Living on the B Side

This is the final episode of Living on the B Side—at least in the way you’ve known it.

In this deeply personal solo episode, I share my experience of carer burnout while navigating serious family health challenges, and how—unexpectedly—music went quiet for me during that time. What I needed instead was silence.

I talk about the moment music returned, sparked by listening to BTS’ Arirang, and how that became a powerful signal of recovery, awareness, and reconnection with myself.

After six seasons, I also share why I’ve chosen to close this chapter of the podcast—and what I feel called to move into next: helping others use music more intentionally during stress, overwhelm, and emotional fatigue.

This isn’t a full stop. It’s a change of lanes.

A B-side flip.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Carer burnout and navigating family health challenges
• When music no longer feels supportive—and why that matters
• The healing role of silence and stillness
• The emotional turning point with BTS’ Arirang
• Why I’m ending this podcast format after six seasons
• What’s next: music as a tool for wellbeing and self-awareness

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, emotionally stretched, or unsure what you need to feel like yourself again… this episode might meet you there.

Whether you love music, are exploring ways to support your wellbeing, or simply need a moment to pause and reflect, I hope this gives you something to hold onto.

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About the Podcast

Living on the B Side is a podcast about the power of music — exploring how sound shapes our emotions, stories, and sense of self. Host B shares conversations and reflections for those who listen deeply and live thoughtfully.

In this episode of Living on the B Side, Birgit speaks with Brad Stewart about how AI can reduce the stress of the business side of music while keeping creativity intact. Together, they explore the mental health challenges artists face, the power of music to guide us, and practical ways technology can support wellbeing in the creative life.

Independent artists, creatives, and anyone navigating the pressures of a fast-paced industry will find insights in this episode. Brad Stewart shares his experience helping artists automate tasks, protect their energy, and focus on what matters most: their music. The discussion highlights both the emotional and practical aspects of sustaining a creative career, offering guidance for avoiding burnout while staying inspired.

During our chat we talk about:

🎙️Hidden stresses in the music industry and why talent alone isn’t enough

🎙️ How AI can support independent artists without replacing human creativity

🎙️ Beta testing feedback from Music Mogul AI users

🎙️ Practical advice for artists feeling burnt out or overwhelmed

🎙️ Personal music stories and influences shaping Brad’s career

Connect with Brad Stewart

Music Mogul AI

Stewart Entertainment

Meet Brad Stewart

Brad Stewart is a music industry veteran with over 20 years of experience across booking, artist development, and strategic partnerships. As the founder of Music Mogul AI and Stewart Entertainment Agency, he has worked with dozens of touring artists each year, helping them navigate the business side of music while staying connected to their creative path.

In this episode of Living on the B Side, host Birgit Livesey speaks with bestselling author and narrative coach Carrie KC West about the stories we carry through life — and how music often reveals when we’re ready to rewrite them.

Together, they explore how our personal soundtracks can reflect emotional turning points, helping us see our lives from a different perspective.

This episode invites slower listening and reflection.

We talk about how many of the stories shaping our lives are inherited — from family, culture, and expectations — and how noticing the music we return to can reveal what we’re processing beneath the surface.

It’s a conversation for listeners who are curious about music, emotional wellbeing, and the quieter ways we begin to understand our own story.

In this episode, we explore:

• The moment Carrie realised her life was a story she could rewrite
• How inherited narratives can quietly shape the choices we make
• Why certain songs appear during different chapters of life
• How music can support reflection, emotional healing, and personal growth

Connect with the Carrie KC West

Website: https://carriekcwest.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553115232260

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/story-of-your-life/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storytellers_acad/

Have you ever noticed that certain chapters of your life seem to have their own soundtrack?

Living on the B Side is a podcast about the power of music — exploring how sound shapes our emotions, stories, and sense of self. Host Birgit Livesey shares conversations and reflections for those who listen deeply and live thoughtfully.

In this episode of Living on the B Side, I speak with Sam Mitchell, host of Autism Rocks and Rolls, about autism and music — and how a deep love of rock shaped his identity and advocacy work.

We explore how music can become more than entertainment. It can offer structure, confidence, and a way to connect with the world.

This conversation invites curiosity and reflection. We talk about autism beyond stereotypes, the beauty of intense passions, and how music can anchor us in who we are.

It’s for listeners who care about emotional wellbeing, identity, and the deeper ways sound shapes our lives.

Episode Highlights

In this episode, we explore:

• The origin story of Autism Rocks and Rolls
• Sam’s ability to identify over 1,000 songs in seconds
• Autism, music, and sensory processing
• When passion evolves into advocacy and purpose

Meet Sam Mitchell

Sam Mitchell is the host of the autism advocacy podcast Autism Rocks and Rolls, where he celebrates strengths on the autism spectrum and interviews notable guests from music, entertainment, and beyond. With over 22,000 downloads, Sam has featured voices such as Temple Grandin, Mick Foley, James Durbin, and Armani Williams.

Based in Indiana, Sam holds an associate’s degree in broadcasting and works in radio while speaking across North America about autism awareness, special interests, and turning passion into purpose. Through his podcast and non-profit work, he challenges stereotypes and reminds audiences that autism is not something to be fixed — but understood and embraced.

Connect with the Guest

• Website: ⁠Autism Rocks and Rolls⁠ 
• Instagram: ⁠@autismrocksandrollspod⁠ 
• FB Group: ⁠Autism: Sam’s Stories and other Resources⁠ 
• YouTube: ⁠Autism Rocks and Rolls, Sam Mitchell⁠ 

Living on the B Side is a podcast about the power of music — exploring how sound shapes our emotions, stories, and sense of self. Host B shares conversations and reflections for those who listen deeply and live thoughtfully.

In this episode of Living on the B Side, I sit down with musician, scholar, and multidisciplinary artist Naila Keleta-Mae to talk about her latest album I’m Grateful, which has gained international recognition.

We explore the vulnerability and joy of sharing music with the world, the creative process behind songwriting, and how reggae, spoken word, and other musical traditions shape her art.

Naila reflects on music’s unique ability to cross boundaries, inspire, and connect people in ways that go beyond words. This conversation is a deep dive into artistic expression, black expressive culture, and the courage it takes to create and share your work with honesty and heart.

Episode Highlights

In this episode, we explore:

• How music can reach spaces and hearts that other art forms cannot
• Choosing songs and creating playlists as a tool for emotional alignment and wellbeing
• Songwriting as a practice of expressing complex truths in short, powerful moments
• Naila’s personal reflections on artistic calling, vulnerability, and her “Don’t give up” message for creators and communities

Connect with Naila Keleta-Mae

www.nailakeletamae.com

https://www.instagram.com/nailakeletamae/

https://www.facebook.com/nailakeletamae.

https://www.tiktok.com/@nailakeletamae.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/naila-keleta-mae-3b88943b/

Reflection Question

When have you felt called to create or express something, even if it felt vulnerable or uncertain, and how did you respond?

About the Podcast

Living on the B Side is a podcast about the power of music — exploring how sound shapes our emotions, stories, and sense of self. Host B shares conversations and reflections for those who listen deeply and live thoughtfully.

In this episode of Living on the B Side, host Birgit speaks with Ian and Danielle from Orphan Prodigy about their conceptual album “Medication for Modern World” and the story behind their song “Trader.” Together, they explore how music can transform feelings of chaos, rejection, and being an outsider into connection, healing, and community.

This episode invites slower listening and honest reflection. We talk about Ian’s and Danielle’s backstory (adoption, anxiety, agoraphobia, feeling “different”), how music can hold our big emotions, create safe spaces, and support mental health, and how Orphan Prodigy is building a welcoming community for anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t quite fit in. It’s for sensitive souls, fellow “B siders,” music-lovers, and anyone navigating emotional wellbeing or feeling like an outsider.

In this episode, we explore:

• How “Medication for Modern World” grew out of years of personal and global chaos and became a conceptual journey from overwhelm to acceptance.
• The link between music and mental health, including Ian’s daily “three songs a day” practice and Danielle’s perspective as a licensed psychologist.
• How simple, honest songs like “Trader” can carry deep feelings of rejection, self-acceptance, and being “too much” – and why that resonates with so many listeners.
• Ian’s experience of adoption and growing up “different,” and how both he and Danielle turned outsider stories into creative fuel and a supportive, mental-health-focused community

Connect with the Orphan Prodigy

• Website: http://www.orphanprodigy.com/
• Instagram: @orphanprodigy
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@orphanprodigy
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3AGoU5E90UD2kjYxwAmZvV?si=ktYzP-WqTICKhphz-A-COw

About this podcast

Living on the B Side is a podcast about the power of music — exploring how sound shapes our emotions, stories, and sense of self. Host B shares conversations and reflections for those who listen deeply and live thoughtfully.

In this episode of Living on the B Side, host B speaks with Robbie Gennet – Los Angeles-based musician, educator, author and lifelong creative – about turning loss into art, self-permission in creativity and staying authentic as an artist. Together, they explore how music can become a language for processing grief, rebuilding identity and giving ourselves permission to fully show up as who we are.

This episode invites slower listening, reflection and courage. We talk about Robbie losing his home and studio in the Woolsey fire, how acceptance and stoicism helped him move forward, and how music can hold our emotions, ask us better questions and quietly nudge us back to life.

It’s for anyone who’s been through change or loss, creatives who feel blocked, “non creative” people who secretly want to try, and music lovers who use songs as mirrors for their inner world

In this episode, we explore:

• From fire to creative rebirth – how losing his home and studio in the Woolsey fire led Robbie to his most prolific creative period.
• Music as emotional processing – how songs become mirrors, companions and “Trojan horses” for big ideas and feelings.
• Self-permission & authenticity – what we can learn from artists like David Bowie about reinventing ourselves and creating for us first.
• Creativity for “non-creatives” – simple, pressure-free ways to tap into creativity (from finger-painting energy to nature, hobbies and play).
• Teaching music as a language – why improvisation, curiosity and story matter more than “perfect” sheet reading.
• Letting go of perfection – Robbie’s decision to finally release 10 albums and hundreds of songs instead of keeping them on a hard drive.

Connect with the Robbie Gennet

• Website: www.robbiegennet.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robbiegennet

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robbiemusic/

• Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/au/artist/robbie-gennet/3707324

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/vil76trsywcp2uq95udynee3x

About the Podcast:

Living on the B Side is a podcast about the power of music — exploring how sound shapes our emotions, stories, and sense of self. Host B shares conversations and reflections for those who listen deeply and live thoughtfully.

In this episode of Living on the B Side, host B speaks with Emma G a musician, bestselling author, and TEDx speaker on a mission to help people turn struggles into songs, reclaim their voice, and find empowerment through music. She believes that songwriting, breath, and the voice can support mental health, help us process trauma, and reconnect us with our inner compass.

This episode invites slower listening, reflection, and gentle curiosity. We talk about the story behind Emma’s book “Mental Health Sounds Like This,” her journey through brain trauma and healing, and how her work with young people and adults in recovery inspired her approach, and how music can regulate our nervous system, give words to hard experiences, and help us move from pain to power. It’s for quiet, sensitive, and introverted listeners who feel overwhelmed by life, as well as anyone curious about using music and songwriting as a supportive tool for emotional wellbeing and healing.

In this episode, we explore:

• How Emma’s lived experience (including 24 surgeries and brain trauma) led her to write “Mental Health Sounds Like This”
• The power of songwriting as “journaling with breath and melody” for mental health, identity, and resilience
• Why most people aren’t truly “tone deaf,” and how breathing and audiation can change our relationship with our own voice
• A powerful story of an 11-year-old survivor who used songwriting to transform his trauma into a song of strength
• Emma’s vision for bringing music and songwriting into schools and rehabilitation settings to proactively support mental health

Connect with the Emma G

Website: https://www.emmagmusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagmusic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@emmagmusic

Purchase her book Mental Health Sounds Like this

Listen to Emma G’s powerful and personal story about how music has helped her growing up in the first interview on my podcast: Youth Empowerment through Music

Living on the B Side is a podcast about the power of music — exploring how sound shapes our emotions, stories, and sense of self. Host B shares conversations and reflections for those who listen deeply and live thoughtfully.

In this deeply interesting episode, I’m joined by Julie from Luminous Voices, a professional choir based in Canada that’s been quietly reshaping its work by collaborating with First Nations composers and singers.

What started as an outdoor music project during COVID has become an ongoing journey into shared musical storytelling — one that honours Indigenous languages like Cree, explores traditional singing techniques such as vocables, and centres connection, slowness, and care

In this episode, we talk about:

• Singing in Cree and why language carries memory and healing

• The meaning of vocables — non-word syllables full of cultural significance

• What it means to begin with listening and relationship before performance

• How music helps bridge generations, especially in schools

• The story behind the song Ogawimaski — a love letter to Mother Earth

• Julie’s personal moment walking the land while singing — and feeling the past ripple through her

• How non-Indigenous allies can respectfully begin their own learning journey

• Why music might be the gentlest path toward reconciliation and cultural connection

Julie shares how this work has not only changed how they perform, but how they gather, listen, and walk alongside communities with deep roots on the land. We also talk about the personal impact — what it feels like to sing to Mother Earth, and how humility and love are at the heart of this ongoing journey.

If you're curious about how music can support reconciliation, or if you’ve ever felt like a song can teach you more than a textbook — this conversation is a beautiful place to begin.

Whether you're a musician, an introvert curious about culture, or someone wanting to explore a more heart-led path to connection, I hope this episode gives you something to hold and reflect on.

Acknowledgement:

This episode includes conversation around First Nations music and cultural collaboration.

I respectfully acknowledge the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land where I live and create. I honour their deep connection to land, song, and story — and pay my respects to Elders past and present.

I also acknowledge the Indigenous Peoples of Canada — including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis — whose music, language, and cultural knowledge are shared in this episode through the lived experience of my guest.

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Connect with Julie HERE:

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www.parentmentornow.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/luminousvoices

Instagram: @parent.mentor.now

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-freedman-smith/

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Here are ways to connect, support and work with me at Living on the B Side:

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🎙️ For becoming a possible guest on my podcast, register your interest here: https://forms.gle/XLyXrwzt9jZ5S4Hp6

🎙️ For collaborations and other inquiries, please go to: https://livingonthebside.com/contact-us/

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Connect with me on social media!

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Website: ➡️www.livingonthebside.com

FB page ➡️ www.facebook.com/livingonthebside

IG➡️ www.instagram.com/livingonthebside/

In this rich and energetic episode, I am joined by the multi-passionate and deeply intuitive Blanca—massage therapist, holistic life coach, Zumba instructor, dancer, and certified canine massage therapist. With decades of experience in the healing arts, Blanca shares how music has always been her silent co-therapist—whether she's working with trauma survivors, veterans, or even dogs.

Together, we dive into:

• How music shapes the emotional landscape of a massage session

• Why silence can be just as therapeutic as sound

• Navigating energy exchange as a practitioner—and how music supports that

• The darker misconceptions about massage and the importance of boundaries

• Using specific playlists for dogs during canine massage

• The personal story that brought Blanca to a powerful emotional reckoning

From spa music to salsa, from trauma to trust, this conversation will inspire you to reflect on how deeply music moves through our bodies, memories, and healing journeys.

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Connect with Blanca HERE:

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https://www.woundedhealer.us/

https://www.instagram.com/woundedhealer.blancae

https://www.facebook.com/Woundedhealer1965

https://www.linkedin.com/in/blanca-e-rodriguez-58b20490/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVUGRv67OHed7yLIKOkdUVg

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Connect with me on social media!

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Website: ➡️www.livingonthebside.com

FB page ➡️ www.facebook.com/livingonthebside

IG➡️ www.instagram.com/livingonthebside/