Follow Your Curiosity: You didn’t lose your creative spark. You were taught to leave it behind.

Michelle Ward, aka the When I Grow Up Coach, has literally made a career out of staying true to herself, and helping others do the same. Michelle's dream from childhood was to be on Broadway, but after graduating from NYU's Tisch School and going to audition after audition, she realized to her dismay that it was not likely to happen for her. She decided she needed to find something that worked for her—that was true to her creative spirit and fed her soul—and that she wanted to help others do the same. She joined me to tell her story and how it's led her to something unexpectedly perfect for her, and what she learned along the way, from the power of authenticity when auditioning to figuring out what else might meet her creative goals when acting fell through.

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!

Michelle Ward, aka the When I Grow Up Coach, has literally made a career out of staying true to herself, and helping others do the same. Michelle's dream from childhood was to be on Broadway, but after graduating from NYU's Tisch School and going to audition after audition, she realized to her dismay that it was not likely to happen for her. She decided she needed to find something that worked for her—that was true to her creative spirit and fed her soul—and that she wanted to help others do the same. She joined me to tell her story and how it's led her to something unexpectedly perfect for her, and what she learned along the way, from the power of authenticity when auditioning to figuring out what else might meet her creative goals when acting fell through.

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!

Cat Kessler wants to bring more ritual and reflection to your life, and she's started a business called Opt Inward to help you do just that. She joins me this week to talk about how she discovered the importance of ritual in her own life, what modern ritual can look like and how we can fit it into our lives, where ritual and self-care intersect, the writing of Madeleine L'Engle, and what we can learn about spirituality, creativity, and ourselves from the book and new TV series Good Omens.

Find show notes at fycuriosity.com., and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!

Cat Kessler wants to bring more ritual and reflection to your life, and she's started a business called Opt Inward to help you do just that. She joins me this week to talk about how she discovered the importance of ritual in her own life, what modern ritual can look like and how we can fit it into our lives, where ritual and self-care intersect, the writing of Madeleine L'Engle, and what we can learn about spirituality, creativity, and ourselves from the book and new TV series Good Omens.

Find show notes at fycuriosity.com., and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!

My guest today is a highly acclaimed mezzo-soprano who has sung a wide variety of music and operatic roles. She has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood, with conductors including Leonard Bernstein. I met D'Anna Fortunato when I was a junior at Bucknell; she joined us to perform Aaron Copland's "In the Beginning," which I also discussed with Dr. William Payn in our last episode. D'Anna joined me to talk about her own musical journey, including the difference between a university music program and conservatory, the value of doing your artistic homework, and what she's learned from teaching and encouraging the creative spirit.

I've included some links to her performances in the show notes at fycuriosity.com, so be sure to check them out!

Join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!

My guest today is a highly acclaimed mezzo-soprano who has sung a wide variety of music and operatic roles. She has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood, with conductors including Leonard Bernstein. I met D'Anna Fortunato when I was a junior at Bucknell; she joined us to perform Aaron Copland's "In the Beginning," which I also discussed with Dr. William Payn in our last episode. D'Anna joined me to talk about her own musical journey, including the difference between a university music program and conservatory, the value of doing your artistic homework, and what she's learned from teaching and encouraging the creative spirit.

I've included some links to her performances in the show notes at fycuriosity.com, so be sure to check them out!

Join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!

Today’s guest has been an important part of my life, and a big influence. A composer of music for choir and handbells, a respected festival conductor, and a former professor of music and director of choral studies at Bucknell University, he’s my college choir director, Dr. William Payn. I spent four years singing for him in Bucknell’s Rooke Chapel Choir, where I learned more than just great choral music. We talked about his history with music, from childhood on, the experiences of conducting vs. composing, how to encourage people to do more than they think they can, and how a particularly memorable choral performance at the American Choral Directors Convention—a rarefied experience for us all—came to be.

Listen to us sing Aaron Copland's "In the Beginning," and two of Dr. Payn's compositions, at the links at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!

Today’s guest has been an important part of my life, and a big influence. A composer of music for choir and handbells, a respected festival conductor, and a former professor of music and director of choral studies at Bucknell University, he’s my college choir director, Dr. William Payn. I spent four years singing for him in Bucknell’s Rooke Chapel Choir, where I learned more than just great choral music. We talked about his history with music, from childhood on, the experiences of conducting vs. composing, how to encourage people to do more than they think they can, and how a particularly memorable choral performance at the American Choral Directors Convention—a rarefied experience for us all—came to be.

Listen to us sing Aaron Copland's "In the Beginning," and two of Dr. Payn's compositions, at the links at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!

As you know, I'm a big fan of following your curiosity, so you can imagine how excited I was to come across someone else who finds it as key as I do. That someone is Vicky Cook, a coach who focuses on helping woman 40-ish and above get through midlife doubts (dare we say crises?) and finally do the things they're really here to do. We talk about identity, especially when it comes to women who are moms, about and how curiosity can get us through rough times. Vicky also tells us how she found, and what she finds, in her somewhat unusual hobby (spoiler: she's a silversmith).

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!

As you know, I'm a big fan of following your curiosity, so you can imagine how excited I was to come across someone else who finds it as key as I do. That someone is Vicky Cook, a coach who focuses on helping woman 40-ish and above get through midlife doubts (dare we say crises?) and finally do the things they're really here to do. We talk about identity, especially when it comes to women who are moms, about and how curiosity can get us through rough times. Vicky also tells us how she found, and what she finds, in her somewhat unusual hobby (spoiler: she's a silversmith).

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!