Guitars & Granola Bars

In this episode, I'm chatting with Ahjay Stelino. Ahjay talks about nurturing his young son's love of music, what it's like to be a music therapist in New Zealand, and how he avoids professional burnout. Ahjay is a registered music therapist based in Auckland, New Zealand. He works as a music therapist in the fields of special education and mental health. He has a Masters in Music Therapy from the New Zealand School of Music. He is registered with the New Zealand Music Therapy Registration Board (under his real name of Ajay Castelino). He also teaches guitar and runs a music studio. His latest project is sharing his music therapy songs and tips on using music with kids with special needs at www.ahjaystelino.com. For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Tim Ringgold. Tim talks about the winding road that led him to music therapy, his unconventional roles as a parent, and how he is empowering other music therapists to earn what they are worth. Tim is a serial entrepreneur who is passionate about healing the world using his three best tools: faith, gratitude, and music. As a music therapist, he directs Sonic Divinity Music Therapy Services in Orange, CA, but this is just one division of his company, Sonic Divinity LLC. He also is a sought after speaker, having given the first TEDx talk on music therapy. In addition to this, he teaches other creative entrepreneurs how to help more people, earn what they're worth, and achieve balance through his coaching division, Empower U Academy. As if that wasn't enough, he is the President of WRAMTA, and a Tribal Elder of TEDxYBC, the largest TEDxYouth organization in the world. His highest paying job however (if joy was the only currency) is that of mad passionate dad and husband.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Stephanie Bolton. Stephanie talks about her career path working with a vast array of client populations, the challenges of having a home office, and how entering into private practice has allowed her to enjoy valuable time with her family. Stephanie has been a music therapist since 1997, a wife since 2002, a proud mom since 2005, and a private practice owner since 2009. Along the way, she’s moved across the country 3 times, held 6 different music therapy jobs in 4 different settings/populations, finished her master's, and completed training in GIM. Now her family is happily settled in Huntsville, AL, where Stephanie runs her private practice part-time so she can be home with her daughter after school. For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Allison Hingley. Allison talks about raising a toddler and newborn while completing a master’s program, her family’s various moves around the country, and her decision to start a private practice after staying home with her young daughters. Allison is the owner of Atlantic Music Therapy, LLC in Clayton, North Carolina, and mother to two amazing daughters, Susan and Samantha. While pregnant and working at the Arizona State Veteran Home, she served as a music therapist and, for a short time, the interim therapeutic programs manager. After the birth of Suzie, her family returned to North Carolina, Allison started graduate school online through Colorado State University, gave birth to Samantha, and started my private practice. Having moved cross-country, cross-state, attended graduate school, and mothered two children, Allison is starting to get the hang of extreme(ly fun) multitasking! For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Kristen O'Grady. Kristen talks about the evolution of her career while working in the same facility for 11 years, how her family structures their unique weekly schedule, and the importance of staying connected with your partner. Kristen is the Clinical Director of Creative Arts Therapies and Child Life at the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in Yonkers, NY. She has been a music therapist for 11 years, specializing in pediatric palliative care. She is also a long time member of the executive board of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association, completing her final term as Immediate Past President. Kristen enjoys writing as a part of the “blog team” on the blog “Music Therapy and End of Life Care”. Kristen and her husband Mark live in Hazlet, NJ with their two girls, Molly (age 3.5 years) and Brynn (almost 1!). Together they enjoy being outdoors, pajama dance parties and trips for ice cream. For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgran

In this episode, I'm chatting with Julie Palmieri. Julie talks about her experiences having two children, leaving the clinical realm to work with music therapists online, and how she is able to raise her girls while working from home. Julie is a board-certified music therapist who works and lives in Michigan. She is the owner of Serenade Designs, which helps music therapists create, enhance, and rock their online presence. Julie is married to her amazing husband, Matthew, and they have two gorgeous, funny, energetic, and musical daughters (Amelia & Alice -- she calls them her 'A Team'). They spend their days playing, exploring, visiting new places, and laughing. The Palmieris also have a sweet kitty cat named Clementine. In her spare time, Julie loves browsing Pinterest, cheering on Detroit Red Wings hockey, reading books, eating chocolate, building snowmen, and playing piano. For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Jennifer Sokira. Jen discusses forming a partnership with another music therapist, educates us about torticollis (a condition both of her sons had), and talks about her work with Mental Health First Aid USA. Jen is a board certified music therapist who works with children who have experienced trauma. Her private practice, Connecticut Music Therapy Services, employs several music therapists and serves hundreds of people with mental health and developmental health needs throughout the state. Jennifer is passionate about quality continuing education of music therapists and has created the Music Therapy Book Club, whose standardized courses offer an in-depth learning experience based upon essential music therapy or related texts. She is also the mother of two wonderful boys, Ryan and Zachary and she enjoys spending time with her family. For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Brittany Scheer. Brittany discusses her decision to leave her job as a hospice music therapist to open a private practice, the pros of doing so in a small town, and shares why she is the happiest she's ever been in her life. Brittany is a music therapist and mother of 2 little ones, ages 2 and 8 months. She lives and works in a small community in West-Central Ohio, surrounded by rural farms and other very small communities. Brittany became certified as a music therapist in 2008 and has since obtained her Master's degree and started a private practice called Living Music, LLC, right before she found out she was pregnant with her second child. Brittany’s practice focuses on medical and mental health settings, and she is very excited about the possibilities of music therapy in her small town. For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Kate Taylor. Kate talks in-depth about her unique music therapy work as a doula and birth-centered practitioner, which she was inspired to pursue after the birth of her first daughter. Kate is a birth doula and the owner of Creative Childbirth ConceptsⓇ, a full spectrum pre and perinatal music therapy agency serving Chicago area families for fertility, pregnancy and support during labor and delivery. Kate has presented her research on pre and perinatal music therapy at regional and national American Music Therapy Association conferences, international conferences like the Online Music Therapy Conference and for worldwide parenting organizations like La Leche League International and the Holistic Moms Network. A board certified music therapist since 1999, it was not until the birth of her daughter in 2007 that Kate launched her birth centered music therapy practice where she now attends an average of 24 births per year and continues to raise two wonderfully energetic girls

In this episode, I'm chatting with Aksana Kavaliova-Moussi. Aksana shares her experience completing her masters degree online while raising her young daughter, the challenges of being the only music therapist in her country, and why networking via the internet is essential. Aksana is the only Music Therapist in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and one of the few in the Arabian Gulf region. She holds a Master of Music in Music Therapy degree from Colorado State University, Honours Bachelor of Music Therapy from the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada, and previously completed Bachelors of Arts and Music Education from her home country Belarus in Eastern Europe. Aksana is a Neurologic Music Therapist and Accredited Music Therapist in Canada. She is an active music therapy advocate and holds such positions as a Co-Chair of the Online Conference for Music Therapy, and the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Liaison for the World Federation of Music Therapy. Aksana has a private practice in Bahrain, working with childr

In this episode, I'm chatting with Danielle Oar. Danielle shares the story of her pregnancy — an “unexpected blessing” — and how she pursued her music therapy studies while raising a baby as a single mother, along with how the support of colleagues, family and friends allowed her to complete her degree, internship, and eventually open a private practice. Danielle began her journey as a mother during her junior year of her music therapy degree. The role of mother and music therapist gave her unique insights into both worlds, and was a trial of strength as she supported herself and her son through school, internship, and starting a business. Located in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, Danielle has started a vibrant new private practice and supports her son as a single mother. Music has enriched their relationship and created resilience to the struggles of supporting a baby and a business. For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Amy Schaack. Amy talks about building her private practice and hiring employees, sustaining her business through two maternity leaves, and how her company is soon taking music therapy "on the road". Amy owns Life In Harmony Music Therapy, LLC, a growing private practice in Southwestern Wisconsin. She spent the first four years as a professional developing a music therapy program at a local hospital which later transitioned into a private practice. The business has survived two maternity leaves nearly a year apart and has continued to grow through the process (now employing three music therapists!). Amy's family includes her husband, Bradley, who works full time and also serves as the practice's administrative assistant, Selah (turned two at the end of November), Jovin (will be one the beginning of April), and Chloe (her very first child... a Boston Terrier). For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Christina Stock. Christina shares her journey through perinatal depression and birth-related PTSD, how she handles the "work-life wobble", and the importance of building a local community of support. Christina is a full time mama and part time music therapist. She graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Music with a concentration in ethnomusicology from The University of Texas at Austin in 2005 and her Master's degree in Music Therapy from Texas Woman's University in 2009. Christina has been a music therapist for a little over five years and has worked as a music therapy subcontractor, in a pediatric hospital setting, and currently works at an adult cancer center in Dallas. She is from New Braunfels, Texas, and considers herself a country mouse in the big city with her husband and two young children. For show notes from this episode, visit www.listenlearnmusic.com/podcast.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Erin Lunde. Erin shares how she schedules her clinical work around time with her son, her practice of setting 3 big "to-do" priorities each day, and lists quite a few of her favorite podcasts related to motherhood. Erin owns Sound Matters Music Therapy, LLC, a private practice based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She works with adults and adolescents with developmental delays. Erin has a son who is now 17 months old, and is pregnant with her second child, due in August. For show notes from this episode, visit www.listenlearnmusic.com/podcast.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Carrie Friddell. Carrie talks about her experience being pregnant while completing her internship, her decision to take time off to raise her children, and how she is slowly but surely building up her private practice now that they are a little older. Carrie received her MT-BC Certification when she was pregnant with her first child, Lucy, in 2005. She now also has a son, Ethan, who is 5 years old and about to go to kindergarten this year. Carrie has slowly been building her private practice as her children have gotten older, and has taken a journey of only working very part time while her children are small with hopes to build a bigger independent music therapy practice in the future. For show notes from this episode, visit www.listenlearnmusic.com/podcast.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Laura Theismann. Laura shares the story of finding out she was pregnant, how her son has influenced her work as a music therapist, and the challenges and perks of having a background in child development when it comes to parenting. Laura is a graduate from the University of Alabama and began working in 2012 at Key Changes Therapy Services in Columbia South Carolina where she serves a variety of populations including children with Autism and developmental delays, Dementia/Alzheimer's patients, individuals recovering from stroke, just to name a few. Laura is married and has a three year old son that loves to keep her on her toes. On the journey through balancing music therapy and motherhood, Laura is learning very quickly that every day is an adventure, but is loving every minute of it! For show notes from this episode, visit www.listenlearnmusic.com/podcast.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Meryl Brown. Meryl openly shares her struggle with postpartum depression, how she completely rebuilt her private practice after recovering, and the steps she took to successfully prevent PPD after the birth of her second daughter. Meryl is a mother of 2 (a 5 year old and 9 month old), wife and music therapist living and working in Central Illinois. She "balances" parenthood and music therapy business ownership, as she owns and operates Developing Melodies, a private practice in Bloomington, IL, nurtures her two littles and aggressively participates in self-care by way of running (marathon training anyone?) and volunteer opportunities; serving as President of her Kiwanis Club, Treasurer of the Illinois Association for Music Therapy and serving on the WeCare Twin Cities Half Marathon planning committee. For show notes from this episode, visit www.listenlearnmusic.com/podcast.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Natalie Mullis. Natalie shares how she prepped her business before her baby was born, spent her maternity leave making major changes to her private practice, and her secrets for getting work done with her son at the office. Natalie is the owner of Key Changes Therapy Services, LLC in Columbia, South Carolina and mom to her son Desmond who was born in the summer of 2014. She decided to expand her small music therapy private practice during maternity leave to offer speech therapy services and hopefully, occupational and physical therapy in the future. For show notes from this episode, visit www.listenlearnmusic.com/podcast.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Amanda Clay. Amanda discusses what it was like working in the psych setting while pregnant and shares TONS of practical advice for women who may be grappling with working mom guilt. Amanda is a St. Louis native and Chicagoland transplant as of 2012. She works at a therapeutic day school for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders where she’s frequently pinching herself with how lucky she is to have so much fun at work every day. Amanda has a husband and young son, and is navigating her way through new motherhood through minor failures and occasional triumphs. For show notes from this episode, visit www.listenlearnmusic.com/podcast.

In this episode, I’m chatting with Tamara Leszner-Rovet. Tamara talks about maternity leave in Canada, how she was able to keep her private practice going in the months following her son’s birth, shares a super cool iPad app she uses in her adapted lessons, and much more. Tamara is a Toronto-based Music Therapist and Piano Teacher. She holds an Associateship in Piano Performance is a Registered Music Teacher. She also holds an Honours Bachelor of Music Therapy Degree with Internship from the University of Windsor, and is an Accredited Music Therapist. She has specialized in teaching piano and providing adapted lessons to children, adolescents, adults, and to individuals with special needs for over 15 years. In her Music Therapy practice, she specializes in working with children and adolescents with neurological and developmental delays. For show notes from this episode, visit www.listenlearnmusic.com/podcast.