Episode 173

Episode #168 - Learning To Be Enough (& More): An Interview With Catherine Sipher

The creative side of our brains allow us to discover and explore possibilities that our analytical sides may not always be able to rationalize. Through this creativity, we are unlocking paths that are not explored through traditional means, and provides us with a clarity and direction that we can replicate in ways that make us explore new paths to freedom. The owner of Blossom Piano Studio & author of two anthologies, Catherine Sipher, shares her journey from difficult pain points in her life and "rebecoming" herself through the music that she teaches with her students all across the world. Through this exploration, learn how she has been able to invest not only of students of all ages, but how this has given her the value that we all seek in life. Regardless of what you may feel about your self-worth, today's story exemplifies the pursuit of giving yourself opportunities to discover them through the creative juices that we have flowing inside of ourselves, and permission to explore them at the same time.

Guest Bio

Catherine Sipher wears two creative hats: a writer, poet, and the founder of Blossom Piano Studio, a platform for remote piano instruction. Through her poetry collection, "Barely a Whisper: Poetry from the Heart of A Woman Re-becoming," Catherine empowers women on their journeys of self-discovery and transformation. Her poems give voice to their struggles, celebrate their strength, and ignite their belief in their worth. As a piano teacher with over 20 years of experience, Catherine's mission is to help adult musicians of all ages and abilities find joy and fulfillment in their musical practice through her remote private lessons and practice journal “Notes to Self: A Guided Mindful Practice Journal.” Outside of her creative pursuits, Catherine can be found in nature, practicing yoga, and spending time with her 6 children.

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Intro/Outro By: Michael Dugan, Podcast Host: Voice4Chefs

Transcript
Intro:

Welcome to the podcast where relationships, confidence, and

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determination all converge into

an amazing, heartfelt experience.

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This is Speaking From The Heart.

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Joshua: Welcome back to episode

number 168 of Speaking from the Heart.

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Today we have Catherine Sipher with us,

and Catherine wears two creative hats:

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a writer and a poet, in which she has

founded the Blossom Piano Studio, which is

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a platform for remote piano instruction.

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Through her poetry collection, Barely

a Whisper: Poetry from the Heart

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of a Woman Rebecoming, Catherine

empowers women on their journeys of

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self discovery and transformation.

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Her poems give voice to their

struggles, celebrate their strength,

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and ignite their belief in their worth.

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As a piano teacher with over 20 years of

experience, Catherine's mission is to help

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adult musicians of all ages and abilities

find joy and fulfillment in their musical

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practice through her remote private

lessons, and practice journal, Notes To

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Self: A Guided Mindful Practice Journal.

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Outside of her creative pursuits,

Catherine can be found in nature,

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practicing yoga, and spending

time with her six children.

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This busy lady certainly had a lot to

share, not just through the power of

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music, but how her perspective today

really gives us an enthusiasm that

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has all kinds of different qualities.

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I love when I see people like this on

the show because not only do they bring

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an interpersonal connection to it, but

she shares something that, oftentimes,

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that we forget: "Come as you are.

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You are enough."

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That phrase, especially when I heard

it later on in our interview, really

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perked my curiosity not only about what

she brings to the table for so many

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individuals both young, middle aged,

and older, especially when it comes to

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her piano instruction, but also how she

pays attention to so many other types

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of things that are happening around

her, creating that connection, but

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more importantly, finding that passion

through what she loves: her music.

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You can find your own passion in so

many different ways, and I hope that

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Catherine's story today, especially

with the reason why she started this,

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really helps you to understand that it

isn't just about the traditional ways

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in which we can express ourselves,

but it's the creative ways, just like

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music and poetry, that can help us

become the best versions of ourselves.

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But with that, let's go to the episode.

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All right.

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We're here with Catherine Sipher.

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Catherine, thanks for sharing

your heart with us today.

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Catherine: I am so

honored to be here today.

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Joshua: I love that you're here.

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You have broken another record here

on Speaking From the Heart already

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by your background, which I've

already shared with the audience.

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I love the fact that you deal with music.

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You deal with piano specifically, and I've

had music teachers on the show before,

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but nothing quite like you do, so I

actually just want to jump right into it.

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What got you interested into

the creative arts, because I

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noticed that you like to write.

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You have a poetry book out there.

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You have all kinds of things that you do

on YouTube with piano lessons that I was

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watching before we even started this.

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I am so enthused by how much talent

you have, so I am just wondering

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what got you started in all of that?

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Catherine: I got started with piano

when I was about eight years old.

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We were, as a family, hanging out

with another family, and I was eight.

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I think I was hanging out with a little

girl who was about six years old,

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and she was playing twinkle, twinkle,

little star on the piano, and at that

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point, even at age eight, must had

really low self confidence, because

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I remember thinking or even saying,

"There's no way I could ever do that.

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That's like amazing what you're

doing.", and she's like, "Oh,

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you could totally do that.

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Let me teach you.", and she showed

me, and then her mom happened to be

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a piano teacher, so her mom turned

into my first piano teacher, and

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sadly, that family moved out of town

at the end of that year, and I moved

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up to another piano teacher, but that

kind of was the beginning of the end.

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I very quickly fell in love with the

piano; excelled pretty quickly at it, and

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by the time I made it to high school, I

had added a couple of more instruments,

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and knew that I wanted to be a piano

teacher when I grew up, and even started

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teaching piano when I was in high school.

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Went to college for music, and that's

kind of the end; went on to teach

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piano, and that's how I got into it.

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Joshua: Why specifically the piano?

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I mean, there's so many different musical

instruments to choose from, so I'm just

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curious, even outside of what you have

shared that it was an influence from a

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friend that's mom really created that.

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What drew you into the piano?

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Catherine: I'm not really sure.

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That's a great question.

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I've never been asked

that question before.

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We had a piano at home, and I think

my mom knew how to play a little bit.

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There has definitely been some

history of music and my family.

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My mom played clarinet, and I

guess a little bit of piano.

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My grandmother played clarinet, and piano,

apparently pretty good based on some

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of her old sheet music, so I think that

music is just kind of always been there.

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My parents always played a lot of

classical music in the home when I was

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growing up as well, so that's definitely

my genre is more of the classical music

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set, but I think it was accessibility.

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It was there, because then when I went

on to add a band instrument, of course,

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I added the clarinet, because that was

kind of the family lineage; also added

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sousaphone in there for marching band

for good measure to get a little brass in

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there, and I went to school for both piano

and clarinet and studied both of them in

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college, and now I only play piano, and

there was a time in there where I kind

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of dropped the piano for a little bit,

thinking that I needed to focus more on

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the clarinet, and then the tides reversed,

and I came back to my first love, and

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what I love about the piano, specifically,

is that it can be such a solo endeavor.

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You can really do it for a lifetime.

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You don't need an ensemble to feel like

you're getting a full musical experience.

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It can be you with your instrument,

which means I've got a long time.

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I can still enjoy my instrument.

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Joshua: I love that, because

that gives you a lot of variety.

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It gives you a lot of diversity when

it comes to the different rhythms and

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sounds, and it's interesting, because as

I hear this, I almost hear myself when

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I coach my public speaking clients about

using your vocal variety, using your

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range, so I never thought in a million

years that I'd be talking to someone

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that kind of ties all that together too.

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I have to ask, and I'm sure

you get asked this a lot.

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Who's your favorite composer, or musician,

that you usually play music from?

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Do you have an artist that

you usually lean towards?

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You said that you do a lot of classical.

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Is there some type of old genre,

or somebody that you really admire

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playing, and if so, who is that and why?

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Catherine: I would say my

favorite is probably Debussy.

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He's from the oppressionist time period.

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I just feel like the soundscapes that

he makes; he paints these beautiful

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pictures with sounds, and I just really

get into the slight dissonance, and

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the tonal qualities of Debussy's music.

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Chopin's music I think is amazing,

and I'm really drawn to a lot of his

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really somber, sad pieces of music,

which is actually a big part of my

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story is returning to consistent

playing at the piano through Chopin

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because it was balm to my soul,

and a really hard time in my life.

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Joshua: I find it interesting, especially

with the music genre, and the music

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industry as a whole, either you see it

where people really want to break into it.

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I know I have musician friends that

have been playing for a number of years.

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They have a band and they trying to get

into it, but the other dynamic that I keep

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seeing that I really get worried about

is kids having an opportunity to learn

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music, and I know growing up myself, which

I'm not all that old, and my listeners

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know that I'm only in my later thirties,

Catherine, so it isn't like I'm looking

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at 60, 70 years old, like a long time ago.

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No, it's not like that, but I

often see the struggles with school

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districts, and even other people

trying to fund music programs and such.

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How do you feel that you fit into that

broader landscape, because I feel like

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you provide an important service to

people that do want to learn how to

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play a music instrument, or the piano

specifically, so I'm wondering how

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you kind of help bridging some of that

gap, if you don't mind explaining.

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Catherine: Yeah.

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I definitely think there's a bit of

a cultural arts crisis in the world.

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I think kids, and my own kids, are

on screens too much, and they're not

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as active in the creative pursuits.

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In general, of course, there's plenty

of exceptions to that rule, and there

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is lower funding in the schools, or

you've got music teachers that are

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doing the very best that they can, and

they're fantastic people and teachers,

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but they're stretched, because they're

being asked to do so many things.

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I'm really thankful that I was able to

grow up in some stellar, I think, music

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programs, with consistent teachers and

directors, but my piano teacher was the

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biggest role model for me in my musical

career, because I studied with her from

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fourth grade up through a senior in

high school, and then I had my college

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professors, but when you think about

the length of time, my formative years

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were spent with this one teacher all

those years, and that makes a really big

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impact, and these are people that you

get to know on a personal level, and I

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mean, she knew me when I was nine, and

then when I was a senior, like, that's

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a big difference, and so as a teacher, I

love getting to watch my students grow as

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people and expand, and blossom, the name

of my piano studio is Blossom Piano Studio

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for that reason, because there's so much

interpersonal growth that happens for

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music students, both of youth and adults.

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I teach adults too, and you really see

that the art of music, the study of music,

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the obstacles we have to overcome while

we're studying it, there's so much inner

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work that is happening in the process

of learning how to play an instrument,

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or play in ensembles when you have those

ensemble opportunities too, but as a

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private piano teacher, and I teach all

remote lessons too, which is really great.

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I can reach students from wherever.

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They don't have to be local.

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I really get to be a part of their

lives, and help shape their experiences

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of music, so one of the things we

do beyond what they just study, but

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for what they're playing, we learn a

different composer every month, so they

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get to learn about the history of that

composer, and get exposed to the music

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that they wrote, and experiment with

playing songs that that composer wrote

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too, so, I feel like I've got a really

important role in helping expand the arts,

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and helping students access the arts.

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Whether they become a performer or not,

they're developing a deeper understanding

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of music and the arts so they can

appreciate it better, so we have people

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that still want to go to the concerts.

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I think it's really important.

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Joshua: I'm sure my listeners have been

wondering all along because obviously I

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shared with them that you have six kids.

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How do you balance six kids, and having

a full clientele with them practicing all

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kinds of different composers every month?

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How do you do it?

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I'm sure that there's some

people that want to learn the

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secrets of how you balance that.

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Catherine: Well, I think I have been given

a very unique drive in life and energy.

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I honestly don't sleep a lot, and

I work very hard, and some of that

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could be a little bit of a trauma

response there, so I identify that.

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I'm also learning how to be, and not

always do, but yeah, it's a balance.

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I am really thankful that I do

actually teach remote lessons,

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because I'm a single mom.

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I got divorced about four and a half,

five years ago, and so now, I'm balancing

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raising these six kids, and running

my business, and by teaching remotely,

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it's actually worked really well.

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I've trained the kids to just stay out

of my office, do what they need to do

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during the hours, because I'm in business

for myself, and I'm in my own house.

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I don't have people coming

in and out of my house.

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I'm not at a studio someplace else,

hiring childcare, and I can also make

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my own hours, so there's plenty of music

teachers that are teaching on Saturday

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and Sunday, and well into the evenings,

and that is wonderful and fabulous, and

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we need them to do that, because sometimes

that's when some people only have the

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availability to go take those lessons,

but I really monitor when I am working

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so that I can be with my children as much

as possible, so I try to teach during

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the day when my kids are at school to

maximize my time that I have with them,

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and then I stay up late and I work.

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There's no mystery here.

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Joshua: But you're doing something

that, I think for many of us, we often

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feel like we're stuck in a nine to

five job and we have no place to go.

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I feel that sometimes even after all

this time, even having my own business,

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I still work a full time job and

building that consistency, building

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that direction of where I want to go,

it does take a lot of sacrifice, but

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I love that you've taken a passion.

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You turn it into something that you

can teach others, while balancing the

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demands of being what a single mom is, so

kudos to you being a successful business

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entrepreneur and managing all of that.

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I think that is a unique balance,

to say the least, which leads me

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into wanting to talk more about your

business, so you've already mentioned

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the name of your business is Blossom

Piano Studio, and you said that you do

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these remotely, so I'm kind of curious

with your background, you've been doing

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this for over two decades from what

it says on your website, which for my

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listeners, I'll put in the episode notes.

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Can you tell us what could we

experience being a client that we

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could get over Zoom, or over any sort

of platform that might be different

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than, say, going to meet somebody in

person and have those piano lessons?

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I mean, I'm sure that some people are

skeptical when they hear that, thinking,

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"How do I know where to put my fingers

on the keys, especially with pianos?"

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I mean, personally, myself,

I never played the piano.

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My grandmother had an organ when she

was in her house when I went to visit,

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but never learned how to play it.

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She also had a piano too, so it was

all kinds of different musical talents,

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but I sit back and I think, "Man.

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I wonder how you do that.", so I

wonder if you could break that down

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for us, how that would actually work.

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Catherine: Yeah, sure.

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Honestly, I didn't know if it would

work either, but I was walking through

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a divorce at the height of COVID, and

so I knew that I needed to somehow

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support my family, so I went from

being a stay at home, homeschooling

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mom, to being a single mom that needed

to somehow bring in an income, and

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at the time my youngest was one, so

I was like, "What am I going to do?

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Childcare is so expensive.

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The whole world has shut down.", right,

so, it's been this grand experiment

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that now has been really successful,

and is a very valid way to teach

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for the past four and a half years.

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The way that I do it, we use Zoom as

the platform, but my students and I

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both put two videos on our screen, so

we have that face to face connection

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with a video on our faces, and then

we both have a video screen pointed

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at our instruments, our piano, so that

way, I can see what they're doing.

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I can demonstrate things for them as well.

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I can move camera angles to

different places, but I think,

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again, that I don't want to teach

just the bellies and to hands.

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I think facial expression is so

important, and be able to read my

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student's body language to see how

they're feeling, how they're doing.

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Are they holding tension in their hands?

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Are they using their wrists right?

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Are they sitting too close, too

far away, all those kinds of

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things so I can see all of that.

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I've been in this world for long enough

to be able to access that, even through

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Zoom, and then I've got a couple other

great tools and resources, like an app

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that I use, to pass lesson notes back to

the students, and the parents can access

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them too, and I can also upload videos

and other things so if it turns out that

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I can tell that my student needs an extra

video training or tutorial, I can create

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a quick little video for them, pop it

into that app, and they've got access to

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it 24/7, instead of just when they come

to their next lesson, which I don't know

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that I ever would have moved to that kind

of technology for note taking if I hadn't

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been forced onto the online platforms.

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Joshua: It sounds like to me you meet the

student with where they're at, whether

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that is using an app, using different

camera angles, you're really trying to

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create this immersive experience, if

I'm understanding what you're saying.

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Catherine: Absolutely.

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I believe that every person is unique

and different, and so their learning

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style is slightly different, and

I adjust and adapt based on what

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student I am working with at the time,

so some kids need that big hurrah.

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"You're doing awesome!

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I'm so proud of you!", and I've got

like the jazz hands up, and I'm like

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doing a little dance, and some of

them are more reserved, so like we

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don't go quite that far, and every

student is working on different things.

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They have different pieces of

music that they want to learn.

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Of course, I'm still teaching from a

very classical perspective in general,

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but we're still also learning how to

play chord charts, and especially with

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my adults, it's a wide variety of what

we're learning there, because the adults,

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they kind of leave a little bit more

that way, and I'm more of a coach to my

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adult clients, but yeah, I really pride

myself on being their cheerleader, and

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their guide, and their encourager, and

building that relationship, you know, so

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I know, I've brought to tears many times

in lessons when I'm like, "Oh my goodness!

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What you just did was huge for you, and

I am celebrating that, because I know

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what it took for you to do that.", and

I think that's really important, that

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personal connection is so important.

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Joshua: You touched on it with

that answer and I have to ask.

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I love that you teach from

a variety of different ages.

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I noticed on your website, you mentioned

that you've taught someone that's 76

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years of age with the piano, and I'm

wondering, if you don't mind sharing a

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little bit about that experience with

this person, how that helps them to gain

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some confidence in learning the piano.

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I wonder if you could talk about that.

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Catherine: Yeah, this was a really

special gentleman, and I actually broke my

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virtual rule and I taught him in person.

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Joshua: So there is hope ladies and

gentlemen, that maybe if you're close to

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Catherine, that she will break the rule.

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Catherine: There is hope.

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He was this sweet man that had just

moved to the town, and yeah, he was

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76 years old, and I love his story.

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He started piano at age

65, and I just love that.

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He was not like, "I've been

playing this all my life."

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He started at age 65, had taken lessons

from several professors that, you

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know, pretty well known universities

and found me when he moved into town,

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and he's like, "Oh, well, I really

want to learn this Brahms intermezzo.

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that's what I want to learn."

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I was like, "Oh.

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Yes.

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Let's do that.", I made an exception,

and he did take lessons in my

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home while my kids were in school,

and he was absolutely delightful.

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Sadly, he's battling brain cancer,

and so the medicine that he's on has

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impacted his ability to concentrate as

much as he would like to be able to sit

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at the piano as long as he wants to,

but I really treasured this gentleman.

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I really loved my time with him,

because he would sit there and just

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really diligently work his way through

this piece of music that was really

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challenging, and maybe a little bit

out of his reach, but you know, I'm

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going to sit there and encourage you.

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We're going to get this.

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We're going to figure this out, but he

would play a chord and then just stop

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and listen to it and say, "Now wasn't

that beautiful?", and I would say, "Yes.

317

:

It was.", so we would just delight in

the beauty of these chords, and the

318

:

chord progressions, that Brahms had

put together, and I was introduced

319

:

to an absolutely beautiful piece of

music I hadn't necessarily worked

320

:

on before and just had a beautiful

experience with this gentleman.

321

:

Joshua: I love to hear stories of that

nature because we all bring different

322

:

types of perspectives to the table,

regardless of how old we are, and

323

:

I've been blessed enough, even with my

business, to see a variety of different

324

:

people, not quite as old as that, but

even then, I always feel like we're

325

:

part of the success story for them

when they see that "aha" moment; that

326

:

light bulb that turns on for somebody,

so I love hearing that, and I love

327

:

that you're celebrating that as well.

328

:

I want to pivot just a little bit,

because you do a lot of the piano, and

329

:

obviously that's a big part of your

business, but there's a different side

330

:

of you, which is the writing aspect,

so I want to talk a little bit about

331

:

that, and one of the things that I

shared, which you also shared with me,

332

:

is that you have a poetry collection.

333

:

It's called Barely A Whisper: Poetry

From The Heart of A Woman Rebecoming.

334

:

I never heard of the phrase "rebecoming"

until I read that, and I was like,

335

:

"Is that grammatically correct?"

336

:

was my first initiation, because being

a public speaker, I've got to make

337

:

sure that I say things correctly,

which sometimes I don't, even on this

338

:

show, but, even with that said, I

found that you wrote this for a reason.

339

:

I'm wondering if you could share a

little bit of why you express yourself

340

:

in writing, and why particularly

this set of poetry that you've done.

341

:

Catherine: Absolutely.

342

:

Yeah, and I don't know.

343

:

I don't know that rebecoming is

a word either, but I'm using it.

344

:

Joshua: Hey.

345

:

Hey.

346

:

If you're using it, then that means

I have credence to use it too,

347

:

so thank you for that permission.

348

:

Catherine: Exactly.

349

:

I've got a couple in there

that are maybe real words, but

350

:

we're going to go with them.

351

:

Yeah, so it's taken me a while even

just to accept that I'm a writer and

352

:

a poet, but I was walking through

a divorce, and also deconstructing

353

:

from my faith, all at once, at the

same time that the whole world shut

354

:

down, and we had a global pandemic.

355

:

The world went really, really quiet,

really fast for me and really, really

356

:

dark, and trying to make sense of

it all I started, I think it's Julia

357

:

Cameron's suggestion from the book

Of The Artist Way, and one of the

358

:

things that she suggests in there

is to have a ritual of morning pages

359

:

where you just sit down, stream of

consciousness, write three pages.

360

:

It doesn't matter what you're writing.

361

:

Just write.

362

:

Like, I don't even know what I'm writing.

363

:

Why am I writing?

364

:

What's going on, and you just write

and you get it out, and I vomited on

365

:

that page like my life depended on it.

366

:

Any moment that I put more than three

pages in when I first started this

367

:

habit, I was doing it while kids were

taking baths, while I was cooking,

368

:

like wherever I was writing, and it

was the first time in my life, or at

369

:

least 20 plus years, that I had really

even begun to hear my own voice, and I

370

:

couldn't even hear my thoughts unless

I wrote them down on a journal at that

371

:

point and so it was while I was writing

in that journal that every now and

372

:

then just a couple of lines of poetry

would pop out, or I'd write something.

373

:

I think, "Oh my goodness!

374

:

I think that's poetry.", so I kind of

like stuck that in the back of my mind,

375

:

and kept writing, and kept writing,

and kept writing, and as I was on my

376

:

healing process and journey through

all of that, I started looking for

377

:

various writing prompts, you know,

just to kind of like help me get out

378

:

of the despair of what I was writing.

379

:

Let's see if we can like turn the tide

a little bit; find something else,

380

:

and then it seems like everything

that was coming out was coming

381

:

out in poetry, instead of prose.

382

:

I've been told before that my writing

is powerful and good, but it had only

383

:

ever really been written when I was

giving medical updates on some of my kids

384

:

have been through some medical crisis,

so I used to write updates and emails

385

:

to people, and people would say, "Oh!

386

:

Your writing so beautiful.", and

I'm like, I didn't do so good with

387

:

writing in English back in high

school, so I don't know what you're

388

:

talking about.", but I just kept

writing, and then as I was again,

389

:

re-envisioning my life, and deciding,

"What do I want to do with my life?

390

:

I'm at this crossroads what I want to

do.", and one of the things that I wanted

391

:

to do was start using my writing for good,

to empower other women, to help women

392

:

tell their stories to help people access

that vulnerable, authentic self part of

393

:

themselves so they could find their own

voice so they could take agency over their

394

:

lives, and one of the things I thought I

needed to do was write my own memoir and

395

:

at least start attempting to, so I hired

a writing coach, and started writing a

396

:

bit of my memoir, and again, with all

those writing prompts, poetry kept coming

397

:

out, so I told my writing coach, "Okay!

398

:

I think I've got like, I don't

know, 40, 50, 60, of these

399

:

poems.", and she's like, "Well.

400

:

Throw them in a document.

401

:

Let's see what you got.", so

I gathered them all together.

402

:

I threw them in a document, and then

organized them based on, chronologically,

403

:

as to how I wrote them, but just how

much strength I could see in myself at

404

:

that state in that poem, so they were

very, like very, not the poems aren't

405

:

weak, but like my voice was very quiet.

406

:

It was barely a whisper, and then

learning how to find that strength,

407

:

and to believe in myself, and to

come be the hero of my own story and

408

:

rescue myself, and so there's a line

in there that talks about, "Well.

409

:

What if now she's a roar?", you know,

the voice is really loud now, so that's

410

:

the story, and that might've been a long

winded way of saying that, but it was

411

:

part of my own journey, and it kind of

accidentally happened, and it's taken

412

:

a while for me to then say, "Oh wait.

413

:

Yeah.

414

:

This is poetry, and this is worthy

to be shared.", and hopefully, people

415

:

that read it will resonate with, it and

identify with it, as they are in various

416

:

stages of their own healing process.

417

:

Joshua: The way you described that just

now made me think about what you said

418

:

earlier about why you do music, and I

find the parallels to be fascinating,

419

:

so I really want to ask you this.

420

:

Hearing what you said about writing,

hearing what you do with music, do you

421

:

find it that those are your creative

outlets of expression to be able to

422

:

share what you've been through in this

world, and if so, if you believe that's

423

:

true, what do you think the message is

that you're trying to share to, say,

424

:

women, since a lot of what you've been

through, I would say is directed to that,

425

:

and even you say in the title of your

poetry, it is directed towards women.

426

:

What do you think you're trying

to help accomplish or bring

427

:

awareness to as a result of that?

428

:

Catherine: I think right now

my message is come as you are.

429

:

You're enough.

430

:

There were many years I didn't think

that I was enough in the musical space,

431

:

and I even called myself a former

musician for over a decade, because

432

:

I didn't get my master's, because I

didn't win the orchestra job, because

433

:

for a while I wasn't teaching, because-

whatever, fill in the blank, like I

434

:

wasn't doing things, and so I thought

that that meant that I wasn't a musician.

435

:

I couldn't claim that title

for myself, because I wasn't

436

:

actively being a musician.

437

:

I wasn't doing those things, and one of

the things that has been a part of my

438

:

journey has been coming back to piano.

439

:

It was when I was at my rock bottom.

440

:

Why did I find myself at the piano playing

the saddest song I could possibly find?

441

:

Well, because I'm a musician.

442

:

That's part of the word

they're rebecoming, you know.

443

:

I was coming back to who I was,

but in a different version.

444

:

I'm playing, not that I should be

in Carnegie Hall performing, but

445

:

I am playing better than I have

ever played before, because there's

446

:

something more settled about me now.

447

:

There's something more confident about

me now that knows that I get to do this

448

:

for joy, not because I have to do it a

certain way to make it wrong or right,

449

:

and I think that ties with writing too.

450

:

I mean, who am I to

publish a book of poetry?

451

:

Well, why can't I, like, who am I not?

452

:

I think we all have something valid to

say, and as a teacher, why can't they

453

:

study, like, they need to study every form

of musical expression is valid and worthy

454

:

of being celebrated and seen and shared.

455

:

I don't think we have to reach some

certain level of some arbitrary

456

:

standard in order for us to be able

to share our art with others, because

457

:

our art is coming out of our soul, and

if it's coming out of us, and out of

458

:

our soul, and we are worthy beings.

459

:

We are worthy of just existing, and

being loved and cared for, because

460

:

we exist, then doesn't the art

that comes out of our soul equally

461

:

worthy of being seen and celebrated?

462

:

Joshua: I've had so many

different types of coaches.

463

:

I've had people that have

energy readings that they do.

464

:

I've had people that have been

successful business owners.

465

:

The way you just said that just

resonates with me, and I'm just going

466

:

to read back to you what I wrote

with you with what you just said.

467

:

There is no standard.

468

:

There's no high level that

we have to prove to anybody.

469

:

We could just exist,

and I love hearing that.

470

:

It's expression that we don't

have to be given a right to.

471

:

It's already been given to us to give, so

with that said, how do you think you bring

472

:

that out of people that you work with?

473

:

Do you do that, and if

so, how do you do that?

474

:

Catherine: Yeah.

475

:

I think it's in the little ways, you

know, when my students playing for me,

476

:

and their hands are visibly shaking.

477

:

Hey, like we're on a screen, you know.

478

:

I can't like jump through the screen

and swat your hand with a ruler

479

:

maybe like the nuns used to do.

480

:

You're safe, like you're so safe, right,

but there's this thing that we get inside

481

:

of ourselves that we feel like we have to

do it right because somebody's going to

482

:

tell us we're wrong, and yes, as a music

teacher, I'm there to tell you, "You did

483

:

it wrong.", but like, I'm also there to

tell you, "We're going to do it right.

484

:

We're going to figure this

out, and you did awesome.

485

:

You tried it.

486

:

Yeah.

487

:

You missed that rest, but we're going to

get it this next time.", I can't tell you

488

:

how many times students apologize to me.

489

:

"Oh, I'm sorry.

490

:

I'm sorry.

491

:

I'm sorry."

492

:

or, "I did this better

before you were here."

493

:

" No!

494

:

You deserve to exist in this space

however you happen to show up right now,

495

:

and you don't need to be scared, and

you don't need to be nervous, because

496

:

whoever you are and however you're

playing right now is enough, and yes.

497

:

We're going to talk about it.

498

:

We're going to correct your mistakes.

499

:

We're going to continue to

learn and make progress."

500

:

but it's not about I don't know, this

ideal of like, it has to be perfect, and

501

:

yes, in classical world, we're trying

to make it perfect, but do we really?

502

:

We're here for joy.

503

:

We're here for self care.

504

:

We're here to enjoy the arts, and yes,

we can enjoy the arts while pursuing

505

:

perfection in that, and excellence

in that, but nothing's ever perfect,

506

:

so why are we pursuing perfection?

507

:

Let's pursue excellence, and excellence

can be wherever we are now, not some

508

:

standard that's maybe five years from

now from what we'll be able to reach.

509

:

Joshua: I love everything

that you said with that.

510

:

I'm struggling to even ask a question

from that, because I just align with that

511

:

even myself, and mainly, the purpose of

even having this discussion is to share

512

:

those perspectives to know that there

is hope in even the things that we do.

513

:

I guess my final question before I give

you an opportunity to pitch yourself,

514

:

Catherine, is you shared so much about

your experiences, what you've been

515

:

through, what you've created, what you've

endured to get to this point, which,

516

:

needless to say, even six kids would

make me feel exhausted, and I have zero

517

:

kids, by the way, for the record, but

you said something that you even say

518

:

on your website that touches upon this.

519

:

You've had to rethink, reimagine, and

bring creativity to what was, even four

520

:

years ago, a very challenging time,

so for my listeners, what's one piece

521

:

of advice that they could do today to

help rethink, reimagine, and bring that

522

:

creativity, whether that's through music

or through writing, or maybe something

523

:

else that's moving you today that maybe

you want to share with our listeners?

524

:

Catherine: For me, and not everybody

is one of these people, but for

525

:

me, journaling has been key.

526

:

It's been learning to tap into my inner

voice, because for so many years, my inner

527

:

voice was told to me that it was wrong,

that it could not be listened to, that it

528

:

could not be trusted, and that anything

of me was really not good, and then I

529

:

needed to fill myself with everything

else other than me, which meant that

530

:

I lost who I was along the way, and so

for me, this whole journey, this whole

531

:

rebecoming journey, building a business in

a global pandemic with six small children,

532

:

learning to write, and be a writer, and

publish, and create this life that now,

533

:

yes, days are still hard, but there have

been moments where I'm like, "Oh my gosh!

534

:

What's that in my chest?

535

:

Oh, I think that's joy."

536

:

I haven't felt that in I don't

know how many years, right?

537

:

"Oh, that's what it feels like."

538

:

I wouldn't be where I am today if it

wasn't because I had figured out how to

539

:

tap into my intuition, and trust that

she knows what is best for me, and so I

540

:

can't trust her if I can't even hear her

voice, and for me, learning to hear my

541

:

voice started with journaling, and that

has really led me every step of the way.

542

:

It informs my business.

543

:

It informs my writing.

544

:

It forms my poetry.

545

:

It informs the way that I parent.

546

:

It informs everything about me.

547

:

Joshua: Trusting the process.

548

:

Hmm.

549

:

I love that.

550

:

I think that it's just so simple enough,

but it has many layers to it, of course,

551

:

also, but I think that, for all of

us, we have to figure out how to write

552

:

that out, or even express ourselves,

in whatever way we feel comfortable,

553

:

so I love that journaling is important.

554

:

It's something that I continuously

am working on myself to be able to

555

:

better express too, and I know that

it just takes discipline, which

556

:

obviously, you have perfected.

557

:

You're doing that with your

music, and with that, I'm going

558

:

to ask you, Catherine, since

we're at the end of our time.

559

:

Give us a few minutes here of how

we can get in contact with you, how

560

:

we can find out a little bit about

maybe taking virtual piano lessons.

561

:

I never thought I would be saying this

on this show that, "Hey everybody!

562

:

You want to listen, and maybe,

perhaps, learn some piano?

563

:

This is the time to do it."

564

:

I've been always amazed by how

these things come together, but

565

:

anyway, how people can reach

out to you in that regard.

566

:

Maybe they want to contact you in general.

567

:

I'm going to give you the last few

minutes, Catherine, to pitch yourself.

568

:

Go ahead.

569

:

Catherine: Awesome.

570

:

Thank you.

571

:

Yeah, so if you're interested in

anything, piano music related, you

572

:

can find me at blossompianostudio.com.

573

:

I've actually just recently published

a journal that is called Notes To Self:

574

:

A Guided Mindful Practice Journal,

that's designed specifically for adults

575

:

to find mindful, intentional practice

sessions that are full of celebration

576

:

to help you kind of get over that hurdle

of feeling frustrated or discouraged

577

:

that you might feel while you're in

a practice session, so I've put a lot

578

:

of intentional thought and effort into

creating a very positive practice journal

579

:

for adults, so you can find all that,

and virtual lessons, and all my other

580

:

offerings there, and then if you're

looking for my poetry, you can find all

581

:

that information at catherinesipher.com.

582

:

Joshua: I will put all that in the episode

notes, but to wrap up, Catherine, I have

583

:

to say everything that you shared with me.

584

:

Wow.

585

:

You have a ton of energy, and

I don't know how you do it.

586

:

Maybe it's coffee.

587

:

Maybe it's good genes.

588

:

I don't know, but here's the secret

that I think you have is that you're so

589

:

passionate about what you're doing to

help create that atmosphere, not just

590

:

for yourself, but the people that you're

working with, regardless of how old

591

:

there are, and I love the fact that you

balance all of that, despite everything

592

:

that you shared that you've been through,

and you still have that giving heart

593

:

and you're willing to compose that in

a variety of ways, and deliver that,

594

:

because watching your YouTube videos,

which I watched some of your shorts and

595

:

all that you have amazing talent, and I

encourage my listeners to go check out

596

:

your YouTube, which I'll also have, that

has so many different things to offer

597

:

for not only those that are beginning,

but also inspiring, so for inspiring

598

:

others and to become their authentic

selves, Catherine, thank you so much for

599

:

being on Speaking From The Heart today.

600

:

I really enjoyed our conversation,

and I definitely encourage you to

601

:

continue practicing your talent.

602

:

It is amazing to hear your music.

603

:

Catherine: Thank you so much.

604

:

It's been such a joy to be with you today.

605

:

Joshua: I want to thank Catherine again

so much for being part of the show,

606

:

sharing her creativity, the opportunity

in which she has developed herself

607

:

into this overall powerhouse for women,

giving examples of ways of which she

608

:

has been able to be so creative, not

just through her music, but through

609

:

the many talents that she shares to

others, not only on her journey, but

610

:

also growing as an individual, being

able to help others see their own

611

:

light, whether that is through piano

playing or the poetry that she writes.

612

:

I think that this is an important

lesson for us that anything is

613

:

possible, especially when we look

at the creativity side of our brain.

614

:

The influences of different types of tonal

qualities, the music that we play, really

615

:

instills a different euphoric action that

we are aroused to do, especially when It

616

:

comes to the different types of things

that we listen to, that we enjoy doing,

617

:

the enthusiasm of the highs that we reach

when we play a guitar, or even having that

618

:

instrument of our choice to even the lows.

619

:

I think these are the things that

are oftentimes looked beyond, not

620

:

even considered, when we look at all

the different various opportunities

621

:

that we have to express ourselves.

622

:

I think seeing this music, and having

it being played, is why we see so many

623

:

different people of all ages resonate with

concerts, having that bond and connection

624

:

over a variety of different types of

music, whether that is alternative,

625

:

whether that is screaming bands, which

I know a few artists doing as of late,

626

:

and even playing across the world.

627

:

Looking at the success of even artists

like Taylor Swift makes me understand

628

:

a lot more as to why these types of

influencers, these people that like to

629

:

play music, really are able to express

themselves, but aren't we all musical

630

:

players, if you really think about it?

631

:

The instruments that we play might

not be of the traditional sense when

632

:

you think of music, but seeing all

these different composers, having all

633

:

these different types of tools at our

disposal, really gives us a light into

634

:

the darkness that sometimes people go

through, especially when we see that

635

:

they are playing at a different venue,

a different genre of music, or even

636

:

just saying some things that might

be helpful from a vocal capacity that

637

:

allows us to see inside their soul.

638

:

Now, if you really want to talk about

how remote instruction might not work,

639

:

this might not be the episode to do that,

because Catherine is doing really well.

640

:

You can see that from all the different

experiences that she's been able to gauge,

641

:

not only from the people that she has

had as clients, but the indirect impacts,

642

:

which, if you always think about what

we've talked about in this show, it's

643

:

always been about the individuals that are

able to make that impact that goes beyond

644

:

their own comfort zone, which means if you

build that consistency, if you build that

645

:

direction within your own life, imagine

what the consistency and direction it will

646

:

be as it resonates across the world, just

like music does for many different people.

647

:

Never say never then to all these

abilities that we can have by teaching.

648

:

Teaching, at its fundamental core, is

something that will allow us to keep on

649

:

celebrating our skills, passing it on

from one generation to the next, and being

650

:

able to connect with others, celebrate

their successes, no matter how old you

651

:

are, or how young you can be, in order

to start picking up your own instrument

652

:

and start playing along the way.

653

:

I think that when we deconstruct music,

and we look at the ways in which they

654

:

have different frequencies, tones, and

abilities, when you look at music and

655

:

even public speaking, you can see the

interconnectivity and how much they're

656

:

not as different as you might think.

657

:

When we look at all the areas in our

lives that we have to speak up for

658

:

ourselves, the energy in which we even

communicate on has a frequency that

659

:

dictates how it will resonate with others.

660

:

That's why, for hundreds of years, even

thousands of years if you go back that far

661

:

in history, you can see that some of the

basic, most simplistic instruments have

662

:

been able to make a self expression in

so many different ways, just like how the

663

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first written language, which was really

a bunch of pictures, has allowed us to

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see so many different things about our own

lives as we have evolved as a human race.

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The discovery of being able to

find that new music, being able

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to share that with others, is

something that is really courageous.

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We're able to share that strength, just

like Catherine has in today's story.

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Really, it shares not just what she's

been able to accomplish, but also all

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:

the things that, even as you come as

you are, you are enough, and now you see

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:

why I opened the show with that phrase.

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Catherine has really been able to come as

she had been, despite everything that she

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:

has endured to get to where she is today,

especially with having six kids, I commend

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:

her for being able to find flexibility,

and creativity, and helping people find

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the joy and passion of learning to play

music and do so much more, but it is

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:

about finding what you really enjoy.

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:

It's the joy in itself that even if it's

right, wrong, or indifferent, we have

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:

something that we should be able to say.

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Even if there is no standard that has

been done before, we can be the pioneers

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:

that create that destiny for ourselves.

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:

We have a place at the table as

long as we see the value that we

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:

can give to others and ourselves.

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:

Even if you do it wrong, even if

you do it right, that existence

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:

means that we have to figure out

what is right; what is wrong.

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:

Coaches have that ability to be

able to find not only that pain

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:

point that you're experiencing, but

will help you to move towards that

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:

future that you're destined to have.

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:

It's no secret.

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:

Today's episode isn't just another

success story in which we been able to

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:

share so many of those of how people

have been able to repurpose their

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:

lives to become much better than they

would have ever thought possible.

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:

Catherine's story is just another

example of how you can create various

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areas of growth, challenging your own

self image that you once held, and

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:

being able to journal, even find ways

in which you can express yourself

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in music, become much better than

you ever thought you could ever be.

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:

I think this is a reminder of why it's

so important for us to continuously

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:

evolve, creating that cohesiveness in our

life in which we are able to share, and

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:

express, and determine what influences,

what different types of tones do we

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:

want to strike of others, and how that

will resonate with our relationships,

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:

confidence, and determination, to

keep on creating wonderful music that

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for many people they like hearing.

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Now if I heard some very miserable,

non influential music, do you think

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:

that I would follow with you forever?

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Probably not.

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That's why you have to

constantly re-evaluate.

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:

See if things that

you're doing are working.

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:

Figure out if the people that you're

growing with are really striking the

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:

right tone for you, because even in

this world in which we really want to

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:

have thriving interpersonal connection,

we have to learn that sometimes those

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lessons that we learn, that consistency

in that direction that we try to gain,

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:

means that we can never say never to

the opportunities in which we're able

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:

to teach others to become much better.

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:

Pay attention to these details,

especially of what Catherine has shared

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today, because you can learn so much

about not only how you can create this

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writing for yourself, this ability to

share your music, but you can come as

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you are, because you are enough to be

able to learn, and grow, and evolve, if

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you're willing to have the right mindset

and strike the right musical chord.

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:

It doesn't always mean that you

have to have the right note,

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:

and it's okay to make a mistake.

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:

As long as you're willing to self

express and discover what opportunities

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are out there, I think that anything

is possible, but more importantly,

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there's something even more basic that

we have to learn from today's story.

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It's about being able to exist

in a place in which joy erupts.

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I would say that even for the longest

time in my life, your podcast host, really

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struggled with this, and still, there are

days in which I struggled, thinking that

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:

I would be able to hit the right note, but

even then, when we figure out what it is

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:

that we have to say that so confidently

is buried inside of ourselves, there is no

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:

standard in which we have to live up to.

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:

The only standard that we

have to adore is ourselves.

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:

We have to always give music, and love,

and appreciation, to those that really

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:

need to listen to us the most, and

sometimes, that just starts with yourself.

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:

You can do wrong, but you can also do

right, so there's always a choice every

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:

day that you wake up, whether you want to

play the song that you always wanted to

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play, that might never end, and yes, that

is a cue to a song that maybe you don't

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:

want to have in your head right now, but

even then, even if that song does end,

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:

what would you want to be remembered by?

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:

Having that musical quality in which no

one likes to hear, because you're just

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:

always striking that wrong tone, or are

you willing to work on yourself, giving

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yourself that opportunity to grow, but

yet more importantly, influencing all

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:

the qualities, all the frequencies,

all the tonalities, to become something

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:

better than you ever thought possible?

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:

The only thing that's standing in

your way Is your own enthusiasm.

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:

Are you willing to be more

creative than you ever thought?

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:

Are you willing to explore that with

someone that is willing to help you,

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:

regardless of where it is in your life?

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:

I think this is an opportunity for you

to think and reflect that sometimes,

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:

finding the ways in which we can

spread joy, whether that is through our

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:

writings or our music, can have so much

more impact than you might imagine.

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:

For all those musicians out there, and

for all those adoring writers, which every

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:

one of you are: keep on playing, keep

on communicating, and keep on writing.

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I know that you'll make that

breakthrough, because let's face it.

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:

You already are in your own little world

that will always be growing every time

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:

that you learn from right, learn from

wrong, and you learn from each other.

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Thanks for listening to episode

number 168 of Speaking From the

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Heart, and I look forward to

hearing from your heart very soon.

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Outro: Thanks for listening.

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:

For more information about our podcast

and future shows, search for Speaking From

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:

The Heart to subscribe and be notified

wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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:

Visit us at www.yourspeakingvoice.biz

for more information about potential

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:

services that can help you create

the best version of yourself.

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:

See you next time.

About the Podcast

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Speaking From The Heart
Your Speaking Voice LLC's Business Podcast

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About your host

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Joshua Smith

Joshua D. Smith is the Owner and Founder of Your Speaking Voice, a life coaching, business coaching, and public speaking company based in Carlisle, PA. Serving clients across the world, Joshua got his start in personal/professional development and public speaking in April of 2012 through his extensive involvement in an educational non-profit organization called Toastmasters International.

Toastmasters International operates clubs both domestically and internationally that focus on teaching leadership, development, and public speaking skills. Joshua quickly excelled in Toastmasters International and found that he had a passion for leadership and helping others find their confidence and their true "speaking voice". Joshua has held all club officer roles and most District level positions in Toastmasters International and belongs to numerous clubs throughout the organization. Joshua has also been recognized as two-time Distinguished Toastmaster, the highest award the organization bestows for achievement in leadership and communication.

Outside of his community involvement, education is something that Joshua has always taken great pride in. His academic achievements include a number of degrees from Alvernia and Shippensburg University. He earned a Bachelor's degree in political science and communications from Alvernia in 2009, a masters of business administration from Alvernia in 2010, and later a masters in public administration from Shippensburg in 2014.

In the professional world, Joshua has held multiple positions with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for over 14 years which includes a variety of data analytics, procurement, budgeting, business process improvement (IT and non-IT), legal compliance, and working with the blind. He has applied his public speaking and development skills in the professional world to tackle numerous public speaking engagements and presentations from all levels of the organization, including executive management.

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