creativity

Episode #73: Harnessing Your Creative Magic and Creating a Life with Purpose with Jade Simmons

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What do the most superlative brands , the world’s most renowned stages , and the most prestigious conferences have in common? They’ re bringing in the one and only Jade Simmons! Jade spent the first few years of her career performing as a classical concert pianist. Following an artistic epiphany, she pivoted from playing the piano to impress audiences , to using the piano as the vehicle by which to provide the inspiration, information and entertainment that profoundly moves them instead. The result s have been, well...darn impressive!

No stranger to pushing boundaries to see bold results , this concert pianist turned world changer is brought in by the likes of corporations like Mass Mutual, Royal Bank of Canada, DOW, Raytheon, the Hershey Company, Genentech, Valic , Pfizer and Nationwide to redefine purpose, inspire seismic shifts in mindset and activate audiences to go out and instantly start living more consequential lives of impact.

The one-of-a-kind artist has built a one-of-a-kind career garnering diverse recognition from unlikely places. She’s played renowned halls , including the hallowed ones of the White House and the US Supreme Court and her genre-bending concert adventures that span Rachmaninoff to Rap attract diverse audiences of all ages and backgrounds . For her work on and away from the stage, Essence magazine featured Jade alongside former First Lady Michelle Obama as a part of their Style & Substance List. As one of the rare classical artists invited to perform at the taste-making South by Southwest Festival, her show was ultimately branded one of the "Best of SXSW 2014". She’s star red in a Broadway-style musical called Lillette’ s Rhythm Club and she can be heard portraying Nina Simone’s classical years in the Oscar -nominated documentary What Happened Miss Simone?

In her inimitable career as a concert pianist and as a media host, Jade has remained committed to expanding the boundaries of Classical music and is the new host of shows for both American Public Media and NYC’ s top rated station WQXR, airing in 2019.

Things we talk about on todays episode:

  • Her journey from classical pianist to successful entrepreneur and keynote speaker

  • Why she feels as if she grew up with black privilege

  • What it means to be an artist

  • How to figure out WTF your purpose is

  • Creating a deep impact in the world with the work you do and who you are

  • Our differing perspectives on the mess, imperfections and beyond

  • Becoming the maverick of your own life


LINKS MENTIONED

Live Your F*ck Yes Life Membership — Use code LYFYL for 10%

GET ON THE I CHOPPED OFF YOUR TITS VIP BOOK LIST

Jade’s Instagram | Website

The Hate U Give

BOMB ASS WAYS TO CONNECT

Connect with Amanda on Instagram

Shout out the pod on Instagram and tag @amandakatherineloy and don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review on itunes!

Episode #50: Bare Naked Bravery with Emily Ann Peterson

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EPISODE SNEAK PEEK


“The people who we define as brave are those that are able to utilize the fear itself to do the thing that they want to do.”


In 2013, Emily Ann Peterson was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological hand tremor, which forever altered her two-decade livelihood as a cellist/cello teacher. Refusing to lose her life's love of expression, she knew she’d have to be brave. In an act of neurological defiance, she expanded into wider mediums and broke through her creative glass ceiling, opening the door to limitless possibilities through songwriting.

Her best-selling book Bare Naked Bravery: How to Be Creatively Courageous helps people from all walks of life understand what bravery really is - allowing them to step into it by creatively using vulnerability, imagination and improvisation. She also founded The School of Bravery, a learning lab for creative visionaries which supports everyday heroes and creative entrepreneurs prepare, endure, and recover from their seasons of bravery.

Emily Ann's community of fans, listeners, and readers offers a welcoming, safe place for creative misfits to finally find belonging and acceptance. Emily Ann writes for people who struggle to remember what hope feels like and sings to those who yearn for something secret. She speaks to those who are done being bored and crave all things beautiful, strong, sacred, and sensual. Her goal is to inspire a global resonance and magnanimous community through the marriage of art and whole-person development.

Things we discuss in today’s episode:

  • What the f*ck bravery actually means

  • How developing a hand tremor totally changed the trajectory of her life

  • The frustration of hearing words like “keep being brave” or “you’re so brave”

  • How traumatic events can shift your identity

  • The process of writing a book

  • The starving artist mentality

  • What her research on bravery showed her

  • How she confessed her love to a guy in the most creative and amazing way


LINKS MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE

Emily’s Instagram | Website

Follow her on Spotify and get chapter 1 of her book

Emily’s Ted Talk

Bare Naked Bravery

How To Be Everything

BOMB ASS WAYS TO CONNECT

Join our community where we chat all things real talk, and you get the inside scoop on guests, a chance to ask questions & be surrounded by a squad of ladies who GET you!

Shout out the pod on Instagram and tag @liveyourfuckyeslife and don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review on itunes!

Episode #29: LYFYL Pep Talk Series | The True Path to Success

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For the longest time, I felt like I needed to be "successful" to be worthy. And thus, to be HAPPY.

This week has been a bit surreal for me — I’ve come back from a trip that was breathtakingly beautiful and adventure filled, to getting this incredible book in the mail that I had the honor of being a contributor for.

And I had a moment of imposter syndrome. Of “who am I to be able to have a life like this?” Where my job allows me to travel and work from wherever and the connections I’ve made have led me to be able to share my story and heart in ways I never imagined possible, like having my work published. 

And all of the “reasons” to feel worthy that I used to feel like I needed to be “successful” were staring me straight in the face but instead, I felt like a total FAKE.

I dive into this moment and so much more on today's episode of the pod!