Meet Rachel Mari Kimber

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Mari Kimber and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel Mari Kimber, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
As an entrepreneur, work life balance has always been an ever changing dance. I am lucky enough to center my work around the gifts I am blessed with, which are all under the healing arts umbrella, so even when I am breaking a sweat it doesn’t necessarily feel like work, it feels like purpose.

I am passionate about what I do and how I express it, yet sometimes I am unclear about what taking a break looks like! I realize that slowing down and being, more than doing, has become harder for me to achieve as an adult, especially with the financial demands of modern life, and being single. The quiet voice inside my head telling me I cannot rest until bills are paid. I do my best to stay level headed through healthy eating, sleep and exercise so I can show up best for myself and for others.

My choices of work are music, healing therapies and creating healthy nourishment to sustain those. Rest tends to come when I sleep at night, or if I lay on the floor after coming home from a gig and unloading the car. Play tends to be when I sing, compose, play my instruments for a gig, make chocolate truffles, or chop vegetables, paint or when I have a weekend free I like to take my paddle board to the river or a lake, to spend time in nature, hike a mountain or dance around. I am so grateful for my working limbs and senses, I enjoy keeping active to feel balanced in myself.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My biggest love is Music!
Since I was little, my inner world has been immersed in sound. I was encouraged to express through sound, and learned ‘Cello age 6, and self taught guitar around age 10 with a little help from my father. I composed on my mothers piano yet gravitated towards the stringed instruments.

Fast forward 30 or so years, I am now a fully professional award-winning composer, songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist. It took me a long time to establish myself as such, and a lot of hours put into mastery of my instruments, equipment and voice. Strength through adversity can be heard in the songs I have written and released. Expressing my life experience is in my cells, my highest soul calling.

One challenge was finding music jobs that recognize and honor the value musicians bring. The musicians wage has not changed since the 1960’s! This doesn’t account for what a musician has to cover – practice time, insurances, driving, gas, having the right working gear, unloading and unpacking the gear, setting it all up, and doing it all in reverse after, let alone the stamina and energy needed to sustain playing for sometimes 3 or 4 hours. Staying strong fit and healthy is a mandatory discipline as a pro musician who takes themselves seriously, it is similar to that of an athlete

I have overcome the payroll challenge by having other lines of work. Musically speaking, I offer song writing, recording session work, beginners guitar and cello lessons, I offer private and public event sound healing sessions. I am available to play for events and bring my own equipment. I also play cello and sing for a Celtic Folk Rock band called Black Forest Society based in the Verde Valley, which is another project I am involved with. I am grateful for the musicians I have connected with in Arizona, there is a lot of talent around!

What I bring to the table is very unique. I can play a song (cover or original) then remix it using a loop pedal. When I do that, I take a section of a song, and put the guitar part onto my loop pedal, then I lay cello parts on top creating multiple harmonies and rhythms, like an orchestra, then I can add multiple vocals on top of that. I do this all live, composing on the spot. I call these creations ‘Soundscapes’. They are unique to the moment, and once I have pressed the stop on the the loop pedal they are erased and gone forever. It is an in-the-moment experience created, which requires great focus and skill for the timing and sounds to be correct.

I have a huge repertoire of my own songs to draw from. I enjoy being creative with remixing regardless of what song it is. I have made up theme tunes on the spot, business name jingles, birthday messages, wedding celebration sounds, you name it I will have a go at creating a tune or melody for it. You can hear examples on instagram.

On the therapy front I have my own brand of healing modality called ‘Transformational Tarot’ in which I take all of the experiences and accreditations I have accrued in the therapeutic world, to assess and assist a clients personal life journey into wholeness and wellness. I am grateful and humbled to use my intuitive and clairaudient gifts with tarot and oracle card readings alongside other modalities such as sound healing and energy healing to bring a person fully in to their own alignment of purpose, it is an uplifting experience for them and myself, witnessing the transformation of before and after. These skills have been fine tuned over 30 years, through my own personal healing journey from tragedy to triumph.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For a fun week in Arizona, I would likely start by a day visit to the Salt River for paddle boarding. I would prepare a healthy fresh plant based packed lunch, and be sure to ‘pack it in pack it out’. and pick up some matcha green tea to go from Premium Matcha Cafe Maiko on University.

Usery Mountain Regional Park is good for the mountain hikes, so another option would be to hike there taking plenty of drinking water, sun hats and body cover to protect from the ever present sun.
For a few days camping, we could go to Bear Canyon Lake to enjoy the peace of the forest and more paddle boarding! There is also Sedona to visit, about 2.5 hours North, famous for its red rocks and vortexes, and beyond that, the Grand Canyon depending on how much traveling one wants to commit to. I like to be spontaneous for trips, with the option of doing nothing unless it feels good, so would cater the week to my guests preferences.

For checking out local and lively be it day or night we can enjoy a walk around Tempe Town lake, maybe see what was happening at Tempe Arts Center, and also visit Tempe Marketplace for outdoor live music and to catch a movie or do some shopping if that was called for. During the day there are some good cafes in Tempe for a cuppa tea as well as Cafe Maiko (for the best premium matcha) , there is Eden Tea and Coffee House on Mill Ave, a great hidden gem with a chill atmosphere and good pastries.

Rainbow Bliss Botanicals is a herb shop that is fun to go to, which also houses a great plant based fresh food cafe called Desert Roots Kitchen in the Southern Palms shopping center on E Southern Ave, this would be a great spot to enjoy lunch at DRK, then a tasty desert from RBB and check out local community activities that are held there. DRK has an ever changing menu because everything really is made from scratch. As you can tell, I like my food fresh and un processed. If I am not making it myself, I expect it to be as good as what I can rustle up!

Other places for a quick spot of lunch could be Chop Shop, or Flower Child which both have a nice variety for every palate to pick and choose from. If we felt like dressing up for dinner, a visit to Urban Fraiche on Camelback Rd, Phoenix would be fun for a vibrant night out, or there’s a new place called North Italia that looks nice if we wanted to keep it Tempe local.

Walking around Tempe there is a lot to take in, I appreciate how the arts are supported and celebrated. You can see this in the decor, sculptures, and building grafitti. There is a great network of busses and trams available, and only a couple of bucks for a tram ride, which goes all the way into Phoenix, if there were enough time beyond exploring Tempe.

Another great thing about Tempe for visitors, is the proximity to the airport – if landing in Phoenix International Airport, it is 15 ish mins drive to pick someone up, and there is a free skytrain from within the airport that disembarks at a stop just outside it for ease of collection. I am sure there are many things I have yet to discover about Tempe, so this just my brushstroke on the painting of this town.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I consider all of my dear friends and family and the immense gratitude I have for them, their reciprocal kindness that has touched my life and am grateful for them all! However, there are two people who have played key roles in supporting me during this past decade..

My friend Bryon Rothe, of United Construction Solutions, AZ has gone above and beyond in helping me when I have been in challenging circumstances. Think side of the road tire damage rescue assistance on a freeway slip road at 11.45pm type of thing.. that kind of solid friend is priceless! He has been there when I have fallen apart, and often reminds me that ‘life is great’ and that ‘some day my man will come’ ha ha. We are from very different walks of life and have contrasting belief systems, yet somehow we respect and honor each others differences. He is a solid friend who has my back, whom I can call any time and vice versa. Thank you Bryon!

I am grateful for my friend and arts patron Britt Bennett, N2 Magazine Publisher and writer who since we met has continued to ask me great questions to stretch my thought process for self improvement. I admire the way he has implemented his wisdom in his own life, and I have watched him blossom and expand with his own dreams and goals. We have reciprocal uplifting conversations cheering each other on, with sprinkles of constructive guidance thrown in. He is a cosmic blessing that reflects trust for the process of life unfolding. We remind each other of these aspects when we chat.

I heard that if you want to get somewhere in life, look to someone who is at where you want to go, surround yourself with like minded people. I respect and admire Britt for all of the many things he has done in his life, the things he has overcome, and the way he remains humble regardless of his achievements and experiences. Thank you Britt!

Website: https://www.rachelmarikimber.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/rachelmarikimber

Soundcloud: Rachel Mari Kimber

Facebook: https://facebook.com/rachelmarikimber

Youtube: Rachel Mari Kimber – Live

Other: I also produce free monthly horoscope tarot readings on my YouTube channel called Free Your Spirit Healing, it is free to subscribe, so please join me there too! Thank you

Image Credits
Prayer hands on head image – Syvonne Kozuk
Guitar smile in fedora image – Joel Brussell