Sandra shared that her name, “The Happy Goddess”, came to her over 20 years ago, during a very difficult chapter in her life. At the time, all she wanted was to feel happy again—so she chose a name that called that desire into being. Sandra has been a radiant force in my life and in the lives of so many women. The name stuck, and over time, it blossomed into something powerful: a movement of empowerment, healing, and celebration that continues to ripple outward.

Her invitation to us? Let a name come to you. Don’t overthink it. Let it choose you as much as you choose it. Look into the goddesses of the world—see who resonates. Who awakens something in you?

As someone whose life and work centers around voice—singing, writing, speaking, teaching, coaching—I chose to explore goddesses that are connected to vocal empowerment. My voice has been my gift, my tool, and my teacher. I’ve spent years unraveling the messages and shedding the beliefs that once dimmed my voice. I’ve studied meditation, intuition, energy work, and emotional healing—all to strengthen my relationship with my inner voice and help others do the same.

So I created this curated list of goddess archetypes that align with what I value most: freedom of expression, healing through voice, and feminine strength.

✨ Can you guess which one I chose to embody at the retreat?

What Are Goddess Archetypes?

Your journey toward vocal empowerment, healing, and authentic self-expression can be beautifully supported by working with goddess archetypes from various traditions. Whether or not these figures actually once walked the earth, they exist as energetic blueprints—representing specific qualities and strengths you already carry within.

As Sally Kempton writes in Awakening Shakti, goddess energies are more than myth—they’re real, dynamic forces that live within each of us. I love this because it reinforces the idea that instead of seeking something outside of us for help, we can go inward and remember that we already have what we need within. That’s true empowerment to me!

Invoking these archetypes can help you access your inner wisdom and the true magic of your voice. 🕊

Dive deeper: Why I Teach Vocal Empowerment

🎶 Saraswati (Hindu Tradition)

Pronunciation: suh-RAH-swah-tee
Goddess of: Voice, wisdom, speech, music, creativity

Saraswati is the goddess of the sacred voice and artistic expression. She’s often depicted holding a veena, a stringed instrument that symbolizes harmony between knowledge and creativity. Her calm, serene energy can bring clarity, inspiration, and divine connection.

When to Call Upon Saraswati:

• When seeking clarity and eloquence in your voice
• Before starting a creative or musical project
• To deepen wisdom and intuitive insight

Affirm:

“My voice is clear, my words flow free.”
Speak it or sing it aloud during warm-ups or journaling.

Chant:

“Om Aim Hrim Saraswatyai Namaha”
(Pronounced: ohm ai-eem hreem suh-rah-swah-tyai nuh-muh-huh)

Listen:

Saraswati by Rey&Kjavik (very cool house/electronic music once the song kicks in) or Saraswati (live) by Krisha Das (Kirtan chant music)

Image Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

🌬 Sophia (Gnostic / Mystical Christianity)

Pronunciation: so-FEE-uh
Goddess of: Wisdom, inner knowing, divine feminine intelligence

Sophia represents the divine wisdom within. She is the voice of the sacred feminine, guiding you back to your inner truth. Her energy supports deep reflection, mystical insight, and spiritual empowerment.

When to Call Upon Sophia:

• When exploring your intuition or inner guidance
• During times of spiritual growth or seeking clarity
• When trying to listen to your true voice

Affirm:

“I listen. I know. I trust what I hear.”
Whisper it softly. Then speak it firmly.

Chant:

“Sophia, goddess of wisdom and dream,
Shine your light, shine your light,
For a gypsy queen in a midnight dream.”

Listen:

Sophia by Laura Nyro (this song rocks!) or Love of Sophia by Taos Winds Spirit (meditative)

Image Source: Wikipedia

🦅 Ixchel (Mayan Tradition)

Pronunciation: ee-SHELL
Goddess of: Healing, creativity, moon, water, intuition

Ixchel is a powerful healer and creator, representing emotional depth, intuition, and the sacred cycles of transformation. As a moon goddess, she aligns with inner tides and the intuitive voice within.

When to Call Upon Ixchel:

• During emotional healing or personal transitions
• When seeking creative flow or intuitive clarity
• On vocal rest days, or before singing emotionally charged music

Affirm:

“I feel. I heal. I flow with the moon.”

Chant:

“We are the flow. We are the ebb.
We are the weavers. We are the web.”

Listen:

Mayan goddess Ixchel

Alternative: Mayan Traditional Music by R. Lozano ft. J. Ramos (incredible Aztec & Mayan music to chant over!)

Image Source: National Museum of the American Indian

🔥 Brigid (Celtic Tradition)

Pronunciation: BRIH-jid
Goddess of: Poets, healing, inspiration, fire

Brigid is the flame of creativity and courage. She brings healing through expression—especially through music, storytelling, and poetry. Her sacred fire burns away fear and calls forth truth.

When to Call Upon Brigid:

• When you need creative courage or poetic inspiration
• Before writing lyrics or sharing something vulnerable
• When you need renewal or heart-fire

Affirm:

“I speak with fire. I sing what’s true.”

Chant:

“Goddess Brigid, peace weaver, poet and queen,
Melt the snow and bring the spring.
We sing your name. We sing your name.
Brigid, keeper of the flame.”

Listen:

Bridget’s Song (mesmerizing and easy to sing along!)

Image Source: History Cooperative

🕊 Matangi (Tantric Hindu Tradition)

Pronunciation: MAH-tun-gee
Goddess of: Inner voice, authenticity, mystical speech

Matangi rules over the power of truth-telling. She is the voice that doesn’t conform, the song that doesn’t apologize. Matangi empowers those who live outside the box and honors the sacred in the raw, real, and rebellious.

When to Call Upon Matangi:

• When you’re tired of censoring yourself
• When working with shadow or reclaiming your power
• Before a bold or emotional performance

Affirm:

“My voice is real. I don’t hold back.”

Chant:

“Om Hreem Kleem Hum Matangi Phat Svaha”

Listen:

Matangi Devi Mantra by Shailendra Bharti (will totally transport you to India!)

Image Source: Brooklyn Museum

🐍 Meret (Egyptian Tradition)

Pronunciation: MEH-ret or MARE-et
Goddess of: Singing, dance, joy, celebration

Meret reminds us that singing is sacred joy. Her energy is light, expressive, and embodied. She shows us that when we sing, we celebrate—and celebration is healing.

When to Call Upon Meret:

• When you want to reconnect to joy and spontaneity
• Before performing something fun, light, or celebratory
• When singing feels like play and prayer at once

Affirm:

“I celebrate life with song from deep in my bones.”

Chant:

“Earth my body,
Water my blood,
Air my breath,
And fire my spirit.”

Listen:

Meret – Egyptian Goddess of Rejoicing (Deborah Roth on Meret – Chant at the end of the video) or Egyptian Traditional Folk Music by Mohamed el Sayed (mind-blowingly beautiful, really gets going one minute in)

Feel free to add claps or movement. Use this chant when you need to remember that singing is celebration, not just performance.

Image Source: Brooklyn Museum

Let these powerful goddess archetypes inspire and guide you on your sacred path to authentic and free self-expression. Call up their energies from within, and feel empowered and supported by your own beautiful and divine voice.

✨ Want to explore how to grow into your vocal strengths with personalized support? Book a complimentary consult with me and let’s talk about your vocal journey.

     In our first lesson, I asked if there was anybody out there doing what she imagined she would like to do… a role model of sorts. Honestly, I expected her to say “Taylor Swift.” Instead, she took my iPad and pulled up a video of a girl group performing well-choreographed dancing while singing. The singers were boldly owning their femininity and their talents.  I thought, “Wow, ok… she knows who she is and how she wants to express it!”

The First Step

     Having a specific desire or vision is the first step – ALWAYS.  We need to decide what we want to grow in the garden of our life. Once we do that, we automatically begin to call in what we need to support us – the seeds, the sunlight, the rain. This girl has a clear vision, however, it doesn’t mean that reaching her goals is going to be easy.

     For this growth, there are skills she will need to learn, techniques she will need to develop, and obstacles she will need to overcome – mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

What Is Needed to Grow

• Shyness and stage-fright are common obstacles. Therefore I address these head on… but I do not harp on these issues. Confidence is a mindset that develops over time with a combination of practice and experience. It’s my job to help her recognize and build her courage through our work together.
• Shaky or inconsistent vocals are a factor. So she will need to learn singing techniques and to develop a practice strategy geared to her specific goals. That’s where vocal scales come in! Scales are hard work and can be embarrassing. They stretch us beyond our comfort zone just a little at a time, building core strength and expanding our ability.

     As a vocal empowerment coach, if I know a shortcut, I’ll share it! For growth, sometimes the only way up is through. What she can be sure of is that I will provide guidance and support that will make it possible for her to be proud of who she is as she steps forward into who she wants to be. In the end, her part is to take the rain and sunshine in embrace the lessons that life sends her way.

     My answer to her, “Skip the scales? That’s like skipping the lesson!” ♫

#embracethelesson #vocalempowerment

Welcome to our Vocal Empowerment blog! Here, we’re all about the power of words and how they shape our mindset. Ever notice how certain words like “should” and “too” sneakily disempower us? Or how thinking in extremes like “always” and “never” can hold us back? Avoid these word pitfalls and learn to speak and think in ways that boost your confidence! Get ready to own your vocal superpower! 🎤💪 #VocalEmpowerment

In addition to the above, it’s helpful if we can reframe our negative self-talk. Here are some examples:

• I’m too old. >> I’m going to keep learning more every day I’m alive.
• I’m so stupid. >> I made an error and I will learn from it and improve.
• I’m such a basket-case. >> I’m very in touch with my emotions.

#vocalempowerment #mindsetshift

There is no need to obey a guru over what your own heart tells you. From Manson to the Pope… Trust only your own intuition. Manson specifically appealed to young girls. He wasn’t always wearing that crazy look featured on the cover of Life magazine. And he didn’t have anything carved in his forehead. He had a guitar and thought-provoking riddles… and LSD. The 60’s and 70’s were a time of great expansion and contraction here in America. Freedom of mind was so important to those young girls… so important that they left their families to get it, and then handed it over again to a man who treated them quite abusively, quite brutally. Yet they stayed, some even participating in the notorious crimes.

I see Manson’s death as yet another symbol of the turnover to a softer world, where we are guided by the “feminine” aspects of intuition and heart-centered decision-making. Can we as women, and men, know that we are enough? That we don’t need the approval of anyone outside of us? That we deserve unconditional love? That we know when we feel bad in our belief system that it’s time to leave it behind? That we don’t need to be obedient to any guru but the guru within?

With Manson’s energy now in the ethers, can we do an unpopular thing and wish it love? Can we send it good thoughts, and see it as neutralized, so that it dissolves and goes forth in harmony?

We have so much to learn from those who lived that story, and I whole-heartedly choose to believe that the victims knew, on a spiritual-level, that they’d be part of a very significant lesson that we all needed to learn – and I honor those beings for that from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Namaste. Peace to you all.

In contrast, consider innovative free thinkers like Nicola Tesla and Steve Jobs – who see beyond the realms of what we accept as possible for us. Did you ever wish you could think like that?  Steve Jobs said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”  Evan Carmichael compiled Steve’s 10 rules for success in this inspiring video.

James Van Praagh, psychic medium said, “You will never be happy if you live someone else’s idea of life.”  Do you think that’s true?  Would you like to tap into your True Essence – that part of you where free thought lives?

Our lives are greatly enhanced when we let go of the filters that we screen our thoughts through and instead practice listening to our gut and feel our way through deciding what’s really true for us.  Filters can come from our country of origin, our parents, our religion, the media, our fears… And when we release those filters we can CREATE amazing lives – and art too!  Our life becomes a living art.  How do we release those limiting filters and tap into our True Essence?  Through awareness, practice, and through checking in with our emotions which are our internal guidance system.

Photo credit: Agedpixel