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Groove Therapy
Episode 43: Riding the Edge with Walter Strauss
In this episode, Taraleigh and Dr. Leah talk with guitarist Walter Strauss about how he rides the edge in making music and life in general. Listeners get a music lesson as he breaks down concepts of groove, melody, rhythm, and harmony for all to understand with guitar accompaniment for experiential learning. The three discuss spontaneity and generosity in improv and live music and what it’s like for everyone to be riding that edge together. Walter talks about his upcoming solo album For Melody Wherever She May Find Me and his musical collaborations all over the world. For the “Did you Know,” Dr. Leah shares how live music can relate to attachment theory and Taraleigh encourages listeners to be inspired by their favorite musicians to repair relational breaks in the “Daily Jam.”
Walter Strauss is an innovative guitarist known for his richly textured and syncopated playing, as well as his international collaborations. A composer and songwriter in diverse genres, he also translates music from other instruments to the guitar, resulting in mind-bending guitar renditions of the music of the West African kora that legendary kora player Toumani Diabate calls “inspirational,” as well as music of other far-flung instruments of the world.
Walter’s current solo release (out April 20) “For Melody, Wherever She May Find Me” is a guitar exploration of beautiful global song melodies and originals - from a Malian balafon melody to a Stevie Wonder song and a Shetland fiddle tune. He continues his collaborations - Mamajowali, with Wassoulou hunter's harp player Mamadou Sidibe and American multi-instrumentalist Joe Craven, Fula Brothers with Mamadou Sidibe, and FulaMuse, the combined band of Fula Brothers and west coast songbirds MaMuse.
Walter has composed music for film, including the Ken Burns / Artemis Joukowsky documentary “Defying the Nazis”, and the “Re-evolution: The Cuban Dream” series on PBS. He has also produced and engineered records for artists like MaMuse and former Waybacks frontman Stevie Coyle.
Walter’s Bay Area CD release show is coming up at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley on April 20.
This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes and join our Facebook group to dive deeper into the conversation of live music and health and wellness.
Groove Therapy is brought to you by Osiris Media. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com.
Visit SunsetLakeCBD.com and use the promo code GROOVE for 20% off premium CBD products.
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65. Episode 65: How it’s all Ending with Dr. Leah Taylor and Taraleigh Weathers
47:00||Season 3, Ep. 65In this final episode, Dr. Leah and Taraleigh share what the future holds for Groove Therapy and what to expect from each host individually. It gets a little emotional as the pair reflect on their experience hosting the podcast including how it continues to impact their live music experiences and lives in general.We are honored to have started this conversation about the transformative impact of live music for healing, connection, and elevation and we hope it will continue. If you would like to reach out to us, feel free to dm either of us on Instagram at @drleahtaylor and @rockinglife__.Dr. Leah Taylor is an Integrative Mental Health Specialist, Healer, and Embodiment Mentor who combines ancient healing techniques with cutting-edge science to help you let go of stress, overwhelm, and struggle to open up to and embody your highest and brightest self. She has a PhD in Mind-Body Medicine and a Master’s in Somatic Psychology and is passionate about researching, speaking about, and teaching live music and movement as medicine. She is the founder and creator of Embodied Groove, an interactive movement experience designed to enhance the benefits of live music and raise the vibe at every show. Find out more about Dr. Leah Taylor and Embodied Groove at drleahtaylor.com. Taraleigh Weathers is the leader of intimate live music retreats and online business and accountability coaching programs. She helps people pursue their big dreams whether it’s helping them be their own bosses, write that book, run that marathon, start that band etc. She is also the author of the book How to Rock Your Life. Find out more about Taraleigh at rockinglife.com.This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes and join our Facebook group to dive deeper into the conversation of live music and health and wellness.Groove Therapy is brought to you by Osiris Media. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com.64. Episode 64: Don’t Be Perfect with Liz Bills
56:12||Season 3, Ep. 64In this episode, Dr. Leah and Taraleigh talk with musician and singer/songwriter Liz Bills about her evocative ways of delivering healing and transformation through music and collaborative performance. Liz shares her own journey with mental health, chronic pain, and sobriety, and how her music has evolved to facilitate more healing experiences along the way. Liz describes how she sees herself as a “nervous system tuner” as a musician and how she focuses on creating co-regulation through live music. In the “Did you Know” Dr. Leah explains what nervous system regulation means and how it can be done through co-regulation with another person or through self-regulation on one’s own. Taraleigh gives listeners a couple of techniques to use for self-regulation in the “Daily Jam.” Liz Bills is known for her entrancing high energy performances and emotionally charged power vocals, passionate and honest in her songwriting and stage presence; Liz is unapologetically brave yet incredibly vulnerable and real. Taking you on a wild ride that is intoxicatingly sweet and dangerously ferocious.Liz’s highlights include the 2020 and 2021 Boston Music Award’s ‘Singer/songwriter of The Year’ nomination, winning ‘Pop Act of The Year’ in 2021, ‘Roots Act of The Year’ in 2019 and ‘Rock Act of the Year’ in 2018 for the New England Music Awards, opening for Bon Jovi at Mohegan Sun in 2017, runner-up in the 2016 Aloft Rising Star with Daughtry, and a semi-finals appearance in the WZLX’s 2016 Rock Rumble. Liz was a top 30 female finisher in the 2013 American Idol competition, and has been compared to singers such as Grace Potter, Janis Joplin, Florence and the Machine and Susan Tedeschi. https://www.lizbills.com/This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes and join our Facebook group to dive deeper into the conversation of live music and health and wellness63. Episode 63: What it Means to do a Show the Groove Therapy Way
28:26||Season 3, Ep. 63In this special live episode, Dr. Leah and Taraleigh talk about what shows were like before developing the Groove Therapy way and what it means to now practice everything we talk about in the podcast and all that Dr. Leah’s research in Mind-Body Medicine and live music has shown is beneficial for making lasting positive change in the body. This includes techniques to use before the show to enhance the depth, meaning, and the overall vibe of the show, the ability to increase presence and consciousness during the show, and how to extend the live music feels out into your everyday life. The two also share how you could be one of four very special people to experience this with Dr. Leah and Taraleigh at a Groove Therapy retreat to the Phish shows in Seattle, April 13 – 16. Dr. Leah Taylor is an Integrative Mental Health Specialist, Healer, and Embodiment Mentor who combines ancient healing techniques with cutting-edge science to help you let go of stress, overwhelm, and struggle to open up to and embody your highest and brightest self. She has a PhD in Mind-Body Medicine and a Master’s in Somatic Psychology and is passionate about researching, speaking about, and teaching live music and movement as medicine. She is the founder and creator of Embodied Groove, an interactive movement experience designed to enhance the benefits of live music and raise the vibe at every show. Find out more about Dr. Leah Taylor and Embodied Groove at drleahtaylor.com. Taraleigh Weathers is the leader of intimate live music retreats and online business and accountability coaching programs. She helps people pursue their big dreams whether it’s helping them be their own bosses, write that book, run that marathon, start that band etc. She is also the author of the book How to Rock Your Life. Find out more about Taraleigh at rockinglife.com.This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes and join our Facebook group to dive deeper into the conversation of live music and health and wellness.Groove Therapy is brought to you by Osiris Media. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com.62. Episode 62: Your Full Dimensional Self with Elise McRoberts
01:08:22||Season 3, Ep. 62In this episode, Dr. Leah and Taraleigh talk with cannabis industry powerhouse Elise McRoberts. Elise shares her love for live music and how she considers it her therapeutic release. She talks about how she started a career in the music industry to follow her passion of going to shows and festivals but pivoted to become a leader in the cannabis industry, where she found more supportive community and creative ways to grow her expertise and gifts. Elise shares the reality of the cannabis industry today and how she has grown her own brand, the Hashinista, to create an innovative, sustainable, and equitable space for all. In the “Did you Know” Dr. Leah shares the ways live music can become addictive. Taraleigh supports listeners in not falling into the dip and addictiveness of live music by intentionally bringing in the live music vibe to your every day life in the “Daily Jam.” Elise McRoberts a cannabis industry powerhouse who's been working with leading companies and judging cannabis around the world the past decade. The founder of Hashinista- a strategy firm, event production company and lifestyle brand- Elise was formerly the CMO for Doc Green's - an award winning California brand; and since 2013 Elise has worked with cannabis companies as an integral leader shaping strategy from retail to manufacturing and events. Elise produced her 1st large scale concept - The NorCal CannaCuisine Gala in 2017 to critical acclaim and has continued to produce ground breaking, unique curated events combining cannabis with food, music, art, fashion, psychedelics, fundraising, performance and more. Today her mission remains to destigmatize and free the plant; to participate in the preservation of high quality cannabis + original cannabisculture while creating a more innovative, sustainable and equitable space forall. @thehashinista@elisemcroberts www.elisemcroberts.com | www.hashinista.comThis podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes and join our Facebook group to dive deeper into the conversation of live music and health and wellness.Groove Therapy is brought to you by Osiris Media. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com.61. Episode 61: Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope with Adam Weinberg
01:02:22||Season 3, Ep. 61In this episode, Dr. Leah and Taraleigh chat with guitarist and concert producer Adam Weinberg about the therapeutic power of music. The three begin the talk with Adam’s early show days bringing his Jewish tradition of Shabbat to Phish concerts and festivals. Adam describes his perspective on the connection between spirituality and live music and his passion for combining the two. He then goes deep describing his process of grieving the loss of his brother-in-law to addiction and how he used music to process his emotions and work through debilitating anxiety. What surfaced in the end, was a solo album called Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope that he is now performing live as he tours with Matisyahu. In the “Did you Know” Dr. Leah shares the importance of art creation for healthy emotional expression. Taraleigh helps listeners connect with their own artistic expression through the “Daily Jam.” Adam Weinberg started his music career as a solo instrumental guitarist and independent film scorer. His first record, On the Seventh Year, featured a selection of melodies inspired by Jewish prayer arranged for solo guitar. Music from the record was performed with the renowned percussionist Cyro Baptista (Paul Simon, Trey Anastasio, John Zorn) and was featured in the award winning documentary Unsettled. Adam spent more than five years touring with artist Matisyahu for the singer’s acoustic performances world-wide. Adam’s playing with Matisyahu was noted for its inventive arrangements of traditionally simple reggae tunes. Adam’s newest release Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope is Adam's first lyrical album. Nearly all the songs were written in late 2019 and early 2020 during a difficult six month stretch of life that inspired Adam to begin experimenting with serious lyricwriting for the first time in his career. The finished product is anacoustic-band-driven exploration of loss, healing, and a genuine search for joy. Find Adam's new tourdates and more at https://www.adam-weinberg.com/.This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes and join our Facebook group to dive deeper into the conversation of live music and health and wellness.Groove Therapy is brought to you by Osiris Media. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com.60. Episode 60: The Magic of Sobriety with Paige Clem from The Phellowship
01:05:45||Season 3, Ep. 60In this episode, Dr. Leah and Taraleigh talk with songwriter and musician Paige Clem about her role in creating and establishing The Phellowship, a clean and sober community for Phish fans. Paige tells the magical story of how the Phellowship came to be, with the band onboard, and how they are operating now, over 25 years later. She describes one person’s clean and sober experience at shows and offers inspiration and hope for anyone needing or considering the road to recovery. Paige also lets us in on what she’s up to musically and how fans can catch her performing live. For the “Did you Know” Dr. Leah shares what loneliness has to do with addiction and how it relates to the Phellowship’s mission. Taraleigh gives fans ways to engage their own way through the “Daily Jam.” Paige’s passion for people, music and service has led her to hold a variety of roles in music including a 5-year stint as Marketing Director for High Sierra Music and volunteer positions with The Grammy Foundation/MusiCares. She has donated her time and talents to organizing and/or performing in multiple musical benefits and silent auctions to support the arts, artists, and art-supporters. She is most proud of the vital role she played in creating and establishing The Phellowship, a now 25-year-old organization with over 8000 members that provides a safe space for clean and sober live music lovers at concerts. Paige Clem’s folk-soul-with-a-dash-of-sass sound draws on threads of blues and Americana with an honest and often clever accessibility. San Francisco-based, Paige performs her original material as a solo artist and in Paige & The Clementines—an Americana music project that gathers a rotating cast of A-list players with Paige's soulful songwriting prowess including James Nash (The Waybacks), Jordan Feinstein (Jordan and The Rituals), Joe Craven (Garcia/Grisman), Robin Sylvester (RatDog), Gabe Ford (Little Feat) and more. Her debut record, Firefly, was released in the acclaimed Grate Room at Terrapin Crossroads.This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes and join our Facebook group to dive deeper into the conversation of live music and health and wellness.Groove Therapy is brought to you by Osiris Media. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com.Visit SunsetLakeCBD.com and use the promo code GROOVE for 20% off premium CBD products.59. Episode 59: 2022 in Review with Dr. Leah Taylor and Taraleigh Weathers
56:35||Season 3, Ep. 59In this special episode, join Dr. Leah and Taraleigh as they chat about this year’s guests, themes, and favorite moments. Whether you have listened to all the episodes in 2022, need to catch up on a few, or are new to the podcast, you’ll find gems to listen back to in this one!Dr. Leah Taylor is a High Priestess Healer and Integrative Mental Health Specialist who combines ancient healing techniques with cutting-edge science to help you let go of stress, overwhelm, and struggle to open up to and embody your highest and brightest self. She has a PhD in Mind-Body Medicine and a Master’s in Somatic Psychology and is passionate about researching, speaking about, and teaching live music and movement as medicine. She is the founder and creator of Embodied Groove, an interactive movement experience designed to enhance the benefits of live music and raise the vibe at every show. Find out more about Dr. Leah Taylor and Embodied Groove at drleahtaylor.com. Taraleigh Weathers is the leader of intimate live music retreats and online business and accountability coaching programs. She helps people pursue their big dreams whether it’s helping them be their own bosses, write that book, run that marathon, start that band etc. She is also the author of the book How to Rock Your Life. Find out more about Taraleigh at rockinglife.com.This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes and join our Facebook group to dive deeper into the conversation of live music and health and wellness.Groove Therapy is brought to you by Osiris Media. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com.Visit SunsetLakeCBD.com and use the promo code GROOVE for 20% off premium CBD products.58. Episode 58: Holiday Wellness with Dr. Leah Taylor and Taraleigh Weathers
45:13||Season 3, Ep. 58In this special episode, Dr. Leah and Taraleigh help you thrive through this holiday season and into the new year! The two discuss the 4 major obstacles in the way of your new year’s resolutions and how you can consciously choose to do something differently! Also included are tips for rocking the upcoming holidays and ways to find support in reaching your health and wellness goals with Taraleigh and Dr. Leah in 2023. The unofficial “Did you Know” has Dr. Leah talking about the scientific process of creating new habits and why they are so hard to establish in the beginning.Dr. Leah Taylor is a High Priestess Healer and Integrative Mental Health Specialist who combines ancient healing techniques with cutting-edge science to help you let go of stress, overwhelm, and struggle to open up to and embody your highest and brightest self. She has a PhD in Mind-Body Medicine and a Master’s in Somatic Psychology and is passionate about researching, speaking about, and teaching live music and movement as medicine. She is the founder and creator of Embodied Groove, an interactive movement experience designed to enhance the benefits of live music and raise the vibe at every show. Find out more about Dr. Leah Taylor and Embodied Groove at drleahtaylor.com. Taraleigh Weathers is the leader of intimate live music retreats and online business and accountability coaching programs. She helps people pursue their big dreams whether it’s helping them be their own bosses, write that book, run that marathon, start that band etc. She is also the author of the book How to Rock Your Life. Find out more about Taraleigh at rockinglife.com.This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes and join our Facebook group to dive deeper into the conversation of live music and health and wellness.Groove Therapy is brought to you by Osiris Media. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com.Visit SunsetLakeCBD.com and use the promo code GROOVE for 20% off premium CBD products.57. Episode 57: Go Your Own Way with Karina Rykman
01:06:40||Season 3, Ep. 57In this episode, Dr. Leah and Taraleigh talk with bassist Karina Rykman about her immense love of live music and journey of becoming a professional musician herself. She shares her philosophy of saying yes to aligned offers, even when fear and imposter syndrome pop up. She discusses how she is a “rejector of traditional ways of being” and how she learned to play bass and guitar strictly by watching and listening to her musical influences. Karina recounts her early live music experiences and discovers that attending Bonnaroo in 9th grade with the Anastasio family was what really hooked her in the jam scene. For the “Did you Know” Dr. Leah shares how certain live music can feel like a coming “home” and the entry into a world never thought possible. Taraleigh encourages listeners to reflect on their hook into live music in the “Daily Jam.” Karina Rykman plays bass, sings, jumps around, and laughs a lot. In doing so, she has garnered a rare attention and avid listenership. Straddling the worlds of jam rock and indie pop drenched in psychedelia, Karina’s effervescent presence comes to life in musical form. With only six singles released, Karina has built a reputation as an unmissable live act. Her debut single “Plants” reached over a million streams, with the other singles not far behind. She can hardly contain herself about her yet-to-be-released debut studio record, as the best is truly yet to come. Karina’s power trio sounds larger than the sum of their parts. With Adam November (Guitar/Looper/Effects) and Chris Corsico (Drums), Karina has headlined clubs across America, bringing her rapturous unbridled energy to her reciprocally passionate fans. In 2016, Karina joined Marco Benevento's band on bass. With Benevento, she’s opened for Vulfpeck, Dispatch, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, Guster, and many more. We’d be remiss to exclude her television appearances on The Today Show, America’s Got Talent, a feature on ABC7, and most recently, in the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Catch Karina live at https://www.karinarykman.com/tour.This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes and join our Facebook group to dive deeper into the conversation of live music and health and wellness.Groove Therapy is brought to you by Osiris Media. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com.You can find both Taraleigh and Dr. Leah on Instagram at @rockinglife__ and @drleahtaylor respectively.Visit SunsetLakeCBD.com and use the promo code GROOVE for 20% off premium CBD products.