Live Q+A with four Fearless Artists!

Michelle Lynne: So welcome, Naomi, to the podcast Hot Seat. First time we’re doing this. Thank you for volunteering. What’s on your mind today?

Naomi Bruette: Sure. I’m Naomi. I teach music lessons. I’ve been a musician my whole life, but music lessons — I just love it. I’m really focusing on group classes, and that’s been super fun this past year to explore. I’ve discovered that’s really what I love doing: teaching group piano lessons to little kids. It’s just so much fun. Every time I step away from it, I just love it. It’s so much fun. So that’s so great. That’s what I do.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, I love that.

Naomi Bruette: And where are you based? I’m based in the Kansas City Metro area. Just for everyone listening,

Michelle Lynne: Okay. So what is your hot seat topic today?

Naomi Bruette: Okay. So I think when I look at social media and Instagram, I know you had a webinar on this, but I’m still getting hung up on showing my face on Instagram. I think that’s my biggest hangup. I know that I need to address the problem and I need to fix it because I know that’s how I get referrals and clients—by people knowing who I am. So it’s always that one-on-one, personal connection. I know that I really need to fix this problem, but it’s still a problem. I’ve discovered a few things that I’ve tried with the workshop you did, but I just have this hangup with it still. Yeah. Okay, great.

Michelle Lynne: Thank you for sharing that. This is a very relatable question for a lot of people listening. I know that showing our faces can be overwhelming, or we might feel a bit awkward. Can you tell me more about what’s getting in your way?

Naomi Bruette: Yeah, so with the workshop, I found a really good flow, and I’m like, “Okay, this is what I need to do.” So I’m like, “Okay, I can do a sticky note, and I can, you know, put it on my camera lens and all of this stuff.” So it had some super good tips, but it’s just like actually hitting post and posting it. I think part of it is relatable content that I don’t know if that’s what is going to work. And then you get all the Instagram ads, “Oh, you’re looking for Instagram help,” and whatever, you know? And then you get caught in the cycle of rethinking, “Well, is this content the right way?” And then just sharing it, you know, your face is out there and whatever. I don’t know, it just keeps getting hung up on that.

Michelle Lynne: Okay. Yeah, I hear a lot of different thoughts are coming to you when you go to hit post. You’re worried about the algorithm, you’re worried about who’s going to see you, you’re worried about your face being out there. If you had to pinpoint one specific reason that you’re not feeling comfortable yet sharing, do you know what that is?

Naomi Bruette: Probably just—I think maybe when it comes to actually posting, it’s just like worried that this is not actually something that is relevant for people to hear. You know, like, because I have videos on my phone, but actually posting it, saying like, “Is this really relevant? Is this really something that they want to hear? Is it going to, you know, who’s it actually for?” And just like, I always want things to make sense on why I do something. It’s important to have the why. And if I know why, then I’m all for it. But like, “Is this actually relevant? Does this actually matter?” You know? Yeah, yeah. So let’s, and I don’t know if that actually even helps anyone, but for me, I think that’s what it’s, right.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, sure. You know, I think that there are like 10 people listening right now who are nodding along: “Yep, we don’t want to show our face online.” So can you, digging into this a little bit, can you tell me how your last students have come to you?

Naomi Bruette: It’s always through word of mouth. Like someone knows someone and they say, “Hey, this is what we want. You should take lessons from this teacher.” Right. Okay. So that’s always.

Michelle Lynne: Tell me, tell me more about why you want to get posting your face on Instagram anyway. Do you feel like it’s an important part of your brand, of your teaching studio?

Naomi Bruette: I do, and for two reasons. One, for a marketing thing, I really want to grow. I want to have more group classes. I want to have, you know, a hundred students in eight classes, and that’s really where I want to go with this. But I want to get there faster. And I think that if I am more open on social media so that people actually see my face, they actually know who I am, they’ll be more inclined to like, send me a message and say, “Hey, can I take lessons from you?” Right. And I do have some DMs that come in with people every once in a while, on the rare occasion where I show something relevant or whatever, you know, then they will comment. But I agree that it helps build that trust factor if we see your face.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah. What are some of the ways that you’ve already considered showing your face? Because we don’t have to do talking content if that’s where you’re getting stuck. Is there another way that you could ease into becoming more personal on your page?

Naomi Bruette: That’s true. I, I suppose I have. Occasionally I’ll show, like I’ll do a selfie of myself or something, and I’ll do that, and that one, I don’t know why, I’m a little bit more comfortable with that one, you know? Yeah. I guess, yeah, I

Michelle Lynne: I think that’s a great way. Deanna has a pinned headshot on her Instagram profile right now, so she’s currently on mat leave. But if you go to her profile, you see her face, and it has a little about her in the description. That’s a way that you could show your face on the top of your page and then all of your studio content.

Naomi Bruette: Okay. Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: Tell me more about what kind of content that you would want to talk about on your page and what excites you about that?

Naomi Bruette: So I think as far as content, I really want to talk to the parents and provide help and support for the parents as they are supporting their students, right? So I teach a lot of little kids, and I feel like a lot of parents don’t really know what they want. They don’t know how to support their kids in their music journey. And so if I’m going to be doing like talking head content, or even kind of the direction that I want to go with my content, is I want to provide support for the parents on, you know, “Here’s how you can help your kid practice,” and just empower them to like walk that journey with their child, as opposed to saying, “Hey, go sit down and practice.” Like that’s what I got when I was a kid, and that’s what a lot of parents get. I think a lot of kids, it’s just like, “Go practice,” and you don’t really know what or how to support your child. So that’s like kind of where I want to go with, like, in the next three months, that’s kind of where I want to go with it.

Michelle Lynne: That’s perfect. Okay. So let’s make that like your three-month goal to have you doing talking content. Talking. Why is it important to support your child in their practicing? How can you support your child? Could you kind of imagining that that’s the top of the mountain, like what’s one step below that? That’s a little bit more in your comfort zone in terms of we’re showing your face, we’re showing your authority, you’re connecting to your audience, but it’s not you talking directly to the camera.

Naomi Bruette: I could probably do like, like you said, just do like a headshot of me and then just do like graphics over top of it. Or even like, I’m really comfortable like playing the piano, like, and I’ve done that. So maybe I could turn those instead of just me playing the piano, I could do more of show like, do the steps. Well, here’s how you get here. You have to, and here’s how you can help your child get to that point or something like that.

Michelle Lynne: Right. So we’re still seeing your face, but you’re not actually yet speaking to the camera. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s great because then you’re introducing yourself. I mean, for me, on camera, you have a lot of joy. You’re very safe. I think that people would be attracted to that. So there’s just by being seen. There’s a lot of positives that come with that. Like, “Yes, I’ll put my child in this group lesson. It looks like a lot of fun.” What are other ways that you can show your face without speaking directly to the camera right now?

Naomi Bruette: Well, I have a parent taking videos and photos when I’m teaching, so I could do that as well. And instead of doing it more instead of with the twist of like, “Hey, join this group class,” I could do more of, “Here’s how you can support your child in that group class.” So like maybe just changing the, like keep the visuals. Because I’ve got a lot of visual content of me actively teaching, but maybe just changing the copy and like the way that I put the reel or the post together into being more of like an educational thing.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, absolutely. That’s a great idea because you’re taking your authority, you’re showing teaching, you know, show, don’t tell. That’s one of the best ways that we can market. So you can tell somebody all day, “Here’s how to help your kid,” but if you actually show yourself sitting at the piano, or even if you are talking to one of the parents, showing them how to sit at the piano with their child, and you are the authority in the room, you’re showing your expertise, people are gonna come onto your page and find that like, “Oh, Naomi, she wears bright colors. She seems really friendly. This feels good for my kid. How do I get involved in lessons?” And then your call to action in every single post. Do you want your child to be supported and have great fun lessons? Whatever your angle is to market the studio. I think we talked about that in your coaching session and in the, in the TFA fast forward community. That’s where you can really start to, every single person who likes that photo or that post, you get in the DMs with them, “Hey, thanks so much for liking my post. Do you have a child? Are you looking for piano lessons? How can I support you? Do you have any questions?” Then you can start conversations with potential leads, we call them the customers. And then sell directly to them to get them into your studio. Awesome. Yeah. What is the first step? What’s the first thing you’re going to do after this hot seat?

Naomi Bruette: I’m going to go write down all my thoughts and my ideas, and then I’m going to brainstorm like how I can make those connections into like those, the, the visuals and making the connections with like, actually making it an educational post, and plan the next two weeks of posts. So I actually have that in my calendar, and then I will actually do it.

Michelle Lynne: I love that. Yeah. Making that long-term plan of, “Okay, in three months we’re going to do the talking head content.” And up until then, to help you grow out of your comfort zone, we’re going to do the headshot. We’re going to show the you teaching. We’re going to show other people taking films of you talking about everything you know, and then eventually you’ll get to talking on camera. But you’re doing it right now, and you’re doing a great job. I could always interview you one day on camera, and you tell me everything you want to know about your studio, and then you crop that out. You know, I do that with coaching content now from our hot seats. I’m now just taking the recording of the Fast Forward call and posting that as content rather than talking to my camera.

Naomi Bruette: Oh, I like that. That’s a really good idea. And I like the, I like the visual of the mountain. I like that, that’s an easy, easy thing to like keep in my mind.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah. Good. We have to break things down and make them easier for ourselves when we’re pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone, you know? We don’t have to do it all at once. So, but on the next Fast Forward call, I would love for you to share this with the group. Okay. And then by then you could even have your first headshot posted and tag us, and we’ll share it in the stories. Awesome. Cool. Good. I’ll do that. Thanks, Naomi. Thanks for being here today.

Michelle Lynne: Hello, Jason.

Jason Nichols: What’s up, Michelle?

Michelle Lynne: How’s it going?

Jason Nichols: It’s going good. How are you today?

Michelle Lynne: I’m good, I’m good. Um, there we go. Um, you’ve got headphones, so you’re all good. Perfect rock and rolling.

Jason Nichols: Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: Awesome. Okay, so welcome to your hot seat. You’re a podcast hot seat. This is the first time I’m doing this, so thank you for being a volunteer. Absolutely. I think, I think I might, I think I might have voluntold you for this one, actually.

Jason Nichols: It’s all good. And then I voluntold Brie, so you know, we’re just about telling each other what to do. Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: I’m looking forward to meeting your wife after this. Okay, great. So what’s, what’s on your mind? And then the second question is, what’s getting in your way?

Jason Nichols: Yeah, so, and it’s so interesting because what’s on my mind is in many ways already being solved by The Fearless Artists. Like we’re doing things within these meetings. So it’s just interesting. I’m bringing something in, but I’m like, but we’re already solving it by being a part of this community. But I still want your thoughts because it’s something I still struggle with daily, and that is making the time, making myself a client.

Michelle Lynne: Mm. Myself and making myself a priority. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Please elaborate.

Jason Nichols: Of just, of just advancing the needle. Not just doing coachings, not just doing another lesson, not, not that, but actually taking the time to email, you know, and, and pushing that out there and making sure that I’m getting myself seen.

Michelle Lynne: Hmm. Um,

Jason Nichols: We’ve been talking about this a lot, you know, through our, through the Slack channel, through the meetings, and then just you and I personally. So yeah, making myself the client is, is really where I’m finding the struggle happening right now.

Michelle Lynne: Okay. Thank you. Just quickly for everybody listening, can you do like your two sentence, who you are and what you do?

Jason Nichols: Yeah, so I’m Jason Nichols, and I live in Prague in the Czech Republic. I’m an opera singer, but I’m also a lot more. I manage logistics for tours around the world. I do graphic design. I also have helped run risk management for banks and banking clients. So, quite a broad spectrum, uh, work capabilities, but primarily a singer and an artist.

Michelle Lynne: So when we talk about you getting seen and getting visible, it’s really in order for you to reach your goal, which is…

Jason Nichols: To be a full-time opera singer.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah. Okay. Full-time opera singer. So we want concerts. Okay, great. Yeah. So what’s getting in your way?

Jason Nichols: The daily life. Mm-hmm. There’s so many things that, uh, are, are on my demands, you know, of I have to meet this client, I have to meet this client, I have to make money to pay the bills, and so I want to pay those bills and I want to also have the future secure and provided for, and I’m thinking about that. And I, it gets hard when I’m realizing at the end of the day, I’m out of gas.

Michelle Lynne: And,

Jason Nichols: I haven’t, I haven’t done a single thing for myself. I haven’t posted anything. I haven’t thought about anything. I haven’t done a single thing, one, to fill my soul creatively, artistically. And I haven’t even thought about, hey, that concert you have coming up, you know, in three months. Like I’ve got little recitals, I’m scheduling, and I’ve got little tours I’m thinking about, but I haven’t actually put paper to pen, got an email drafted, things like that. Um, that can be, that can be quite demotivating, you know, at the end of the day, to realize I haven’t done anything.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, I get that. And you have a demanding job, daytime job, right? As well. So that’s taking up a lot of bandwidth. Yeah. So when we talk about, um, making yourself a client, what does it mean when you show up for a client? How do you act? How do you dress? What’s your energy like? What? Describe that for me.

Jason Nichols: I am all in for a client because at that moment, they are the person that they are paying for my time. They’re paying for my expertise. They’re paying for my ability to make their job easier. To do for them what only I can do. And so when I talk about making myself the client, I have to apply that same thing. I’m the one who knows myself best. I’m the one who knows my abilities best, and what I bring to the table best. I have all the confidence in the world that Jason Nichols can do the job that he’s being tasked to do. I have to show that, and I have to do that, and I have to put that out there. And so I think making myself a client is not just, uh, putting things on the calendar for myself, but reaching out to people.

Michelle Lynne: Mm-hmm.

Jason Nichols: And making a connection. We talk about these two-minute wins in TFA, and that’s advancing the needle. It’s not just telling yourself, “Hey, I’m going to do this.” It’s actually like doing it. And sending out the email. And in that way, I think I begin to hold myself accountable because someone else is in the conversation now. Right? It’s no longer just me. Right. Um, and so that’s making myself. The client is bringing other people in to, to the picture. Um, so, yeah, I love that. That’s where I kind of land.

Michelle Lynne: Hey, I hear you. And I totally get that on like a large scale, but like, let’s talk, yeah, super practically, because you said just now that your daily schedule, like, “Oh, I gotta meet this client, I gotta meet this client.” Okay. So what if we had to meet Jason, what would that look like, right, for you? Like in the moment,

Jason Nichols: You know, we’ve talked about this too. Um, and I have been doing this, and I have been doing better since we started talking about this a few weeks ago, of scheduling daily time for myself. And what I try to do, and how I try to make this work, is I try not to sweat making it like an exact amount of time. Mm-hmm. Therefore, I fail. If I don’t meet that exact amount of time, I try to make it more that I do something. It’s kind of like going to the gym. Today, I went to the gym. I didn’t want to go to the gym today. I was extraordinarily tired because I woke up like four hours before I had to go, like 4:00 AM. I just woke up. But I still went to the gym. Because I knew it was going to be good for me. And so in the same vein, I know it’s going to be good for me to do something for myself in my career, my career goals, no matter how long it takes or how little time it takes, I need to do something. Um, and so that can be just texting somebody, that can be sending out an email, that can be, uh, I did it quickly on the tram the other day. I, uh, was planning out, um, I’m planning out a German audition tour right now, and so I was just looking at more of the theaters that are on my list and verifying emails, making sure I have contact details correct, so when I have all the videos and everything together, I can just start putting these emails in, and I’m not thinking about, “Is this correct?” No, I verified that already.

Michelle Lynne: Mm-hmm.

Jason Nichols: So, yeah. So when you’re, when

Michelle Lynne: When you’re working with a client, are you focused more on time with the client? Like let’s say you have an appointment 11 to 12 on Tuesday, right? Or do you think like, no, this is a certain result that I need to get for this client today?

Jason Nichols: It’s typically result-based. Usually my meetings are about presenting something and saying, “Hey, here’s the work that’s been done. Here’s the deliverable. Here’s the result. Here’s the overview.” It’s, um, detail meetings do happen, and we do talk about things, but that’s all been kind of discussed in scope. So that’s something I already have prior to engagement, and that happens upon an engagement. And so that’s, that’s not something that we really deal with. It’s really delivering and giving the full picture of what’s happening.

Michelle Lynne: So you’re, you’re delivering something that you’ve already worked on in the past, right. Right. Okay. So when are you, you’re doing that work just in your daily work time? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So how can we use this? Because whenever we find something that works, we want to maximize it and use lateral thinking. So let’s say we have a meeting with Jason, 11 to 12 on Tuesday, but that means the work already has to be done because you’re presenting something to him.

Jason Nichols: Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: So what does that look like?

Jason Nichols: I think that would mean setting goals and making sure, “Hey, you know, by this date this needs to be done.” It’s, it’s really just project management for myself where I say, “This is what you want to do. What does this look like working backwards?” When I think about the tours that I’ve helped, uh, build and manage, that’s really exactly how we do it. We start with the date that the tour ends. And then we work backwards, and we build out how we want the tour to look, what we imagine it, and then we build out the months leading up, and we build scope of what does the work look like involved for making this tour happen. Um, and so I think it’s the same thing for Jason is that I need to work backwards and say, “Okay, I…”

Michelle Lynne: When, when would you want this? The ideal of this?

Jason Nichols: Mm-hmm. And we build that out, and then we start setting deadlines essentially. And for me, deadlines aren’t rigid so much as they are very much, and unless I, let me, let me say this: If any of my clients hear this, it is rigid for, for our clients. Some deliverables have a hard date… but right. It’s, it’s, it’s just that.

Michelle Lynne: Artificial deadlines. Yeah.

Jason Nichols: Yeah. We need to create these, so we have the sense that this needs to get done. If we’re going to move the needle, we need to do this, or else we continue to perpetuate the past results of what we’ve had, which is nothing. So we can’t maintain the past. We’ve gotta build the future. So when you, we have to keep moving it.

Michelle Lynne: You mentioned the, the tours that you planned, right? And you said, “We, we built out the scope.” Was you were working with a team. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So when it comes to working with yourself, I think that’s where a lot of freelancers, yeah. That’s why we get stuck because we’re on our own. Yeah. So it’s very easy to fall into like, “I’m tired today, I’m overwhelmed. I’ve got pressure from external,” like you already mentioned, bills to pay that you’re, you’re thinking about where you actually get money right now. Yeah, yeah. Rather than planning your German tour, which will give you money in the future. Yeah. You constantly have to make these decisions around, you know, cost benefit analysis and like short term, long term. So is there someone currently, I mean, I know you have a great supportive wife, but like, can you think of other team or another way to build in this “we” so that when you’re working with Jason, it’s not just up to you.

Jason Nichols: So this is going to be a plug, not, and Michelle did not ask for this, but it’s exactly what I did this week where I texted you and said, “Hey, I have this idea, I’m going to do this.” And then you responded before I could even like take it back. I was like, “Oh no.”

Michelle Lynne: Why don’t you tell everybody what it was since you’re here.

Jason Nichols: I know. Oh my gosh. And I’ve still got to do it this week. Um, I’ve recorded three times and I’ve hated all of them. Oh, no. But I, I need to start posting videos of myself singing. I need to start making myself more visible. But it’s, it’s telling people, “Hey, hold me accountable. Ask me how I’m doing on these things. Here are the things I need to do and ask me how I’m doing.” And it’s not just The Fearless Artist. I have friends who will do this for me.

Michelle Lynne: Perfect.

Jason Nichols: I have, I have, I have siblings who will check in on me, and my older sister will absolutely hold my feet to the fire. Like she will be like, “Jay, how are we doing on this?” I’ll be like, “Oh Jesus, come on.” So we’ll do it. So that’s it. It’s, it’s knowing the people who support you and who are going to hold you to it. Not just the people who are going to say, “Hey, great job.” It’s going to be the people who are like, “Hey, you can do more than what you’re doing.”

Michelle Lynne: Yes.

Jason Nichols: Are you doing it?

Michelle Lynne: Yeah.

Jason Nichols: And you’ve got to know those people in your life. If you don’t have those people, you’re absolutely right, Michelle. You’re not, you’re not going to advance. You’ve got to know who your team is. Whether they’re paid or unpaid, your friends are, you know? Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: I mean, when Deanna and I got serious about The Fearless Artists, we started working together on Zoom. We get two-hour blocks in our calendars. Monday, Tuesday, we sit together, mute, and do our work. Yeah, because otherwise it was like, “Okay, you handle this and I’ll handle this,” and then it’s scattered. And at the beginning of this hot seat, I heard you mentioning all these things you need to do for Jason, the emails, the pitches, and stuff, and it’s just maybe a little bit too all over the place, and you need these concentrated blocks of time for working on this business.

Jason Nichols: Are you saying I need to come to a focus session?

Michelle Lynne: So everybody listening, The Fearless Artist community includes your focus. Have you been to a focus session yet?

Jason Nichols: I have not yet.

Michelle Lynne: Okay. Okay, so focus session. We usually have a group of, well, actually one, there’s one girl in Norway, Mary and Mari.

Jonathan Lin: Yes.

Michelle Lynne: We get on at 7:30 AM, and we sit together. Well, she usually practices, and I’m like dragging myself out of bed, to be honest. But anyway, one hour on Zoom, muted, and everybody sets their intentions at the beginning, and at the end we do a little check in. They’re super helpful because you have the, well, it’s what you said. You sent me that video of the somebody watching you, you get your work done. Yeah. You know, this is how we’re supposed to practice too. Didn’t Schumann say you’re supposed to always practice like the Master’s watching?

Jonathan Lin: I was not a good student, so I don’t know anything that Schumann said.

Michelle Lynne: Okay. So it’s the same thing if you’re working for Jason, like make sure that you know that people are, yeah. I mean, I think this team element could really be helpful for you.

Jason Nichols: That’s a great thought. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

Michelle Lynne: Great. Okay, so how does that feel? When’s the next focus session? What’s the plan? What’s your takeaway? Yeah.

Jason Nichols: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think my takeaway is absolutely what you just said. I need to reach out to those few people I just mentioned. Not only Brie, because she, and actually today we schedule things. Mm-hmm. So that she can start helping, holding me accountable and stuff like that, because she’s a great linguist and great vocal coach and teacher and stuff. So she’s going to start really taking a more active role. But then I’ll reach out to my oldest sister and say, “Hey, I need you to check in on me.”

Michelle Lynne: Mm-hmm.

Jason Nichols: On these things. Um, and then also just post in TFA and then join a focus session. That’s, so that’s four things.

Michelle Lynne: I love that.

Jason Nichols: Um, yeah.

Michelle Lynne: I’m going to throw in something super practical. It might not be applicable for you, but it is for me. Um, if I have a coaching client, I’m like wearing a nice outfit, my hair’s done, my makeup’s on. But if I’m telling Michelle she needs to, you know, do her album edits or practice, then I’m still in like pajama mode. Sure. And I, I notice that when I put myself in this higher energy state by showing up for myself. Yeah. Even though I’m still in my living room. Yeah. Yeah. I’m like, wait, like I have a podcast interview. I have to be ready. I have to be on. Yeah. So then treating myself in that same like, “Oh, I booked an hour to work on my album today. I need to be on.” Right. Um, that’s really helped me to get out of kind of that low energy, or maybe even like depressive state sometimes where like all of your, yeah. Anxious thoughts are still in the morning. You know, you gotta go clear out the cobwebs first thing in the morning. Yep. I don’t know if anybody else listening has to do that when you wake up. You know, like,

Jason Nichols: Uh, I had no anxiety this morning when, when I woke up. I am the perfect millennial.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, yeah. Actually, like exactly.

Jason Nichols: Elder millennial,

Michelle Lynne: Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Elder millennial. Oh, let’s not, let’s not get into that. Yesterday I taught my Gen Z class, and, uh, I said something and I was like, “Aren’t you guys proud of me?” I’m, oh yeah. I showed them the millennial pause. Do you know what that is? It’s when you breathe.

Jason Nichols: Yes. We’ve talked about this. Yes. My thing lately is I’m wearing crew socks. I’m no longer wearing ankle socks. Oh, no.

Michelle Lynne: For short. Oh no. I know you’ve left us. I’m doing the crew socks.

Jason Nichols: Yeah. Brie. Brie is very disappointed. She’s like, “I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all.”

Michelle Lynne: Good. Okay. Well, I think these tips are super practical. I’d love for you to share that in the Slack channel. Absolutely. For community today. We’ll, and yeah, you’re just a joy to be around, so thanks for being here.

Jason Nichols: Awesome. Thanks, Michelle. Thank you so much. We’ll talk to you later.

Michelle Lynne: Talk to you soon.

Michelle Lynne: Hello.

Bree Nichols: Hi. Hi.

Michelle Lynne: So nice to meet you. Sorry about that.

Bree Nichols: Well, it’s so good to finally meet you. Yeah, you too. A lot of good things.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, same. Same. I’ve heard so many good things about you, and I’ve seen so many great things. So yeah, welcome to your, thank you. 15-minute hot seat.

Bree Nichols: Thank you. It’s such a pleasure. I really appreciate it.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, definitely. So I’d love to hear what’s on your mind and then what’s getting in your way.

Bree Nichols: Well, I have a couple things that I, uh, wrote down, so let me pull up my little list here.

Michelle Lynne: Oh, and if you don’t mind just introducing yourself for our audience.

Bree Nichols: Yeah. I’m Bree Nichols. I live in Prague, Czech Republic, and I’m a soprano. I’m also a voice teacher, and I am the founder and artistic director of Opera Arlington back in Texas where I was living previously. And I’m really thankful to be here today, so thank you for the invitation. So I think one of the first things that I, that came to mind was I feel like I’ve been making a lot of progress in my career lately. There have been a lot of steps that I, uh, have been working toward for a long time, and I’m in a lot of a, a building stage, I would say. Um, but one thing I find is that it’s hard for me to actually be present in the moment and celebrate those victories. It feels like my brain always goes on to the next thing. That is, isn’t that like the classic happiness treadmill of like, you achieve your goals, but then it’s like, okay, what’s next? And I want to make sure that I’m still kind of making space in my life for gratitude and savoring the moments that I’m in. So that was kind of the first, this.

Michelle Lynne: Oh, this is so beautiful. I’m so grateful you brought this topic up. Yeah. I think this is so relatable also for myself, something I’ve been thinking about and working on. So I’d love to hear like, what have you tried so far and, um, what’s stopping you, let’s say.

Bree Nichols: I try to be reflective, um, throughout my artistic process. Uh, I think teaching actually helps me a lot because as I’m building that relationship with students and discovering how they view the music, it, it helps me to see things from a different, different perspective and kind of slow down in the process. But I think what gets in my way is just, I think I have a natural ambition that I, or perfectionism or whatever we want to call it, that I never feel satisfied completely and, and my brain will just want to move me along to the next step or look for the next opportunity or maybe even, maybe I accomplished a big goal of mine, but then I go online and I see someone who’s, you know, light years ahead of me and, and all of that. And, and then I, my progress just seems like kind of pointless in light of that.

Michelle Lynne: Yes, yes, a hundred percent. This is very relatable, like I said. So, um, yeah. This is great for sharing. So what’s getting in your way is the drive that you have. Which is also, I think in a lot of ways, yes, a good thing because your drive is what’s gotten you this far. Yeah. So that’s where these things can be more complex than just black and white. Because I mean, the reason that we have success is because we know how to persevere and have grit and push and look for opportunities and try again after we fall down. So it’s interesting if you notice like, oh, maybe sometimes it can work against you. Um, yeah. And another thing that’s getting in your way is comparison. Absolutely. You say? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Okay. So you’ve tried already gratitude?

Bree Nichols: I would say yes, but I could probably be more mindful in the approach to that. I think it’s really helpful when I try to take moments like with my husband and we actually say like, “What are a few gifts that were appreciating right now?” Like, you know,

Michelle Lynne: That’s a beautiful question,

Bree Nichols: But I think we don’t do that enough, you know?

Michelle Lynne: Mm-hmm.

Bree Nichols: I, I haven’t placed the systems in my life to remind me to do those things regularly.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, absolutely. So in terms of other milestones in your life, I know you got married for example. Like what are other ways that you’ve celebrated these milestone moments?

Bree Nichols: Hmm. That’s a good question. I mean, uh, I would say I, another big milestone, for example, would be completing my dissertation and, and my doctorate. And obviously you have like the ceremony of that. In my case it was in 2021, so,

Michelle Lynne: Oh man, that was a little bit stymied.

Bree Nichols: But yeah, I think, that was a big page turn in my life. Big new chapter as well. I think it’s important for me to like bring in family and loved ones around to appreciate those moments.

Michelle Lynne: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Bree Nichols: Yeah. I guess just setting aside the time intentionally to not just speed off to the next thing, you know.

Michelle Lynne: Right. Okay. So I heard your graduation doctorate. Congrats, by the way. Um,

Bree Nichols: Thank you.

Michelle Lynne: Your wedding obviously took time for that. What are some other milestone moments, maybe earlier in your life that you remember celebrating?

Bree Nichols: Uh, well, one big thing that I did when I was about 23 was I started a little opera organization in my hometown.

Michelle Lynne: Opera Arlington.

Bree Nichols: Um, this one is, is Stafford Opera Troop. So this was pre-Opera Arlington. And, um, that was with my very good friend Corinne Polton. And we put on a tuition-free summer program for high school and young collegiate singers. And it turned out to be like such a special thing for our community that really had no opera of any kind. And I was really proud of us for that. And I think that kind of moment, it was my first time producing, uh, it was my first time creating opportunities for others. I found that tremendously fulfilling, and that’s a big reason that Opera Arlington exists now.

Michelle Lynne: Hmm, that’s interesting. Um, yeah, it’s a stepping stone.

Bree Nichols: I think it’s easier for me to celebrate other people’s wins in a way.

Michelle Lynne: Okay. Okay. Let’s talk about that.

Bree Nichols: Yeah. You know, I think, like I find a lot of joy and fulfillment out of creating that next stepping stone for other artists. Mm-hmm. And, you know, I, I think I do do that for myself to some degree. You know, obviously I, I’ve worked hard to take the steps in my career that I have. But it’s easier for me to be fearless about it when it’s on someone else’s behalf.

Michelle Lynne: Okay. Makes, well, you know what’s interesting is I just finished chatting with your husband, and we had a very similar conversation about him treating himself as he treats his clients. Mm-hmm. Because when he shows up for his clients, he cares about delivering, he wants to show them a result. He is thinking about how they’re paying him for his time. So we were talking about ways that he can show up for himself in that way. So. Do you see how you could celebrate Brie if she was another person?

Bree Nichols: Honestly, I, I hadn’t thought of it in, in that light, but yeah, it’s a, it’s a really good question. It’s very thought-provoking, like when I have that next win. Like I just had a pretty big milestone actually recently. Like I signed with my first agent.

Michelle Lynne: Oh, congrat.

Bree Nichols: But my default instinct is, is minimizing that because I’m like, “Oh, well, you know, I have to prove myself, and it doesn’t really mean anything until I get booked.” And you know,

Michelle Lynne: That’s natural of your brain. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Bree Nichols: Yeah. Yeah. So I think like, it’s not that I’m to share it, but I, it almost doesn’t feel real to me. Mm-hmm. If that makes sense.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, sure. I mean, part of, part of our careers is like your brain needs to catch up to your next level. Like, we broke, break open into the next door of success, and it’s like, “Wait, I don’t know what it’s like up here. I don’t know how to act or think or be.” You know, this is like you, yeah. Territory.

Bree Nichols: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And then I, I did have one other sort of topic I wanted to mention. So I find that I’ve been getting used to sharing more of my work online, making that part of my sort of approach to my career because that has, you know, gotten me jobs in the past. That’s actually been a huge asset to my career, is, is my online presence. Even though I’ve got like, I don’t even remember, 3,000 followers, something like that. It’s not, it’s not a crazy number. So,

Michelle Lynne: Okay, great. I just want everyone to really listen to what you just said, that it was a huge asset for her and she’s gotten opportunities through her online presence. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

Bree Nichols: I literally, literally gotten jobs directly through that. And, uh, okay. It’s also served as my online portfolio for people that are interested in working with me. And it’s been kind of opening the doors for, for those opportunities in a more peripheral way too.

Michelle Lynne: Amazing.

Bree Nichols: Um, but I, you know, then have also had people write to me through my website that found me on Instagram through some video I shared. Yeah. And, uh, that’s led to a job opportunity, you know. So, um, I think what can feel difficult, and it’s something that in some ways I’ve dealt with, um, but it feels like the work’s never done, which is essentially when you’re sharing your work online, there is an innately like self-serving purpose behind it of like, “I’m using this as an asset for my career,” right? Yeah. For the furtherance of my career. Um, but at the same time, I am like an INFJ, if you’re into the Myers-Briggs thing, type of person, that I am really, really driven by things that are meaningful to other people. Hmm. And so I’m like, how can I make sure that my work somehow, I… Sorry.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah. These are big. Yeah, I’m

Bree Nichols: Sorry. It, it, it is like close to my heart because it’s it’s not just about, sorry.

Michelle Lynne: It’s okay. These things are so, so personal. It’s not just about

Bree Nichols: My, my life online. It’s an artist. It’s, it’s also, um, like in the, in the rehearsal space and on the stage. It’s like, it’s so important for me to stay connected to my purpose, yeah, as an artist.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah.

Bree Nichols: It’s, it’s so deeply not about me. Mm-hmm. And if it was, I don’t think I could stand to be in this career.

Michelle Lynne: Right.

Bree Nichols: And so I, I think that I sometimes, I, as I’m working through all these stages of ambition in my career, and as I’m reaching all these, these new stages and new communities and all of that, I feel sort of an internal pressure and call and motivation to make sure that it’s serving a purpose for other people that you know, that it’s all the things that art can be for them, you know, healing for them or bringing them together with others, or just giving them a moment of beauty in their lives.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah.

Bree Nichols: And so I think the reason that it’s like so close to my heart is, is simply, I am, I’m devastated to think that some of my work might not achieve that.

Michelle Lynne: Hmm.

Bree Nichols: You know?

Michelle Lynne: And do you, do you feel like that would be, yeah, go ahead. Does it, does it prevent you from sharing because you’re feeling this pressure?

Bree Nichols: I think on some level it does. You know, I think, I, I don’t share clips of my singing and my performing, for instance, very often. I don’t make a lot of posts, of myself like talking and kind of like sharing my views and perspectives. Even if in some way that could be an easier way to achieve that goal of connecting or assisting or uplifting other people. So I guess there is some pressure associated with that.

Michelle Lynne: So first of all, thanks for sharing this because I think a lot of artists, I mean, what you said, we wouldn’t survive this industry if we didn’t feel like we had a calling and a purpose. And I know even this morning I was feeling the weight again, of being behind on a project that really matters to me. And then there’s shame attached, and then you feel about people that you might be letting down, and you worry about what people might be saying about you. And it’s just like all of that noise in your head, at any given moment. And, you know, taking every thought captive and really saying like, “Hey, what do I choose to believe right now?” So, I mean, just for, just for today, I mean, obviously this is a huge topic and, um, would never want to try and put a little bow on this, right. But I would just ask, can you talk a little bit about a time when you know that you made a big impact on someone’s life with your, with your voice, with your art?

Bree Nichols: I love that question. And the first thing that comes to mind is actually kind of special because it was this tiny little recital. There were maybe like 20, 30 people there. And, uh, it was my first Fulbright recital in Prague, and I had a sort of mutual friend in the audience that I, I didn’t know her well. But I had sung this piece, uh, an obscure cycle by the Czech composer, Alois Hába, called “Pure Morning,” which ended up being, uh, the titular work of my first album. Oh, wow. Which I, I really adore. The, the poetry is, is so deep and, and gorgeous, and the music really makes it even more so. But the second song in the cycle is about losing one’s parents, um, the death of one’s parents. And it talks about, uh, essentially their spirits living beyond us. And, uh, this person came up to me after the concert and said, uh, “As someone who’s lost their parents, this was, felt like a gift.”

Michelle Lynne: Wow. That’s so meaningful. And this is, I mean, I’ve had also experiences of people sharing their deepest grief with me after I came off stage. And I’m always a little bit taken aback at how vulnerable people can be. But that just only points to how people are receiving what you’re giving them.

Bree Nichols: Yeah. And you, I guess we can never know that impact.

Michelle Lynne: Right, because most people won’t come up to you and talk to you after the concert. Yeah. Most people, most people won’t send the DM, so I, I feel like for every DM that we get or every person who comes up after, there’s 10 or 20 more who felt the same and didn’t share it with us.

Bree Nichols: Yeah. And you know, I always would hope so. And I think that’s where it can also be tough to gauge, like, “Am I connecting on that human level that I so want to?”

Michelle Lynne: Yeah,

Bree Nichols: When you don’t get a lot of feedback, you know?

Michelle Lynne: Right. So I would encourage you to write, I mean, I obviously that moment came to you instantly, so it’s close to your heart, but there might be 10 or 20 more that you don’t have front of mind. So I’m just even wondering if you had a journal where you kept these kind of precious stories and then you review them, and just knowing that. I think from what you’re sharing, it’s important enough to you that if you’re connecting with one person, then you’ve made a difference that day, right? Yeah. So even the fact that you’re following count doesn’t matter so much to you. You’re like, you know it. I know that I’m making an impact. So if we can focus on these stories of real people who have come to you and said what your art means to them, I think that’ll help calm down some of that inner critic or pressure that you feel. When it is time to share more of what you’re doing. Yeah. Because ultimately, as you can continue to share freely, you will impact more and more people. That’s just a numbers thing, but internally, to take this pressure off of you and to remember the times you already have. I mean, if you quit right now and never sing again, your art has made a difference.

Bree Nichols: Yeah. Thank you. I, I think that’s a really beautiful idea. And it’s a, it is a good way to stay grounded in that regard because I think as, as artists, we’re always looking for that affirmation that like, yeah.

Michelle Lynne: My work matters to someone.

Bree Nichols: Yes, exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Michelle Lynne: I mean, I screenshot DMs, I share them with my closest inner circle. I say, “Wow, like, I mean, I remember these stories.” I try to remind myself before I go on stage, “There are people here who already love me.” Because I know from the last concert, like we need to look for evidence and just be, I think that’ll also tie in, tying into your first question, how to celebrate more in the moment. That we like when you go to bed at night, you think of these things and this is what you sleep on. And like, this is what we, we remind ourselves of so that when we wake up we can jump a little sooner into like why we’re doing this. Because that is what keeps us going.

Bree Nichols: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. And I think, uh, taking that time, especially in the mornings, to like slow down and, and set the mental environment that I want to be in is, is crucial.

Michelle Lynne: Yes, absolutely. And just one last thing that I wanted to say that came to mind is all the milestones that you shared earlier are like massive life-changing, chapter-turning milestones. But I’d be interested in having you think about maybe small wins in your life and how you celebrate those. You know, like maybe it’s a birthday. Do you and Jason have a favorite restaurant that you go to? Can you start, you know, adding in a restaurant dinner when you have like a smaller win that it doesn’t have to be a signed with an agent, which is like a huge thing, like you’ll remember that for the rest of your life, but what about just like, “I learned this new aria and I feel like I did a good job at the, you know, those kind of things.” Okay, let’s go for dinner. I’s just love that. Let’s just take a moment to be like, “Whew, like we’re doing this thing.”

Bree Nichols: Yeah. And, and take time. That’s not just working or like collapsing and dissociating.

Michelle Lynne: Yes. All very relatable. You know what, I have this a beautiful app called The Five Minute Journal, and at the end of every day you can kind of say what were the highlights of today and you can put in pictures. And I started doing that as a way to kind of track my blessings. Because otherwise it’s just a blur. And so it’s different than my photo album. Because my photo album can have random screenshots of recipes and stuff. But this specific gratitude journal, coming back to what you said about gratitude, and then I look through these photos like, “Oh, this moment, this restaurant, this walk with my dog.” Like those were precious moments. I want to remember those.

Bree Nichols: Oh, I love that. What was the name of the app again?

Michelle Lynne: The Five Minute Journal.

Bree Nichols: I will check it out. Michelle, this has been really, really lovely, and thank you so much for sharing all of your insights.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, I can’t wait to meet you. You’re just like the sweetest person, so thank you for coming on today.

Bree Nichols: Likewise. Thank you. It’s been such a pleasure.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah. We’ll see you again soon.

Bree Nichols: All right. Take care.

Michelle Lynne: Hey Jonathan, welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much for coming on for your 15-minute hot seat.

Jonathan Lin: Hi Michelle. Thanks for having me.

Michelle Lynne: Hi, nice to see you again. You have been a member of The Fearless Artist, uh, Fast Forward community for I like almost two years.

Jonathan Lin: A little bit. Yeah. Yeah. I, I dropped off a little bit. I’m actually thinking about coming back on,

Michelle Lynne: You were one of our very first people to join the community, so that was really great.

Jonathan Lin: Yeah, I really loved it. Felt really great.

Michelle Lynne: Okay, so give us a little intro and then we’ll dive in.

Jonathan Lin: Yeah. So, uh, I’m Jonathan. I am an amateur fiddle player. And, uh, I’ve been having a lot of decision paralysis about, uh, fiddle camps coming up in the summer and future perhaps. So my situation is that I am currently a student who is I, uh, delinquent. I’m a delinquent student who is, who has suddenly found myself with a lot of free time. So,

Michelle Lynne: Okay.

Jonathan Lin: Yeah. So this, uh, sort of decision paralysis about, enrolling for some kind of fiddle camp or, uh, whether to have it be close by or farther away, uh, experience different cultures, different countries, different fiddle styles, and so forth. Yeah. What’s getting in my way is, uh, a little bit about, uh, about funding. Mm-hmm. About, sort of, if I do one camp, I probably won’t be able to do another camp. Okay. And, uh, whether it’s even worth it at all to, to, let’s say, go overseas when the travel situation’s not all that great for me right now. But mm-hmm. Yeah. So that’s, uh, in a nutshell. Um, since I’ve reached out to you, I actually have been thinking about this on my own a little bit too. So,

Michelle Lynne: Great. Well, that’s a very good, uh, reason why people get coaching because even before your first coaching session, you start putting stuff in place. Because you know that there’s a coaching session coming.

Jonathan Lin: Yeah. I realized that and I’m like, “Oh, what should I say?” Um, so, uh, at first, exactly.

Michelle Lynne: That’s one of the benefits.

Jonathan Lin: Yeah. Um, so at first I had a lot of like options, but then, uh, I, I, I kind of came down to this, this heart and brain. Sort of separation between what’s, what, what I feel like I want to do and what makes sense, uh, at my current skill level and, uh, funding level. So sort of, so whether to follow my heart or whether to follow my brain. Mm-hmm. And the, uh, word that came up with was focus… So instead of saying whether there’s a heart or a brain thing, I should focus on the things that I actually want to do.

Michelle Lynne: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Lin: And that changed my outlook quite a bit more.

Michelle Lynne: Okay. Yeah. So what is it that you want to do?

Jonathan Lin: Uh, so I’m probably not going anywhere this summer because, okay. Uh, by now the, it’s a little tough to plan for the summer right now because it’s already June. So even if I wanted to go to Spain, for example, in, I think it’s for late July. It’s going to be really tough to, to get, uh, travel accommodations and so forth. So I’ve decided it’s not possible. I,

Michelle Lynne: I’m the queen of last minute… so

Jonathan Lin: You’re the expert at this. I guess.

Michelle Lynne: Last-minute bookings is my jam, so, yeah. Okay. But I hear you more difficult. I, I

Jonathan Lin: Need to find more tips from you about that, but, uh, yeah, so I, I kind of settled, uh, well not settled, decided on, um, two major, uh, major camps that, well, they’re not really camps, so major events that I’ve decided on. One is Celtic Colours in Nova Scotia in October.

Michelle Lynne: Okay. So

Jonathan Lin: That’s, uh, like pushing the timeline way out.

Michelle Lynne: I love that. Okay.

Jonathan Lin: Got it. Yeah, it’s, uh, it’s like a week long. It’s not in one place. It’s across the entire Nova Scotia, sort of, uh, the Cape Breton Peninsula. So you have to drive around from day to day. And so, oh, fun. It’s just a huge party that, that goes for multiple days, and you just drive with the party. And then, yeah. Uh, the other one is Celtic Connections, which is in Scotland, and that’s in next February of. Oh,

Michelle Lynne: Okay. Great.

Jonathan Lin: February there. Yeah. Yeah. So instead of saying, “Hey, should I follow my heart and mind?” And, and pressuring myself for a decision right now to fit something in for summer, I’ve decided just the, the two, the Celtic Colours, one is one that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Mm-hmm. But, uh, it’s in October, so it’s always in the middle of the school year. Right. So

Michelle Lynne: What do you, you’re currently studying?

Jonathan Lin: Yeah, I’m currently studying, but, uh, like I said, I have a lot of free time, so, uh, so I decided to put my fiddle ahead of my sort of regular school and, you know, just take a, take a break and take like a, it’s only one week, so it’s not that much of a break. So it’s,

Michelle Lynne: So have you decided to go in October and February, or what’s the issue that?

Jonathan Lin: Uh, I’m probably going to go to the October one. Yeah. So the October one is going to be, uh, I have to, they haven’t released tickets yet, but deciding this early means that as soon as they have the tickets out, I can go and click a button and, and book for accommodations and then make my life easier for myself without having to do all the last minute stuff and so forth.

Michelle Lynne: Great. So is there an issue that we actually have to solve today?

Jonathan Lin: Uh, actually, I don’t know. Is this disappointing to you or is this sound okay to you?

Michelle Lynne: No, I’m just, it’s just interesting that like, you had this dilemma, and then because you knew you had a hot seat today, you actually solved it yourself. So what does that say? What does that, that thing, that’s a learning moment for a lot of people listening.

Jonathan Lin: Well, it’s just says, um, I actually am very capable of doing, of solving problems, and, okay. I think it’s the, it’s the gist. Thinking about talking to you or talking to somebody. Mm-hmm. Is making that decision be more real, I guess. Before it was just like a hypothetical situation. I don’t know. I was typing to you, it’s like, oh.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah. Type, type, type. Yeah. That’s very interesting. So a lot of times we’re in these kind of, um, irrational fear or rational situations, and then by making it really clear and practical, like what you’re saying, then a decision came to you.

Jonathan Lin: Yeah,

Michelle Lynne: I think it also shows that you already knew what you needed. Subconsciously you knew actually, I don’t want to be doing last-minute July bookings. I’d rather have some time to think about it. October. I can plan a little bit ahead.

Jonathan Lin: Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: I think a lot of musicians listening, like, we already know what to do, but we don’t do it for various reasons. One of them is just not being clear. So it’s really good to get like sit down, talk with someone, make a plan, write it out, those kind of things to help us get really clear. I mean, I know that I avoid projects because I’m not really sure what the first step looks like, and it just feels like a lot of panic and stress in my head.

Jonathan Lin: Yeah. But so

Michelle Lynne: How can we best prepare you for this October,

Jonathan Lin: Uh, this October trip? I’m going to have to, plan out some stuff.

Michelle Lynne: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Lin: I’ll, I’ll rejoin the, the community and see what, see whatever. Ah,

Michelle Lynne: Perfect. There’s, this wasn’t supposed to be a sales call, but hey, hey.

Jonathan Lin: Hey. See whether there’s any, any contacts in that area. I don’t know, do you have any,

Michelle Lynne: Oh, actually I do. You know, in Canada, reconnected with, is Harpis, KT name’s Kristen Ko. She lives in Newfoundland now, but she’s from Moncton, so, my friend Adam, uh, composer, he’s from Nova Scotia.

Jonathan Lin: Oh, okay. Okay, cool. Yeah. Yeah. So building connections, I think that’s going to be, a lot of these fiddle camps, the actual content of it, it goes really quickly. So, um, it’s more the, the connection building that, I, I find very valuable.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah. Just circling back to what you said earlier about if it’s worth going, I think you’re hitting the nail on the head, like being around. Uh, community and people that are doing the thing that you want to do, you’re going to grow. Yeah, learn, be inspired. You’ll practice harder when you get home.

Jonathan Lin: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s all good. Okay.

Michelle Lynne: I know a few musicians who would avoid going because, you know, they’re not, quote, “not ready,” “haven’t practiced enough,” et cetera, but just like being in that environment is so good for our growth and development. Like we need to be around that top level so we can really be inspired and carry that with us.

Jonathan Lin: Yeah. That’s sounds great.

Michelle Lynne: Awesome. Yeah, I mean, it’s a cool lesson. I also had a, a mastermind client earlier today, and, and she was like, “Yeah, I only updated my website half an hour ago because I knew that if I didn’t, you would, uh, come at me.” I was like,

Jonathan Lin: Just like me.

Michelle Lynne: It’s kind of like when we have lessons, you know, you have a lesson booked and you’re like, “You’re practicing on Monday, ’cause you know you have a lesson on Tuesday.” So we need accountability, we need artificial deadlines, and yeah, that’s what we love so much about the Fast Forward community. So I’m super excited to welcome you back. I think everyone’s going to be really happy to see you. We have 45 people in it now, so it’s grown up. Wow.

Jonathan Lin: Wow. That’s a lot of people. Okay. Yeah. That’s a lot of people.

Michelle Lynne: Hey, Jonathan. Yeah. Thank you.

Jonathan Lin: Thanks.