Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Kelly & Empower Music Therapy.
Hi Kate , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I opened Empower Music Therapy during the early months of the pandemic, but the “why” behind it started long before that.
Music has always been the place I processed life: my emotions, my questions, my healing. As a teenager, songwriting was how I made sense of my world. That passion eventually led me to become a board-certified music therapist, and I spent several years working in inpatient mental health settings after college. The work was meaningful, but I kept noticing the same gaps: people who didn’t quite fit into traditional therapy models, very few spaces for people with disabilities and neurodivergence to find true belonging, families who were burned out after trying “everything,” and clients who came alive through music in ways that words alone couldn’t reach.
When COVID hit, those gaps widened. Access disappeared overnight, isolation increased, and mental health needs skyrocketed — especially for neurodivergent individuals, people with disabilities or who were immunocompromised, caregivers, and those navigating complex mental health or medical challenges. I felt a deep pull to create something different: a space that was inclusive, flexible, creative, and rooted in real human connection.. And what brings us together quite like music?
Empower began as a small, scrappy idea — just me, a few clients, and a big vision — but it was always about more than individual sessions. I wanted to build a community-centered practice that honored music as a legitimate, powerful therapeutic language, and that supported both clients and clinicians in sustainable ways. Over time, Empower grew into a multi-therapist practice offering individual sessions, small groups, community events, and facility partnerships throughout Nashville.
At its core, Empower exists to meet people where they are — especially those who haven’t felt fully seen or supported elsewhere — and to remind them that joy, creativity, and healing can coexist.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I didn’t have an MBA or a background in business, and I didn’t necessarily expect this calling to come as strongly as it did. My life pivoted quickly, and suddenly I found myself building something far bigger than I had originally imagined. It became abundantly clear early on that I didn’t really know what I was doing — at least not from a traditional starting-a-business-business standpoint.
There were moments of deep uncertainty: learning how to run a practice while also being a clinician, making financial decisions without a roadmap, and carrying the weight of responsibility for clients, staff, and a growing community. I had to learn how to trust myself in unfamiliar territory and make decisions without guarantees.
What helped most was realizing that mentorship didn’t have to look one way. Books became my mentors. Podcasts, conversations, trial and error, and a lot of long working days became my education. I built what I often think of as a DIY MBA from my living room — learning just enough at each stage to take the next right step.
The road hasn’t been smooth, but it’s been deeply formative. Every challenge sharpened my leadership, clarified my values, and reinforced why Empower needed to exist in the first place.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Empower Music Therapy is an inclusive, neurodiversity-affirming music therapy practice based in Nashville. We bring high-quality music therapy to individuals, families, and facilities in Nashville and beyond. We specialize in working with people who experience the world differently — including those with autism, ADHD, IDD/DD, chronic illness, medical complexity, and mental health challenges.
In sessions, we use music-based techniques such as instrument play, songwriting, lyric discussion, and movement to support individualized goals like regulation, communication, emotional expression, confidence, and connection. You don’t have to be a musician to take part — you just have to be motivated by music and willing to bring it into your wellbeing more intentionally.
We’re known for meeting people where they are and helping them find validation and belonging. Many people share that Empower is one of the few places they can show up exactly as they are. We believe growth doesn’t have to come at the expense of identity — honoring who someone is is a core part of neurodiversity-affirming care. Music often becomes the bridge: a way to regulate, connect, communicate, and experience joy when words feel hard or inaccessible.
What I want readers to know is that Empower is for all of us. It’s a glimpse of what a more inclusive world can look like — one where everyone is part of the band. While we specialize in working with people with disabilities and differences, we also work with neurotypical individuals and families who are drawn to music as a meaningful, human-centered path toward healing and growth. When we say “all are welcome here” we mean it.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
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Pricing:
- Individual Sessions $125
- Sliding Scale Available
- Out of Network Insurance Reimbursement & Waiver Reimbursement Available
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.empowermusictherapy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowermusictherapy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empowermusictherapy.nash/
