Holly Tzeigon Whitaker is a mixed-media visual and performance artist, singer-songwriter, educator and somatic coach. Originally from the North Bay Area, CA, she currently lives in New Orleans, LA.

A highly sensitive person raised in a dysfunctional family with a narcissist father, she spent much of her young adult life trying to heal from crippling perfectionism, people-pleasing, debilitating burnout and chronic fatigue. Amidst years of talk therapy therapy, she found Somatic Experiencing, art-making, movement, and community engagement to be the most potent and transformative elements of her healing. She is inspired to share what she has learned about trauma-healing through embodiment, voice, and play with other highly sensitive people.  She has facilitated somatic-informed dance and play workshops for both children and adults across coasts.

Holly has nearly a decade of experience as an educator, working primarily elementary age students as an art teacher, P.E. teacher, and 1-to-1 aide to students with Autism and other disabilities. Diagnosed with ADHD at age 30, she is passionate about working with neurodiverse individuals of all ages and ability to increase self-compassion and self-knowledge so that they can live more embodied, authentic, and connected lives while accomplishing their creative goals. 

Education

Holly received her BS from UC Berkeley in Conservation Resource Studies and an AA in Visual Fine Art from Santa Rosa Junior College.

She is in her third and final year of the Somatic Experiencing International Program to become a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. She completed Intermediate III in Fall 2025 and will hae completed herAdvanced Year by the end of 2026.

Creative Life

Since 2018, Holly has fronted an indie folk-rock/Americana solo-project called Kalinders (pronounced ‘calendars’). She released her debut EP “Fool for the Proving” in April 2024, and is close to completing her first length LP, which she hopes ease in Fall 2026. In addition to performing regularly with her band in both New Orleans and the greater Bay Area, she dabbles in other forms of performance art, including clowning, burlesque and puppetry. She directs and edited her own music videos, and is passionate about DIY ethos and making art out of everyday living. She completed the Bread & Puppet internship in Summer 2018. In New Orleans, she is active in the Contact Improv dance community, and enjoys any form of embodied movement, from second lines to rollerskating to folk dance. You can see more of her visual art practice here.