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Episode 010 Using Music in Nature to Nuture with Michael Tolcher
Welcome back JP Nation! We have an amazing music artist to share with you today. He wrote his first song at the age of 5 and got his start as a street performer during the Olympics in Georgia. Tune in to listen to Michael Tolcher as he walks us through the reason he plays music.
Michael grew up in a home with five other siblings. He has two older brothers so playing sports was common in his home. We went on to get a running scholarship to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. But in 1996 he put down running and picked up music. Performing on the streets during the Olympics was the first time he had ever performed for a crowd and he fell in love. It was the first time he had felt what it was like to truly inspire people.
Throughout his 20s, Michael started to write some really powerful lyrics. He refers to this time as “squeezing his sponge” because he was sharing his heart with others. He felt like his lyrics were a musical journal entry. He was holding a lot of things inside his head and once he started to write them down, he was healing. He noticed when he would “squeeze his sponge” people were relating and hopefully healing in the process.
Music is medicine for Michael. He recalls a moment, during a dark time, when he heard a Dave Matthews Band’s song. The words that were sung echoed in his mind. He felt like he wasn’t alone. There was a glimmer of hope that happiness would return. That is when he decided that he would write songs to give people hope and let them know they aren’t alone.
It hasn’t always been about writing music from 1996 forward. There was a time when Michael was hit with many struggles all at once. There came a day when his label, agent, lawyer, and wife were no longer there or on his team. He also lost his 11 year dog companion during that time. He was alone. He knew he had to pick himself up off the ground. It was 95 degrees in Georgia and he went for a run. When questioned why he was doing so, his reply was “If I do tough things, I am going to be tough.” He knew that he needed to keep going with his life and felt like he needed to overcome physically tough challenges in order to be mentally tough.
Michael leaves us with three things he does to help overcome adversity.
When you maintain a spirit of wonderment, you can express joy to other people. Michael Tolcher does that through his music. He writes amazing words that are truly inspiring. Check him out at michaeltolcher.com.
We sincerely hope that you enjoy today’s podcast. We had a great time talking with Michael and can’t wait to see him perform at our Light Up the Darkness event in September. You don’t want to miss it! There will be more information coming out soon so make sure you are following us on Facebook, Stephen Scoggins The Journey Principles, and Twitter, @stephen_scoggin. Also starting soon we are going to have a show specifically with your questions and feedback. Please email us at [email protected], we can’t wait to hear from you! Until next time please comment and share with your family friends.
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By The Journey Principles With Stephen ScogginsWelcome back JP Nation! We have an amazing music artist to share with you today. He wrote his first song at the age of 5 and got his start as a street performer during the Olympics in Georgia. Tune in to listen to Michael Tolcher as he walks us through the reason he plays music.
Michael grew up in a home with five other siblings. He has two older brothers so playing sports was common in his home. We went on to get a running scholarship to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. But in 1996 he put down running and picked up music. Performing on the streets during the Olympics was the first time he had ever performed for a crowd and he fell in love. It was the first time he had felt what it was like to truly inspire people.
Throughout his 20s, Michael started to write some really powerful lyrics. He refers to this time as “squeezing his sponge” because he was sharing his heart with others. He felt like his lyrics were a musical journal entry. He was holding a lot of things inside his head and once he started to write them down, he was healing. He noticed when he would “squeeze his sponge” people were relating and hopefully healing in the process.
Music is medicine for Michael. He recalls a moment, during a dark time, when he heard a Dave Matthews Band’s song. The words that were sung echoed in his mind. He felt like he wasn’t alone. There was a glimmer of hope that happiness would return. That is when he decided that he would write songs to give people hope and let them know they aren’t alone.
It hasn’t always been about writing music from 1996 forward. There was a time when Michael was hit with many struggles all at once. There came a day when his label, agent, lawyer, and wife were no longer there or on his team. He also lost his 11 year dog companion during that time. He was alone. He knew he had to pick himself up off the ground. It was 95 degrees in Georgia and he went for a run. When questioned why he was doing so, his reply was “If I do tough things, I am going to be tough.” He knew that he needed to keep going with his life and felt like he needed to overcome physically tough challenges in order to be mentally tough.
Michael leaves us with three things he does to help overcome adversity.
When you maintain a spirit of wonderment, you can express joy to other people. Michael Tolcher does that through his music. He writes amazing words that are truly inspiring. Check him out at michaeltolcher.com.
We sincerely hope that you enjoy today’s podcast. We had a great time talking with Michael and can’t wait to see him perform at our Light Up the Darkness event in September. You don’t want to miss it! There will be more information coming out soon so make sure you are following us on Facebook, Stephen Scoggins The Journey Principles, and Twitter, @stephen_scoggin. Also starting soon we are going to have a show specifically with your questions and feedback. Please email us at [email protected], we can’t wait to hear from you! Until next time please comment and share with your family friends.