For the past five years, I have had the privilege of creating a beautiful music business program in one of the top music universities in the country.
(In this moment of vulnerability, I’ll disclose that I may have shed a tear or two while writing this…)
In accepting the position of Founder and Director of the Music Business and Entrepreneurship Program at North Texas University, I was tasked with designing a curriculum, program building strategies, and creating a movement that would help musicians understand the business side of music.
I knew this would be the right move for my next career phase since I had created a music school that was nationally featured on PBS – twice, and my Academy students had won national and international awards, and even performed at Carnegie Hall.
I had all the knowledge and hands-on experience of building a business from scratch and I could not wait to share what I knew with musicians who were just beginning to be awakened to the fact that music is a business.
As I started at UNT, I was in awe of the hunger, curiosity, and appreciation these students had for the concepts I shared – and how quickly they turned ideas to actions.
Within a year of joining the UNT community, I created an entire entrepreneurial curriculum and started a program that allowed students to pitch their businesses, win cash prizes, and launch their careers.
We were featured in Billboard magazine as one of the top 15 in the country, joining the ranks of some of the most prestigious business programs.
Our students launched their own businesses.
We gained 5-figure sponsorships from outside organizations to support the entrepreneurial program initiatives.
Throughout these past 5 years, UNT’s Music Business program has maintained the national top 15 ranking every year.
The program’s growth and success even led to the development of a music business minor and an MBA in Music Business.
I recently submitted my letter of resignation. I’m no longer going to be working at the University of North Texas, and here’s why.
As a result of being in this University role helping musicians self-start their careers, over the years, people started reaching out to me for career advice and business mentorship.
I realized there was a need for my work BEYOND the scope of my students.
Last year, I decided to build an online coaching business that allowed me to serve in a broader way to musicians around the world.
I helped musicians build financial prosperity by helping them launch teaching and coaching businesses that benefited from both their musical and non-musical skills.
I have helped my clients grow thriving businesses and experience profound personal transformations. In the same way, my business has allowed me to expand my income, extend my reach, and experience personal growth in ways I never imagined were possible.
It has been nevertheless a lot of work to build an international coaching business while holding a full-time job and raising two children.
Living a life without burnout is one of my core values – for myself and my clients – so I realized that in order to truly live my life in alignment with those values, I would have to let some things go.
I had come to a point of truth: even though I would love to keep it all going, keeping my full-time job while building my business and raising a family was not a sustainable path long term.
It was not aligned with how I wanted to live my life, and spend my time…
Having the time to spend with my family
Having the time to practice piano
Having the time to prepare home-cooked meals
Having the time to exercise
Having the time to serve my clients
Having the time to be human, and create my life from a place of ease and flow, instead of a path to burnout.
Thus, I released the University program I built over the past five years, and look forward to seeing it continue to expand, grow, and reach new heights.
I am now reflecting not just on everything I have achieved, but everything I have become in the process.
It’s been an incredible journey every step of the way and I’ll be forever grateful to have had an opportunity to serve and grow surrounded by an incredible community of students, faculty, and staff.
Taking these steps is not easy. If you are also feeling the need to pivot and expand in your career, I am with you.
Making the decision is not the most difficult part, it’s the journey you need to take to discover what you want in your life, so you become true to your values and align with your goals, so that you are ready to commit to yourself and to take action.
That is not a journey that happens overnight and it is not simply a matter of courage. This process is about gaining clarity and conviction, as well as courage, to move forward with the things you need to embrace and release.
I can’t wait to see what lies ahead as I shift my focus on the growth and expansion of my businesses, my career, and my life.
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