Many years ago Susan Jeffers wrote a book called, “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.” Sylvia Wende’s photo could have been on the cover.

Sylvia loved to sing as a child. She sang in choirs, in the shower and every other place she could until one day, like many of us, she had a “bad musical experience” that took away her self confidence and stopped her singing for several decades; however, underneath the fear, deep underneath, she still knew she loved to sing.

Through those “silent” decades, she worked at administration and retail jobs in her native Ontario until 20 years ago when she took a holiday on the Island and, like many others before her, moved here as soon as she could.

After working a few years in the service industry, she decided to go back to school to study Social Work; a major accomplishment given that, in her own words, she wasn’t a very good student 17 years earlier in high school.

She worked full time while studying, graduated and spent the last eleven years working as a career coach, and although she loves coaching, her passion for music finally bubbled to the surface once again.

A workshop with legendary singer, composer, actress, Ann Mortifee, was her first step toward facing her fear of singing. Later another workshop, with Shivon Robinsong and Denis Donnelly, co-directors of the 300 voice “Gettin’ Higher Choir” in Victoria, helped give her the courage she needed to start her own choir in Nanaimo.

Of course workshops alone offer only support and inspiration, successfully facing our fears requires a generous dose of “guts” and determination, and Sylvia has that in spades.

Now, having learned how to overcome her own fears, she has gained the experience necessary to help others do the same and she is committed to doing just that.

That commitment led her to take a giant, if somewhat scary, leap to follow her passion. Since then she’s been working just three days a week as a career coach and two or three or four as the founding director of the “Get Inspired Choir,” and she’s having a great time. You can hear it in her voice and see it her eyes and her entire body.

She obviously loves both jobs, but she exudes the kind of absolute passionate energy that we most often see in people who have successfully overcome a significant challenge and who are totally committed to helping others overcome the same fears.

Her greatest joy, Sylvia says, comes from seeing people arrive believing they are totally tone deaf, people who want only to sit and listen. Then, a few weeks later, these same people find themselves singing their hearts out.

If you are like many of us who have a huge fear covering up a deep down belief that we really could sing, you may want to contact Sylvia at 751-7873 or at swende@shaw.ca. The choir meets on Thursdays from 7 to 9 pm at Brechin Elementary School.

There are no auditions and everyone is accepted, warmly.