The Active Violinist Podcast

You can hear right from the beginning of this one that I am so nervous about sharing, and you can feel my anxiety. My thoughts are scattered and rambling. I tried many times to record this and always stumbled, so I eventually just said f8%! it and put it all here for you to hear. I'm going to the ASTA conference next week and will have to face off with a deeply traumatic teacher. In this episode, I recount what happened, my headspace, how I feel, how my community supported me, the realizations I've made since, how your body holds onto trauma like this...and some very candid and visceral thoughts. Language warning for this one! Especially towards the end - my unfiltered feelings came out, and I decided to let them stay in this episode. The student I speak of is the one and only Dominique Hammons, who is an internet sensation - check him out!  A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post about this teacher and my experience. You can read it here. As always, thanks to you, my Patreon Besties - if you're curious, take a look, and thank you so much for your support!

This episode reflects some business and personal development advice I heard recently that stuck but also took a while to "hit." I talk about carving the path towards the future I want, how I've started crafting that in the present, and some of the surprise gifts from the "future" that have already revealed themselves throughout this process.  I've been a little busy running corpSonore recently - so please head over there and join me for a movement class or 2. https://corpsonore.com/ Also, I reference a previous episode for accountability's sake. I'm talking about Episode 11, released on December 27th. As always, thank you to my Patreon Besties (and all supporters) for your help in making these episodes happen. I'll be updating all the tiers soon, but please consider checking it out and supporting this adventure. Also due for an update is my website - stay tuned for that as well!  

I performed at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in early January and was so star-struck. All the big names were there: Cate Blanchett, Baz Luhrmann, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, and so many more. It was insane! The one thing that came up repeatedly in their acceptance speech was a fanatical, obsessive commitment to becoming the character, crafting the film, and bringing the story to life. So often, years before filming even started, these stars that we glamorize on the red carpet were tucked away voraciously working on a project without regard for any award or medal. This episode is me remembering that the reason we become artists or invest time and energy into a craft isn't the awards and accolades. Instead, it serves as a reminder to recommit to the things I am genuinely passionate about and pick them apart from every angle, to lean into the new and unknown of building new skills and moving forward regardless of if I "win" or not. Maybe being a great artist is more about attitude and commitment than talent. Also, has anyone made a vision board or manifestation list for the year? I did. Should we talk about it? Let me know As always, please join my Patreon party and keep this podcast alive and thriving. And if you have a chance, please leave a rating and review. It helps so much! Share this episode with anyone who might have insight and perspective worth sharing.  

Happy New Year! This is my first episode back after a little break for the holidays. I always intentionally get quiet and slow down at the beginning of January to look forward, plan out my projects, get centered, and build momentum for the new year, so it took me a little extra time to get back to podcasting. In this episode, I talk about my time spent with my violin teacher Sally O'Reilly and how it brought up so many emotions and inspired me on multiple levels. I reflect on building a legacy, taking care of my students, showing up fully for them, where I think I'm failing and where I think I'm succeeding, and so much more. This one definitely has some rose-colored nostalgia glasses on.  You can read her official bio here Also, my shop is now on Etsy, and I'm offering free shipping and a gift to my first 50 buyers, so check it out!  If you believe in supporting independent voices and artists, please consider subscribing to my Patreon Channel. And I would really appreciate and grow so much from a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts. It helps small fish like me grow and reach a larger audience. Thank you for all of your support!

True confessions: I am so nervous about sharing this one with you because it makes me feel vulnerable because I'm spilling the beans I don't have. Maybe another way to put it is that I wouldn't say I like talking about things BEFORE I do them, and this episode is all about my dreams and plans for the future, which I have a clarifying vision of, but no proof of hard work yet.  So what am I up to? Well, you'll have to listen and find out. Many updates and up-leveling are coming in the future, and how things will change as they evolve...in real-time. It was beneficial to look back on the year and pay attention to what I was grateful for and what caused resentment and anxiety. I'm moving forward following gratitude and joy. As always, thanks to my Patreon Besties for your support (another platform I will be reconfiguring with more benefits soon) - if you want to join the party, click here Make sure to grab 25% off everything in the AV shop before midnight on the 31st. Use code FINAL22 at checkout. Love you so much and Happy Holidays - and Happy New Year! 🥳

I like to end the year by looking back and taking stock of where I started and how far I've come over the past 12 months. 2022 took some unexpected twists and turns and had some beautiful highlights. I intended to share a list of only 10 things that I was grateful for, but it turned into a much longer reflection. In so many ways, it was a fantastic year! I traveled overseas, started this podcast, had some incredible professional opportunities in LA, reconnected with old friends, and more. There were also some things that didn't go as planned - my health journey, for one (listen back to episode 7 if you want more details), some business growth that I wanted to conquer, and a few other things that didn't quite hit the mark. But all of these less than "perfect" highlights helped me shape the vision of the future I want...which I will share in the next episode 😉 Thanks as always to my Patreon Besties - if you want to support my work and what I contribute to the world, please consider signing up here - it's getting a significant facelift and update for the new year, so get on that wagon early! As a super special thank you, you can use the code FINAL22 for 25% off all products in the Active Violinist Shop between now, December 8th, and New Year's Eve (at the stroke of midnight). I'll be making a big website update and transition, and I want to entice you to the original shop one last time before it gets an upgrade. There are some lovely gift options available. Check it out here: AV SHOP I'll be back with my plans, goals, and manifestations for the future soon, so please SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW, and SHARE this podcast. It has been super fun so far, and I can't wait to keep chatting with you and sharing more stories and perspectives (and learning more audio skills). Thanks for everything, friends.

Last month, I went on an epic (almost) 3-week vacation to Denmark and Paris. It was amazing on so many levels. I rarely travel for that long, especially just for pleasure, and I kind of forgot about all the benefits of taking time away from normal life to reset and change perspective. In this episode, I talk about where we went, how it felt, what lessons I learned and want to cultivate at home in Los Angeles, how travel can change with age, my nostalgia for European living, what I've dreamed about for a long time, and what I want and NEED to manifest. Also, I'm hosting a retreat November 9-12. You can sign up here I'll be sharing more details soon but it will be all about cultivating Hygge and Elegance, taking care of ourselves from the inside out and cultivating a warm glowing gratitude for this beautiful life. As always, thanks to my Patreon Besties for your support. If you want to support me and this podcast, you can find out more here (plus you get discounts to the shop AND retreat). Find my photos from travel on my Instagram account @activeviolinist

This episode is all about how I dream big and keep myself accountable. I talk about 4 categories that I organize my life around: Themes, Creations, Goals, Study  And use these as a foundation for organizing my days, weeks, and months. I talk about past goals, creations, and themes PLUS give a few clues about what's keeping me busy these days and a few events and creations to look forward to if you're interested in joining me for an upcoming retreat. Massive Thank you for all the love after Episode 7 - I love hearing from my community, especially when I share super personal info. Your support means everything to me! As always, I love my Patreon supporters, particularly my Besties, whose support ensures I can keep creating and sharing. As I build this brand and become an independent and self-sustaining creator, your financial support is invaluable.  If you're interested in learning more or signing up, visit my Patreon Page here: https://www.patreon.com/activeviolinist

This is a very intimate and personal discussion about my recent health care adventures (and misadventures) navigating treatment for Uterine Fibroids and how I discovered the benefits of Ayurveda. I was nervous to talk about my cycle, and feelings about being a woman, symptoms, treatment, and the reality I was living with - but this podcast is truly a conversation between friends, and this has been such a significant focus for me recently and changed so many of my habits, I feel compelled to share. I cite a few sources in this episode, and I've linked to the sources below: For the description of what Fibroids are, I misspoke and said I referenced John Hopkins, but it was Healthline For the symptoms, I referred to the Mayo Clinic For stats on how many women are affected by Fibroids, I referenced womenshealth.gov The Ayurvedic study can be found here If you want more day-to-day info about Ayurveda, check out this website and feel free to ask me any questions (I now own several cookbooks and lifestyle guides). The surgical procedure I had was called Acessa. And, of course, please share, listen, subscribe, rate, and review. If you want to financially sponsor some of my work, please check out my Patreon Page. Thank you 🙏🏼  

A recent conversation with one of my students inspired this episode. He has just started his Senior Year of High School and is feeling overwhelmed and anxious about navigating his path forward. There is so much to do and so many details to keep track of when applying to college, finishing high school, figuring out the next steps in life, and forging your own path. The most important thing a young person can do is tap into their most authentic desires and goals for life. The road to success - and success itself - looks different for everyone, and there are many ways to create the life of your dreams. This episode is the advice I wish I had received at multiple junctures in my music career. I hope it helps and best wishes to everyone preparing for college auditions and applications.  Many thanks as always to my Patreon Besties who help me achieve and accomplish these types of endeavors. Please consider joining the fun. You can find out more here: https://www.patreon.com/activeviolinist