Music Is My Mantra

This week on Music Is My Mantra, I’m sharing a heartfelt solo reflection on the power of play—and why community makes all the difference. Inspired by my recent conversation with Robin Jackson, this episode explores how music, friendship, and shared creative spaces can help us heal, connect, and thrive.

From singing with friends old and new to navigating the balance between building a business and nurturing your art, this is a reminder that we don’t have to do it alone. If you’re feeling isolated or stuck, consider this your nudge to reconnect with your people and make space for joy. 🎶

✨ Episode Highlights:

🔹 How play feeds our creative spirit—and why it’s better with community

🔹 Reflections on Robin Jackson’s Songwriter’s Nest and communal songwriting

🔹 The healing power of reconnecting with old friends (and making music together)

🔹 Why integration matters more than balance in the creative life

🔹 Simple ways to find community support—even when you feel isolated

💡 Takeaways:

🌱 Creative play nourishes the soul—find friends to share it with

🎶 Music is a universal language of connection and healing

👯‍♀️ Don’t wait for the “perfect moment”—reach out, show up, sing the song

This week on Music Is My Mantra, I’m joined by award-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and community catalyst Robin Jackson—and this conversation is a soul-nourishing ride through grief, creativity, and healing through music.

From European tours with steampunk marching bands to creating songwriting retreats that change lives, Robin shares how music became a lifeline—first in the shadow of his father's passing, and now as a new dad himself. We talk about art as therapy, the teenage soul we all still carry, and how small acts of acknowledgment can unlock big transformation.

Whether you’re a seasoned musician, a secret songwriter, or someone craving more real connection—this one’s for you. 🎶

✨ Episode Highlights

🔹 Robin’s roots in music, grief, and Waldorf school beginnings

🔹 Touring with March 4th & Vagabond Opera (and how that led to youth empowerment work)

🔹 The origin of Songwriter Soiree and the magic of living room concerts

🔹 Why adults are just big teenagers—and how music helps us heal

🔹 How a songwriting retreat in Oregon became a global movement of creative connection

💡 Takeaways

🫶 Healing is relational. Music gives us the language to process pain, joy, and everything between.

🌱 Creativity thrives in safety. Small moments of acknowledgment change everything.

🎤 Vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s the birthplace of connection.

🌈 Don’t wait to be perfect. Make the thing. Share the song. Trust the process.

Website or Linktree: https://linktr.ee/robinjackson, songwritersoiree.com

Link to Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinjackson , https://www.instagram.com/songwritersoiree

Link to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-jackson-music/

Link to Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd_VXLQTT7_Cbe0PwvfbWqg

Link to Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Robinjacksonmusic , https://www.facebook.com/songwritersoiree

This week’s episode is a quickie—but a goodie.

In the spirit of June’s theme—play—I'm keeping it light, fast, and fun. From road trip memories with my mom to unexpected sweatshirt purchases and a spontaneous Pink Floyd deep dive, this episode is a reminder that playfulness is healing, and presence is powerful.

We’re talking classic rock, Sedona vortexes, and the freedom of not taking yourself (or your schedule) too seriously. If you’ve been glued to your screen or stuck in perfectionism, this is your cue to unplug and go do something just for the joy of it.

🎧 Whether it’s listening to a weird 20-minute track, catching up with a friend, or jamming on your guitar—this one’s your permission slip to PLAY.

✨ Episode Highlights:

• Why I filmed this episode on a random Tuesday (and why that’s okay)
• A spontaneous road trip to Sedona and what it taught me
• The story behind my vintage Pink Floyd sweatshirt
• Music as a vehicle for creativity, chaos, and fun
• What we can learn from Sid Barrett’s journey and mental health
• How one song made me laugh, cry, and love rock even more

💡 Takeaways:

• 🎶 Albums are time machines—let yourself get lost in one
• 🧠 Creativity thrives when you stop trying to control everything
• 🎸 Play doesn't have to be “productive” to be powerful
• 🌀 Your voice, your rhythm, your joy—it’s all medicine
• 📍 Step away from the screen and go find a little magic out there

Welcome to a new season of Music Is My Mantra! This month, we’re shifting gears into the power of play—not just as an artistic practice, but as a profound tool for nervous system regulation and creative liberation.

In this solo episode, I open up about the perfectionist mindset that used to keep me stuck—and how learning to play again brought freedom back into my music, my voice, and my life. From making up songs about disco balls to giving my inner mushroom a voice (yes, really), this episode is your reminder that play is sacred, silly, and essential.

We explore how improvisation, curiosity, and making “mistakes” are actually the pathways to confidence, connection, and healing.

Whether you're an artist, a closet creative, or someone who just needs a little more lightness right now—this one's for you.

✨ Episode Highlights:

• What “play” really looks like in adulthood
• Why perfectionism stifles creativity—and how to break the cycle
• How music and movement support nervous system healing
• Improv prompts to connect with your inner child
• Why play is one of the highest forms of spiritual practice

💡 Takeaways:

🎨 Play is freedom in action—you don’t need to earn it

🌀 Mistakes are medicine when you meet them with grace

🎶 Improvisation builds resilience and awakens your creative flow

🧠 Joy is a healing frequency—let yourself feel it fully

💗 Being silly is brave—it means you’re showing up as you are

This week on Music Is My Mantra, we close out Mental Health Awareness Month with one of the most personal episodes I’ve ever shared.

Join me for a solo reflection on my song Galaxies Collide, a track written at a time when I mistook chaos for chemistry and believed that intensity equaled intimacy.

In this heartfelt journey, I open up about the patterns I didn’t yet recognize, the grief I hadn’t yet processed, and the codependent behaviors that shaped my earliest relationships. This is not a lecture on mental health—it’s a journal entry, a testimony, a musical milestone on my healing path.

Together, we explore what happens when you grow up with alcoholism, how it alters your sense of love, and what it means to return to yourself as your safest place.

This episode is a reflection on reclaiming peace, rewriting your patterns, and realizing that true love—real, grounded, nourishing love—begins within.

Episode Highlights:

• The moment I realized Galaxies Collide was about codependency
• Growing up with an alcoholic parent—and the emotional confusion it caused
• Why we often confuse anxiety with attraction
• How songwriting became a mirror for my inner healing
• Lessons in emotional safety, boundaries, and rewriting love

Takeaways:

• What feels like chemistry might be your nervous system reacting to past pain
• Codependency isn’t love—it’s fear disguised as devotion
• You can reparent yourself through awareness, honesty, and self-compassion
• Songs hold our stories—and can help us transform them
• True connection starts with how gently you hold your own heart

In this deeply personal solo episode of Music Is My Mantra, I open up about my journey with alcohol, my father’s battle with alcoholism, and the story behind my song “Save Yourself.”

This conversation is an invitation to look inward—with compassion—and consider the ways we cope, what we normalize, and the courage it takes to break generational cycles.

As part of my re-released EP for Mental Health Awareness Month, “Save Yourself” is more than a song—it’s a plea, a boundary, and a spiritual declaration of self-worth and surrender.

If you or someone you love has been impacted by alcohol misuse, this episode is for you. You are not alone—and you are allowed to save yourself.

Episode Highlights:

• The real story behind “Save Yourself”
• How alcoholism shaped my childhood and adulthood
• What I learned through Al-Anon and setting boundaries
• Why I stopped drinking—and how it changed everything
• Signs you may be using alcohol as a coping mechanism

Takeaways:

• Alcohol abuse isn’t always loud—but it is always damaging
• Songwriting can be a path to clarity, grief processing, and emotional freedom
• Watching someone self-destruct doesn’t mean you have to go down with them
• Saving yourself isn’t selfish—it’s sacred
• True healing begins with honesty

In this soulful episode of Music Is My Mantra, I sit down with the radiant Courtney Cole—a Nashville-born singer-songwriter turned spiritual seeker—whose path has woven together country music stages, deep healing, and Himalayan yoga training.

Together, we explore what it means to shift from seeking external validation to becoming a vessel for creativity. From the backseat of a musty tour van to a fire pit conversation with Miranda Lambert, Courtney shares the story behind her newly released single, “Jealous of the Birds,” and the transformational dream that redefined her life.

✨ Episode Highlights:

🔹 How music became her first mantra and her deepest mirror

🔹 What it means to become the vessel for your creativity

🔹 Why she walked away from a major-label career and found peace in sound healing

🔹 The story behind “Jealous of the Birds” and the inspiration Miranda Lambert gave her

🔹 Sound frequencies, songwriting, and the future of music as medicine

Takeaways:

• When we stop grasping, true art begins
• Your voice is a frequency of healing and remembrance
• Growth doesn’t always look glamorous—but it’s always worth it
• Trust the seasons of your becoming
• You may have been the bird all along

This episode of Music Is My Mantra opens the door to Mental Health Awareness Month with a reflective and deeply personal look at what mental health truly means.

In this solo episode, I explore the core elements of mental well-being—emotional, physiological, and social—and share why this topic hits so close to home. Alongside this conversation, I’m re-releasing three songs as part of my new EP: “Save Yourself,” “Galaxies Collide,” and “CSR.” Each track reflects a different lens of mental health—self, relationships, and society.

Through story, sound, and vulnerability, I share my journey navigating burnout, boundaries, sobriety, and self-compassion. This is a conversation about reclaiming your peace, tuning into your needs, and honoring your path—wherever you are on it.

Episode Highlights:

🔹 What is mental health? A deeper look into emotional, physical, and social well-being

🔹 How culture, upbringing, and lifestyle shape our mental state

🔹 My personal story of burnout, healing, and redefining success

🔹 The role of songwriting and music in emotional resilience

🔹 Behind the release of my 3-song EP for Mental Health Awareness Month

Takeaways:

🌱 Mental health is not just healing—it’s self-awareness, responsibility, and community

🎶 Music is a mirror and a tool for transformation

💡 Personal peace begins with letting go of outdated expectations

💔 Even painful stories can be reframed into powerful art

🧠 You are allowed to define what well-being looks like for you

This episode of Music Is My Mantra is a heartfelt journey into the healing power of sound. Join me in welcoming Lynette Thoma, founder of Pure Sound Bath and a passionate guide in the world of sound healing and energetic wellness.

Broadcasting from her beautiful Redondo Beach studio before closing this sacred chapter, we explore Lynette’s inspiring path—from speech therapy to sound healing—and how music and energy work can transform both personal and collective well-being. We dive into the art of intuitive playing, overcoming self-doubt, and trusting the unseen rhythms of life.

This is a conversation about trusting your voice, tuning your spirit, and remembering that we are the instruments of our own healing.

Episode Highlights:

🔹 How Lynette transitioned from speech therapist to sound healer

🔹 Why intention and intuition are the real magic behind sound baths

🔹 The emotional connection between voice, breath, and authenticity

🔹 Reflections on community, resilience, and closing sacred spaces

🔹 The unseen power of practicing presence in music and in life

Takeaways:

🌟 You are your own instrument—your energy shapes your expression

🎶 Music and sound are pathways to deeper self-connection and healing

🌀 Trusting intuition leads to more authentic creativity and service

🌱 Growth often requires releasing what no longer serves your expansion

🌊 Sound healing isn’t just about music—it’s about remembering your natural resonance

This episode of Music Is My Mantra marks a special milestone—our very first guest interview. Join me in welcoming Julie Mutnansky, Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Grammy Museum, lifelong percussionist, and passionate advocate for music education.

From our days as middle school bandmates in Tucson, Arizona to her work with Grammy Camp and national youth programs, Julie’s journey is a story of purpose, persistence, and the power of community. We explore how early music experiences shape identity, how mentorship fuels growth, and what it means to hold space for young artists navigating the music industry.

This is a conversation about connection—through music, through friendship, and through the calling to uplift others.

• Growing up in music: band camp, drumline, and throwing spaghetti at cabinets
• How Julie landed her dream job at the Grammys straight out of college
• What Grammy Camp is—and how it changes students’ lives
• The link between music education and emotional resilience
• Creating safe spaces for expression and sober support in the industry

• Music brings people together—and keeps them connected across time and distance
• Teachers play a vital, often under-celebrated role in shaping the next generation of creatives
• Early creative sparks often carry the seed of lifelong purpose
• The music industry encompasses more than performance—it includes nonprofit leadership, mentorship, and impact
• When you follow what truly lights you up, it gives others permission to do the same