By Kippy Marks –
In the philosophy of Practice Makes Love Easy (PMLE), love is not just a feeling—it’s a daily discipline, a creative force, and a communal rhythm. It is with great honor to present Carly Ozard (they/them/she) as the ninth accomplished individual featured in this column. Few embody the ethos of PMLE as fully as Ozard, who is a non-binary entertainer, educator, and activist whose voice carries across stages and communities from San Francisco to New York. Ozard’s work is a living testament to love practiced boldly, inclusively, and with deep intention.
Their musical journey began in the Bay Area, where they honed their craft with 42nd Street Moon and Lamplighters Music Theatre. Their performances—whether solo cabarets at Feinstein’s at the Nikko or ensemble work in Rocky Horror on Fire Island—are more than entertainment. They are acts of communion, healing, and resistance. Ozard’s album Chain of Love is not just a collection of songs; it’s a sonic offering to the LGBTQ+ community and beyond, weaving Broadway classics with personal truth.
At Ozard’s website, visitors find more than a résumé; they find a mission. The site showcases Ozard’s upcoming performances, vocal coaching services, and event production work, all rooted in a commitment to joy and justice. Whether consulting on vocal technique or curating benefit concerts, they use their platform to amplify underrepresented voices and foster connection.
On the West Coast, Ozard has been a fixture in San Francisco’s queer arts scene, collaborating with Oasis SF and supporting causes like The Trevor Project. On the East Coast, they’ve originated roles with the New York Theater Barn, studied at the Stella Adler School of Acting, and performed alongside icons like Shoshana Bean and Imagine Dragons. Their work bridges geography and genre, always returning to the core PMLE principle: love is a practice, and community is its canvas.
I treasure my resonant partnership with Ozard. As fellow members of Krewe de Kinque, we have co-created performances that blend theatricality with spiritual depth. My improvisational violin and Ozard’s emotive vocals form a duet of healing—whether at benefit galas or community
rituals. Our shared belief in music as a sacred practice aligns with PMLE’s ethos. “Kippy’s violin doesn’t just sing—it speaks,” they once said. “And when we perform together, it feels like we’re channeling something bigger than ourselves.”
Ozard reminds us that love—when practiced with intention—becomes a revolutionary force. Their voice carries not just melody, but also meaning. Their collaborations are living proof that music can be a sanctuary, a protest, and a prayer.
Kippy Marks: How long have you been involved with the practicing of love in your artistic life?
Carly Ozard: I’ve been involved in practicing love through music. Lots of folks get to a level where they have to be paid for everything. While that’s nice, I think being able to use your voice to raise funds or awareness for a good cause really doesn’t take very much effort. In 3 minutes, you could contribute to someone’s medical fund, special project, or non-profit, and I will always say yes if it’s a cause I care about deeply.
Kippy Marks: Who or what motivated you to become the community activist/giver you are today?
Carly Ozard: Donna Sachet.I met Donna Sachet when I was 13. Read that again! I’ve known her my whole life. I met her through mutual friends. (An older gay couple in the cast of a show I was in introduced me.) Besides her being my first drag queen in real life, that’s when I started learning about what drag was and that performers sang and danced up in the city to raise money for HIV/AIDS, which was a huge focus at that time. I knew when I turned 21 and could get into bars that I was going to sing and give back to the gay men who took me under their wing when I was getting bullied at school. I started learning about the disease, and then President Reagan’s negligence. (I was a baby when he was president, so I didn’t understand the impact of the epidemic, since I was born in 1983.) Donna and the gay men in community theater would come to shine a spotlight on the community I would want to help the most.
Kippy Marks: How old were you when you made that decision?
Carly Ozard: I made the decision even younger than 13, probably around 11, to just … be charitable and giving because of my parents and because I was a part of A Christmas Carol in Belmont (where I met the gay couple who introduced me to Donna) and we would do a huge food and toy drive every year and I knew we were making a big difference in our community.
Kippy Marks: What advice would you give to others on how to practice love on the daily?
Carly Ozard: My advice would be to remember to be humble. We are not better than each other. We all bring something to the table. We need to make room at the table and embrace the different ideas and contributions that come from everyone. They all matter.
Kippy Marks: If you were granted two universal wishes, what would you wish for?
Carly Ozard: Stop cruelty. My goodness. that’s it. Stop cruelty to others, to animals, to people who don’t think like you, to folks of all ages, and to the environment.
Kippy Marks: Please share any current practices related to PMLE that our readers may find useful.
arly Ozard: Even if you don’t dig it, I encourage everyone to try a set, also known as a kriya, of Kundalini yoga. While the person who brought that practice here was controversial and not the greatest person towards women and the community, the practice is fire. Literally, there’s the breath of fire, and chanting, and you can do the kriya even if you aren’t able-bodied. You don’t have to join the ashram or wear the white clothes to chant and sing.
I invite you to support Carly Ozard’s work by visiting their website, booking a vocal coaching session, or attending an upcoming performance. Whether it’s a cabaret in San Francisco or a benefit concert in New York, Ozard’s shows are more than entertainment; they’re communal rituals of joy, healing, and transformation. And as you witness their artistry, I encourage you to reflect on your own PMLE practice:
Where in your life can love be more intentional?
What daily rituals help you connect, uplift, and honor others?
How might your own voice—spoken, sung, or written—become a tool for healing?
Let Ozard’s journey inspire your own, because when we practice love, we don’t just change ourselves—we change the world. https://www.carlyozard.com/
Kippy Marks is a spirited solo entertainer whose shows are permeated with an infectious joy. His distinctive sound arises from his heart, through his 1822 violin consort, Izabella. Marks’ rare talent, broad smile, and radiant warmth will brighten any event to create lasting impact. He is also Grand Duke XL of The Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco. He is the first ever elected African-American Grand Duke.
Practice Makes Love Easy
Published on October 23, 2025
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