate.
I have no conviction, I have no.
(31:23):
You can take it or not, it's upto you, but this is why you're
here and this is what I'm goingto help you do, and we're going
to do this and that.
And they're like so, yeah, it's, it's intense, it's intense,
but it's so because I like tohave fun too.
You know, a lot of peopleforget to be children, and I
(31:45):
forgot to be a kid too.
And let me tell you how I evengot to being an intuitive vocal
coach.
I had done 10 years of study atthe university, at one of the
most prestigious universities inthe country, the best voice
teacher I mean, they're, yeah,voice teachers everything.
(32:07):
And I ended up having a vocalcyst right after I graduated,
the largest vocal cyst that mysurgeon had ever seen.
I thought I was going toBroadway, I, literally or the
metropolitan opera, because Ihad audition set up, everything
you know.
And no, it didn't happen.
(32:28):
Like that.
I, I lost my voice and I had a50% chance, rather, I would ever
sing again.
I had to have the surgery.
If I ever right, right, right,right things.
I know drugs and I know music,and now the music has been taken
away.
So I get the surgery, okay, Igot the surgery and I was
silenced for three years andeven if you know me just a
(32:53):
little bit right now, you know Ilike to talk, all right, okay,
okay, so, um, that was very hardbecause I felt like God, the
universe, had abandoned me, hadhad what, what are you doing?
Like I had already been throughall of this crap.
Now you're taking my voice, one, you know, and, um, it was in
my silence that my spirit beganto speak volumes and give
(33:14):
spiritual gifts, gifts that arebeyond anything you can imagine,
for me for sure.
Begin to speak, begin to grow.
And it was that.
Now, when I graduated, I was asoprano without high notes.
I had done all the work, but Icouldn't sing high notes, even
(33:36):
after graduating with twodegrees, which is why I end up
having the vocal cysts, Ibelieve, because I was trying to
sing these high notes andnobody ever spoke to my soul.
They didn't realize I didn'thave high notes because when I
had gone through the sexualabuse and trauma as a kid, I
never screamed.
It happened so often that Iheld my my voice and I held
(34:00):
myself.
So I had never even screamed ona roller coaster if someone
scared me, but nobody, they went, they didn't go that deep
because it's university, it'snot professional, it's not you
know, um.
So I needed I.
I need, I needed to meetsomebody that could unlock me
and see the trauma from theinside, and so I had to become
that, and so that's kind of howI became that, and things were
(34:23):
revealed to me why I wasn't ableto sing high notes.
I mean, I'm fine now, but it'scrazy how I had to be silent for
three years to even understandthe journey that I would take
myself through and others.
Aideen Ni Riada (34:35):
That must have been quite daunting to go back
into singing after those threeyears.
Deonna Marie (34:41):
It was hard.
You know what I mean.
I had a whole team of eightpeople putting me together
because I decided I wanted to goback to school and get, and get
a master's in voice with novoice, and that's what I did.
Okay, so I went and I appliedand and and I got in the school
of music with no voice and myvoice teacher, Dr Streets, and a
(35:02):
whole team of people justliterally helped me to build my
voice back from nothing duringthat that three year time.
I usually, as the masters, aretwo years, but it took me three
because I couldn't sing.
You know, I had to build it andand I'm talking about building
it slowly after that three yearsI could get through my hour
(35:23):
recital, which is a requirementfor different languages.
You know you have to have anhour recital to graduate out of
the master's program and I wasable to do that.
So I worked three years just todo that.
Amazing.
Aideen Ni Riada (35:36):
I had an experience of kind of losing my
singing voice.
At one point.
I was working in um recruitmenton a headset, you know, working
to KPIs like performanceindicators or whatever they are,
and I was so desperate to dosinging I was.
I felt like a piece of my soulwas missing and I went to my
(35:57):
teacher.
I went to an audition for voicelessons and a woman called
Evelyn Dowling and I could singfive notes, like I think you
know, I could nearly get to a, gor something, but then my voice
stopped and I remember that thethe relief I felt when she said
I think there's a, there's agood voice in there, you know,
(36:19):
and she believed in me and younever forget that.
Like every time I have someonecome to me, I've I've worked
with people who will they canbarely sing happy birthday.
Actually, here's here is likebig reveal.
I've worked with people thatare still struggling to sing
happy birthday but they havegotten so much from being in
this in the playful learning ofthat they needed me for
(36:42):
something in that moment andthat was.
It was really a pleasure andit's the deeper work that I find
the most interesting now andeven though I love, I love the
impact that singing can have.
Like when we sing and your soulis soaring and you're
completely in the moment andyou're not in your head and
(37:05):
you're communicating your truthand your emotions, there is
healing in the room foreverybody.
And I don't care if you've hadthe 10 years of training you
could have had no training butyou can have an impact.
So I believe everybody's gotthe song in there somewhere that
they need to sing and it takesyou somewhere Like look where
your singing has taken you, lookwhere it's taking me and your
(37:28):
clients, of course.
Deonna Marie (37:30):
Yes, but you know I had a voice teacher, a
Florence Birdwell she, when Ifirst got there, she, when I
first got to OCU, she took musicaway from me.
This is before the surgery.
She took the notes away from mebecause I was hiding behind the
music.
I was hiding behind mybeautiful voice and I wasn't
(37:53):
saying anything.
And so my, my model for mystudio and this came from her
it's a feeling, not a sound.
So a lot of times we won't evensing for six weeks because I
really don't care how beautifulyour voice is or what you really
want to do, if you're notsaying anything to my soul, I
really am not interested.
And I say it just like that.
(38:13):
Ok, all right.
So we take songs, let's justsay we take a song and we begin
to build a backstory, somethingfrom their life, something that
they felt in real life, and sothey can now begin to open up
their souls, which we began toallow other people to just open
up theirs.
Um, I teach to brand the soulsof your listeners.
(38:35):
I'm not.
I'm not interested in just yousinging me a pretty song.
I really don't.
If you're not willing to andthey must, if they come and work
with me, you have to tap intothe deepest part of you, so then
you can tap into the deepestpart of the souls of others.
And again it's a feeling, not asound.
So even even in that works twoways as well.
(38:57):
It feels like something whenyou're singing correctly, when
you're in alignment.
So instead of I don't use apiano, I don't use any music, I
make them feel it in their body.
We build, we build a piano, webuild an instrument in their
body.
So if they sing a G sharp,let's just say they know what
that feels like.
(39:17):
So if the microphone goes outor if something crazy happens
cause it always does Sometimes,they're there, they're so
reliant on their soul and notthe music they can just sing and
let it come out anyway.
So I, I, I took, I took allthat out too.
So people have nowhere to hide.
Aideen Ni Riada (39:37):
Ooh, and that just looks like such a great
thing when you say it.
It sounds like a great thingand, of course, if we can tap
into our essence because that'sreally what we're expressing in
every area of our lives there isabsolute magic.
That can happen and that's themagic sauce that we all need in
this world when a lot of peopleare feeling very lost.
(40:00):
We're going to wrap things upnow, deanna, but I know I really
want to keep talking, but isthere something you'd like to
say?
There's people listening rightnow.
They're probably going.
Oh my gosh, my brain, I don'tknow Like.
So much has been said.
There's so much wisdom here,but is there one thing that
you'd like to leave with peopleor something that you'd like to
tell our listeners right now?
Deonna Marie (40:21):
Don't let anybody, including yourself, tell you
that you are not worthy.
If it's something in your life,in your mind, in your heart
that you feel that you want,it's because you're supposed to
have it.
So let's just say, for example,you know, I'm 50 and I want to
start music, or I want to win aGrammy Award.
(40:42):
If that is in your soul andyour heart's desire, it belongs
to you.
It belongs to you.
So be careful of who you tellyour visions to and your dreams
to, because the naysayers willkeep you from going forward.
You must find people that agreewith you, that can see beyond
(41:03):
what they perceive is happeningnow, because there's many things
that are happening.
More things actually arehappening in the unseen than
what we can see.
So believe in yourself,understand that you have the
feeling, because it is yours.
It is yours, and so I just Iencourage people to really sit
with themselves and really askthemselves what do I want?
(41:26):
I don't care about your age, Idon't care how much money you
have, which, your lack of love,none of that matters.
What is it that the inner childwanted as a child?
You have to go back.
You owe it to yourself, you oweit to humanity to figure that
out, because you too are herefor a very specific and special
person, to deliver somethingthat only you can deliver to the
(41:47):
world.
That's what I would say.
Aideen Ni Riada (41:51):
Amen, hallelujah.
Deonna Marie (41:52):
And so it is.
Aideen Ni Riada (41:55):
Awesome Thank you so much, deanna that Deonna
Marie is here, she's in thehouse, she's living her truth
right now.
She's available for people tolearn from and connect with.
I'm going to put all of yourdetails with the show notes and
you've got an amazing story andI would highly recommend people
to check out your website.
(42:15):
There's some great informationabout your life everything there
.
We are so pleased that you'vetaken the time to listen today,
but, most importantly, pleasestart listening to yourself and
listen to your heart, and thatwill guide you always
beautifully.
Thank you everyone.
We'll see you on the nextepisode of the Resonate podcast.
(42:36):
Bye-bye.
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