Success Through Scars

What happens when the teaching work you’ve been relying on disappears—and you still have New York City rent to pay?

In this episode of Success Through Scars, I’m joined by singer, voice teacher, songwriter, and founder of The Smart Singer, Lexi Pinnata. Lexi shares how losing her summer teaching income pushed her to build her own online voice studio and create The Voice Gym, a membership for beginner singers.

We talk honestly about the practical changes that helped her work for herself, along with the fear, self-doubt, and uncomfortable sales conversations that came with them. From shifting away from pay-per-lesson teaching to finding the students she loves working with, Lexi’s story offers a look at building a business that supports your life as an artist.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Moving from teaching for other companies to building your own studio
• Creating more consistent income through monthly lesson packages
• Learning to charge confidently and communicate the value of your work
• Finding your niche and building an offer around your students’ needs
• Handling cancellations without treating them as personal failures
• Finding supportive community and keeping track of your wins
• Defining success beyond income milestones—and making room for performing, travel, and family

If you’re a singer or performer wondering how to turn your skills into income, this conversation is a reminder that you don’t have to have everything figured out to take your first step.

Connect with Lexi:

The Smart Singer: https://www.thesmartsinger.com
The Voice Gym: https://www.thesmartsinger.com/the-voice-gym

Enjoyed this conversation? Share it with a performer who needs the reminder that their skills have value, and follow Success Through Scars for more conversations about building a life and career on your own terms.

This conversation was recorded in 2025. Visit Lexi’s website for current offerings and details.

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For coaching services, visit: anniecalvaneso.com

If you’re being really hard on yourself right now, this episode will help you snap out of it!

I’m sharing four things to do when you’re stuck in comparison, self-criticism, or feeling like you’re not where you “should” be.

You do not have to shame yourself into becoming better <3 

If this helps you, please share it with a friend!

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave a review.
For coaching services, visit: anniecalvaneso.com

Two things can be true at once.

You can be heartbroken and excited about your business. You can be exhausted and still take action. You can be going through something incredibly difficult and still find moments of joy.

In this short episode, I’m talking about the power of duality and why learning to hold multiple truths at once can help you stay consistent in your business, even when life feels hard.

You don’t have to wait until you feel motivated. Sometimes you just make the action smaller and keep going.

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Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave a review.
For coaching services, visit: anniecalvaneso.com

I’m back!! After a five month break from the podcast, I’m sharing what this summer taught me about burnout, motivation, and consistency.

After an incredibly busy season, a huge trip, and a singing audition in Italy, I came home completely burnt out. For months, almost everything in my business felt like a chore.

In this episode, I’m talking about why success can’t depend on feeling motivated, how I focused on my bare-minimum business actions, and why small, imperfect steps still count.

If you’re in a season where you don’t feel like doing anything, this one is for you.

Quick correction: I say May 2025 in the episode when talking about finishing the school musical- I meant May 2026. 😅

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Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave a review.
For coaching services, visit: anniecalvaneso.com

What happens when you’re told you can’t match pitch… and you believe it?

In today's episode, I interview Drew Russell DuBoff, a full-time professional singer and musician who was once told by a mentor that he couldn’t sing in tune.

Because of that moment, he didn’t pursue music in college, even though he really wanted to. But years later, he found his way back to singing and built a career as a working performer.

This conversation is all about overcoming limiting beliefs, unlearning negative feedback, and creating a successful career as a singer without following the traditional path.

If you’re a singer, performer, or creative who has ever been told “you’re not good enough,” this episode will show you what’s possible when you stop letting that story define you.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it’s like to be told you “can’t sing” and how that impacts your identity
• How to overcome limiting beliefs in music and performance
• Building a singing career without a music degree
• Navigating musical theatre, opera, and choral work
• Why information in the arts shouldn’t be gatekept
• How the Singers and Performers Community supports singers at every stage

This episode is especially powerful for singers, voice teachers, musical theatre performers, opera singers, and anyone building a non-traditional creative career.

Connect with Drew DuBoff + the Singers and Performers Community:

 https://singersandperformers.com
https://instagram.com/drewduboff
https://facebook.com/drewrduboff

Drew’s Bio:

Drew Russell DuBoff is an interdisciplinary musical theatre performer, opera singer, and sacred/choral singer. His performance credits include engagements with Walnut Street Theatre, New Jersey Lyric Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and soon-to-be New Camerata Opera in New York City. He is also the General Manager of Theatre Ariel, Philadelphia’s professional theatre company specializing in Jewish works. He started the Singers and Performers Community because information shouldn’t be gatekept. All singers and performers, whether they’ve pursued a degree in the arts or otherwise, deserve the chance to pursue their dream. The Singers and Performers Community can help make that happen.
singersandperformers.com

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave a review.
For coaching services, visit: anniecalvaneso.com

This is a story about opportunity cost: what is choosing the cheapest option costing you? Successful people just think differently. Tune in to find out!

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave a review.
For coaching services, visit: anniecalvaneso.com

In this solo episode of Success through Scars, I’m telling the vulnerable truth about my money journey: how I went from broke, bitter, and resentful to running a six-figure business and finally feeling safe with money.

I open up about:

• Living in low-income housing (and not even realizing it at first)
• Resenting my friends whose parents paid for everything
• Struggling to accept help from others
• Working four jobs just to get by while building my business
• The moment things finally started to shift (hint: it involved delusional confidence and a mentor)

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a scarcity mindset, ashamed of your financial situation, or unsure if success is really possible for you, I hope my story shows you that transformation is possible- and that it starts with belief.

💸 I also talk about my Make More Money Masterclass, where I teach you how to rewire your beliefs about money, get out of scarcity mode, and start seeing real possibilities for income and abundance.

Use code BROKETOBOSS for a special discount, valid through August 10th.
🎟 Grab your spot here

Come say hi on Instagram @anniecalvaneso, and if this episode speaks to you, send it to a friend who might need it too!

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave a review.
For coaching services, visit: anniecalvaneso.com

In this episode of Success through Scars, I chat with Stephanie Ball- an opera singer, sound healer, and now recording artist- about navigating grief, honoring the body’s needs, and using music as medicine. Stephanie shares the raw story of losing her father to dementia, the repeated heartbreak of saying goodbye in small pieces, and how that grief unlocked old wounds she didn’t even realize still needed healing.

She dives into how sound healing helps release stored trauma in the body and why shoulders, hips, and throats often hold our deepest stuck energy. We also chat about her pivot from back-to-back opera gigs to crafting immersive sound bath experiences, working with corporate teams, and launching her new recording projects- all to help people heal physically, emotionally, and energetically.

Stephanie leaves listeners with a powerful reminder: it’s all temporary, you will make it through, and radical honesty about your needs is the first step to real healing.

https://stephanieannballsoprano.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamstephaball/

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave a review.
For coaching services, visit: anniecalvaneso.com

Today I sit down with my cousin Kristin Tomasello- our first real heart-to-heart, and what a story she has! From watching her dad collapse from leukemia at 12, to battling her own autoimmune struggles for years, to now running her own foundation, writing books, and launching a sun care line (all while spreading fierce love and faith).

We talk healing from the inside out- with food, scripture, boundaries, and compassion. Kristin is living proof that you can turn your deepest pain into a mission that helps thousands. If you’re going through something hard right now, this one’s for you.

Find Kristin here:

http://kristintomasello.com

https://costaseasuncare.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kristintomasello

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave a review.
For coaching services, visit: anniecalvaneso.com

If you're feeling bone-deep tired- even though you're doing work you love- this episode is for you.

I'm fresh off a crazy busy week: I just wrapped a musical I produced from the ground up (with 50 kids!), I'm prepping for a huge move, launching the next round of Crescendo Club, and singing paid gigs nearly every day. I'm deeply fulfilled… and I'm also exhausted.

In this solo episode, I'm sharing a raw, honest reflection on what it means to feel both grateful and worn out.
Because sometimes, the life we dreamed of is also the one that stretches us the most.

This is your permission slip to honor your tiredness, zoom out, and celebrate the growth you’ve worked so hard for!

✨ Ready to build a business that lets you sing, create, and live freely? DM me “CRESCENDO” on Instagram for information about my business mentorship program, the Crescendo Club
📲 Come say hi on Instagram
📝 If this resonated with you, share it with a friend or leave a review. It helps more than you know. 💕

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave a review.
For coaching services, visit: anniecalvaneso.com