My Story

So just to put it all out there….I was a total wreck.

My little rock band was growing, we were touring the world and getting all these amazing opportunities…and I still wasn’t happy.

It took a minute, but I finally realized if I wanted to start feeling better, I’d have to get to work.

So that’s what I did.

I started paying attention to my own feelings, instead of dismissing them. I let my dreams and desires guide my future plans, rather than treating my soul like a distraction.

All that effort made a big difference, and I found I was feeling happier, and was more gentle with myself.

I couldn’t keep these findings all to myself. So I created a weekly youtube channel, The REL Show, where I could what I was learning with an audience who needed it was much as I did.

…But that’s only the half of it.

I began connecting with our fans on the road and teaching everything I was learning. I was the human guinea pig, trying out various self-help methods and techniques and reporting my findings back to our tribe.

I taught a class called Turn Your Pain Into Art in 30 cities across the U.S., and that became the starting point for my debut book.

Turn Your Pain Into Art is about connecting with your creative heart.

It’s about taking all the hurt and suffering we’ve got built up inside and transforming it into something useful, and maybe even one day something beautiful.

My band, Icon For Hire, is one of the primary ways I take my personal pain and use it for something better. We spend much of our time on the road, touring the world and spreading this message of self-empowerment.

I would love to meet you at a show!

I recently created Rockstar Crash Course, a digital course helping aspiring musicians get ahead.

Have a look around, learn more about heartart-making, and I’ll see you on the road!

Join the REL revolution.

I promise I won't ever spam you <3

Sometimes I feel like you read my mind when I listen to your music. It speaks to my soul.
Stephanie Wallace
You & your lyrics helped show me that i have the strength and the drive to get better. That I don't have to stay stuck in my mental illness.
Rye
You're the one who has motivated me to be more active with my career, so thanks for the videos!
Caleb Roberts
You literally inspire me to do my best at and try my hardest with all I do, and that just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I can’t do it.
Kayla
You’ve helped me and so many other start on the road to recovery and to a healthy mind.
Sierra Welch
Thank you for being such a real artist.
Chris Gage
You helped push me towards being a musician as well as overall healthier in the way I view myself.
Missy Nyx
Ariel helped me believe in myself, decide to go after my dreams and helped my songwriting get better. She inspires me daily with positivity.
Dezi Stern
Your music has gotten me through some of the worst times of my depression and PTSD.
Ashley Mulhearn
On days when I don't feel my best you remind me that it's ok to be sad, as long as you pick yourself up and never stop fighting.
Giselle Hernandez
You have made me realize that life is worth every second and that helping people is the best thing you can do for the world.
Anna
You inspired me to break out of my own personal barricade, and write and score my own music.
Jonathan Salazar
You empowered me to step into the fullness of who I am and live my life with a sense of joy despite a long history of anxiety and depression
Chrissy Marie
Your music helped me get through the worst stages of my depression when i was at my all time low. Thank you.
Jade
You taught me I only have one life and that I need to live it to the fullest. To not be a victim of my mind but to own it.
LeAnn Byrd
Ariel gave me the exact kick in the ass that I needed in order to start taking back control of my life from depression.
Kristi Klein

I've got a message for you: pain has a purpose.

We all have a lifetime worth of pent-up pain, and we each get to decide what to do with it. Will you let yours keep you small? Or will you forge your suffering into something beautiful?

Get the book

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