I first met Miya, a fledgling Cultural Studies student from McMaster University in 2012, volunteering at the registration desk for our MUSIC CARE CONFERENCE. I was immediately impressed by her positive and cheerful attitude at the time which has no doubt been a contributor of her success today.
A leading Canadian music therapist and business owner of Miya Creative Care, Miya Adout is a graduate of Concordia University where she received a Master of Arts in Creative Arts Therapies.
Miya works with individuals of all ages and abilities and specializes in dementia care. She opened her private practice in 2015 with the intention to empower and enrich lives through music. Now, with a team of 28 therapists – music, art and dance/movement therapists – she is doing just that. Miya Creative Care provides services to individuals and care facilities via both in-person and virtual sessions.
As a young healthcare entrepreneur, Miya’s positivity has been a great asset to her success at building partnerships with her clients and her team. Her can do attitude is infectious, endearing and simply contagious. No wonder healthcare administrators choose Miya Creative Care as service providers.
Yet positivity alone doesn’t sustain a leader over time. There’s something deeper that sustains through the ups and downs of business ownership and the responsibilities that come with it. My sense is that Miya is guided by values. Her values don’t just hang on the wall or appear on her website. She really believes them and lives them; subsequently she has created a team that is values-driven.
Values matter because they go beyond just achieving goals. While goals are specific, measurable, and time-bound, values serve as the foundational principles that shape our actions over time. Goals can be ticked off a list, but values represent a continuous journey, not limited to a particular destination. They define how we live, work, and the person we strive to become.
Miya and her team weave their five core values into everything they do, from collaboration with care partners, to the services they provide, to the team support offered each other. Respect, honesty and integrity are at the core. They are dedicated to providing quality care. The team is collaborative, creative and adaptable.
As we celebrate Music Therapy Month, we celebrate Miya Adout, whose vision is that every health and wellness organization throughout Ontario includes creative arts therapies as an integral part of their care model. And with her positivity and values-driven approach, she may very likely see it happen!
