About Pamela

Hi, I’m Pamela Ziemann, Performance Artist, Author and Educator.

In 2016 I became a playwright and created an autobiographical show called These Roots Go Deep. This show opens a window into what it was like to grow up on a Minnesota farm. My father, who taught me to love the land was influenced by the Secretary of Agriculture who encouraged farmers to ‘Get Big of Get Out’. I witnessed firsthand the consequences of industrial farming. In a playful and poignant way, acting out 8 characters, this play asks the question, how do we reconcile the love we feel for family members when we don’t agree with their decisions?

I wouldn’t have guessed I’d be performing on stage since I rarely spoke as a child. I was dubbed ‘the girl who speaks with her eyebrows’. I was (and still am) highly sensitive. Now I use my sensitivity to bring forth deep emotions in audience members.

When I was young I observed life and tried to make sense of it. I tried to fit in with the church, school and the protestant work-ethic. Today, rather than trying to fit in with the outside world, I find true security by delving deeper into my own core.

One day in my early 20s I put what I could in my little Toyota truck and moved 1600 miles from my home. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but it felt like a step in the right direction. There was a certain amount of independence in my job as a real estate appraiser – but placing values on homes all day while reading metaphysical books at night was like having one foot in the old world and one in the new. I wanted what these authors wrote about… complete freedom.

So, in my 30s, I left my appraisal life behind to travel throughout Asia and Europe. Gave my house key to a renter and sent my dog to live with my parents. (Leaving him at the airport was the hardest part) Every page of my passport was stamped, but something was still missing. (Sure, you might think I found a guy who solved everything, but that’s not what happened.)

My life-changing moment came in the frozen food aisle at the grocery store. You’ve seen those brightly colored packages of frozen meals in a box? I bought them for years and believed the marketing health claims. I wasn’t super fat, but I wasn’t skinny anymore either.

One day when I was about to toss a ‘Healthy Choice’ meal into my cart, I realized that these profit-driven corporations didn’t care about me at all. They cared about their bottom line. I’d been duped.

Like so many people, I had fallen into the mindless consumerism trap.

That was embarrassing for a self-proclaimed, free-thinker like me. I was determined to stop relying on others and get back in touch with my own creative genius. There were times, here and there, when I felt completely connected to my inner wisdom. Like at a drumming circle, I knew exactly what to do as long as I stayed in my own rhythm. 

That feeling became my new benchmark. I wanted to feel like this all the time.

Another area of struggle for me was public speaking. It took me years to get up the nerve to speak to groups. When it was my turn, I was so scared I could hardly formulate a thought and speak at the same time. I had to memorize each line to get through it.

But one day, at a National Speaker’s Convention, I learned a different way. The facilitator told us we each had a minute to speak or not speak, whatever moved us in the moment. No pressure. I decided ahead of time that when it was my turn I would simply be silent and enjoy the connection with others.

A funny thing happened though. About 20 seconds into my minute, I intuitively felt like saying something to the woman across from me. It was unexpected. Words emerged from my heart, not my head. I wasn’t trying to figure anything out. People listened and I felt happy. It was like taking off heavy armor and feeling surprisingly more powerful without it.

It expanded to other areas of my life. I started wearing organic clothes because they felt better on my skin. I switched from a diet that benefited the large, industrial food systems to one that made me feel light, flexible and energized. I left the big city and moved to a small town on the Olympic Peninsula. I stopped using power point and started following my inner impulses of being vulnerable and real on stage.

And now I enjoy performing my one-woman show, These Roots Go Deep to entertain, inform and advocate.

Speaker/Presenter:

  • Skillpath, Workshop Presenter in USA, Canada & Australia
  • Topics: Communication Skills, Creativity, Confidence
  • Chicago Veganmania, Portland Vegfest
  • Bellevue College & Port Angeles Community College
  • Nash’s Organics
Author:
  • Giving Voice to Your Cause: Speaking Tips for Nonprofit Professionals
  • Can You Be A Vegan: And Still Have Friends… Over for Dinner
  • Speak in the Now: Change Your Talk, Change Your Life CD
  • Speaking with Clarity, Confidence and Conviction
Formal Studies/Certifications:
  • Facilitator Training as a Speaking Circles Coach
  • GMO Educator, Institute of Responsible Technology
  • Certified Raw Food Chef and Instructor Certificate from Living Light Culinary Arts Institute
  • Licensed Avatar Master
  • World Peace Diet Facilitator
  • Certified Reiki Master, Level III
  • Institute of Responsible Technology with Jeffrey Smith
  • DTM Toastmasters International
  • Member National Speakers Association 2002 – 2005
  • Business Degree Mankato State University
Personal Growth Studies:
  • Improvisation Skills, WingIt Productions and Freehold Theater
  • The Freedom Technique with Larry Crane
  • Flying Trapeze as Personal Growth – Omega Institute
  • Wizard Training – T. Harv Ecker
  • Emotional Freedom Technique
  • Voice & Solo Performance – Freehold Theater
  • Mas Sajady, Stuart Wilde, Liz Koch & Anamika
Other Random Facts about Me:
  • Therapy Reading Programs for kids with my dog Ruby
  • Volunteer Community Supported Agriculture & Drumming Circles
  • Table Tennis (Yes, I even have trophies from USATT!)
  • Lived in Indonesia, traveled throughout Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Israel, Egypt, Costa Rica, Germany, England, Austria, France, Belgium and Italy.