Her Finding Voice Again

Music has been part of Katelyn Vallier’s life for as long as she can remember. Before she could speak she was singing. Her first solo performance was when she was 11 years old. From that moment, she was captivated by the magic of music and the stories it could tell. By 15 she had taught herself to play the guitar and piano. By 2008 she was playing restaurant gigs and for about a decade, she played up to four times a week in restaurants, country clubs, and festivals, performing cover songs.

Then, in July 2019, she was, quite literally, silenced. She was returning home from a show, still buzzing from the excitement of the evening, when she ran a stop sign that was obscured with trees and overgrown hedges. The first impact, at 65mph, was on the rear passenger’s side, and the car began to spin. The second impact was a telephone pole, the spinning continued. The third impact was a tree. As the abrupt stop rattled through her body and the sound of crushing metal faded into distant reality, she felt an overwhelming urge to drift off to sleep.

With a jolt she was back in her body. There was someone in the street, the wreckage of another car caught her attention, a bystander trying to help. She remembered that she had a full tank of gas and as sparks flew from downed power lines, she knew she had to get out of the car. Thankfully the woman in the other car was ok and together in the darkness they joined hands, grateful to be alive, and prayed until help came.

The extent of Katelyn’s injuries did not become apparent until the next morning when she couldn’t move. She suffered significant injuries to her jaw, neck, and collarbone, leaving her jaw locked shut. Singing, her purpose and passion, became a daunting challenge, and performing live was simply out of the question.

For the next two years Katelyn could only eat soft foods. She couldn’t properly brush her teeth because she could only open her jaw eight millimeters. She didn’t think she would ever sing again; she didn’t want to even look at her instruments. She didn’t even know who she was anymore living in a world without music, and to add to her devastation, the world was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, and Katelyn found herself, like so many, facing her battles in isolation.

The process was slow in 2021, as she (and the rest of the world) began to emerge from her cocoon. A deep desire for connection began to stir within her. Unable to sing, Katelyn spent time rekindling other passions. A lifelong herbalist and master gardener, she got a certification in land conservation stewardship, but she craved community.

It was during this transformative time that she found herself driving to a Sisters Circle at Ethos Yoga in Holly. “For me, just getting behind the wheel again was monumental,” said Katelyn, “I had developed PTSD around driving, but I knew that this was a crucial step toward reclaiming my life.”

When she arrived at that women’s circle, it felt like coming home. Surrounded by supportive women, sharing stories and experiences, she began to heal some of the emotional wounds of her accident. “I can't say I felt like myself again, because once you go through something like this, you know, you change,” she said. But being in community with others helped rebuild her confidence, and she points out, “that we are called into these spaces for a reason. There are no coincidences.”

By 2023 the problems with her jaw had greatly improved, but it was still locking up on a daily basis. Her physical therapy was ongoing and she still wasn’t singing. It was through attending the Sisters Circles that she heard about a class the studio offered called How to be Human, an eight-week course intended to reweave our understanding of what it means to be connected to the land, ancestors, community, and self.

Joining the class she was able to sit in a safe community and place with fourteen other women consecutively for eight weeks. She reflected on how showing up for yourself, within a community is so incredibly healing. “What was reflected back to me was how important it is to share our gifts with the world because we are all here for a reason. So after our time together, I decided to take my journals from our weekly circles and for the next seven months, with each moon cycle, I wrote a song,” said Katelyn.

“I think that sharing my story and bonding with those women brought me back into my voice – actually - it gave me a new voice that I didn't have before. While playing covers for all of those years was fun and beautiful and served its purpose, I wasn't really showing up for myself as a true artist. Somehow the community kind of gave me the courage to write my own music.”

Until that time, Katelyn had only written instrumental compositions but as the lyrics poured out of her so did a new direction for her music. In the spring of 2024, she released her first original album titled Songs from the Hearth. She debuted it at a concert to raise money to scholarship other women called to participate in How to be Human in partnership with SoulSupport.org

She believes that often the obstacles we face on our journey through life have a metaphysical manifestation. During her sabbatical from singing, with time to reflect, she kept wondering… what did she need to say that she was not saying? As she was learning more about how to be human, each step, each chance encounter, led her closer to feeling whole again. For her, writing the album was a way forward, for both her physical and emotional healing. The car accident was a kind of turning point - a crossroads, quite literally.

Katelyn plans to take her music into spaces that are earth-honoring, community-focused or educational spaces where people are gathering together to learn how to care for themselves, each other, and the land. Over the summer she played at a couple of festivals and at a holistic center.

“Music has always been kind of like the driving force,” she says, “but I've also always had a love for community and passion for herbalism and the land. This album kind of feels like it connects these threads, weaving my life together.”

She also envisions someday creating Song Circles, similar to the Sister Circles that changed her life. “I think it's really important to sing in community again like we've always done, as a way to honor our ancestors. Human beings have always gathered together to sing in joy, to sing in lament, and we need community to move forward, to heal, to find our voice.”

Today, Katelyn is not just a musician but also a testament to the healing power of community and connection. Through everything she has been through she’s learned that the threads of our lives are intertwined. Music continues to be her refuge and her way of connecting with others. Every song she sings is a celebration of survival, a melody of resilience, and a reminder that no matter how difficult the journey, we can always find our way back to the light.

Katelyn Vallier is currently writing her next album inspired by the seasonal Celtic Sabbats. She teaches embroidery workshops, and makes herbal products. You can find her on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, YouTube and on Instagram @NorthwoodHerbalCraftBY KELLIE PARDI