Our Story

Posted on Oct 17, 2012 in | 0 comments

What Makes Your Heart Sing? is a project to awaken inspiration in people all over the world, and then to make that inspiration practical in our work, family and relationships. Whether you’re in business, healthcare, NGOs, a student, a single mother, an athlete, an artist, dealing with health issues, or retired and enjoying “the good life”, What Makes Your Heart Sing? speaks to the heart of your passion and inspiration for life. For many people, stress blocks passion. For others financial insecurity strangles hope. Wherever you are in life, the programs and products of What Makes Your Heart Sing? can reawaken your inspiration and give you practical tools to reignite passion in your life for greater success, fulfillment and health.

How did it start?

In the 1970s, Bruce Cryer  and Gary Malkin were roommates at Oberlin College, a famed institution where they passionately pursued  their love of the performing arts. Straight out of college, Bruce accepted the starring role in Broadway’s The Fantasticks, “The World’s Longest Running Musical.”  After a successful career in New York, it was time for Bruce to make a move to California. This led him down a path of seeking to develop innovative solutions for integrative health, personal development, and optimal performance. As one of the founding members of HeartMath, the globally renowned health and wellness organization, Bruce cultivated his own development as well as the organization’s, including serving as CEO for 11 years. An unexpected three-year health “journey” (from which he is now fully healed) resulted in looking inside to explore his deeper passions for serving the world and achieving personal fulfillment.

Gary also migrated to California after college. His search led him to pursue a Hollywood career composing music for television, film, and commercials, bringing him numerous accolades, including seven Emmys as well as numerous Clio and ASCAP awards for his contributions. After a series of life changing incidents that caused him to reevaluate his life purpose, Gary ventured into the world of music and sound for psychosocial healing during life’s significant transitions. This new mission was officially launched with the release of what has become a globally acclaimed “non-pharmacological audio intervention” entitled Graceful Passages. The overwhelming response to this work from patients, families as well as healthcare professionals confirmed that there was more to learn about how music, sound, and other arts-infused modalities could offer innovations in stress reduction, address emotional/spiritual suffering in meaningful ways, and open up a new vistas where music, the arts and healing media could be provide a significant addition to the health and wellness field.

After nearly forty years and astonishingly parallel journeys, Cryer and Malkin’s experiences in healthcare – (Bruce as a “reluctant patient” and Gary as a creator of music and healing modalities) – compelled them to join forces to share how discovering “What Makes Your Heart Sing?” can be a powerful catalyst for deepening our humanity and inspiring our leadership capacities, especially at a time of great stress and complexity.  With a moving blend of live music, stunning video and personal stories, Bruce and Gary awaken our creative self-expression, open the heart and connect the dots on how these issues can provide vital distinctions in today’s workplace.

Meaningful outcomes for health care providers:

• Cultivate deeper compassion for the anxiety patients face;

• Re-discover the importance of self-care as a care-giver;

• Enhance our ability to connect with patients, stakeholders and colleagues;

• Expand and enrich our ability to create “caring moments”;

• Deepen our capacities for empathy, presence, and inspiration, all distinctions that lead to successful relationships and more fulfilling lives

Meaningful outcomes for leaders:

• Identify sources of inspiration that are essential for optimal performance and creativity;

• Develop a deeper sense of presence and kindness for yourself and others

• Understand and appreciate new reasons for creating balance and passion in your life;

• Develop the skills of personal resilience
• Be inspired to bring music and the arts into your personal life and your professional environment

Much more than a motivational speech, the message of Bruce and Gary is that especially during times of economic uncertainty and societal anxiety, reconnecting with our heart’s passion can make the difference between a life of resignation and despair, and a life of hope and possibility. Bruce and Gary’s inspiring personal stories, including dramatic health and personal challenges they overcame, makes their message all the more compelling, timely and relevant.

Bruce and Gary’s What Makes Your Heart Sing? offerings are provided to care-givers and hospital administrators, as well as to leaders in public and private sector organizations. They are available for keynote presentations, staff retreats, executive consulting, and training programs.

Download Bruce and Gary’s “Essential Catalysts for Inspired Performance” PDF Please share with your friends!