“One of my clients said, you know, he literally stopped doing gigs for free or for a low pay because he was able to just stand in his body and realize that some part of his inner body was saying to him ‘you're worth more than this.’ And so he was able to hear that within himself, and it helped really shift that mindset, and so now, he said, ‘I'm doing way better gigs and I'm always saying ‘this is my price, that’s it,’ you know,’ and, and when you say it and do it in this powerful but grounded state, people respond to you better as well.” -- Danielle Soccio

This episode’s the second half of my discussion with singer, speaker, and creative mentor Danielle Soccio as we discuss how she’s helped clients recognize their true worth, how the value of creativity has changed in recent years, and how sound can help us celebrate our authentic selves.

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Recognizing Your Value

"One of my clients came to me,” Danielle recalls one of her most memorable mentoring successes, “because she'd had this dream of always wanting to sing, to perform, and she thought that's why she needed to see me." We talk about how those voice lessons instead led her client to realize how much she hides her true self from others and to find the courage to speak with her own voice. We also talk about her work with musicians, and how the age of Spotify has only worsened the tendency of young artists to sell themselves short. "Some of my clients used to perform for free and to perform for very little,” she explains. “It's a very common thing for musicians to undervalue themselves."

The Inner Self

Our discussion touches on art in the digital age and how the convenience of online audio may have also helped devalue it. "I think people value the arts to a certain point,” Danielle says, “but they just don't comprehend how much time and energy and focus needs to go into creating such beautiful art." We talk about the goal that guides her through every mentoring role she takes, and her definition of success: "To be able to absolutely be who I am,” she tells us, “and be accepted for that and be able to freely express that out in the world." "It's [about] the physical self,” she explains, “but also the inner self.”

Our Stories and Songs

As the episode comes to a close, Danielle tells us about the power of sound since the beginning of time to connect us to one another. "I think sound is ultimately, as human beings, how we connect with each other,” she says, “through our stories, through the lyrics of our songs, through our conversations." We talk about her upcoming book and the new album she’s working on, and her hope in helping people find their inner voice. “If we shared that with each other more often,” Danielle says, “and connected with people more in that way I think there would be far more harmony in the...