Stuck, Scattered, or Overthinking Your Prep?

S3 E7: As classical musicians, we pour ourselves into performances that ask a lot of us. Whether we're stepping out as a soloist or chamber musician, leading an orchestral section, taking an audition, or getting ready for studio class in school, we care deeply about how we play. In this episode, I explore how preparing for those moments can help us build self-trust, find more joy in our musical prep, and create a life we're proud to live. I'm sharing a perspective that sits at the heart of my work with MindfulOpus: how we pursue excellence matters. Drawing on Dan Sullivan's "gap versus gain" framework, I explore what changes when we measure our progress by how far we've come. Through a story about running up a hill in Cleveland and my experience preparing for a major orchestral audition, I share how recognizing our gains can change the way we practice, rehearse, and step onstage. In this episode, I talk about: Finding encouragement in the skills and experience we've already built. Choosing our "next six feet" when a musical challenge feels big. Bringing gratitude and a sense of personal purpose into high-pressure performances. Making room for both pride in our growth and disappointment when an outcome matters deeply. I also offer a simple practice to try this week: choose one manageable next step, then write down one gain at the end of each day. By the time your performance arrives, you'll have a record of the ways you've shown up for yourself. A conversation to carry into your musical community: What's one gain you're proud of that you haven't stopped to acknowledge? I'd love for you to share this episode with a stand partner, chamber music collaborator, studio friend, or colleague—and make a little room to celebrate each other's progress. If you'd like support bringing this approach into your own musical life, explore coaching with me or my monthly student offering, StudentOpus, at mindfulopus.com. Thank you for being part of MindfulOpus, Fellow Opus Creator. Timestamps: 00:00 – Opening 02:02 – The gap and the gain 03:50 – Running up Murray Hill 07:25 – Measuring progress 12:17 – Dan Jansen's story 17:55 – My audition routine 21:35 – Gratitude and disappointment 25:53 – Learning from disappointment 27:01 – Daily prompt 29:22 – Closing

S3. E6: What if the goal of your music career isn't to get busy, but to get happy? I sit down with my longtime friend, pioneering multi-style cellist, singer, composer, and educator Mike Block, for an honest conversation about conservatory pressure, curiosity, and finding a path that feels like your own. Mike shares how he learned to choose work based on the experience he wanted to have, and how exploring beyond classical cello led him toward new musical communities, invention, and entrepreneurship. We talk about how he ended up being Yo-Yo Ma's cello partner in Silkroad, his invention of the Block Strap, pitching Forte 3D on Shark Tank (spoiler: he got a deal!), and the rewards and tradeoffs of being a pioneer—including what you have to leave behind to make room for something new. CONNECT WITH MIKE BLOCK Website: https://www.mikeblockmusic.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blockcello/

S3 Ep. 5. Surprise Fellow Opus Creator, I'm popping in for a bonus episode! Recently in getting ready for our first StudentOpus session, I've been thinking a lot about my own conservatory years: the pressure to get everything right, the fear of making mistakes, and how often I put my own well-being last. So I'm popping in with a bonus episode to share five lessons I wish I'd known then. I talk about why mistakes belong in the learning process, what procrastination might be trying to protect you from, and why taking care of yourself matters just as much as practicing. We'll also talk about trusting your own judgment – and remembering that your artistry doesn't have to come at the cost of your humanity. If you're a college music student, I hope this episode helps you feel a little less alone. And if you've been out of school for years, you may find yourself nodding along, too. Join us for StudentOpus: Our first live, online group coaching session is Tuesday, October 6, from 12–1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. This session, we'll focus on working from excellence over perfection. It's only $25, and you can both sign up and find out more details at: mindfulopus.com/studentopus. Much love, fellow Opus Creator. ✨

S3. E4: What happens when, from the outside, you look like you're thriving and have it all figured out—but on the inside, you're riddled with self-doubt, a noisy inner critic, and the fear that one mistake could expose you? In this solo episode, I'm exploring imposter syndrome and the unique pressures that come with being a performing artist, especially in classical music. I look at why we can be so quick to push away our successes while holding tightly to our mistakes, why reassurance doesn't always quiet the doubt, and how perfectionism can become a shield we use to protect ourselves from rejection, failure, or being "found out." I also share a framework I use in my own life and with my coaching clients: recognizing the voice of the "agent"—the part of us that says keep going, don't screw this up, prove yourself, be what they expect—and learning how to turn that same energy into an advocate. We'll talk about moving from perfection to excellence, external validation to internal values, pressure to purpose, and finding more artistic agency in an industry that can make it very easy to feel like you always have something to prove. This isn't about curing imposter syndrome or never feeling self-doubt again. It's about learning to notice what's happening, understand what those thoughts are trying to protect you from, and give yourself more choice in what happens next. And if you're a college music student looking for more support with performance nerves, burnout, your inner critic, procrastination, scheduling, or simply navigating life as a musician, registration is now open for StudentOpus—my live monthly online group coaching for college music students. Learn more at mindfulopus.com/studentopus. Much love, fellow Opus Creator. ✨

S3 Ep.3: Violinists Elena Urioste and Melissa White of Intermission join me for a conversation about yoga, performance nerves, ditching perfection, healthier practice, artistic agency, and allowing a musical career to become bigger than one prescribed path. This episode feels a little full-circle for me… I first crossed paths with Elena and Melissa more than 20 years ago, back in our Encore School for Strings days in Ohio. Years later, watching them bring music and yoga together through Intermission helped me imagine something I hadn't fully seen for myself yet: that being an artist didn't have to mean following one single, narrow path. Their work was part of what inspired me to pursue my own yoga teacher training in 2019, so getting to sit down with them all these years later felt particularly special. In this conversation, we talk about how yoga entered each of their lives and how it ultimately changed the way they play, practice, perform, teach, and relate to themselves as artists. We get into performance nerves, body awareness, perfectionism, healthier self-talk, and the idea that "you are your best and forever teacher." We also talk about agency: learning to trust your own body, your own artistic instincts, and your own sense of what works for you. And then we get into the Artist + of it all. Elena and Melissa share how Intermission began with two roommates, a Moleskine notebook, and an idea that other people didn't always understand. We talk about entrepreneurship, following an idea before you know exactly where it's going, and letting your career path curve rather than assuming you have to leave one identity behind to explore another. For any musician who has ever wondered, "Is this all I'm allowed to be?" I hope this conversation gives you a little more room to imagine. Maybe the path doesn't have to completely change. Maybe it can just curve. KEY TOPICS Yoga and classical music Performance nerves and breathing Body awareness and violin technique Perfectionism and healthier self-talk Compassion in the practice room The "three victories" practice Agency and artistic self-trust Teaching musicians to trust themselves Building an "artist +" identity Entrepreneurship for classical musicians Creating Intermission Letting your career path curve Intermission retreats and restorative practice TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Welcoming Elena Urioste and Melissa White