Christine Stevens answers the question:

What is the nicest thing a non-family member has ever done for you?

Wow. There's so many things I can answer that to, because I've had a lot of great drum teachers that have taught me rhythms from their cultures that I think has been such a nice gift for me. But I think the person that pops in my mind at this moment is my friend Mina Lee, who actually emailed an introduction for me to Stephen Dinan [founder of The Shift Network], and that's how I'm sitting in this chair today, is Mina, who I met in Joshua Tree at a yoga drumming retreat. She is from China, also living in San Francisco. She had the inspiration to send an email introducing Stephen and I. There hadn't been a drumming class on The Shift Network, and there was a lot of trepidation, I think, about whether that would work at all, because there was a question of whether people even had drums.

We made a video of how you can make drums; we said, "Okay, we can make this happen." I mean, it just was really an act of kindness and reminds me that sometimes the people that we meet have some higher purpose in our lives; we don't know what it is. Mina and I have had this kind of exchange over the years, over many years now, six or seven years, of sharing songs, of sharing and supporting each other's work in the world. I think that her act of kindness of introducing me to this global organization for personal growth and transformation was one of those moments that changed the course of my life, because that is my intention, my desire, and my purpose.

It gave me a platform to connect to what was my heart's desire to create in the world. That's a super priceless act and kindness. So I would say, thank you Mina Lee, for introducing me to Stephen DInan — and that led to this moment, meeting Phil, meeting all the people that I've met through The Shift Network, and meeting all the people that I've met through the drum who've taken the courses. So the gift keeps giving. Thank you.

Christine Stevens is an internationally acclaimed speaker, author, and music therapist. Holding master’s degrees in both social work and music therapy, Christine inspires people all over the world with her message that music promotes holistic health, spirituality, and wellness. Christine taught her Awaken Your Rhythm course to over 600 students from 30 countries previously this year with the Shift Network. Christine is the author of Music Medicine: The Science and Spirit of Healing Yourself with Sound... The Healing Drum Kit... and The Art and Heart of Drum Circles book and DVD. She’s recorded two play-along CDs, Reviving Rhythms and Drumming Up Diva.

Christine is the founder of UpBeat Drum Circles, offering diversity training, team building, and wellness presentations worldwide. She’s trained facilitators and led workshops in more than 20 countries, including Iraq, Hong Kong, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, and Western Europe. Christine trains HealthRHYTHMS facilitators throughout the United States, England, and Japan through Remo, the world’s largest drum company. A leader in the music and wellness movement, Christine also serves on the editorial board of Explore: A Journal of Science and Healing.

Christine’s work in Iraq was featured in the book and DVD Discover the Gift. Televised media credits include PBS, NBC, KABC-Los Angeles, KTLA–Los Angeles, Tournament of Roses Parade, London Tonight, Living Better TV, Discovery Health, and Hong Kong News. As a contributing writer, Christine’s work has been featured in Fitness magazine, Spirituality & Health, Body & Soul, Fast Company, First for Women Magazine, The Oriental News, The Christian Science Monitor, US News & World Report, Yogi Times, and Natural Beauty and Health.

Click here to visit Christine’s website.