Work Your Jam
Sharing wisdom from life & work experiences across 3 continents & multiple careers/industries. Get my weekly newsletter, for songs and stories to light your way.
I got a new attitude...
Hi Reader, Sometimes, old songs take on a new meaning. I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoesKnow where I'm goin' and I know what to doI tidied up my point of viewI got a new attitude (from "New Attitude" by Patti LaBelle) This tune popped into my head earlier today. Songs tend to do that. It's like I'm wearing an invisible crown...only it's more like a radio station antenna. I reflect on something going on in life, or in the world and, poof, a song drops into my consciousness that...
Spring can really hang you up the most...
Hi Reader, Do song lyrics ever just hit the spot for you? Doctors once prescribed a tonicSulfur and molasses was the doseDidn't help a bit, my condition must be chronicSpring can really hang you up the most (from the jazz standard "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most") These words no longer ring true for me, thanks to a long journey back to my core, and to my life purpose. But they definitely reflected my inner reality, for many years in a row. Even when gorgeous cherry blossoms were a...
The importance of being earnest(ly musical)
Hi Reader, Western stories travel further than you might think. When I was 17, I was cast as Lady Augusta Bracknell in my high school's version of the comedic play "The Importance of Being Earnest." According to the Google, Lady Bracknell is between 50 and 65 years old. So, it made perfect sense to cast Dame Judi Dench (a celebrated British actress) in the movie version of the role when she was 67. Me...playing it as a 17-year-old, in a high school in Asia, with tickets open to the public?...
A path worth pursuing...?
Hi Reader, Ever been part of a brand values exercise? It's what company leaders or entrepreneurs do to define their core mission, or to describe their work culture. Or, if you want to build your personal brand a.k.a. what all the cool kids (and grownups) do to stand out in a noisy/crowded world, it's an exercise to help pick what floats your work boat. My relationship with brand values exercises started out a little rocky. That's because I found myself in one too many work settings where the...
It's a work jungle out there...
Hi Reader, My LinkedIn feed's been getting weirder. Before I chose to return to music, and before becoming a life purpose coach, I used to work in some fast-paced industries. LinkedIn itself was growing fast back then, so many of my initial connections were coworkers, or clients, from those industries. These days, that fast pace of change has become what feels like warp speed. And whenever I open my LinkedIn app, I either see a post from someone who's been laid off, or is switching jobs, or...
Your work moves
Hi there Reader, How are you feeling about your work these days? Does it feel like work sands are shifting beneath your feet? Like one chapter is closing - or closed - and you're not 100% sure what's next? I attended an online gathering recently, and one of the participants shared he was "in the void." He felt adrift, knowing he'd left one season of his life behind...but he just couldn't figure out what to do, or how to be. I so get it. Transitions are hard. And, when friends or family are...
Maximum energy
Hi Reader, Are you a football fan? 🏈 I was raised on the other type of football ⚽, and even played it with my neighbors in my tomboy days. Tonight was Super Bowl 2025, held in New Orleans, with a generous dose of local music culture. When I started to get into the game in the 2010s, I learned how it was all about the game stats for some, and more about game day food and watch parties for others. (Buffalo wings and guacamole, anyone? 😀) American football is such a high contact sport, and...
A good reminder
Hi Reader, I watched the Grammy Awards earlier today. It's a tradition I've upheld since my tweens. With all the projects I juggle each year, I don't always have my ear to the ground of what fans, the music industry, or the recording academy, have decided to honor. The more I choose to hone my musical craft, the less time I have to keep up with it all. And the more working musicians I connect with, the more I've understood that the Grammys (or other award shows, for that matter) represent...
Be relentless
Hi there, Who do you look to for inspiration? Your answer might change over time...especially as you grow into each new season of life, or into more of yourself. My sources of inspiration shifted as my work path evolved. Here are just some of them: Scientists: Gregor Mendel for codifying genetics, Jane Goodall for her groundbreaking work in primatology Peacemakers: Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai Polymaths: Leonardo da Vinci, Prince (the musician) When it comes to other musicians who inspire...
Tough guy, true heart
In music we trust...✌️ Hi Reader, When I was a kid, I'd tell my parents I wanted to live to be 100. I had (and still have) so many things I wanna do, and places I wanna see. To my mind, I'd need at least a hundred years to try to pack it all in. That's partly why I got swept up in the stories and events around President Jimmy Carter's passing a few weeks ago. Not only had he lived to be 100, he'd packed a LOT into those years. He was also the first American president I became aware of,...
Sharing wisdom from life & work experiences across 3 continents & multiple careers/industries. Get my weekly newsletter, for songs and stories to light your way.