#CommunityHigh Spotlight – May Globus
Welcome to #CommunityHigh – an intimate space spotlighting our favourite local artists, change-makers, entrepreneurs and all-around bada$$es.
May Globus. Podcast host. Sound therapist. Brand and marketing consultant. Photographer. When it comes to content and creativity, May does it all.
Give us an elevator pitch: who are you, what are you all about?
I’m currently a sound therapist! Last year I took my certification from the Institute of Traditional Medicine in Toronto — I’ve always wanted to pick up a healing modality. I had been searching within myself for the last three years, trying to suss out what it would be. I thought maybe Reiki, maybe meditation, but it wasn’t until I started regularly going to sound therapy for myself that I realized it was the modality that really clicked. I grew up playing instruments, I’ve always loved music and it just really resonated with me. Now, I have my own practice called otō healing. And, I have a podcast because I started reflecting a couple of years ago about what I missed about journalism. I’ve always been a writer, so I thought, well maybe it’s writing. But really, when I sat with myself in the quiet, I recognized that it was the interviewing people that I really missed.
Tell us more about the podcast!
I was having great conversations with creative people in my world anyways — either friends or acquaintances — and I thought why not record these conversations? I launched The Craft at the end of January this year. And now, it’s into Episode 23 and I have been so humbled and grateful for the response I’m getting from people I know and people I don’t know.
I know you have a background in marketing. So what made you take the plunge to focus your energy on the podcast and sound therapy? What was the aha moment?
To be honest, it was a long process. I felt my heart pulling me in another direction, probably almost two years prior to me making the decision. I tend to make my decisions not in a reactionary fashion, but really making sure of how I felt and slowly taking steps to build the foundation for what I was going to do next. There was a moment in August when I was at work and I was having a conversation with my manager. And I just knew. I knew it was time. And I made the decision to make a change on a Friday, came in on the Monday and gave my notice. I'm very grateful for that career chapter at rennie. I left with lots of support and a lot of love, but there was just something in my heart and my soul that made me make the decision to do something more aligned with who I am.
It’s hard when people say “they just knew”. What was the feeling you had in your body? Did sound play a part in that decision?
I think I was really not feeling like myself anymore. I felt like I was in a box and that I wanted to do something different. And I think trying sound healing had a part in it. Even though I initially did it to lower stress and anxiety, it ended up opening emotional channels. And I think that helped me start to truly self-honour. And when you begin to self-honour, you begin to quickly recognize what is not honouring you anymore. It was just me. I was changing and I had to recognize that and say this is the best thing for me and so that is what I am going to do.
Love that you listened to your body. How important is it to listen to your body? When do you listen to your head or your heart as opposed to how your body is physically feeling?
It’s incredibly important to listen to your body. Your body is your first indicator — your first alarm system. One of the things I’m noticing with people in my practice is that people are not connected to their bodies anymore, because they’re operating at a stress level that is so high because that is what our jobs and our work and the world demand from us. And then, we begin to disassociate so that we can get through it all. And so often, if I ask my clients how they’re feeling, they can’t tell me specifically at first. Sometimes they’ll say, I don’t even know. But your body will have already told you the fact that you’re stressed. I follow author, speaker and renowned medical intuitive Dr. Caroline Myss, who works with allopathic doctors, and she says that your biology is your biography. Meaning your body is holding onto traumas of the past and that tells you everything about your own story. And that’s why we all have to learn how to listen to the body because that’s the way that you can begin to heal it.
What trends have you seen with your clientele over the past year and a half?
Everybody’s journey of healing is unique. And I don’t really like to call myself a healer. Everyone is their own healer. So if they come to me, I’m just their facilitator and guide. I get all types of clientele but one of the biggest things is I observe is that everyone is extremely stressed out right now. Their cortisol levels are at an all-time high. And of course, because you’ve got your daily life, your work, your family, and now you’ve layered a pandemic that is starting to bring out traumas. And people are re-examining their lives and that brings up a lot of stress, especially if you’re in a place where you’re not living the life you want.
Bringing it back to sound, are there any sounds that can help you through particular emotions?
There’s a Vedic mantra I learned via Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary - when I’m feeling a bit out of balance, this is something I recite in my head. You can build up to saying it in your head for 20 minutes a day silently, and it’s meant to bring your whole body back into balance.
There is definitely an obvious connection between the podcast medium and sound healing. Was that a conscious choice you made when pivoting your career?
It just kind of happened around the same time. But now that I’m doing both, I 100% see the connection. One thing we learn in sound therapy is that your voice is also a healing tool. And this links back to that Vedic mantra. You can use your voice, and everyone has this tool. It’s for free. And with The Craft, you’re hearing voices but you’re also hearing the cadence of how people talk, the intonation, how fast, how slow — you can hear emotion. But what I found is the greatest link between the two is that in sound therapy, it’s my role as a facilitator to create a safe space for people. And we have a connection that is an energy exchange. And with the podcast, I’ve been so honoured with how open people have been about their lives, to the point that the interviewee’s friends will listen and say hey, I’ve known you for 20 years, how come I didn't know that about you? So what I really try to do with the people in my life or the people I meet is to create safe spaces for them to just be who they are or share whatever they want to share. With both the sound therapy and the podcast, they’re safe spaces and I feel very honoured to be able to create that for others.
At Nine Point, we want to encourage people to grow with us. So, what helps you grow?
Constant curiosity. About my own self, about the world, about others. I’m a lifelong learner. I love learning things. So For me, I always make a promise that every year, I’ll learn something new. So One year, I decided to learn the ukulele. Another, I went to Japanese school and learned basic Japanese. Curiosity keeps you alive. And it keeps you full of life. And it keeps you connected, especially with other people, because you can't create genuine, long-lasting connections unless you're curious about the other person. At the end of the day, your relationships and your interactions with others, whether they're a good friend or someone you're just going to meet for 30 seconds, that's everything in life.
