Sounds Heal Podcast: Sound Healing & Wellness

As sound healing and sound therapy continue to grow around the world, how do we ensure the field evolves with integrity, discernment, and a strong foundation of knowledge and practice?
In this special panel discussion, moderated by Natalie Brown, four influential voices in the field come together to explore the current landscape of sound therapy, the responsibilities of teaching and practicing sound work, and the future of the field.
Audio and video recorded live at the ISTA 20th Anniversary Conference by Nick Rhodes and Gustav Wilde, October 3, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Meet the Panelists
Christine Stevens is a music therapist, author, educator, and founder of UpBeat Drum Circles. She has trained facilitators in more than 25 countries and is the author of The Nature Sutras, Music Medicine, The Healing Drum Kit, and The Art and Heart of Drum Circles. Her work brings rhythm, drumming, and music into community, educational, and wellness settings.
Website: https://ubdrumcircles.com/

Jeralyn Glass is an internationally acclaimed singer, musician, and educator, and founder of Crystal Cadence Sound Healing Studio and The Sacred Science of Sound. A former Broadway performer, she combines her background in classical music with her work in crystal singing bowls and sound education. She is the author of Sacred Vibrations: The Transformative Power of Crystalline Sound and Music and creator of the Crystal Sound Healing Oracle.
Website: https://www.jeralynglass.com/
Website: https://www.crystalcadence.com/

Joshua Leeds is a sound researcher, music producer, educator, and author specializing in psychoacoustics and bioacoustics. His work explores the effects of music and sound on the human nervous system, as well as the relationship between sound and animals. His books include The Power of Sound, Through a Dog's Ear, and his 2026 release, Sound & Breath for Autonomic Balance. He is also the creator of the Sound Breath Toolkit.
Website: https://www.joshualeeds.com/

Mandara Cromwell is an entrepreneur, inventor, and founder of the International Sound Therapy Association (ISTA), as well as CEO and President of Cyma Technologies. Her work focuses on cymatics, sound technology, and vibrational medicine. She is the author of Soundflower: The Journey to Marry Science and Spirit and her 2026 book, Miracles at Bretforton, exploring the origins and development of cymatherapy.
Website: https://cymatechnologies.com/

In this conversation, we explore:
Where the sound therapy field stands today and how it is evolving.
Integrity and discernment in distinguishing experience, knowledge, belief, and ongoing investigation.
The responsibilities of teaching and passing sound practices on to others.
Personal practice, self-awareness, and professional boundaries.
What we hope to cultivate and carry forward as the field grows.
What we are still learning about sound and its role in human wellbeing, and where further research is needed.

Natalie Brown, host of Sounds Heal Podcast, founder of Sounds Heal Studio, Sound Healing Academy Lead Teacher for North America:
http://www.soundshealstudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/soundshealstudio
http://www.instagram.com/nataliebrownsoundsheal
http://www.youtube.com/soundshealstudio
Email: soundshealstudio@gmail.com
Music by Natalie Brown, Hope & Heart http://www.youtu.be/hZPx6zJX6yA

Thomas Orr Anderson was the very first guest on the Sounds Heal Podcast when it launched in 2019, and he’s returned a couple of times since. An author, musician, physicist, and sound researcher, Thomas brings together science, contemplative practice, music, and the study of attention.
In this conversation, Thomas shares the journey behind his two latest books, Silent Center: Zero Lessons on Zen and Living Tao Te Ching. We explore how the Tao entered his life and how his understanding has evolved through nature, personal adventures, and the teachers who have influenced him.
We discuss Taoist concepts such as Wu Wei, often understood as not-doing or effortless action, and the difference between understanding something intellectually and living it through direct experience. We also explore how these teachings relate to sound healing, including the importance of listening, silence, stillness, and allowing rather than forcing an outcome.
Thomas reflects on the challenge of putting the Tao into words when its essential nature cannot truly be expressed through language alone. His books offer different invitations to explore this mystery: Silent Center through playful koans and observations, and Living Tao Te Ching through a contemporary English translation of Lao Tzu’s classic text.
A conversation about living what we learn, listening more deeply, and bringing the wisdom of practice into our work and everyday lives.
https://thomasorranderson.com/
Thomas’s books:
Silent Center: Zero Lessons on Zen https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G193TDNL?lv=shuf&language=he&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback
Living Tao Te Ching https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHKV7P6C?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Natalie Brown, host of Sounds Heal Podcast, founder of Sounds Heal Studio, Sound Healing Academy Lead Teacher for North America:
http://www.soundshealstudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/soundshealstudio
http://www.instagram.com/nataliebrownsoundsheal
http://www.youtube.com/soundshealstudio
Email: soundshealstudio@gmail.com
Music by Natalie Brown, Hope & Heart http://www.youtu.be/hZPx6zJX6yA

Sophia Wisdom is a harpist, music therapist, teacher, and founder of Wisdom Harps, a community and online learning platform created to make the harp more accessible to people around the world. Her relationship with the harp began in Ireland and has grown through years of musical study, music therapy, teaching, spiritual practice, and therapeutic work.
Sophia shares how her understanding of the harp evolved through her music therapy training and her experiences bringing the instrument into therapeutic and bedside settings, including working with people who have experienced trauma. She explores the particular qualities of the harp that make it such a distinctive instrument for therapeutic work and what music can offer when words aren't enough.
Our conversation also explores the relationship between what we can understand about music through neuroscience and music therapy and the aspects of musical experience that are more difficult to measure, including presence, beauty, emotion, and connection. Sophia talks about creating Wisdom Harps to make the instrument more accessible, building an online community for people learning to play, and the different ways people are drawn to the harp beyond performance.
We also talk about her experiences sharing music across cultures and her understanding of the relationship between music, spirituality, prayer, and healing. Throughout our conversation, Sophia plays the harp and demonstrates several different styles, giving us an opportunity to experience the instrument as well as hear her speak about it.
A thoughtful conversation about the healing harp, sound healing, music therapy, spirituality, and the many ways music can connect us with ourselves and one another.
https://www.wisdomharps.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sophiawisdomharps/

Natalie Brown, host of Sounds Heal Podcast, founder of Sounds Heal Studio, Sound Healing Academy Lead Teacher for North America:
http://www.soundshealstudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/soundshealstudio
http://www.instagram.com/nataliebrownsoundsheal
http://www.youtube.com/soundshealstudio
Email: soundshealstudio@gmail.com
Music by Natalie Brown, Hope & Heart http://www.youtu.be/hZPx6zJX6yA

Layla Minoui is an acclaimed film and television composer whose work has included projects with Disney, DreamWorks, Netflix, and other major productions. Following a cancer diagnosis, her relationship with music shifted in profound ways. During treatment, she began improvising at the piano, creating music as a way to process her experience and navigate her own healing journey. Those improvisations eventually became Journey to Rebirth, an immersive musical experience inviting listeners into reflection, journaling, embodied practices, and intentional listening.
Layla shares how moving from composing for other people's stories to creating from her own lived experience changed her relationship with music and creativity. She explores the role music played during treatment, the evolution of those intimate piano improvisations into Journey to Rebirth, and her understanding of healing as an ongoing practice rather than a destination.
The conversation also explores what music can offer that words sometimes cannot, the importance of slowing down and creating space for stillness and deep listening, and the ways our cultural backgrounds can shape how we experience and create music. Layla discusses her Iranian-American heritage, her studies in Expressive Arts Coaching and Community Building, and her vision for bringing music and creative experiences into hospitals, schools, and wellness settings.
A thoughtful conversation about music, creativity, healing, transformation, and the power of listening.
https://www.journeytorebirthmusic.com/

Natalie Brown, host of Sounds Heal Podcast, founder of Sounds Heal Studio, Sound Healing Academy Lead Teacher for North America:
http://www.soundshealstudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/soundshealstudio
http://www.instagram.com/nataliebrownsoundsheal
http://www.youtube.com/soundshealstudio
Email: soundshealstudio@gmail.com
Music by Natalie Brown, Hope & Heart http://www.youtu.be/hZPx6zJX6yA

AJ Block is a didgeridoo teacher, performer, sound practitioner, and director of Didge Project, where he teaches the instrument through rhythm, breath, circular breathing, improvisation, and musical exploration. A multi-instrumentalist with a background spanning jazz, Western classical music, Indian classical music, and world percussion, AJ brings a broad musical perspective to his work with the didgeridoo.
In this episode, AJ shares his journey with the didgeridoo, from discovering the instrument and exploring its ancient origins to developing a deeply expressive approach that incorporates rhythm, voice, breath, and improvisation. He also plays and demonstrates the didgeridoo throughout the conversation, offering tips, techniques, and practical ways to get started with the instrument.
We explore the didgeridoo in musical, therapeutic, and sound healing settings, including its use in sound baths, shamanic sound journeys, addiction recovery, and prisons. AJ discusses circular breathing, what it takes to develop this technique, and some of the foundational ways to begin exploring the didgeridoo.
AJ also shares about his other ongoing projects and areas of research and exploration, including Dream Seed and Didge For Sleep, as well as the broader questions and possibilities that continue to shape his work with sound, music, healing, and wellness.
https://www.didgeproject.com/
https://www.dreamseedsound.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@didgeproject

Natalie Brown, host of Sounds Heal Podcast, founder of Sounds Heal Studio, Sound Healing Academy Lead Teacher for North America:
http://www.soundshealstudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/soundshealstudio
http://www.instagram.com/nataliebrownsoundsheal
http://www.youtube.com/soundshealstudio
Email: soundshealstudio@gmail.com
Music by Natalie Brown, Hope & Heart http://www.youtu.be/hZPx6zJX6yA