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​In this letter

On Bravery

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Last night I asked Ted what I should write about in tomorrow's email.

He said, "Tell them your husband's a big loser."

We both laughed. But looking over at him, I saw he kind of meant it.

After devoting over half his life in orchestras, Ted walked away from the performing side of his career for dream of working on the business side of classical music. Big leap. Terrifying. Right!?

Many of you who've been with us will know. he retired to join the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance as VP of Artistic and Operation. His position with was eliminated in July, and this being 6 months ago, he's had time to get some perspective: did I make a mistake? do I still want to make the changes in and affect improvements in the industry I love so much? how can I open up new possibilities? what's next?

Honestly? It started being revealed that this path may not have been the best way to make the change he wants to make. We are big believers that best opportunities are ones you prepare your best for, but most often don't even see coming!

Now he's playing again temporarily - back in the same section he left - and he just took an audition for assistant principal. He's advanced in five CEO, and artistic searches around the country. Still looking. Still uncertain. Still open.

And on our couch last night, he was feeling it. The weight of the risk. The "what if I made a huge mistake" thoughts that come when you're between chapters.

But you know what I see?

Someone who could've stayed comfortable for the rest of his career. Who could've kept the predictable path. Who instead chose to bet on himself and what he actually wanted.

That's not losing. That's living.

And this is what we want for you!

My confession:

There's a certain "shrinking to fit" that happens when we go to technical school, which is what music conservatory is, at it's most basic. Some of us find a way to expand again, and almost everyone has a creative outlet that may or may not be music related. That's not the confession. It's that even though I've created a non-profit, a private studio, an academic position, and business... I didn't realize one thing.

It's that I haven't realized that DESPITE all the creative work outside of my orchestra job, that I STILL feel like I need to FIT.

Until now.

I'll let you in on a big dream. One I haven't said out loud yet because it feels audacious and uncertain and maybe impossible.

I'm going to build a retreat center. A regenerative property, with recording, performing, workshop, gathering facilities. Bookstore, bikes, land to walk. A place where musicians can gather without agenda, to build, ideate, experiment, make, speak.

Where you can come for a weekend or a month, work intensely or rest deeply, bring your whole self and not just your résumé.

I'm doing it in 2026. Not someday. Now.

Will it work? I don't know. Am I scared? In the best way.

But I keep thinking about Ted on that couch. About what happens when we choose the dream over the comfortable. When we're brave enough to look like we're losing while we're actually becoming.

It's time to stop fitting and start expanding. To stop asking, "was that good enough", "do I have permission to", "what gatekeepers do I need to know to get a seat at the table".

UGH. Nooooo!

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A thought on excellence:

We all think it's in the big moments, nailing the solo you practice hours for, making the top school orchestra, being selected for all-state, or all-stars orchestra, or this festival or that job.

But excellence, I challenge you, is in the details. The every day:

• showing up to the practice room when you don't know if this is still your path
• sending another application when the last five didn't work out
• saying yes to make meaningful work
• to contribute even if (especially if) the naysayers hate on it
• to ship good work into the world, whatever form that takes

Ted doesn't know if he'll end up performing or in administration or somehow both. He's discovering. He's seeing what finds him. He's choosing alignment with his purpose over the illusion of certainty.

And that daily choice? That's excellence.

I'm already building that retreat in the small choices. How I structure my days. The projects I say yes to. The people I bring together. How I navigate uncertainty while staying aligned with my purpose.

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So what I want for you this year:

Take the risk. Make the leap. Choose the thing that feels BOLD you because it matters. Take the small actions that add up and steer you toward those bigger ideas.

Not because you're guaranteed to win, but because not trying is the only way you actually lose.

Ted's not a loser. You're not either.

Let's go be bold together.
Cheering for you,

Ixi

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p.s. Would you come to my retreat center? What needle would you like to move at a retreat?

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p.p.s. Want a system that helps you choose excellent work that aligns with your purpose (not fitting and not asking for permission)? The Practice with Purpose Planner is here, it's more beautiful than I ever imagined. It's a system that teaches:

How to align with what actually matters. How to make choices from the inside out. How to build a life - and a career - that honors all of who you are, not just the part that performs or produces or wins.

​Practice with Purpose framework is still on special. $99 for:

• the complete framework ($77)
• your physical planners included (a $80 value, shipped to your door)
• training modules and ongoing resources

A system built on alignment, connection and flow.

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p.p.p.s. The ALL NEW CAREER HUB is on it's way to reality.

I'll be at the SPHINX Conference Jan 21-25 and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago Jan 30 talking about it and doing a workshop with the musicians there. Anyone in Detroit or Chicago and want to meet up?

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What Music360 is going into 2026 focused on

Music360 isn't about abandoning your artistry for entrepreneurship. It's about recognizing that building a meaningful career IS an artistic practice. One that requires the same attention, craft, and integrity you bring to your music - in your whole life.

We're not loud. We don't chase trends. We don't promise overnight transformations.

We are a career hub, a safe place to dream, where you can stop performing your life and start living it.

If this resonates, you're ready for what we do.

Come join us!

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