The Fearless Artist Podcast

In this solo episode of the Fearless Artist Podcast, Classical:NEXT speaker Michelle Lynne reflects on perfectionism, growth, and confidence while preparing for a busy week in Budapest. Balancing performances, speaking engagements, and practice, she opens up about the tendency to delay action in pursuit of “perfect” output—and instead embraces showing up imperfectly.She shares insights from training for a challenging Hyrox fitness race, drawing parallels to a musician’s journey. Her key lessons include shifting identity from self-doubt to confidence, using visualization to prepare effectively, and trusting the process even when outcomes feel uncertain. Michelle emphasizes how language and mindset—such as reframing “I’m nervous” into “I’m excited”—can dramatically impact performance.The episode also highlights her work with the Fast Forward community, which addresses common struggles among musicians: isolation, scarcity mindset, and lack of accountability. Through shared experiences, goal-setting, and support, the community helps artists expand their vision and take consistent action.Ultimately, Michelle encourages listeners to stop waiting for perfect conditions, step into confidence, and take action—even in the middle of uncertainty.✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Jeremy Grant joins Michelle Lynne to share how his platform, Backstage Wellness, helps musicians build healthier, more sustainable lives. A professional trombonist since 1992 and a former member of the U.S. Air Force Band for 20 years, Jeremy explains how mandatory fitness testing first made him notice the connection between physical health and musical performance. Better sleep, nutrition, exercise, and recovery all made playing feel easier, which eventually led him to become a certified health coach, personal trainer, and nutrition coach.Throughout the conversation, Jeremy emphasizes a realistic, individualized approach rather than a rigid, one-size-fits-all system. He works with musicians to identify their biggest obstacles, often lack of time, stress, poor sleep, or uncertainty about where to begin, and helps them build sustainable habits from the smallest possible step. He highlights movement as an easy starting point, while also stressing the importance of sleep, recovery, and stress management techniques like box breathing. For touring artists especially, he advocates balance over perfection, encouraging better choices when possible and grace when circumstances are less than ideal. His message is simple and encouraging: start where you are, do what you can today, and build from there.✨ Connect with Jeremy Grant:Instagram - @healthwithjeremyWebsite - backstagewellness.com✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Paul the Trombonist shares how he broke out of the traditional freelance model and built a thriving online education business for musicians. Starting with YouTube trombone tutorials and a free album giveaway, he unintentionally built an email list that became the foundation of his business. When he later emailed that audience about a trombone method book, he earned several thousand dollars and realized the true power of direct audience connection. From there, he expanded into workshops, courses, webinars, and premium group programs for committed adult music students. Paul explains that he made his first million not through fame or a huge following, but by mastering conversations, offers, and paid advertising—converting roughly 1% of his leads into customers. He stresses that success comes from listening carefully to the market, refining offers based on feedback, and staying consistent through setbacks. His message is encouraging: musicians do not have to stay trapped in burnout and scarcity, but can build profitable businesses while continuing to make music.✨ Connect with Paul Nowell:Instagram - @paulthetrombonistWebsite - paulthetrombonist.com✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

In this episode of The Fearless Artist Podcast, Michelle Lynne talks with Thomas Zera, double bassist of the Utah Symphony and founder of The Subpool, a platform created to connect freelance musicians with orchestras seeking substitute players. Thomas shares how his idea grew out of years of performing, freelancing, and traveling to play with different orchestras. During a sabbatical, he noticed how much access to work depended on who you already knew, and he saw a need for a broader, more musician-friendly system.The Subpool allows musicians to create free profiles, list their experience, select where they are willing to travel, and be found by personnel managers looking for short-term hires. Thomas explains that many orchestras already have substitute lists, but those lists often run dry, especially when managers need someone quickly. His goal was to build a tool that supports both managers and musicians while giving freelancers more visibility, flexibility, and direct communication.Michelle and Thomas also discuss the future of the platform, including stronger digital profiles, community-building features, and additional support for freelance musicians. Overall, the episode highlights entrepreneurship, innovation, and the importance of creating practical resources that help musicians build sustainable and connected careers.✨ Connect with Thomas Zera:The Sub Pool – https://thesubpool.com✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Michelle Lynne welcomes back coach and longtime friend Ella Hooper for a conversation about healing, creativity, and the inner life of artists. Michelle shares how Ella helped her work through perfectionism, shame, and limiting beliefs, and invites her to discuss her work with artists and her recent move back to Australia.Ella explains how her “Wholehearted Artist” approach grew out of helping students in a pioneering arts school who were overwhelmed by risk, performance pressure, and self-doubt. She describes wholeness as connection to self, others, and a sense of being already enough. Much of the episode focuses on nervous system regulation: understanding fight, flight, and freeze, naming emotions accurately, and noticing body sensations before reacting.They also discuss “glimmers,” or small moments of calm and joy that help bring artists back into the present. Overall, Ella encourages artists to build self-trust, practice self-compassion, and create from a place of safety rather than fear, shame, or constant hustle.✨ Connect with Ella Hooper:Instagram – @coaching_withellaWebsite - www.ella-hooper.com✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Michelle Lynne welcomes clarinetist Ixi Chen—co-founder of Music 360 and a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra—for a wide-ranging conversation about building a fulfilling, sustainable life in music. Ixy shares how many musicians start with a sense of possibility, then feel “boxed in” by strict expectations in training, and forget they’re allowed to expand again. Together they explore shifting from “I have something to prove” to “I have something to share,” and how even a 1% mindset change can outweigh performance anxiety and fear of judgment.Ixi explains Music 360’s holistic approach: helping musicians not only with auditions and materials, but also with projects, pricing confidence, communication, and career direction. She describes the power of reconnecting to meaning—focusing on the story, emotion, or intention behind a piece—to unlock freer, more connected performing. She illustrates this with a personal story of playing Jennifer Higdon’s Blue Cathedral after her sister’s passing, reframing the performance as a dialogue and a gift.The episode also covers Ixi’s recent workshop for the Civic Orchestra of Chicago on turning anxiety into agency—moving from “Will I make it?” to “How will I make it work?”—including identity work, nervous-system regulation, and an “Onlyness” branding template. The conversation closes with a practical takeaway: introduce yourself as a multi-dimensional artist (“I’m a _ who _ and _”).✨ Connect with Ixi Chen:Instagram – @musicthreesixtyWebsite - https://www.music-threesixty.com✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Dominik, a musician, producer, and Head of Sales, shared practical advice on cold outreach and negotiating for artists, emphasizing a business-minded approach.He stressed the importance of knowing your potential client and choosing the right communication channel. He uses A/B testing to determine which methods—like email, social media (Instagram, LinkedIn), or direct calls—are most effective for a particular contact. Dominique advised against using general email addresses (like office@...) and provided humorous but effective tactics, such as asking for a direct number or using provocative subject lines like "Open Demand" to cut through the noise and create urgency.For the content of any outreach, he championed providing value and displaying empathy (understanding the other party's position) over sympathy or self-indulgent, lengthy bios. Instead of focusing on "I, I, I," an artist should explain how booking them will solve a problem for the venue—such as increasing revenue or filling calendar slots.In negotiations, Dominik emphasized that a price is simply the perceived value you successfully communicate. He encouraged artists to first engage in discovery by asking questions to understand the client's needs and budget. A successful negotiation involves making the other party comfortable saying "no" so a mutual and actionable agreement can be reached, rather than settling for an easy "yes" that leads nowhere. Finally, he encouraged everyone to just keep trying, as the fear of failure is worse than the act of sending an email that might not get a response.✨ Connect with Dominik Landolt:Instagram – @landoltdominikWebsite - www.landoltdominik.com/✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Michelle Lynne welcomes classical accordionist Michael Bridge—fellow Canadian and University of Toronto faculty member—to the Fearless Artist Podcast to talk about building a sustainable performing career. Bridge shares how he trained at U of T (one of the only North American schools to offer classical accordion studies for decades) and explains how the instrument’s classical scene is growing beyond its folk roots. The conversation quickly turns to business: Bridge teaches a course focused specifically on making money from performing, covering topics like setting accurate fees, negotiating, U.S. work visas, incorporation, and long-term financial and retirement planning. His core message is that musicians must understand their true workload and value their time. He describes an “itemized” spreadsheet method that reveals how a single concert can easily equal a full work week once you count admin, travel, practice, promotion, and upkeep—often shocking students into rethinking underpaid gigs. They discuss closing the income gap through professionalism, unique artistic value, better materials, and practice-based negotiation skills. Bridge previews his March 4 “Next Level Negotiation” workshop, featuring role-play scenarios, practical rules of thumb, and scripts for handling low-budget offers while strengthening the industry overall.✨ Connect with Michael Bridge:Instagram – @michael_accordionistWebsite - https://www.michaelbridge.ca✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

In this episode of the Fearless Artist Podcast, Michelle Lynne and Brian Witkowski dismantle the "starving artist" myth. Witkowski, founder of The Lucrative Artist, argues that poverty is subconsciously normalized in music education, leaving talented performers broke and burnt out.Contrasting Schubert’s struggles with Rossini’s prosperity, Brian encourages artists to adopt a "boutique" business mindset. Key insights include a practical formula for calculating hourly rates, the importance of fundraising like a politician, and the necessity of saying no to misaligned, low-paying gigs. Brian also offers a unique perspective on the AI era, asserting that human artists provide the essential "source code" for the future.The conversation centers on entrepreneurial architecture: building business models that sell themselves so artists can thrive without compromising their integrity. The episode concludes with a powerful reminder to use gratitude as a professional orientation to build confidence and reduce friction.✨ Connect with Brian Witkowski:Instagram – Brian WitkowskiSubstack - https://thelucrativeartist.substack.com/Website - https://thelucrativevoice.com/✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

In this solo episode of The Fearless Artist Podcast, Michelle Lynne recaps “Vision and Vibes,” a Fast Forward membership workshop focused on starting the year with more sustainability and less pressure. She shares that her own year began without a surge of energy, prompting her to slow down, trust the natural ebb and flow of artistic life, and get intentional about where her limited time and energy should go.Michelle explains that many goals fail not because musicians lack discipline, but because goals aren’t connected to core values, meaning, and real-life capacity. When goals feel unclear, they become heavy and overwhelming, leading to scattered schedules, constant “busyness,” comparison, and discouragement. Instead of pushing harder or adding more productivity tools, she encourages listeners to choose better—building intentionally rather than trying to do everything at once.She also highlights the supportive community inside Fast Forward (now over 60 members), including coaching calls, Slack discussion, goal tracking, and coworking focus sessions. The episode offers reflection prompts and a simple planning framework: review what energized or drained you last year, create measurable “I am” goals, work backwards with buffer time, protect your highest-energy “Green Zone” hours, and keep promises with a weekly review ritual. Michelle’s key message: action creates clarity, and sustainable success comes from focus, kindness, and aligned priorities.✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

In this episode of The Fearless Artist podcast, host Michelle Lynne explores the critical issue of burnout among freelance musicians. She discusses the challenges musicians face, from managing chaotic schedules to handling performance stress and the demands of running a business. Michelle shares personal experiences with burnout, recounting a difficult period earlier in the year when her intense schedule left her exhausted. She highlights the importance of energy management over time management, offering practical strategies like simplifying tasks, creating rhythms for productivity, and eliminating energy drains. Michelle also emphasizes the value of coaching and delegating tasks to maintain a balanced life. Additionally, she shares insights from her own journey, including the difficult decision to leave a conservatory job to focus on other fulfilling opportunities. Ultimately, Michelle encourages musicians to create a sustainable lifestyle, invest in self-care, and pursue their passion without sacrificing well-being.✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Michelle Lynne chats with London Philharmonic Choir associate chorus director Tori Longdon on building World Choir, unearthing rare repertoire, and leading with joy + high standards. She urges artists to stop waiting for permission, build trust, and reset with a deep-breath practice.✨ Connect with Tori Longdon:Instagram –@ToriLongdonWebsite - https://www.torilongdon.com✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Pianist Michelle Lynne joins Nick Akdag on the Wise Musician podcast to discuss her new crossover album, One Step at a Time. Blending classical mastery with raw songwriting, Michelle shares her journey of overcoming perfectionism, the power of vulnerability, and how she turned personal healing into a message of hope.✨ Connect with Nick Akdag:Instagram –@Wise_Musician✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

In this episode, marketing expert Dustin Boyer explains how classical musicians can bridge the gap between virtuosity and branding. He discusses "message mining" fan comments, using Meta ads to build email lists, and why live-streaming is the ultimate tool for humanizing the "mysterious" artist.✨ Connect with Dustin Boyer:Instagram – @dustintheindustryplantWebsite - https://www.industryplantmusic.com/✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

In this solo episode, Michelle Lynne guides musicians through a 2025 reflection to combat the "what's next" pressure. She shares prompts on managing energy, redefining identity, and choosing courage over comfort, encouraging listeners to slow down and celebrate wins before tackling 2026.✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Guest host Robert Bosworth interviews Michelle Lynn about her new album, One Step at a Time. They discuss overcoming perfectionism, the unique mix of pop and classical tracks, and her experience performing at the Eiffel Tower. Michelle also shares goals for 2026 and her vocal journey.One Step at a Time - Listen Everywhere✨ Connect with Robert Bosworth:Instagram – @robert.bosworth.music✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Coach and drummer John Blackburn joins Michelle to unpack the “hamster wheel” for musicians, using NLP, clear goals and identity shifts to build stability without losing freedom. Learn to “push your own buttons” and design routines that support your art and life.✨ Connect with John Blackburn:Instagram – @coachjohnblackburnWebsite - https://www.john-blackburn.com/nextsteps✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

In Part 2, Dominik Landolt continues discussing authentic sales with Michelle Lynne. He argues against manipulation, urging musicians to research venues and solve actual problems. His key advice: don't take silence personally and never leave a meeting without a scheduled follow-up.✨ Connect with Dominik Landolt:Instagram – @landoltdominikWebsite - www.landoltdominik.com/✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Dominik Landolt returns to The Fearless Artist to share insights on sales for musicians, the power of asking, intentional networking, and building real connections. He explains how clear goals, active listening, and simple, strong pitches can transform a musician’s career.✨ Connect with Dominik Landolt:Instagram – @landoltdominikWebsite - www.landoltdominik.com/✨ Explore The Fearless Mastermind:Website – thefearlessartistmastermind.comInstagram – @thefearlessartistmastermind🎵 Intro, Outro music by Michelle Lynne📌 Episode produced by phMediaStudio, LLC

Michelle Lynne & Pallavi Mahidhara discuss artist wellbeing. Pallavi champions mental health in music, advocating for balance over burnout. They redefine success as "peaceful & balanced," stressing that motivation follows discipline, not just inspiration. Essential listening for artists seeking grace, self-awareness, and intentional living.🔗 Connect with Pallavi MahidharaWebsite: https://www.pallavimahidhara.com/Instagram: @pallavimahidharapianistPodcast: The Conscious Artist--The Fearless Mastermind Website - https://www.thefearlessartistmastermind.com/The Fearless Mastermind Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thefearlessartistmastermind/--🎵 Intro/Outro Music by Michelle Lynne📽️ Produced by phMediaStudio, LLC