Trial, Error, and the Beginner's Mindset

Scraped Knees and Reframed Stories

This week, Sarah set out to have a fun, carefree vacation in Mexico — and ended up with a scraped-up knee, a stomach bug, and an unexpected case study in her own coaching tools. What started as an embarrassing scooter accident on a quick lunch run turned into a real-time lesson in noticing the stories we tell about ourselves, and why those stories matter more than the actual event. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why noticing your thoughts — and not automatically buying into them — is so important, even when you have plenty of evidence to back the story up * The difference between excusing yourself out of accountability and giving yourself grace for where you were in the moment * Why becoming the next version of yourself requires thinking and acting in ways that don’t yet match who you currently are * How the stories we carry about ourselves, even unconsciously, can shape what we attract into our lives * Why reframing isn’t about ignoring what went wrong — it’s about choosing what you focus on moving forward ✨ Coming next:Next week, Sarah will be in San Antonio presenting at the National NATS Conference. 🔔 Subscribe & ReviewIf this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more singers who need these tools. 📲 Connect with SarahInstagram: @sarahsingersmindset 🎵 Music Credit“Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com [https://yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Trial, Error, and the Beginner's Mindset

I’m recording this one from a balcony in Mexico, coffee in hand, after a walk past more bougainvillea than I knew what to do with. This episode is less scripted, more freewheeling. It ended up touching on AI, rest, beginner’s mindset, and how to practice in a hotel room without losing your mind. Consider it a grab bag of hot tips from vacation brain. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why I’m experimenting with a less-scripted format this week — and what prompted it * The tension between using AI to overcome resistance and using it in a way that skips real thinking * Why “B-minus and done” can be more valuable than perfect and never finished * What beginner’s mindset is and why it matters for technique, character work, and score study * Why I built a daily “slow start” into my schedule, and why rest doesn’t look the same for everyone * Practical strategies for practicing or warming up in less-than-ideal spaces, including SOVT options that don’t require a straw * Why drilling memorization, subtext work, and physicalized practice matter even when you can’t sing full out * How to reframe practicing under pressure as a form of performance practice 📣Resources & Mentions * Jules Acres — Slow Brew newsletter (inspiration for Sarah’s “slow start” routine) * Brené Brown and Adam Grant — conversation on AI and the value of thinking 🔔 Subscribe & Review If this episode helped you, please share it with a fellow singer or creative who needs a dose of healthy self-confidence. And if you’re enjoying the podcast, leaving a rating and review is one of the best ways to help more singers find this work. 📲 Connect with Sarah * Instagram: @sarahsingersmindset * Newsletter: sarah-neely.kit.com/d7d3234f95 [https://sarah-neely.kit.com/d7d3234f95] 🎵 Music Credit “Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com [http://incompetech.com]) Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com [https://yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Best Investment You'll Ever Make

What’s the one investment that never loses its value — no matter what the economy does, what technology disrupts, or what unexpected detour life throws at you? In this episode, Sarah gets personal. Drawing on her own winding path through burnout, career pivots, and some unexpected detours, she makes the case that investing in your own mind, skills, and resilience is the most important thing a singer — or any creative person — can do. She also shares her current, evolving thinking on AI and adaptability in an uncertain world. You’ll learn: * Why an investment doesn’t have to pay off the way you expected to still be worth it * How career detours build the adaptability muscle you’ll draw on for the rest of your life * Why neuroplasticity — keeping your brain flexible and learning new things — matters long after formal education ends * How to think intentionally about where you invest your finite time and energy * Sarah’s current (and openly evolving) take on AI and what it means for singers ✨ Coming next: Season 2 continues — Sarah takes you on the road with her through a summer of performing, traveling, presenting, and learning. 🔔 Subscribe & Review If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more singers who need these tools. 📲 Connect with Sarah Follow along on Instagram: @sarahsingersmindset Link in bio to join the weekly newsletter and grab your free resource, The Singer’s Survival Guide: 5 Mindset Shifts for Life, Auditions, and Everything In Between. 🎵 Music Credit “Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com [https://yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Pastiche Career:

What if the non-linear, patchwork nature of a singer’s career isn’t a problem to solve — but actually the point? In this Season 2 premiere, Sarah introduces the concept of the pastiche career: the idea that a life in music is rarely a straight line, and that the patchwork of jobs, skills, roles, and creative projects that make up a singer’s career is something worth understanding — and even celebrating. Drawing on her own overwhelmingly full summer as a living example, Sarah reframes what it means to build a life in the arts. You’ll learn: * What pastiche means and why it’s the perfect metaphor for a singer’s career * Why the non-linear path is often presented negatively — and why that framing does singers a disservice * How even a “stable” university job is its own kind of pastiche * What it looks like to consciously choose this life — and own that choice * Why the adaptability you build in a pastiche career is one of the most valuable things you can develop as a human being ✨ Coming next: In the next episode, we’re continuing the conversation with a topic that came directly out of this one: investing in yourself, adaptability in an uncertain world, and why developing you is the most resilient thing you can do as an artist. 🔔 Subscribe & Review If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more singers who need these tools. 📲 Connect with Sarah Follow along on Instagram: @your_passaggi_professor Link in bio to join the weekly newsletter and grab your free resource, The Singer’s Survival Guide: 5 Mindset Shifts for Life, Auditions, and Everything In Between. 🎵 Music Credit “Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com [https://yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Performance Anxiety for Singers

Last week we talked about what performance anxiety actually is — the neuroscience, the evolutionary wiring, and why nothing has gone wrong if you’re nervous. This week we get practical. If you’ve ever stood backstage running worst-case scenarios, lost access to your breath right when you needed it most, or heard that inner voice tell you you’re not ready— this episode is for you. We go tool by tool through eight specific things that actually help, why they work at the physiological level, and how to build a pre-performance plan that your nervous system can actually use when the nerves hit. These are not generic relaxation tips. They’re real tools drawn from years of performing, coaching, and learning and they’re offered here as a starting point for building a toolkit that is genuinely personal to you. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why stopping fighting your anxiety is the foundation every other tool rests on * How to recognize the three inner voices of performance anxiety * Why “name it to tame it” is more than a catchy phrase * How to talk directly to the feeling — and why calling the voices by name changes your relationship with them * How box breathing works, why it can backfire when your heart rate is already elevated, and how to adapt it to meet your nervous system where it actually is * The physical breath technique — what it is, why it works, and why it has a specific bonus for singers * Why your pre-performance plan needs to be built before the anxiety arrives — and what to actually put in it * How acting tools and character work can help you with your performance anxiety ✨ Coming next: Season 2 of the YPP Podcast will start summer 2026 📣 Resources & Mentions * Episode 15: Performance Anxiety for Singers, Part 1: Nothing Has Gone Wrong * Episode 3: The Dreaded “F” Word (Feelings) — the backpack concept * Arneson, Christopher. “Performance Anxiety: A Twenty-First Century Perspective.” Journal of Singing 66, no. 5 (May/June 2010): 537–546. * Ruiz, Don Miguel. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. San Rafael, CA: Amber-Allen Publishing, 1997. * Siegel, Daniel J. Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation. New York: Bantam Books, 2010. * Michelle Grosser — High Capacity Podcast (formerly Calm Mom) — highcapacitypodcast.com [http://highcapacitypodcast.com] 🔔 Subscribe & Review If this episode gave you something concrete to bring into your next performance, please share it with a singer who needs it. And if you’re enjoying the podcast, leaving a rating and review helps more singers find this work. 📲 Connect with Sarah * Instagram: @Your_Passaggi_Professor * Newsletter: sarah-neely.kit.com/d7d3234f95 [http://sarah-neely.kit.com/d7d3234f95] 🎵 Music Credit “Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com [http://incompetech.com]) Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com [https://yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]