Multifaceted Malibu artist Leslie Bixler is not only a wife, mother, songwriter, recording artist and teacher, but a certified life coach who wants to share her special gifts with others.
Majoring in dance and literature in college, Bixler’s dreams were shattered after she got in a car accident before graduate school. Doctors said she would never dance again. Battling stage fright and injuries she suffered from the accident, Bixler turned her focus to writing songs, singing and healing, and her career path started to unfold after the accident.
“You can spin something anyway you want, you can look at my car accident as a tragedy, or look for the gift in it. I emerged myself in my deepest passion, which was music, and overcame my fears,” she said.
With a knack for songwriting, guitar and keyboards, she eventually joined a Fresno-based band with an arrangement that didn’t require her to move from Malibu. But there was more in the cards for Bixler, who had lived in Malibu since age 13: She fell in love with the band leader and sax player, Bill Bixler.
“You never know how, when and where something wonderful can happen in your life,” she said. “I couldn’t even envision the great things that happened in my life.”
“I heard her tape and flipped out over her voice and asked her to come and join the band,” Bill said.
She really liked what the band was about — a mix of styles ranging from pop to jazz — and eventually moved to Fresno to be closer to Bill and the band. She also started booking Los Angeles musicians to perform at a Fresno nightclub she helped managed. Along the way, a L.A.-area producer attended one of her band’s shows and offered her a record deal on the spot.
“I thought I got too far away from the industry, but amazingly the industry found me,” said Bixler. “Anything can happen. Never say never.”
Her first album was “Make It Right,” recorded in Los Angeles under the name Leslie Letven.
Following Leslie’s big break, the Bixlers made their way back to Malibu in the early 1990s. Bill lucked into a position in the music department at Malibu High School and Leslie started writing children’s songs after their son Robben was born. While working at a local Malibu preschool and volunteering at her son’s kindergarten class at Juan Cabrillo Elementary School, she wrote songs with the children, allowing each child in the class to add their own special lyric. After the song was finished, Bill would record the songs they wrote in the Malibu High music studio. made their way back to Malibu in the early
Bixler went on to record two children’s music albums, including “Rhythm Train” with guest artists Chad Smith (Malibu local and drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Dick Van Dyke. She’s also achieved local fame for her frequent “Rockin’ Rhythm Storytime” events at the Point Dume Village Bank of Books.
“Leslie gets the kids singing and dancing,” said Pam Eilerson, Bank of Books manager. “She knows exactly how to engage children to get them involved in what they are doing.”
Bixler uses many props, puppets and shakers to keep the children mesmerized. She also organizes performances for local adult songwriters.
“It’s a wonderful event for the community that gives musicians a platform to perform and play their own material in an informal venue,” said Eilerson.
Eilerson credits Bixler for bringing people into the bookstore who normally would not come.
“[She] brings in all the equipment, calls all the musicians and sets everything up,” said Eilerson. “Nobody makes any money from doing this. It’s just a fun free local event.”
But Bixler hasn’t stopped there. Four years ago, she started training with the Martha Beck Institute to become a certified life coach. Bixler believes there is connection between adult life voice-coaching and working with children. Whether we are young or old, she said, we all possess the pure essence of a child, even if it’s suppressed. She now helps adults reconnect with their own true open-hearted selves.
“I am a survivor of childhood anxiety. After years of running, searching, distracting myself and, thankfully, healing, I feel ready to share the gifts that I have found with others who might be facing similar challenges,” she said.
Bixler’s next Bank of Books “Rockin’ Rhythm Storytime” is on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 10:30 a.m.
