I'm excited to share with The Solopreneur Hour listeners that today's guest is one of the all time great studio and live drummers: Mr. Mark Schulman. Mark has been playing in touring bands for Cher, Pink, Foreigner, Billy Idol, Destiny's Child...the list goes on and on! Not only is he amazing on the drums, he's also a sought-after speaker and author on the topic of stage fright and human performance.

Today we're talking about lessons from drumming (of course), and also how to overcome stage fright/performance anxiety when speaking, presenting or performing in front of a crowd. Please join me in welcoming Mark to the show for episode 149.

More About This Show

Mark has long been someone I wanted to have on the show, not just because he's a fantastic drummer but also because he's taken his knowledge to other venues: speaking engagements and authorship. He's also a volunteer who generously gives to charities; he's an all-around great guy and I was thrilled when we lined up a chat.

On today's show, we first talk about Mark's experiences in the drumming world. He's been touring the world with bands for quite awhile and has an impressive resume to show for it. As this show airs, he's about to tour again with Cher. He was also part of Pink's 2013 tour which grossed nearly $171 million dollars and sold out 111 out of 114 shows.

I also asked him what some of his favorite moments were, those "pinch me" kind of moments. He named a few: the Staples Center (he grew up in Los Angeles), the uber-famous Wembley Stadium and the Ed Sullivan Theatre, where the Beatles played.

You'll also discover things like:

* What was his nickname while touring with Pink?

* The Van Halen M&M legend: true or false?

* What are road map charts?

* Why it's actually good to be nervous before going on stage.

* How drumming prepared both of us for supporting and leading roles.

* And lots more!

 

Including those highlights and all the other times he's graced the stage, Mark has played for over a billion people! Naturally he's learned a few things along the way, especially about stage performance, stage fright and overcoming anxiety. And that's what led him to write his book, currently called Nerve Breakers: Conquering Life's Stage Fright.

He knew he had a message in him and he wanted to share it. But it's not about "his message", there's no ego involved in anything he does. For him anything he creates and brings into the world simply comes through him.

The foundation for his book comes from the three Cs: clarity, capability and confidence. He wanted the book to explain how these three concepts applied to performance. His wife Lisa suggested he interview top performers in every industry and create a book around the 3 C's and the interviews. And that's what he did.

Mark spoke with people from all walks of life including Tony Hseih from Zappos, Jeremy Piven the actor (who also happens to be a drummer), Guy Fieri the chef, Alan Bean from Apollo 12 (also the fourth man to walk on the moon) and about 46 other people. Fifty people were interviewed by Mark and their stories, lessons and insights were shared in this book. He says what they gave him in their interviews was simple, yet effective in allowing them to become the best performers in the world.

When Mark isn't drumming, writing or interviewing inspirational performers, he's spending time with his family or speaking. If that sounds like a full schedule, it is. Mark admits to having the entrepreneurial bug and rarely having a dull moment in his life! And he loves every bit of it.

Please join me in giving thanks to Mark for spending an hour of...