An ANÍMA Sound Meditation with Sage + Sound’s George MacPherson
From New York fashion PR to sound meditation, Sage + Sound’s George MacPherson on slowing down, listening to the heart and mastering the midlife career shift.
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As told to Maya Boyd
“Before sound came calling, I spent two decades in fashion publicity, first in London, then later New York, as Vice President of Publicity at Starworks Group. It was chaotic and I loved it. But the fashion world was hyper communicative, very high touch, very high contact. I was always ‘on’. I was led by what the industry was at the time, and in the recesses of my mind I think I knew it wasn’t sustainable for me to be in that place of constant over communication.
When I left Starworks in 2016 and started my own consultancy, GWM, things began to transition. Subtly it became a much more meaningful practice. I began to put a particular lens on sustainability. I worked closely with Atmos, a nonprofit media organisation focused on the cross-pollination of climate and culture, along with supporting impact-driven fashion brands. Through what I was learning about the environment and spiritual ecology, I deepened my own sense of what sat in the realm of spirituality. There were plant medicine experiences, meditation, different circles. Nothing quite solidified at first – it was a place of deep exploration – but a constellation began to emerge. A growing number of founders are now transitioning from fashion into the wellbeing space.
Around 2018 and 2019 I started sitting in sound meditation. I had about a year where I did everything at the same time. My consultancy, my sound training, all of it. And then it began to shift into working solely in the space of wellbeing and mindfulness. In August 2022 I got sober. That was a specific shift in my life. I think the pandemic made me realise I was holding myself back by doing things that no longer felt in balance. I couldn’t be sitting in a meditative space and leading classes for others when a part of me was also in party mode. The two didn’t fit together particularly easily. Like many practitioners working across movement-based modalities, his work invites subtle internal awareness.
Around that time, Sage + Sound asked me to start teaching every Sunday at nine in the morning. Had I not been sober, I would have said no – it just wouldn’t have worked. Sage + Sound is a vast wellness destination – a sort of modern apothecary meets urban ashram – on the Upper East Side, founded by Lauren Zucker and Lacey Tisch. Lauren and Lacey’s mantra is ‘wellness your way’ and it’s become a true holistic hub for the city.
Within a couple of months of teaching at Sage + Sound, they invited me to join as Head of Programming and Community. To have a role that emerged from my passion for sound and mindfulness, within a space like Sage + Sound, felt like one of those pivotal moments where I thought, I can’t believe my life has shifted in this way. It felt like a calling turned into a reality.
At Sage + Sound I oversee The Study, the space dedicated to meditation and mindfulness. I train the teachers, create the schedules and look after the community as a whole. Now we’re opening a new space in Greenwich, Connecticut. I was there this week for the first time, in the middle of construction. It’s going to be different. There will be more movement, and of course sound and breathwork, which are the two things I concentrate on the most. There’ll be a contrast therapy suite, which everyone is asking for. We’re looking at other elements too, exploring beyond what mindfulness means within four walls. My own journey continues to develop alongside the growth of Sage + Sound and it feels deeply alive. Breathwork and sound are increasingly integrated into contemporary wellbeing environments.
What I love about the field I’m in is that it’s a constant place of learning and practice. No one on the planet could ever say they know everything about how sound impacts a person. Whether it’s science and theory or spirituality and mindfulness, there are so many layers. New discoveries are being made, yet all of it was known thousands of years ago on another level.
The thing to remember is that this isn’t about impressing something upon the listener. You’re inviting them into an experience. In a place like New York City, the real work is getting people calm enough, soft enough and receptive enough to notice tiny differences about how sound makes them feel.”
As told to Maya Boyd
“Before sound came calling, I spent two decades in fashion publicity, first in London, then later New York, as Vice President of Publicity at Starworks Group. It was chaotic and I loved it. But the fashion world was hyper communicative, very high touch, very high contact. I was always ‘on’. I was led by what the industry was at the time, and in the recesses of my mind I think I knew it wasn’t sustainable for me to be in that place of constant over communication.
When I left Starworks in 2016 and started my own consultancy, GWM, things began to transition. Subtly it became a much more meaningful practice. I began to put a particular lens on sustainability. I worked closely with Atmos, a nonprofit media organisation focused on the cross-pollination of climate and culture, along with supporting impact-driven fashion brands. Through what I was learning about the environment and spiritual ecology, I deepened my own sense of what sat in the realm of spirituality. There were plant medicine experiences, meditation, different circles. Nothing quite solidified at first – it was a place of deep exploration – but a constellation began to emerge. A growing number of founders are now transitioning from fashion into the wellbeing space.
Around 2018 and 2019 I started sitting in sound meditation. I had about a year where I did everything at the same time. My consultancy, my sound training, all of it. And then it began to shift into working solely in the space of wellbeing and mindfulness. In August 2022 I got sober. That was a specific shift in my life. I think the pandemic made me realise I was holding myself back by doing things that no longer felt in balance. I couldn’t be sitting in a meditative space and leading classes for others when a part of me was also in party mode. The two didn’t fit together particularly easily. Like many practitioners working across movement-based modalities, his work invites subtle internal awareness.
Around that time, Sage + Sound asked me to start teaching every Sunday at nine in the morning. Had I not been sober, I would have said no – it just wouldn’t have worked. Sage + Sound is a vast wellness destination – a sort of modern apothecary meets urban ashram – on the Upper East Side, founded by Lauren Zucker and Lacey Tisch. Lauren and Lacey’s mantra is ‘wellness your way’ and it’s become a true holistic hub for the city.
Within a couple of months of teaching at Sage + Sound, they invited me to join as Head of Programming and Community. To have a role that emerged from my passion for sound and mindfulness, within a space like Sage + Sound, felt like one of those pivotal moments where I thought, I can’t believe my life has shifted in this way. It felt like a calling turned into a reality.
At Sage + Sound I oversee The Study, the space dedicated to meditation and mindfulness. I train the teachers, create the schedules and look after the community as a whole. Now we’re opening a new space in Greenwich, Connecticut. I was there this week for the first time, in the middle of construction. It’s going to be different. There will be more movement, and of course sound and breathwork, which are the two things I concentrate on the most. There’ll be a contrast therapy suite, which everyone is asking for. We’re looking at other elements too, exploring beyond what mindfulness means within four walls. My own journey continues to develop alongside the growth of Sage + Sound and it feels deeply alive. Breathwork and sound are increasingly integrated into contemporary wellbeing environments.
What I love about the field I’m in is that it’s a constant place of learning and practice. No one on the planet could ever say they know everything about how sound impacts a person. Whether it’s science and theory or spirituality and mindfulness, there are so many layers. New discoveries are being made, yet all of it was known thousands of years ago on another level.
The thing to remember is that this isn’t about impressing something upon the listener. You’re inviting them into an experience. In a place like New York City, the real work is getting people calm enough, soft enough and receptive enough to notice tiny differences about how sound makes them feel.”
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