Serial entrepreneur and flutist Dr. Heidi Kay Begay shares her secrets to time and energy management as a successful musician

Michelle Lynne: Hey everybody and welcome back to the Fearless Artist Podcast. My name is Michelle Lynne, and today I’m so thankful to have my new friend Dr. Heidi Kay Begay. Welcome.

Heidi Kay Begay: Thank you, oh my goodness. Michelle.

Michelle Lynne: So I’m really thrilled to have you because so many of our community members already know you. They have followed you for years. You have quite the bio, which I’ll let you share a bit about… your four businesses… And I love that you said you are a passionate serial entrepreneur because I think that’s something a lot of musicians have—multiple passions, multiple interests, and then a matter of like, how do I organize my life? How do I split myself into all of these different pieces? Because I’ve got so many things that I want to do. And with that, it’s also like overcoming the mindset of you have to just be one thing or else you’re serious enough. I mean, so I feel like there’s so much to kind of unpack in there, but you have your podcast, you teach other people how to make their own podcasts, you’re a flutist, you’re an educator, you speak at conferences. So, I would love to hear about you and your career…

Michelle Lynne: Oh, thank you, Michelle.

Heidi Kay Begay: Oh, thank you, Michelle. Well, that’s basically the introduction. I am a multi-passionate serial entrepreneur, and I lead with that because I have to remind myself, I’m not just a flutist. I’m not just a music teacher, but look at my overall business portfolio. And you’re right. It is really challenging to feel at times as an individual. Like you could be spread too thin, right? Because you’re like, I’m a musician. I’m a coach. I’m a music teacher. I’m a performer. And you can easily burn that candle from 10 different ends and think, Oh my gosh, where am I? Who am I? What am I doing? So a little bit of a back story for me before we get into the business portfolio and how to manage that for your listeners, if they are interested in really pursuing entrepreneurship, which I know you promote. I’m from Chicago, and I started off as a pianist actually, and I did ballet. Yeah, I did ballet and I took it very seriously and piano. And then around 13, I transitioned into flute because I had an injury in my ballet career and I was drawn to the instrument. And since then I’ve done the traditional path, like every musician out there has done—the degrees, built up a studio, got the terminal degree. And now I am overseeing four different businesses. So that’s a quick nutshell of bringing us up to 2024 of what I’ve done these past 20, 25 years professionally.

Michelle Lynne: Wow, that’s amazing. So most of our community knows you from the Flute360. I would love for you to share about that, and I think that’s actually how I discovered you. I was looking through different podcasts, and then I heard you speaking, and I was first of all blown away that you’ve been doing it. How many episodes, over two, three hundred?

Heidi Kay Begay: About 315 episodes.

Michelle Lynne: That’s so impressive. I mean, just for everyone listening, I was just on Heidi’s podcast a few days ago and I’m a newbie and she’s been doing this forever and coaches other people how to get into podcasting. So to know that you’ve done 300, I… I’ve done, I think, 14.

Heidi Kay Begay: That’s an amazing start because a lot of podcasters, they do not get over the hump of episode seven.

Michelle Lynne: Oh,

Heidi Kay Begay: Past the hump. So congratulations. That is a big feat.

Michelle Lynne: What gets people stuck at seven?

Heidi Kay Begay: Think it’s the budget. I think they feel like we were saying pre-recording. They feel too spread thin. And they kind of question like, why am I doing this? I’m putting a lot of money into this. I’m putting a lot of time and energy into this. And I’m not seeing a quick return. And podcasting, if you’re going to start up a podcast, here’s a gem for all of you listeners out there. Podcasting is a long game that you go into. It’s not a quick, you know, like a Facebook ad or ad that you run through Google, you’re in it for the long haul. So if you’re going to start up a podcast, just know that those results will be there, but it won’t be such a quick return, like a Google ad, and that’s okay. But there is a return and you are building a community and there’s a lot of benefits to podcasting. And so I think a lot of podcasters fizzle out at episode seven because they are expecting something else from podcasting too quick, too soon. And then they get discouraged. And I think that’s when they drop out.

Michelle Lynne: Okay. Yeah. That’s really interesting. We also teach the same concepts with our social media strategy when we get people coming into our sprint program because they also think, okay, I’ve never posted before and now I’m going to start posting and suddenly the views and the likes and the engagement in the comments will flood my, you know, cause because they’re like, I’m finally being vulnerable and putting myself out there after maybe months or years of holding themselves back. So we’re really encouraging them like, okay, we accompany you for the first six weeks and then after that it’s about creating repeatable easy strategies that you can continue for the long game, as you’re saying, to put yourself out there and see that community building. You mentioned that already. What are some other results you’ve seen from 300 episodes of podcasting…

Heidi Kay Begay: Oh my gosh.

Michelle Lynne: Growth in me as a person. Growth in me as a musician, I am the most artistic and free in my artistic decisions because I am a podcast host.

Heidi Kay Begay: It’s funny, you know, so you know, in my late thirties and I’m teaching a thriving studio and you hear your past teacher’s voices in your head, right? And I’ve had phenomenal mentors trying to get me off the page, trying to help me to be authentic. Try to, you know, really trust my artistic voice through my flute and trying to unleash that through drawing and painting and dancing and things like that. And now that I’m a teacher, I can see their faces. I can see their expression. I can hear their words now and go, Oh, that’s what they were trying to get me to do. But it wasn’t until the podcast gave me permission outside of my faith. The podcast gave me permission to get off the page and to not be afraid of mistakes, to not be afraid of being vulnerable through that phrase, through the movement of the Sonata. And it’s because there’s a lot of layers to this, Michelle, but a lot of it is just learning what my voice is, you know, and being okay with my quirkiness, my wittiness, my dorkiness, and knowing, like, I talk with my hands. I like talking with my face and I have facial expressions and I’m not a Peter Jennings, you know, suit and tie and being all stuffy. So I think a lot of musicians, if you are dealing with performance anxiety, it’s probably because it could be that you feel like you have to sound like this great music idol that you have put up on a pedestal you think, and you feel like you should sound like these mentors that you respect so much. And that’s fantastic. That’s a great place to start. If you don’t know what your voice is or how to express your voice to kind of copy and replicate, you know, what you’ve heard. But at some point, if you kind of go out there and you are being in the shoes of your mentor and trying to copy what they did through the box sonatas, you’re going to feel like you’re always comparing yourself to them, and you can’t fully just unleash and be free to say what you want to say in that specific piece. So full circle, podcasting gave me a space to say, wait a second, because I would get really afraid, Michelle. Like, I speak to some like big dogs in the flute community, people who play with the Vienna Philharmonic Berlin, and you go into those sessions and I’m like, I’m just Heidi. Thank you. Oh my gosh, who am I to talk to Sebastian Jacot? This is insane. But once you get into that space, you realize one, they are a human being. They have their own fears. They have imposter syndrome. They have the negative talk. They’ve gone through hurdles. And we don’t see that sometimes, right? Because we, again, rightfully so, to a certain degree, we put them on pedestals because they’ve accomplished so much, and we admire that, and we respect that work, but at the end of the day, we forget that they are human. And so when you are in a conversation with somebody through podcasting like that, you’re like, oh my gosh, they have fears too. They have a family, they have cats, they have dogs, and then you realize there are so many similarities between me and that person, more similarities than differences. I can take up healthy space and learn how to express myself in my most true authentic form.

Michelle Lynne: Wow. That’s amazing to bring in the authenticity that you have found, finding your own voice in a speaking way, bringing that into your music. It’s amazing lateral thinking, you know, bringing the same concept in. I don’t know if I’ve made that connection yet in between my speaking career and my performing career, but I definitely understand the authenticity. And I also have a lot of movement when I perform, which I’ve sometimes felt like, do I need to hold back? Am I too much? You know? And then I’m like, no, I’m just going to go for it. And you know, Jeff ironically has encouraged me in this as well, because Jeff has a big program about helping musicians be authentic on stage, being intentional to connect with audiences, being yourself. So it sounds like you’re taking this really healthy, authentic concept and just applying it to every area of your…

Heidi Kay Begay: Yeah. Yeah. I try to. I’m not perfect, I do try to. And just the concept and the notion of storytelling and podcasting. I mean, what do we do as musicians? We tell stories. We share stories. We share stories from Bach, Mozart, Chaminade. We get to share their stories from the 17th, 18th centuries. We get to share modern composers and their stories from the 20th, 21st century. And then we get to infuse it with our stories and how we interpret the work. And so being able to express those stories with articulation and with some sort of poise and with some sort of organization that’s podcasting and learning how to form that sentence for beginning, middle to end. That’s a phrase, being in an ebb and flow. Like, I was on a podcast show yesterday, and their style and demeanor is completely different than yours. And that’s okay. We have a different vibe. Like how I am with Sue is completely how different than I am with Michelle. But I still am my authentic self because Sue brings out something different in me, a different side, right? Maybe she’s a little bit more chill or just like, you know, and then with you, I get to giggle and I get to laugh and you know, and both are beautiful and that’s chamber because you’re never going to go into the same chamber group from Friday night into Saturday night. It’s going to have a different vibe. So learning how to practice all of this through your first instrument, through your first language of English, Mandarin, Portuguese, whatever your language is, you’re honing and you’re doing that deep work within you, your primary instrument. So when you put the violin, piano, flute to your face or to your hands, it’s just an amplification from what’s within.

Michelle Lynne: Love this. I’m really gonna have to think about this because I think it is such a healthy way to approach it. And yeah, being authentic in your own voice, not trying to copy recordings, not trying to hit this incredible high perfectionistic standard that we’re all chasing and just saying, hey, what do I think about this? You know what you said, getting off the page, owning your voice, owning your interpretation, giving what you have to give. I think that’s all really beautiful. And that comes through when you walk on stage. Actually, I had Angela Miles Beaching on the podcast a couple of weeks ago, and she said this was so interesting to me. She said, when I work with clients and we rewrite their bio to show their authenticity, it changes the way you walk on stage. And I really had to think about that cause I’m like, do you walk on stage differently because of how you’ve written a paragraph about yourself? But it all ties into that identity of, I know who I am as an artist. This is my unique angle. This is what I have to give. And then so when I walk on stage, I know who I am. And I think that’s what she was hinting at, but that really stuck out to me.

Heidi Kay Begay: Oh, beautifully said. I love that connection and that interconnection between the two conversations. I think that’s extremely powerful. And I had her recently on my podcast too. And so this is so relevant time-wise. And at the end of my conversation with her, I think we were getting to a unique gem that I had never thought about before. And that’s something you said about the bio. That’s a written piece of work. She’s an author. We are content creators through social media, podcasting, et cetera. And I think there’s something to this notion of seeing is believing. I think if you write out physically, pen to paper, and journal and self-reflect these things. Who are you? What is your vision? What is your mission? And really, again, it’s circling back to this nugget I offered earlier. When you do this deep work, cause I think, and I’m pretty sure, and I’ve heard other entrepreneurs say this, and I’ve come to this, my own conclusion and my own timing through my business portfolio, I truly believe that entrepreneurship is spiritual work. It really is like it’s the stuff that you don’t see. Right. And it’s so easy to work on the things we do see because we do live in this very physical world, right? The black and white, you know, that doesn’t lie, etc. But you need to do the deep work as a Musicpreneur, you need to, you have to. And I think sometimes myself included, we kind of push that work away because it requires us to be honest, vulnerable, very authentic. But once we get into that place and we find that, oh, this isn’t so bad after all, it is very freeing because you come in and you draw conclusions about yourself and what you’re about as an artist through that written work of writing out that authentic bio, writing out your vision statement on your website, et cetera. So I think that there’s some freeing aspect. I think that there is some real validity in doing that deep work with pen to paper and purging out these internal thoughts externally and then seeing it. So whether you are talking about this content through a podcast, writing through a blog, writing out your bio, challenge yourself to do these things, to do this written work from the most honest, intimate, vulnerable place possible. And then everything kind of syncs up towards your end goal.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, that’s so good. There’s a lot to unpack there. Cause I’m thinking about the musician who is like, okay, I’m going to be honest with myself. You know, when I do this with my university class, they’re like, yeah, but my bio is so thin. I haven’t won all the awards. I haven’t done all the things, the achievements, and that’s what we’ve been taught is a good bio. Wow. It’s so impressive. So this idea of being honest with yourself, knowing your purpose, your vision, you know, I love what changed for me is, who are you called to reach? Where do you find your natural strengths? How can you craft that? How can you develop that, you know, finding the people that have problems that you can help with, and then kind of the path kind of opens up before you, I think, and maybe you can share more about your teaching studio and how the podcast has amplified that. Cause I know that those two things have gone together… 

Heidi Kay Begay: Yeah, definitely. So I have more of an international studio now because of Flute360. So it has opened and created doors for me and other flutists globally that would have never occurred if I didn’t have an international platform. So I have students in Finland, Canada, Australia, Romania, Greece, Zambia, and of course the States. And it’s phenomenal. And it’s just pinch me.

Here I am, like I’m originally from Chicago, but I’m living east of Dallas, Texas right now, and it’s in a small country town called Fourning. And so I cringe with a lot of love, but I cringe when I hear musicians say, “But I’m just a countryside flute studio teacher. Who am I? Who would want to listen to me? Who can I impact?” And they’re thinking, and rightfully so, at first, you know, again, we live in a very physical world, but they only see the opportunities maybe that are just right there around the corner and think, “Well, down the street is a farm and right down the other street is, you know, a mom and pop shop. I can’t teach flute to make an impact in this area. There’s not a lot of opportunities.” And I say, yes, okay, you’re not wrong. But let’s think outside of the box. Let’s get creative. How can you make a statewide impact? How can you make a national, international impact? And we live in this technological world. So you can get creative and have maybe hybrid opportunities, in-person opportunities, purely virtual opportunities. And there’s no way a Zambian flutist is going to be able to, you know, commute to Dallas, Texas, but we can do all of these wonderful, great, impactful things through Zoom and through these different platforms. And so anyway, to your question, I am very blessed to have different people from the UK and Europe study and work with me because they found my little podcast that I started six years ago, because they were interested in the same topics as I was, the topics that I wanted to share with them. And we have this common ground and we’re like, oh my gosh, we would be, you know, a perfect match to work with one another. So I’m very blessed and fortunate to have those opportunities to impact not just national-based flutists, but on a global level as well.

Michelle Lynne: That’s amazing to find your audience. A book that really helped me in the beginning was Austin Kleon. I think it’s called Show Your Work. And he talks about, you know, earlier artists had to go to Paris, New York, the big centers, they had to go find each other and make their communities, uh, and share ideas and exchange. And now we can do all of that online. So he had a very similar thought to what you shared. You know, you don’t have to be in the big cities anymore to find your people. You can literally just use a hashtag and start reaching out via the DMs, commenting on others’ posts. If you’re using social media, you know, you have the podcast that reached the right people. I mean, your target audience is out there waiting for you. And for anyone who feels stuck, I mean, I’ve heard many musicians say like, “Oh, I’m just in a small center. I don’t know how to find people. There’s no one around here. I need to move.” And of course, you know, maybe, moving is necessary sometimes. But for me too, I’m in like a smaller city in the Netherlands. I’ve had many people in the past ask me, you know, why aren’t you in the, you know, in Amsterdam, Rotterdam? And like, I don’t think I need to be in order to create the impact. I’ve seen an impact from where I am. Um, I like where I’m living. So I don’t, you know, I like my rent prices where I’m living. So it’s interesting that you can, you can easily find your people and you’re saying like on Zoom, on our digital platforms. You can work with people everywhere. You can reach them everywhere. I mean, your podcast is reaching 200,000 downloads. I mean, that’s just wild, how many people have heard your voice…

Heidi Kay Begay: Oh, thank you. Yeah. And a piece of encouragement for the listener. So they hear that. And thank you for mentioning that I’ve been doing the podcast for six years and I have over 200,000 downloads. That sounds impressive. And it is, but a lot of hard work went into that and it didn’t start off that way. I mean, basically I had five downloads for the first couple months where my mom and sister and my husband were listening, you know, and so, this is what you mentioned, Michelle, and I in my podcast on Monday, and I’m so glad you did. You may not want to look at the numbers for the first six, nine months because if you can focus on why you’re doing it and focus on that impact and focus on yes, maybe right now I don’t have that listenership of, you know, 2, 4,000 downloads a month. That doesn’t mean that you still can’t make an impact for your people, even if it’s 5, 10, 15 people, a handful at first. And then with anything, right, it grows with time… and the more you nurture it, the more you cultivate it, the bigger it’s going to get, you know? And so you may not, and the consistency, I love that nugget. Yes. And so you may not want to at first look at the numbers, because if you are going to be focusing again on this physical realm of like, “Oh, well, I’m only getting 15 downloads a month. Why even bother?” That can change within three to six months. Just like that.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, absolutely. And we deal with this with social media on our end. We have the social media sprint program and somebody today just started posting because I harassed him enough. And, uh, he said, I checked his content, he had 2,600 views per post, and I wrote him and said, you know, it’s amazing. And he said, are you sure, you know, it’s not so high. And I said, how would you feel if you were singing before 2,600 people? And he said, I’ve never thought of it like that. Or, you know, 15 people walk up to you and say, “Hey, I listened to your podcast for 30 minutes.” Like 15 people listened to you talk for 30 minutes. How would you feel if they were all standing in a row? You’d be like, oh, wow, I have a crowd. There’s people paying attention. I have something to say. And just to get onto the ripple effect, those 15 people are probably going to mention it over their next lunch date about some podcasts they were listening to, and that’s how things start to grow. And we were talking before we started the show about your legacy and how you are making such a big impact because both of us are running our companies, our programs, but at the same time, we’re also very limited with time and energy. And for me, it’s your energy management has been huge. I’ve had to learn, and I’d love to ask you more about how you organize your life with your four businesses and your marriage and your family and everything. So, being one person, we need to make sure that the people that we’re, you know, training, equipping, leading, that they can in turn then go lead people around them. So, how do you view this and what are some things that have come up for you around this topic

Heidi Kay Begay:  I love that and since we are both believers, I’m going to bring up my faith and I really focus on kingdom work because I have to, I have to think about that legacy beyond Flute360 beyond me and my life of, you know, however long God has me on this planet, because we mean a lot, uh, and we hold a lot of value, but we come and go in the blink of an eye. And maybe a lot of this too, maybe, I don’t know, because I’m not an actual mother, I really see my students and clients and I adopt them into my family, because as yet, I’m not nurturing a biological or adopted child to think, “Oh, this child is going to inherit these different things that Eric and I have built.” So instead, because that’s not an option right now, I get to throw that energy into my students, into my clients and think, what do I want to leave them with? What values and morals and life lessons do I want them to have so that way they can have that ripple effect into their communities, whether it’s professionally or personally, and just how you get to impact one individual, it’s mind-blowing to know, like, then, you know, how they’re going to come in and influence their people who are resonant and resonate with what they have to offer. It’s this huge ripple effect. And for me to just be a sliver, just a small portion of that, that’s my… why it’s like, because the amazing mentors who have molded me, you know, and continue to mold me, I look up to them and I so respect the energy and the effort that they have put into me. And if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here today, you know, and their lessons and their voice still resonate and still ring in my head. Right. And I’m still unpacking a lot of those lessons, even as, you know, a 39-year-old woman. And so just to think like beyond the 90 years that I get to be here on this earth or however long, to think of like what we were saying on Monday, Peter in Zambia and Sauna in Finland and Glory in Canada, all these different amazing clients and friends of mine. It’s like, oh, wow. They get to impact their music theory people and they get to impact their flute making ability and their company. And it’s invigorating and it’s really inspiring.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah. And they’re filling roles that we don’t necessarily have the tools to share about. Like, I mean, I don’t, I don’t see myself coaching other piano teachers, for example, and some of my clients have gone on to create their own piano teacher communities. So being that, that spark for them to say, okay, I get the concept and now I’m going to take authority and go find my people, which is sounds like what you’re doing. Then you’re able to fulfill so many other roles that you wouldn’t have the time or energy to do on your own anyway…

 

Heidi Kay Begay: Yeah, that’s what we were saying pre-recording. Thank you for reminding me. You’re only one individual, right? We can only physically get our hands on so many projects, creative projects, and have so many creative outlets. There’s only so much time and energy in a day. But if you can kind of instill in, I love that word spark. I’m going to use that from now on. If you can ignite that spark into the Peter, the Sauna, the Glory. Right. And they go out and light their match so others can see their flame. Right. And then it just continues and continues. Then it’s worth it because I have a million ideas in my head, but I can’t do it all, you know, and we’re going to circle back to like managing time and energy and resources in a really proficient way. But I can’t get my hands on to all of it. But maybe if Peter resonates with that project or Sauna resonates with it. And they’re like, “Oh my gosh.” Yes. I want to take that idea, put a twist of my own and have my own voice in it and put it out into the world. And it’s like, yes, when now it comes to life. And even though it didn’t come to life necessarily directly through Flute360, it’s an offshoot. And more people can benefit. That’s a win-win-win for everybody involved.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, absolutely. And thank you for what you shared. I’m also not a mom, so I can’t speak to our clients who are dealing with raising children and pursuing the freelance career, but Deanna has two under four right now, and she’s due again in April. So like, God bless all the moms. And the dads, and the dads, we did have some of our people reach out and be like, “Hey, we’re also like doing the freelance thing and we’re dads.” So she has writing her blog and a lot of moms have written us and thanked us for that. So just showing again, that we all have specific target audiences. We have people who are going to resonate with our message, the way that we bring the message. And when you believe as, you know, you shared already and your divine purpose. I really believe that everyone was created with a unique purpose. And there are people that you alone are called to reach. There’s something that you alone are called to do. And that’s helped me kind of break out of the scarcity mindset where I was comparing myself to all the other pianists and trying to be the best or good enough or whatever it is.

And it’s like, wait, if I look at what God has given me and the strengths that I have and the unique skill set, then I don’t need to compare because no one else has been given this specific combination of how I’m made. And as I lean into my strengths and develop them by stepping out and taking action, by starting a podcast, by showing up on Instagram and talking to my stories every day, by being willing to be seen and vulnerable and maybe say the wrong thing, or, be, you know, not looking perfect and have people say the comments that sometimes hurt, not that I’ve ever had anyone be outrightly mean, but as a very sensitive person, sometimes you’re just like, you know, don’t tell me that I look tired, guys. I’m doing my best, you know?

You have to be willing to like absorb and keep going. And so much feedback has helped me, letting the comments slide off your shoulders if something has affected you, you know, but like to choose the path that we’re doing, it requires so much grit and perseverance and continually reworking the system, I feel like. And, uh, yeah, with that, please tell me how you organize your life, because four businesses and a marriage and you’re an auntie and you have church life. So, you know, what does it look like…

Heidi Kay Begay: Oh, my goodness, girl, if you could see my desk and you can see all the post-it notes around my house, you’d be like, wow. So I will say that the disclaimer is it’s a work in progress. And I’m always being molded and edified in this area. And it will never be perfect, you know, but I have found and I love what you said on Monday. I have found some things that have worked for me. I have found some systems that have worked for me, and I’m willing to share them, even though I don’t have all the answers. And I love that. It’s so humbling. And thank you for just being vulnerable in that way. So what I would encourage your listener, and we were talking earlier about like one action step. We can talk about that now here with the answer I want to provide you. And this is your action step for today. And that is get a poster board, or if you’re not a physical person and you like more apps digitally with technology, with some sort of like organization to each their own, whatever your platform or medium is, go for it. I’m a very visual person. And if it’s not in sight, I will completely forget about it. So if you can go to your local store and get a poster board, I made-shift mine, it’s just like printer paper taped together, four by four, and I use like these bright neon markers to catch my eye. But there’s like four main categories in which I’ve organized my life because if there’s no sort of system or organization, I feel all of us can resonate with this to some degree. And that is, we are going to feel like we are spread too thin. You know, who am I, where am I going? What’s my needle? How am I moving my needle forward? And it can feel really daunting, especially when you are a serial entrepreneur, you’re like, “Wait, where am I? What entity am I? And how am I serving my people?”

So I don’t know about most musicians, but for me, I get really excited about this detailed work. And I think most musicians do like intonation and the tone color and the articulation choices. So I noticed that I was bringing a lot of that pruning of a small branch tree into my businesses where I was getting super microscopic laser focus so much on that one branch too often. And now that’s good work. That is really good work. Sometimes we need to do detailed work. So if you are feeling, you know, spread too thin, you could be zoned in a little too much, right? For me, I was pruning, pruning, pruning one branch and then saying like, “Why am I not seeing the results? Where are my fruits?” And so how I organize my time, money, and resources, they need to all be from this bird’s eye view. You need to kind of see. Scale back and take 10 steps back to really see and get a lay of the land. Where are you? What is that vision, mission? What are the pillars? What are the morals and what are the pillars in your life that you stand for? Who are you as a person and what’s the work that you are actually doing?

So that first main row, that first main section for me is kingdom work. And this could be for you, vision, your vision and your mission statement, right? So for me, at the end of the day, if I can do with my time, with my money, with my energy, one aspect towards kingdom work, then I’ve had a successful day. So what that means for me, what that means for, cause I’m not going to get through all of the list on my to-do list is it’s impossible. And I was beating myself down like, “Oh, you’re not getting to everything.” Right. But we can’t, there’s only so many hours in the day, but if you kind of shift your perspective and you focus on big things at the base of the cone and then funnel down to the tip, then you have that lay of the land and go, “Okay, I did hit all four markers today. It was a successful day.” So at the base of my cone, if we’re talking about a funnel at the base of my cone, and the top of my chart is kingdom work. And what that means for Eric and I is being in alignment with God’s purpose for our life, his heart and his mind, right? Yeah. If you’re in alignment with God’s heart, mind, and purpose and how he’s created you, that’s kingdom work, everlasting work.

And the second main section for me is, you know, I said something earlier about pillars and you can have as many as you want, but I like to, one of my mantras in life is “Keep it simple, smarty.” So maybe only three to five big picture columns or pillars in your life, things that you stand for, things that make you, you, things that bring you joy or passion, but just things that you stand for. Your morale, right? So our five pillars for Eric and I, and don’t get too crazy because again, you can overcomplicate this. And I do not mean to overcomplicate this for anybody. And I can’t list off all five pillars off the top of my head, but a few of them, maybe I can. Let’s see if my memory is good: to be salt and light. To take care of the temples that God has given us, and that is our bodies. So health. Bringing others to Jesus Christ to be in a relationship with him, um, through the Holy Spirit, obviously, and edifying others. And there’s another one, but the point is, if I can do one of those things in one of those pillars, it’s been a successful day. And then the third section is just the relationship between husband and wife. Me and Eric, and that is a priority and who am I as a wife, who am I as a woman, who am I as a child of God and remembering that, that I wear different hats, that I am a daughter, an auntie, a wife, a woman, a child of God, an author, a flutist, you know, just remembering who I am outside of, well, I kind of mushed them together, but outside of my work, who is Heidi, you know, because our identity and what I found with a lot of clients is we identify so much sometimes, um, with our instruments, I am flute, I am piano, right? I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s sustainable. I don’t think it is because what happens when you’re taken away from your instrument, then the ground underneath you is like, oh my gosh. It’s shaken. It’s unsteady. And you’re like, oh my gosh. Right. But if you can put, that’s why the order is very specific. My rock is God. My rock is my kingdom work because things will fall. Like, I may not be able to play the flute for the rest of my life. You know, I’ve had performance-related injuries and it scared the heck out of me. Cause it’s like I put investments into these degrees and I’ve tied up my, you know, everything into being a flutist. Well, what happens when you’re no longer a flutist and you can no longer play? So my identity as a woman then married to Eric and that marriage and what we’re called to do together, what kind of fruits are we supposed to bring to the table together from our marriage? That’s important. And then the last part of the funnel, the tip of it, is the four businesses. And so when you look at it from a bird’s eye view, then it helps me to focus on the why and big picture elements, because I can easily be so, and I do, do detailed work. It’s not that you need to do that, but for so long, Michelle, running four businesses, I was so laser focused on the four entities at the very bottom. And I didn’t scale back to see what I’m called to do and things like that. And it needs to be a balance. So when you look at my calendar, when you look at my inbox, when you look at my finances, when you look at my budget, when you look at my time, I think time, money, and energy, it’s all a reflection of each other. So if I say health is a priority, that’s one of my pillars, but my bank statement says that I’m going to McDonald’s and not the local grocery store or gym membership, then you can physically see that the budget and the time do not reflect. Right? So that’s how I organize my three resources: time, money, and energy. And I sit and I see that piece of paper every day. It doesn’t take a lot of work. You can just kind of meditate on your four columns, maybe five minutes tops. Remind yourself of what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, who you’re serving, who you are. And then when you go into the inbox, when you go and you sit down at your desk, when you go and start working with these clients, you can get super laser focused because you have those pillars and you have that groundwork behind you as you’re going into each and every day with new projects, people, et cetera.

Michelle Lynne: I’m, uh, I’m really speechless, but that is so helpful and there’s so much in there. I’m going to have to listen back to that. I’ve heard it explained, having pillars in your day to make today a win, what would make today a success, but you’ve articulated so clearly this zoomed-out perspective of purpose. Identity, knowing if I lose everything, I will still be okay because I know who I am and I know who I belong to now as a believer, I belong to Jesus and he is my identity first. So whether I lose, you know, and I’ve had, I’ve had massive loss in my life and then it was really a matter of rebuilding and rebuilding the foundation that it’s strong that no matter what through the storm will hold. And I think we can talk, you know, we talk a lot about freelance musician instability of that. So when you have this deeper understanding of identity, who you are, not attaching yourself to what you do, your achievements, your worth doesn’t come from that. I think that gives you such a perspective of when you wake up in the morning, the to-do list can feel overwhelming. I mean, I had a day. I had a tough day yesterday, right before I went on stage. Actually, I got some bad news about a project that I’m overseeing, and it was just very, very stressful. And I go on stage and now I need to play for hundreds of people. And I’m like, okay, wait, what am I doing right now for this next hour? Because I, in one hand, I’m like, I’m like trapped on stage for an hour. I can’t go solve this problem.

On the other hand, I’m like, wait, I’m called to be here and there are people here who are going to be massively touched and I need to put all of my energy and focus on them right now and completely disconnect from that previous stress. So, I think the zoomed-out thing helped me the most when I went through a painful season, just getting that perspective. I love that you’re setting up your day like this for me, articulating mission and vision. I don’t know why, but my brain like seizes when I try to think about mission and vision, but ChatGPT has become my best friend. So now I just tell it my problems. Like, it’s my friend. And I’m like, you know, I’m going to tell it, “Write me a mission vision statement that I can read every morning. Here’s what you need to know about me.” Cause I can tell you the things about me. I just don’t know how to kind of frame it as like a nice mission statement. I still confuse the two sometimes. I’m like, you know, so that’s, that’s so helpful. You wake up and you remember like, what am I doing? What’s the whole point of this? Why am I running around? Why am I exhausting myself if there’s not like a deeper reason behind it? And how can I create these healthy rhythms and healthy systems that I’m going to be sustainable? On Monday, I’m taking three days off. I’m going to go into Germany and just like hike and get away.

And I always take time to like zoom out and pray through the different areas of my life. And actually when I did this six months ago, that’s when I got the idea for the six-week social media sprint. It just came to me instantly after that weekend. And then it’s been one of the most effective programs that we’ve run and we’ve seen the most results from it. So it’s so important to like stop the crazy and back up and zoom out and be like, hang on a second. Like, what am I actually doing here? And I think a lot of creatives get stuck in this running cycle. Next thing, next thing, next thing. To-do list. I mean, four businesses. For that to be the tip of your funnel, I mean, to me, like, that, that’s the whole, like, there’s so much. I mean, you just, like, casually mentioned, like, oh, yeah, and then, then the end part is, like, the four businesses. I’m like, that’s like four target audiences. That’s four budgets. That’s four content creation systems. That’s four of everything. I mean, it’s like, and you’re just like, oh yeah, and then, then comes this, but that just shows how you’ve been able to categorize and compartmentalize priorities. And then you’ve already shared your lateral thinking. So if I, if I know how to be authentic on stage, well, I know how to be authentic in my podcasting. So all of your businesses, there’s crossover strategies that you’re using, and it’s like Excel sheets go across the board. So it’s, it’s amazing. Cause then you can be more effective. You’re going to reach more people and you’re going to do it in a healthy way. Cause you have health as one of your pillars. I love what you said about making sure your money matches what your vision is. And that’s just exactly what we try and tell musicians about investing in yourself. Are you serious about your career? You have to commit. That means you need to get a coach. You need to talk to someone. You had piano lessons your entire life for a reason. You didn’t think you could do it on your own. Why do you think you can run your own business on your own? Go talk to someone who’s ahead of you. Go talk to people, go talk to a healthy community of musicians, the Flute360 community. I mean, I know you guys have your flute conferences. It makes me so happy. Like, and then I get like, I see selfies of everybody tagging each other. I’m like, oh my gosh, this is so fun. Like I want to go to the flute conference just to meet all of you, you know? So yeah, no, thank you for sharing all of that. It’s amazing. And I think anyone listening definitely do that. Get your vision board out. Write down the, no, what am I doing here? What am I here for? You know, like the Barbie theme song.

What am I here for? And go to ChatGPT and help it clarify some ideas about what are your strengths? What are you good at? Who are the people that you’re, you feel excited about working with? I think that for me has been such a key when people say, how do you do so much? And like, I think I follow my energy. Like, I follow the things that make me just come alive and I get excited. Like, I mean, this podcast, I mean, this is like, I’m going to be so pumped after this. It’s not, it’s not a to-do item on my list. It’s like, I get to talk to Heidi. This is what I’m called to do.

Heidi Kay Begay: Yeah, no. And it’s super fun for me too. And what Michelle was talking about and what I’m sharing right now is go to ChatGPT, go and do the vision board, write these things out. But my challenge for me to you is make sure you’re doing it with honesty. Like what you just said, what am I passionate about? What are my strengths? Who am I supposed to serve? What’s missing in the market? How can I get paid? Right, that kind of that Venn diagram in the center of the intersection of those four circles, that’s where you need to be. But do it with honesty, because I think a lot of my clients, and I don’t know if you see this in your business too, we think we need to undergo or take on a creative project because that’s what we should be doing and I’m using air quotes. So, you know, yes, like follow your mentors, follow their paths as an example, but at the end of the day, it goes back to that authenticity piece. This is kind of one of the themes for today’s conversation. And that is, what do you want your output to be, do you see what I’m saying? You know, like what lights you up? And you said that so well, Michelle, like what lights you up as an individual? Because, you know, a good example is I love education. I have the educator hat. God called me education. I’m an educator, but I felt like I had to teach every flutist under the sun from six to 76. And in Fort Worth from 2009 to 2015, I had 60 students.

And I was an adjunct music professor and I was running, I was a member of the Texas Flute Society, a nonprofit organization. I was working literally probably easily 14, 15 hours a day. And it was exhausting. It was thrilling. It was also exhausting. So when I started getting older and I realized I don’t have 15 hours a day, like my 40-year-old body just won’t let me do that because it’s just different. I had to be honest with myself and say, “Who do you want to teach?” And when you’re honest with yourself, then I realized, like, I light up, I light up with any flutist’s age, wherever you are in life, more power to you, go for it. But we each have our own, like, flavor of tea, right? That we’re drawn to. So if my flavor of tea is the gap your flutists, so from 26 to 46 people who are in between degrees, pivoting out of a master’s or DMA degree pivoting into their business. So now I’m getting very niche, I’m getting very clear, my demographic, and now that’s a more specific. So instead of 6 to 76, I’m 26 to 46. So all that’s to say is the gem in this is get honest with the work that you want to do, because once you’re honest with that, then you’re going to really light up in those 12-hour days because you’re like, “I get to talk with Michelle. I get to teach these people. I get to,” and then it’s more of this like rush rather than feeling depleted at the end of the day.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, that is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing all of that. And I’m so encouraged to hear that you have found your lane in all of these areas. I love hearing the priority that you put on your marriage, on your faith, how you’ve just built such a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. Uh, thank you for the impact that you’re making, all the people that you’re reaching, not just through your teaching, but through your podcast.

Heidi Kay Begay: Oh, thank you. Really appreciate that. And I love the work that you are doing. And thank you for your impact. And thank you for being a woman of faith and sharing that. And I’m just in awe of you and your work and I look up to you and I just cherish our friendship. I really do. I cherish it. And like I was saying, pre-recording to meet another Christian musicpreneur is rare. So I thank you for giving me encouragement and giving me space for us to share these different ideas and topics and your clients and students and the listeners in your concert halls are so blessed to be touched by you using your God-given talents and skills.

Michelle Lynne: Thank you, Heidi. This has been a real joy to have you on.

Heidi Kay Begay: Thank you.