This week on the show, I’m doing a lookback episode, and sharing the interview with singer / songwriter Morgan Bolender. Morgan and I met at Danielle LaPorte’s San Francisco event, at Grace Cathedral. I was so enthralled by her amazing song, Mary Oliver, that I asked her then and there if she did podcast interviews. And I was so delighted that she said yes.
Here’s what I love about Morgan, and why I wanted to revisit this discussion. Morgan followed her heart, in a really big way, in becoming a musician. And, she shares all about what that journey looked like, which really is an inspiration to anyone who has a big creative dream but is not quite sure how to move forward with it.
After graduating from college, Morgan moved to Kona to be a 3rd grade special education teacher. After a little while, she discovered that teaching didn’t light her up. She found herself, as many of us find ourselves, stuck in that place where you know you can “keep going in social prestige with something that ‘sounds good’ while doing something on the side that felt like a devotion to my heart’s truth” but she quickly realized that she couldn’t do that, because it would never feel fully in integrity. As she tells me, she “can’t be anything BUT my heart’s truth.”
What I love so much about our discussion is that Morgan is someone who is deeply curious. She follows her gut to things, even when they are scary or painful, and she does so in the earnest name of growth. She started out her journey being truly afraid to sing, but realized that singing was her gift and her calling, and followed it. It takes a lot of strength to do the things that scare us, and those fears often stop us before we can get to the heart of our own truths. Morgan took her own story and put it into her song, Mary Oliver, and you can hear that at the end of the episode.
In this episode, Morgan and I talk about:
- How she was introspective and oddly serious as a child, with solitude bringing her joy
- Her song writing process with partner Scott
- What brings her joy: little joys, hugs, and setting intentional time
- Her journey from being a teacher to becoming a singer and song writer that started with her saying “Take me where I need to go”
- Living on an organic farm and hearing her own voice singing for the very first time
- Following your fears and growing
- How she pitched Danielle LaPorte and all about her singing in Grace Cathedral
- Her blog, The Unraveling
- What resistance has looked like for her: trying her very hardest in her creative pursuits, and breaking down the BS that comes with being self taught (and feeling like that is a badge of honor)
Resources:
Mary Oliver on YouTube
Morgan Bolender’s Website
Danielle LaPorte’s White Hot Truth (on Amazon)
Morgan Bolender’s music
Morgan on Facebook
Morgan on Instagram
Want to listen to more episodes?
Binge away, my friend:
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