Come as you are. Bring your tenderness, your fears and desires, your yearning for expressive liberation.
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Do you yearn to express your voice freely, only to feel your heart pound, face grow hot, and throat constrict when you try?
Have you felt the ache of being frozen behind a wall of fear and perfectionism while longing to feel free and expressed?
If so -- you’re not alone!
An invitation from retreat leader Miriam Bolender:
Over the past decade of working as a Vocal Liberation Guide, I’ve heard variations of the same story again and again: you once felt free in your expression; singing, dancing, creating with joyful abandon - until something shifted. Maybe someone told you that you were “too much,” or “not good enough.” Maybe an inner voice of self consciousness, shame, or perfectionism took root and bloomed.
Whether motivated by external or internal reasons, you began holding back. Since then, it’s been a challenge to reconnect with your raw, unfiltered, wild and free expression.
Your Undefended Voice is an invitation to reclaim and liberate your unique, vital, uninhibited expression.
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Over the course of the weekend, we’ll explore vocal expression as a practice of embodied liberation, healing, and deeper intimacy with soul, self, and other. We’ll sing, sound, shake, breathe, laugh, cry. We’ll meet parts of ourselves that are scared and hiding, and offer them support and tools to come out to play.
You can expect:
- Guided practices to gently open the body, breath, and voice
- Live music from Miriam and Daniel
- Deep listening and compassionate witnessing in a small, held group
- Dynamic prompts to support your unfurling
- Space to share your voice
- Time in nature for integration, reflection, and rest
- Heart-opening Ceremony and loving, attuned support to facilitate your process
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Summer 2026 Dates:
Friday, May 29th - Sunday, May 31st
Friday, July 31st - Sunday, August 2nd
(Arrival 3pm on Friday, Departrure 2pm on Sunday)
Location:
Both retreats are held at 5-acre private home in Occidental, CA. With towering redwoods and a historic Gravenstein apple orchard, the site is designed for serenity and spaciousness. There is a hot tub overlooking the meadow and ample space for camping.
Sliding scale $1,200 - $2,500 includes:
- Vocal liberation daylong Ceremony
- Enhanced integration soundbath
- Nourishing, organic and wholesome meals
- One 1:1 prep session
- One 1:1 integration session
- Shared lodging** (or camping on the land)
Payment plans and work trade spots available.
Please reach out to discuss options if you feel a strong call to participate and finances are an obstacle.
**Optional private bedrooms available for an extra cost—just ask.
A note:
Charging money for Ceremony is a complex matter, and we do not charge for the Ceremony itself; that is a shared gift. Our requested contributions reflect the time, energy, and other resources it takes to create and facilitate this work with care, as well as the material realities of modern life. A portion of all proceeds will go directly to Heron Shadow and The Cultural Conservancy to support Indigenous cultural resilience and land-based healing.
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Meet the Facilitators
Miriam Bolender is a vocal liberation guide, ceremonial facilitator, and professional musician who spent the first 24 years of her life terrified to sing—even in the shower or alone in the car. After a profound journey of reclaiming her voice, she now shares her music in a wide range of settings including concert halls, prisons, hospice rooms, festivals, and ceremonies.
Miriam is trained in legal psychedelic guide work, with a focus on helping people gently reconnect with the shut-down or closed-off parts of themselves. Through a blend of somatic practice, play, basic vocal technique, and attuned, loving support, she creates a space where deep healing and authentic expression naturally unfold.
You can learn more about her decade of work as a vocal liberation guide at www.miriambolender.com.
...and if you could use a little pep-talk song as you begin your crossing of this brave threshold, here's a song she wrote called "Wild Raging Rivers (How To Swim)."
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Cub (Chase) Bishov, AMFT believes in the inherent worthiness of all human beings. He recognizes that, unfortunately, most people have experiences in life that teach them there is something fundamentally wrong at their core. Through authentic relating, compassionate curiosity toward whatever arises, and cultivating a deeper relationship with the body’s intelligence, they support clients in becoming more self-loving, expressing their true selves, building lasting and meaningful relationships, and connecting more deeply to their purpose for being alive.
Their psychotherapeutic approach is informed by Somatics, Relational Gestalt, Trauma-Informed Psychology, Attachment Theory, Polyvagal Theory, Harm Reduction, Transpersonal Psychology, Feminist Theory, Internal Family Systems, and Jungian Archetypes. They also have extensive training in facilitating legal psychedelic medicine work, as well as psychedelic preparation and integration processes.
They have worked with—and welcome—clients from a diversity of backgrounds. They are particularly passionate about working with men who wish to unpack the ways traditional narratives of masculinity may have harmed them. They are also enthusiastic about working with couples seeking deeper intimacy, more effective communication strategies, and greater ease in their relationship. His website is chasebishov.com.
Cub will not be acting as a psychotherapist in this space but as a guide and a care supporter.
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Daniel Schindelman Schoen brings cultural imagination, rooted presence, and a playful spirit to the groups and individuals he works with. Through guiding in the wilderness, facilitating group rituals, producing large gatherings, sharing music and voice, and studying life as a spiral dance, Daniel creates spaces that invite intimate contact with soul and spirit.
His approach is grounded in ancient Hebraic mysticism, years of ceremonial practice, and apprenticeship to traditional earth honoring ways from across Abya Yala (the Americas). Daniel weaves song, story, and ritual into transformative experiences that make way for Mystery to keep nudging us forward on our unique paths.
Rooted between the quartz mountains of Córdoba, Argentina and the redwood coast of California, he brings humble devotion and inspired vision to the privilege of guiding others in sacred space.
A few testimonials...
"Before I sat with Miriam, I had been terrified to sing—yet bursting with music—for decades. With skillful grace she guided me through my fear of being heard and back into my heart where my child self had been belting it out all along. I am forever grateful for the safe, playful, musical space she creates and the light she shines into a song, a harmony, a note." -Kerry
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“Working with Miriam was a dream come true for me. I always wanted to sing from a place that allows me to get in touch with deeper parts of myself, feel connected to an inner voice, and express myself in ways I deeply longed for. Miriam not only understood where I was coming from, but I also felt held through the process. Miriam is a deeply empathetic person and a dear soul, and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to learn from her. My deepest thank you, Miriam” -Khan
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“It would not be an overstatement to say that working with Miriam altered the course of my life. Yes, she improved my technique and consistency, but a lot of coaches can teach that. What made Miriam so special as a teacher and guide is how she unblocked and unlocked my energy, shifting my mindset from "perform" to "give." -Kyle
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Feeling inspired to join us? Please apply by filling out the form below and we’ll be in touch to schedule an intake call.