As we head into the final weeks of 2020, Jaime and I are checking in with each other to compare notes on our families, businesses, and alllll the feelings during this holiday season.In this episode, we share the highs and lows of business ownership right now, and talk about how we are planning ahead (or not) and handling the transition into a new y…

We are now 8 months into the COVID-19 pandemic; that makes 8 months of pivoting, adapting, and overcoming challenges both at home and at work.I'm checking in once again with co-host Jaime Lawrence, owner of Harmony Garden Music Therapy Services, and we're sharing updates on family life, business ownership, and ourselves in general as we continue to…

A lot has changed since I last spoke with my co-host, Jaime Lawrence (owner of Harmony Garden Music Therapy), back in April. The pandemic is still in full force, which has greatly impacted just about every aspect of our lives.In this follow-up episode, we're discussing the current state of our businesses since reopening our physical doors, and we a…

It's been over a year since I released an episode of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast, but when my co-host from last season, Jaime Lawrence, suggested recording one to chat about how we are managing during this global pandemic, I was immediately on board.In this special COVID-19 edition of the podcast, we talk about how we have pivoted our busine…

We're taking a completely unorthodox approach in Episode 43 of the Creative Business Breakdown podcast. Instead of recording together in the same room as we usually do, we're answering some BIG questions about our partnership...separately.If you've been curious about the inner workings of our partnership, or how a business partner relationship look…

We're welcoming two special guests to dish what it's really like to be an employee at Music Therapy Connections. Alisabeth Hopper and Laura Mui answer our burning questions about the pros, cons, surprises, and lessons learned since they joined our team.This was a fun and enlightening conversation for us as business owners, and we hope you'll find i…

We're hiring! In case you haven't heard, we are now accepting applications for a FULL-TIME music therapist position at our private practice, Music Therapy Connections. The submission deadline is April 1, so visit the link below to learn more and apply:https://musictherapyconnections.org/hiring-mtbcIn Episode 41, we're celebrating our team at MTC, a…

One of the biggest challenges of owning a business is knowing if and when it's time to hire an employee. As music therapy business owners, this is not an easy decision to make, especially if you've never hired an employee before.We've learned so much with each hire, and are getting ready to go through the process once again -- which is why we decid…

Being a business owner can feel like riding a rollercoaster: sometimes you're on top of the world with your hands in the air, and other times, you're flying down a steep hill holding on for dear life.At this moment in our business, we're feeling the latter, and in this episode, we're getting real about our current challenges. We talk through how we…

When the topic of "self-care" comes up, things like pedicures and bubble baths usually come to mind. And while we love those indulgences from time to time, the most effective self-care is the kind that you can incorporate into your everyday routine. In Episode 38 of the Creative Business Breakdown, we're talking about how we're practicing self-care…

This is the final episode in our current season, during which I’ve been so lucky to have Jaime Lawrence as a co-host. I hope you’ve enjoyed her added perspective here on the podcast just as much as I have! Since we’re making our way towards the end of 2018, Jaime and I thought it would be fun to share our favorite accomplishments of the year, both …

Halloween is coming, and we are ready! So of course we had to dedicate an entire episode to how we celebrate this special day at home -- including decorations, our family’s costumes, and favorite traditions -- and at work -- the songs we sing, how we integrate Halloween into our groups and sessions, and ways we get festive in our workplaces. To be …

This week, Jaime and I are sharing our favorite working mom “hacks” -- big and little ways in which we’ve discovered make life just a little bit easier, both in terms of work and home. We actually ran out of time recording this episode, and have already planned a part 2 so that we can give you the rest of our hacks. In the meantime, we hope you fin…

As we approach the fall season, Jaime and I are both busy preparing for new sessions of our early childhood music classes. Since this topic is top of mind for us right now, we thought we’d take this opportunity to do a deep dive into our role as early childhood music class instructors.In this episode, we talk about what led us to providing these cl…

We talk pretty often here on the podcast about running our own businesses and the challenges associated with it. One of the BIGGEST challenges is being a boss -- deciding when the time is right to grow our team, conducting interviews, completing the hiring process, and then managing a team.In this week’s episode, we tackle this tough subject matter…

This week’s topic was a no-brainer for two moms who also work with school-aged children. It’s back to school time, which comes with a whole lot of excitement, overwhelm, challenges, and planning. In this episode, I’m talking about what it’s like as a total newbie with my son getting ready to start kindergarten, and Jaime gives a whole lot of great …

I never fully appreciated the proverb “necessity is the mother of invention” until I became a business owner. It didn’t take long to realize that there are busy seasons in a private practice and teaching studio, and then there are slow seasons. Very, very slow seasons. Summer just happens to be the slowest of all, which has made it absolutely neces…

In Episode 70, Jaime and I are chatting all about the evolution of our musical lives: where we got our start as musicians, how we made music before becoming music therapists and before having kids, and how things have changed throughout the years since.How does music play a role in YOUR life outside of your work? Let's continue the conversation in …

This week it’s just me, recording a solo episode for the first time since the beginning of the summer. I’ve been having so much fun chatting with my co-host, Jaime, and I hope you’ve been enjoying our episodes together, too.But in today’s episode, I want to address a topic that I haven’t talked much about publicly, hence this week’s title. The conf…

A common theme of summer is TRAVEL. It’s one of my favorite things to do, but it can also be a bit stressful, whether you’re traveling with or without your family. In this episode of the podcast, Jaime and I are talking all about how we handle both kinds of travel -- as moms and as business owners.Let's continue the conversation in the comments of …

There is a whole lot of crossover when it comes to being both a music therapist and a mom...especially when you teach early childhood classes and have young children. Jaime and I can check both of those boxes, and have a whole lot of experience playing both the role of music class teacher and mom at the same time.In Episode 67 of the Guitars & Gran…

Fun fact: both my co-host Jaime and I are total "Disney people" and have been from an early age. As a result, Disney has played a huge role in our lives, from taking Disney vacations, to using Disney songs in our music therapy and early childhood work, to sharing the love with our own children. In Episode 66 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast, w…

Children’s books play a huge role in both our work as music therapists and our home life with our own kids. In Episode 65 of the podcast, Jaime and I talk about how we put them to use with our young students and clients, and also how they fit into our family lives. Additionally, we discuss our favorite children’s books for both settings, all of whi…

Summer can be a tricky time for working moms. Our school-aged kids are out of school, everyone’s schedules are out of wack, and life as we know it goes a little haywire. In this episode, Jaime and I talk about our plans for this summer and how we tackle this time of year in order to stay productive, keep everyone happy, and have fun (a tall order, …

Let me introduce you to the newest voice of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast! In this episode, I ask Jaime allllll the questions so that you can get to know her better. She fills us in on her professional background, family life, favorite life hacks for working moms, and much more.Let's continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes …

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a career they love with being a mom.If you’ve been a listener of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast in the past, then you know it’s been a hot minute since I recorded a new episode. This has always …

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom.This episode is all about self-care. This time of year is when I start to feel everything piling up on me, between both my kids and my business starting a ne…

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom.This episode is all about my biggest struggle after becoming a mom: losing my sense of identity as a musician. I share an essay I wrote for an anthology abou…

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom.This episode is all about how I'm investing in self-care this weekend, why it's extremely needed, and how doing so can be so hugely beneficial to your own me…

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom.This episode is all about how making a change in my work environment (moving my home office out of my dark basement and into a sun-drenched room upstairs) co…

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom.This episode is all about the surprising topic of conversation when I attended a recent conference completely solo, and how I am coming to terms with the rea…

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom.In this episode, I'm talking with Tamara Leszner-Rovet, a registered music therapist in Toronto, Canada. Tamara shares her experience so far as a music thera…

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom.This episode is all about an event I’ve known was coming since the day my daughter was born, almost 15 months ago. D-Day. The day my baby girl will embark on…

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom.In this episode, I share my strategies for maintaining my sanity in today's world, given the scary events happening far too often. I would love to hear yours…

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom.Amanda Clay is making her second guest appearance on the podcast, and this time we are diving in to the realities of postpartum depression. Amanda openly sha…

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom.In today’s episode, I’m talking about why I came close to burning out this past year, and how I make sure to avoid letting that happen again -- by doing the …

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom. In my former life, which I call the B.C. — before children — days, my world revolved around work and music. A lot has changed since having two kids, but I’v…

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom. In today’s episode, I’m sharing my number one strategy for staying on track mentally and emotionally. It is probably going to sound way too simple, but it r…

Thank you so much for joining me here on Guitars & Granola Bars. I’m your host, Rachel Rambach, and this podcast is for women like me who are balancing a passion-fueled career with being a mom. If you listened to Season 1, then you know that each episode featured a different guest who shared their experiences and advice when it comes to music thera…

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Jamie George.Jamie talks candidly about the premature birth of her son and how it affected her, providing music therapy to him in the NICU, and life as a business owner after becoming a mom.Jamie is the owner and director of The George Center for Music Therapy in Atlanta, GA. The George Center empl…

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Gretchen Chardos Benner.Gretchen talks about following in her sister's footsteps to become the second music therapist in her family, pursuing her masters degree while working full-time, and how she makes music with her family at home.Gretchen is married with two children (5 and almost 3). Her famil…

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Ginny Driscoll.Ginny talks about her work as a music therapy researcher, pursuing her PhD while raising two girls, and how she includes her daughters in her self-care practices.Ginny is a mom, music therapist, researcher, and doctoral student. She has two beautiful girls-- Neala (7) and Madelyn (3)…

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Amanda Ellis.Amanda talks about her approach to providing music therapy to 30+ classrooms each week, her son's impressive musicality as the child of two musicians, and the importance of communication between working parents. Amanda is a board-certified music therapist and full time working mom livi…

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Emily Wangen.Emily talks about her experience with pregnancy loss, how long commutes and inclement weather affected the development of her private practice, and her ideal vision for the future. Emily is the owner of Music Therapy in Motion, LLC. She is the mother of Levi, 7, Lydia, 5, and wife to J…

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Mallory Even.Mallory talks about how her twin pregnancy shaped the course of her career, the health challenges her son faced immediately after birth, and running a business while staying home with her children. Mallory, owner of Metro Music Therapy, is originally from the Orlando, FL area, and earn…

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Jodie Ross.Jodie talks about becoming an internship director shortly after completing her own internship, her readiness to return to work at the end of maternity leave, and how she relates parenting styles to music therapy approaches. Jodie is a 2010 graduate of Mississippi University for Women whe…

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Jennifer Whitlow.Jennifer talks about starting her private practice while pregnant, why she actually enjoyed her labor and delivery, and her adjustment to new motherhood as a business owner.Jennifer is a board certified music therapist with degrees in Music, Psychology, and Music Therapy. After com…

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Kimberly Sena Moore.Kimberly talks about how she and her family navigated 5 years of major transitions, her role as a music therapist in the academic setting, and her approach to parenting as a full-time working mom.Kimberly is a board certified music therapist who joined the University of Miami’s …

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Morgan Sparks.Morgan talks about her unconventional path to music therapy, teaching Kindermusik classes just 6 days postpartum, and the give-and-take that comes with raising a young child and owning a business.Morgan is owner of Rhythm Garden Music LLC, where she offers music therapy services, earl…

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Ashley Lundquist.Ashley talks about how losing her voice affected her music therapy career, the way she incorporated music during her labor and delivery, and how she is settling into her role as a first-time mom just a few weeks postpartum.Ashley owns a small business named Healing Melodies Music T…