Gregory Fisher is a musical performer, a speaker, and a spirit coach who uses his many talents to stir people to "spirit action"—helping them break through the barriers of fear and doubt to discover an "authentic identity" of hope, freedom, joy and completeness.
Gregory has prepared for this career path for the past 30 years, taking on professional roles ranging from a hit songwriter and newspaper reporter to a highly respected recovery therapist, business executive and educator. His personal "life-changing" experiences have given him the ability to understand what others are going through and help them take the best steps to recovery and success.
The artist's deeply moving vocal performances encourage and empower people to believe that anything is possible. His in-depth seminars and one-on-one spirit coaching sessions lift individuals from "stagnant" learning to "dynamic" doing.
Gregory grew up in Seneca, Mo., as a budding musician intent on finding success in the Christian music industry. At age 14, he was singing and speaking in churches across the country. He moved to Nashville in the mid-'80s to pursue his dream to move people through music as a writer and performer. He had the good fortune of becoming an advertising manager and staff writer for the Benson Music Group, a major Christian record and publishing company. In just two years, he had landed numerous CCM and gospel hits, including the number one contemporary Christian classic, Yeshua Ha Mashiach.
In 1985, he quit the music business after coming out as a gay man and embarked on a mission of self-discovery. For the next 18 years, he assumed roles as a business reporter for The Tennessean, a corporate marketing director for Electronic Data Systems (EDS), and an administrator with both the Mental Health Cooperative and Friends Helping Friends, a peer-run drop-in center for adults with serious mental illness.
He has added management, teaching and counseling skills since 2003 as a recovery therapist with substance abusers for the Middle Tennessee Treatment Center; the director of housing and homeless services for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities; an adjunct professor for the University of Tennessee School of Social Work in Nashville; and the director of community outreach for AmeriChoice by UnitedHealthcare. He recently began work as an advisor for Sedona Body: A Path to Wellness.
All of these accomplishments have helped lay the framework for a professional career that combines music, speaking and spirit coaching.
Gregory has spoken, taught and performed for a host or organizations, including the international convention of the Metropolitan Community Churches, the national convention of the American Association of Service Coordinators, and the annual convention of the International Centers for Spiritual Living.
He has received substantial TV exposure, including two appearances on the PBS syndicated program Chicago Sunday Evening Club as the musical guest with speakers Frederick Buechner and Tony Campollo. He also has appeared on CNN's Larry King Live to answer questions about “reparative therapy".
Gregory has coached hundreds of people to "spirit action" as a personal and professional life coach, a licensed Science of Mind practitioner, and an ordained minister. He does not practice as a clinical social worker.
He also is a nationally respected recording artist, composer and songwriter. His more-than-two-octave tenor vocals and heartfelt melodies and lyrics touch audiences with "honesty, transparency, authenticity and vulnerability". The artist's musical styling features a mix of classical, theatre and gospel. He recently released a preview EP of original songs titled Everlasting Arms. A debut album of original songs, There at the Edge, will be released in late 2009 or early 2010.
As a songwriter for Benson Music Group, he penned hit songs and album cuts for acts such as Scott Wesley Brown, Steve Green, First Call, Cynthia Clawson, Geoff Moore, Janet Pascall, Candy Hemphill (Christmas), and Truth. Yeshua Ha Mashiach (co-written with Greg Davis and performed by Brown) garnered a Dove Award nomination for "Song of the Year".
Gregory has developed a wide range of keynotes and workshops to help people take "spirit action". They include Believing is Everything—Create the new story of you from the truth you forgot; Releasing Recovery —Vanquish the "victimhood" that prevents a full life; and Huggermugger: My Story of Recovery —Hear Gregory's inspiring personal journey. He can develop custom-tailored presentations to meet any need, including themed events.
The artist holds a Master of Science degree in social work from the University of Tennessee College of Social Work in Nashville, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from Missouri Southern University in Joplin. He studied music with an emphasis in saxophone and classical voice at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo. He is a graduate of the Coach Training Program at Coach University; a licensed Science of Mind practitioner of the International Centers for Spiritual Living; and an ordained minister of the Universal Brotherhood Movement. He has participated in the 12-Steps of AA program for more than 20 years.
Gregory is a founding member of the Nashville Chapter of the Positive Music Association and board president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Davidson County, Tenn.
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