What happens when you smush your creative passion with your career in mental health and well being? Listen to my conversation with guest Emma Bailin, founder of Shared Harmonies, to find out how she did it.

Guest Emma Baylin

Emma has approaching 30 years’ experience of supporting transformation for people, communities and organisations. She is a highly recognised facilitator, working on the development and delivery of a number of national programmes for clients including NHS England as well as bespoke programmes for individual organisations.

In 2013 Emma founded Shared Harmonies CIC, a not for profit organisation specialising in creative development services for companies & communities, improving connection, confidence & wellbeing through inspirational singing.

Shared Harmonies help organisations explore leadership, team working and wellbeing working with some of the UK’s leading companies including Nissan, Hermes, Royal Canin, Pinsent Masons and PwC. The profits from this work support the delivery of Shared Harmonies community programmes working with participants affected by health & wellbeing conditions including COPD, poor mental health, cancer, Parkinson’s and dementia.

During the pandemic, Shared Harmonies developed many creative ways to still connect, offering services through Zoom and Facebook, interactive DVD’s & Ring & Sing services. They connected hundreds of people through producing co-creative songs, winning awards and coming runner up in the Song for Yorkshire competition. Emma was awarded a Prime Ministers Point of Light Award for services to communities and was invited to become a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts

Emma is also co-author of Amazon best seller Awakening Legacy, curated by Sarah Parkes and Shine On You Crazy Daisy Vol.5 curated by Trudy Simmons

● [00:58] – The Edge – up to date creative news and views

● [03:51] – Emma tells the story of the beginnings of her singing passion

● [08:31] – The science behind why singing together is good for wellbeing

● [13:11] – Emma explains the work of Shared Harmonies and it’s impact

● [17.38] – Nikki asks whether Emma would rather be a performer and her other creative interests

● [29:24] – Emma shares her own doubts about her writing ability and overcoming her fear of telling her own story

● [36:06] – Who is your Doubting Doris? Hear coach and creative, Amy Bose’s story

Four Creative Nuggets

-          The stretch zone is where we get our biggest most powerful learning experiences.

-          Creativity can give us that mechanism to look at something through a different lens.

-          Being told you can’t sing is “as ludicrous as somebody going into a maths class at age five and being told well that's it, you'll never be able to do maths.”

-          Our voices are how we project ourselves into the world. Being told yours isn’t good enough can leave deep trauma. Singing can liberate these.

Links

Emma

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-baylin-frsa-121123b6/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/shared-harmonies-cic