They called us many names, but we never changed.
That was a long time ago. We were young. Now we’re all grown up, but did we lose ourselves? Did we surrender who we are?
I don’t think so. People look at me and see a soccer mom, but I’m still the same headbanging, fist-pumping, rebellious goth girl I was at 20.
Truthfully, heavy metal was gasoline for my hardest challenges - like ditching attending law school to studying to become a music engineer, surviving a battle with breast cancer, and giving me the courage to expose unconscious bias & unfair hiring practices with my TEDx Talk.
Something about that sense of untethered self-expression really grounded me. First when I worked for Record Plant Studios and then for Sony Music Studios, and again when I broke free as a hard-charging CEO of 3 successful firms, it fueled me with electric energy.
They say music is therapy, but who knew it would charge me up to become CEO of the Year (CV Magazine), a Top 50 Business Woman (NJBIZ), and a Top Female Entrepreneur (Enterprising Women Magazine)?
Metal Set Me Free
Not just metal, all of it. The scene. The lifestyle. Being right there in the mix. Flashing NYC lights. Moshing with friends. Screaming the lyrics to my favorite band. Air on fire to the sound of the beat. 10,000 united in a perfect ecstasy. Back then, we existed in an undefiled stream of pure emotional release. Rebels!
They got that right. But it was never without a cause. We always stood for something, a misunderstood greater good, or maybe just a disregard for the wrongs of the establishment. And because we never backed down from that truth, they feared us, labeled us, tried to silence us, but it never worked. We held onto who we are.
Enlightenment
Returning to my metal roots and abandoning the unauthentic corporate world by starting Heavy Metal Zen has brought my professional life full circle. I found my center through my passions: music, yoga and reiki (certified). I hope to bring a piece of that to you with a brand that fuses higher-consciousness with heavy metal for enlightenment. What matters is that you do you, regardless of what the world thinks.
If you’re the kind of person who finds your happy place inside of a raging, packed shoulder-to-shoulder concert hall, or if you feel focused, driven, and ready when the sound of an electric guitar washes through your soul, then you’re exactly who I created Heavy Metal Zen for.
Whether you purchase our products online or on tour at a Metal festival, we will treat you like the bad ass VIP kindred spirit that you are.
So join me and get your heavy metal zen on. You deserve it!
Gail Miller - Founder,
Heavy Metal Zen
