What happens when the voice that was taken from you becomes the very thing that heals you?
In this powerful episode of Pulling Threads, Leslie sits down with Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and vocal coach Demaree Hill — a Broadway performer, single mom, and the woman who recorded a duet with Dolly Parton — for a conversation about what it truly means to find your voice again, literally and emotionally.
Demaree's story spans from singing as a two-and-a-half-year-old into a candlestick for her family, to performing in Les Misérables on Broadway at age eight, to navigating the silence that a controlling marriage placed over her music and her dreams. After her divorce, she found that words and journaling weren't enough — music became the medicine that unlocked what nothing else could reach. Now, through her "Finding Your Voice Again" workshops and one-on-one sessions at Story Studios, she helps women and men reclaim the voice that life tried to quiet.
This episode covers:
Why so many women are silenced — and how it starts in childhood
The deep connection between your nervous system, your throat, and emotional healing
How music creates somatic release that talk therapy alone can't always reach
Demaree's full story: Broadway, a controlling marriage, COVID pneumonia, and how she ended up singing a duet with Dolly Parton
The moment Dolly listened to Demaree's songs — and said "I want to record with you"
Why you don't have to be a singer to heal through music
Identifying the voices (internal and external) that made you play small
Leslie's own story of the voice she sat down in sixth grade — and where that healing is taking her
If you've ever been told your voice was too much, not enough, or that your dreams had an expiration date — this episode is for you.
Connect with Demaree Hill:
Website + workshops: www.demareemusic.com — workshop sign-up coming soon
Instagram: @demareemusic
Twitter / Threads / X: @demareemusic
Facebook: Demaree
Story Studios Instagram: @storystudiosnashville
Email: storystudiosnashville@gmail.com
Work with Leslie & The Loom Life:
Mindful Untangling (community): https://theloomlife.com/community
THROUGH (8-week coaching program): https://theloomlife.com/throughdivorceprogram
Loom Life Therapy: leslie@theloomlife.com
Website: www.theloomlife.com
Instagram: @the.loom.life
TikTok: @leslieellenmathews
#PullingThreads #FindingYourVoice #HealingThroughMusic #DivorceRecovery #TheLoomLife
