Tell us about yourself:
Hi, my name’s Kirbanu – yes, that’s really my name 😉 I was born in Australia and spent the first 21 years of my life living at the ocean and for the last 17-years I’ve been travelling around the world, living in different countries. I’ve lived in North America, Europe, New Zealand, India and most recently in Germany.
What do you do in your free time:
In my free time I love to compose music… The thing is, I kind of made the things that I love to do in my free time the things that I also do for my body of work and earn my income with – so I often don’t feel that there’s a lot of free time.. But when I get a minute, I love to go to nature, to catch up with friends, to listen to music and to surround myself with beauty.
How are you impacting the community during quarantine:
I’ve been doing a lot of online events, collaborating with people around the world, which has being really incredible to me. I’ve been offering my body of work – which is my music, my voice and empowerment courses as well as offering online workshops on topics like setting clear boundaries and self-love and self confidence.
What keeps you going/ What is your motivation :
I’m motivated by an intense desire to help people be the best they can be. It’s really sad and tragic to me if I think that people are holding themselves back because of beliefs in their heads or fears or doubts… So I use my music to connect to people’s hearts and create a space of healing. And I share transformative tools through my online courses and coaching to help empower people to live their best lives.
How do you take care of nature:
I take care of nature by being mindful of what I buy. I’m a minimalist. I try not to buy things unless I really need them and even then I think for a long time before I purchase something. I try not to use plastic and when I’m in the supermarket I use paper bags. I recycle. I don’t have a car. I ride my bicycle everywhere and am aware of how I use electricity when at home. I tried to do what I can to reduce my personal footprint.
What changes have you personally experienced in your life since the quarantine:
What I have personally experienced in my life since quarantined started is that everything has become much more simple and reduced. At this time I’d normally be touring around Europe with my music and my workshops and playing at festivals. Obviously this all got cancelled and postponed, so I’ve really just been living a very simple life, a very online life. Everything has been reduced to a basic level. What’s been good about this for me is that I found more ease in my days, but the negative is that I feel like I’m sitting in front of the computer screen for much longer than usual. So I try to balance this out by going for walks and bike rides.
How do you keep yourself positive:
I fill my day with things that bring me joy and I do my best to look after myself each day. I have a very solid 3 hour morning routine (exercise, yoga, meditation & singing – and coffee) which helps me to set myself up for the day. I do work that is meaningful and fulfilling to me. Despite being busy, I try to create space for friends and family in the week. Through the internet – Instagram – I stay connected to like-minded and inspiring women, and to my community. And I make learning a priority in my day. I take time to do online courses, to read and educate myself. All of these things give me a sense of purpose, belonging and meaning. They ignite my passion and curiosity. Through this I find joy and contentment in my days.
What advise can you share for someone going through fear and anxiety :
I have a long history with working with fear and anxiety in myself. I think the first thing you can do if you suffer from these is to to reinforce your relationship with yourself. Use your breath to connect to yourself. Use a gently self-touch to come back into your body. I think we often experience fear and anxiety because we’re out of our bodies and are disconnected from the present moment – so anything that calmly helps us return to now, is effective. Other things we can do are nurturing activities that bring us health and well-being. If I’m feeling anxious I like to go outside and surround myself in nature. This helps me to calm down.
What is your favorite quote :
I’ve a few of favourite quotes and I think they’re all by Rumi! One of them is, “All my life I spent knocking on your door. When it finally opened I realised I was knocking from the inside.” Another one is, “Come, come again, come still again. Even if you’ve lost your way a thousand times, come again.” But I think my all-time favorite one is, “Let the beauty of what you love be who you are.”
Share with us your 5 top life tips
My top 6 tips (sorry I couldn’t do 5!!) for life are:
- Sing! Make it a priority in your day. It keeps your heart young.
- Let your voice out – speak your truth and dare to share your unique message with the world.
- Question things. Don’t believe what people say or what the world tells you. Learn to think for yourself and create your own opinions about things. Nothing is as it has to be. Question!!
- Live bravely – take risks. Do things that scare you or are uncomfortable for you. Life was not meant to be lived in the comfort zone. Growth is a much more exciting opportunity.
- Be vulnerable – let yourself be seen for who you truly are. And get to know yourself as you truly are, not as others – or the world – tell you to be
- Be open to love – it’s the beginning and the end of everything
Instagram account : @kirbanu