Hello everyone and welcome back. Sorry for the long delay in between episodes. However today's episode is a great one to come back to Today we talked with Daniel Adams who is a music therapist out of Hurricane Utah I really enjoyed recording this episode and being able to sit and talk with Daniel So I hope you enjoy it and are also able to take something positive out of this conversation All right, so we're here with Daniel Daniel Would be the great place to start I I lived in Hurricane Utah for five years came down here to get some more sunshine in my life. I I a mental health professional once told me I had autism had kind of a fun journey with that I Therapist once told me I had clinical depression and clinical anxiety And I've been on a journey my whole life to make awesomeness and to inspire as many people as possible to create their own reality intentionally and Had a lot of bumps and bruises along the way.
I've been married for 11 years. I have one son who's eight and Parenthood is like the most massively awesome mirror every day. There's like so much joy So much like oh man, did you learn that from me so much fear so much anger so much sadness like just a fullness of life All from one relationship that's been incredible And for me Yeah, I've just been on a journey to like add as much value as possible to people wherever I go To serve in DBS full to create meaning and To step out all the stories I feel like there are so many stories that we could tell that trip us up thinking in the way of what we really actually want to create And so that's what I'm all about Steping out all the stories and helping people do the same so they can create what they want to create That's awesome. So I know we were talking earlier and you said you live in Salt Lake what brought you to hurricane sunshine?
So just straight up sunshine like we're out there building life. I had a sweet gig Working as a music therapist at a hospice agency up there was crazy busy had way more business that I could handle I have a music therapy business with a number of subcontractors just providing high quality services for folks Use the music as the catalyst To move emotions that weren't working for folks and to create the next phase I like to create the goals and we just a lot of clouds up there got kind of crowded for us And it just hit me one day like I could build life wherever yeah Like why not go to the place where everybody vacations and just set up shop. Mm-hmm We came on down We had some family down here and that was like a good anchoring spot and then you know Build in our dream build my business building Whatever there is to build here in St. George.
Yeah, it was strictly a sunshine question like it's awesome down here It's like even when it's cold still sunny like 300 days out of the air That's been huge for my mental health. Mm-hmm. It's been huge to pull me out of some of the depressive episodes. Yeah Yeah, no, that's the thing I noticed too.
So my sister moved up to Salt Lake for college And she just said like it's crazy how cloudy it is and she's like you don't understand But like seasonal depression is a real thing up there. They just get so gloomy and everybody gets so boxed up and they start feeling down Like inversion you know my birth is in February. It was always like the version was crazy You know we'd always ski all the time so you could get get up and get out Getting the trees again. Yeah, you like snowboarding.
Yeah, yeah snowboard. Okay. I skied for the first time So my uncle like he was on ski patrol Park City So he took me a couple times and I was like 10 and then once your middle school in high school was also no boarding I sculpted my whole college experience so I could snowboard and first day out in 2005 to where my meniscus So it's like I still had a whole other semester, you know left to go and it's crazy how all plans can work out Yeah, it was a good chance to pivot. Yeah, and yeah, I love love snowboarding Skiing's hit too.
Like I went recently when everybody said to take us to dear Valley. So we went ski only It's like man. I didn't sit down once all day. It's great.
Like I see everybody skis Yeah, if you're gonna have a chance to go to brain head yet, though, you know, not this season. It's in the works Okay, yeah, they just got a ridiculous amount even yesterday and then all throughout last week There's been some time so it's just huge powder season right now, but you get the chance to that's definitely face I had awesome. I love it It's like a ton of people up there I can eat cool people from Vegas and whatever else that are just gonna say yeah, all right, so with your music I know you do that music therapy. Tell us a little bit about that.
How does that how does that go? so Before anybody can talk they make sound It's like one of the there's evidence that before there's light there was sound like in the universe like big bang like it all started with sound They're biblical and like religious teachings about how sound came before light If you look at infants like all of them sing none of them talk all the adults change their voice in a weird way to communicate with Like why do we do that? It's absurd it sounds we communicate through sounds 80% of our communication is through body language and a lot of it's through sound It's like There's already sounds that express so much more than words ever could so I love playing with sound and I find with my clients That so many of them have experiences that don't have words Whether it's trauma whether it's like crazy relationships stuff that they're not understanding You know stuff with their spouse stuff with their parents stuff with their kids You think about car accidents like what sticks in your mind from car accidents It's the sound of the screeching tires and the sound of the impact and then there's some body sensations that go without so like sound is like That's what sticks in our bodies and our cells and so With music and sound we're giving a voice to things that dog words So like I work with a lot of like teens that are experiencing anxiety I love to help people create their relationships that they want to create and they're like all these patterns that aren't helping anybody And to be heard, you know I write a lot of songs with people and we do different creative activities like I love to get people drumming because anybody can swing It's like super accessible You know I have hospice I work with hospice folks and their 90s hold drum with me or with kids adults Whatever and it's like it's not so much we do music therapy. It's not so much about what the music sounds like It's not about like getting good whatever getting good means.
Yeah, it's about what it expresses. It's about how it feels. It's about what creates And they're like it's crazy to look at all the studies like when we sing together Doesn't matter how it sounds it releases oxytocin into the bloodstream oxytocin is a hormone that mom and infant feel when they nurse It's the same hormones that get released into the bloodstream when we kiss somebody So it's like super powerful feelings in a super healthy container just by singing together a lot of times that gives like a dopamine release So like you don't have to get it from the little social media Bell at the bottom of the screen that says somebody comment on you whatever like you can get it from music and like face-to-face with other people That's what I love about music therapy. Yeah, I love getting people to drum Speak their stories like There's I just had a lady.
I was working at the spot on Saturday And there was a lady and she was like man You know I just broke up with this guy and that's been really frustrating and I have this daughter in her 20s And I just like I have no idea what to say her like ever a drum and was like well Like what what would you say to your ex like through the drum? She like thought about it for a minute. She's like well, can I really say what I think I was like yeah for sure And she just like started like killing the drum Unless you finish and she's like oh that felt really good Yeah, you got a lot to say it's awesome That's like a really healthy way to say everything that she was thinking feeling you know And she had quite a lot to say to her daughter like through the drum So just powerful to watch people be able to express themselves and be heard in a safe space and like that totally changes everything And then once we get the emotion to move through the music there's all this space in the body You know there's silence and it's like what are you gonna fill that with what do we get to create next? And that's always my next question is like well what do you want to experience in your relationships?
And most people are like hi never thought about that I just thought about everything that sucks and how frustrating it is and all the challenges that I've had like well cool Like we're putting a lot of energy into that like let's move that stuff and then now we get actively create the thing that we want to create What's that gonna look like and she was like well, I don't want toxicity. I was like well, that's great You just told me what you don't want tell me what you do want She's like oh Love and Communication and connection it's like to get folks to start thinking in those terms It's huge for reaching our goals for creating the kind of fulfillment that we want at work at home at play Yeah, so one thing that really stuck out to me is when you're talking about how the sound was really the first thing to come It sounds what you remember from traumatic experiences And that's just one thing I could relate to when I got I got an razor accident probably four years ago Oh, well And the one thing I do remember is just the sound of like flipping and then hitting the ground and all that metal and in the ground And then just that feeling of like being tossed around and so that's where that you like I never really thought about why I only remember that But that one sound just really stuck out to me kind of wild right how I get the story like I'm curious for you Like are there any body sensations that come without like tightness anywhere or looseness? Just kind of being nervous about it like I can kind of fill it up in my neck You know like crunching up. Yeah, but just kind of bracing in a way four years ago, right like that's wild and still in the body Mm-hmm.
So that's just something that's weird that really stuck out and I just remember like this thing sound I just remember so it's out there We think about that is super weird. Yeah, I don't know the why I just know that it works I guess I could probably come up with the why yeah So with goal setting I know that you like to focus on okay You have what you have but what do you want you need like find what you want? Would you have any tips or advice on how to go about that and really know what you want? It's different for each person That's for sure a lot of times our mess Is our message so like the stuff we struggle with the most Usually has all the seeds for growth So like that's a great place to start like what's sticky for me right now And that might be a great place to say like oh this could be my greatest growth This could be you know the trait or the value that's really gonna serve me and my career and my relationships You know as I build my body is I change my nutrition That's always evolving When I coach folks we work, you know in the four areas of development We set spiritual goals connection goals meeting goals purpose goals whether that has to do with a greater power of creator Whether that's more along like the Buddhist you know notice things like you know spirituality can be a lot of different things a lot of different people you know Whether it's you know you follow a Christian denomination or you know any Shamanism or anything else, you know, there's so many world traditions.
We set goals just like What is your relationship with higher power with creator? Is there a higher power creator? Where do you find meaning where do you find purpose? Where do you find joy those kind of goals?
We set goals in like emotional and relationship goals. What do you want your relationships to look like what kind of traits like nobody wakes up in the morning? I'm like man I just really want to fight today with all the people I love but like it's how it shakes down sometimes, you know like I remember being with my parents and like We'd be getting ready for Thanksgiving or whatever and they're like my mom's like Want to have the super elaborate fees so my dad's like buggener about how there's like way too much and it's a waste A cook to of turkeys or whatever, you know, and they're just like fighting all the time It's like this is not fun Like this is not the purpose of the holiday So it's like we're setting goals like what are the traits in the relationships that you want to experience? What are the values?
You know we'll take marriage for example if you get married to have kids once the kids are created There's nothing left for your relationship. It's done. So if it all's part You know if you get married to make money and somebody changes that value and they're not super interested in making money anymore Like the relationship's over. It's done.
But like if there are values, you know like integrity trust Self-actualization like that's what keeps relationships going over the long term is to people that are invested In growing each other and taking cues from the other person and how they'd like to grow So like getting really clear on what are those values is huge in the emotional spiritual goals emotional goals From a physical place. We look at nutrition. We look at fitness. We look at finance and impact like it's amazing to make money You know add more value than you consume will always create money, you know always circulate like real estate to beautiful example It's like there's so much like how can there be so much success in real estate and how can so many people be doing so well in it?
Well, it's all about circulation like every time there's a transfer There's value being added and money being exchanged. So it's like infinite infinite possibilities forever and What kind of impact is that creating for the families who are buying their first home? What kind of impact is that creating like how can we add meaning and purpose? And that's I feel like there's so many people right now who are like yeah, I've been working in a thing And it's fine, but like I really want to move the needle and create awesomeness in people's lives How do I do that?
Yeah, so we start looking at like, you know, what what are our products and services gonna do for people to make their lives awesome? So that's a cool area and then That helps give some clarity I guess on where to look just ask some specific questions like what would you love to make? You know, what do you feel called to make what lights you up? And then how can you add as much value to other people as possible while you do what lights you up?
And then it's passion right like it's a natural outflow who we are yeah It's not like, you know, you got to drag yourself to work and hate Mondays and raise Fridays and it's a weird lifestyle right that like it's kind of drummed into culturally what we've created and it starts even in elementary school We teach kids to love love Friday and hate Monday and it's like weird kind of training kids to like get ready for an eight to three experience every day to have experience every day, but it's like there's so much more That's available to be created Yeah, no one thing that I like about both of you and then my boss right interviewed on my last episode is both of you guys I found something that you really truly enjoy and what it seems like is both of you love Mondays just as much as you love Fridays Then you don't love Fridays because we're coming into the weekend But it's just because it's another day that you're gonna do what you love and so I like that because that's true for me Yeah, I see my boss come in on Friday He's kind of sad that he has to go home at the end of the day because he just he loves what he does and he loves to help people find their new homes and right do it He probably can't make them happy and have their dream home I've actually like gotten into trouble with some of my loved ones because it's like I never understood Like federal holidays and like why we Like I was always a guy that like I would love to go to a national park on a Wednesday morning Just like a little traffic chill Like if I'm gonna ski I'm going like Wednesday, you know Just because there's more space for me to do what I want to do But it's like you know, they're a lot I never understood holidays like why is it different like in birthdays like why is the world Stop for a birthday, you know, like and it's been interesting working in hospice and palliative care, you know, like people don't wait to die People don't wait to get sick people don't wait to have cancer It just kind of happens and it happens and so it's like to be able to build my life To a point where it's like if I need to run out on a Sunday afternoon to have massive value to somebody That's the same to me as a Wednesday or a Friday or Monday You know, it's great to have boundaries and it's great and it's great and it's like I love being able to take my Sunday school And connect with them there, you know, I love setting some time aside for myself to be at the gym and to be invested in my own body and Keeping that sharp and Have it really recharge me, you know, it's like an impact as many people as possible like that's that's part of magic Yeah, I think that's really great to mention because so many people get so focused on well I just want to make this amount of money or I want to achieve this But then they kind of lose track on themselves and along the way like it burned out and they'll never really end up reaching that goal Because they can take time to fulfill other areas of their life, right? I like that because it's like you have to really look at the bigger picture And how can I help myself or help my others to fulfill different areas of my life and make my own goal But really focusing on my body and myself as a whole. I like that alone. I was Working through a course recently Education is super important to me.
We spent pretty close to 30% of our income this year on education My wife and I made a plan to be able to do that and It's served us in such a huge way. I was studying a guy named Jesse Elder and he talks about The first day he bought a BMW Like he had had it on its mind forever like for a while he took the bus because he didn't have money for a car And he just visualized the day that he would have a car and he was so grateful for like this old like super old Honda Civic and he was driving that around and he's like you know what like I think I'm meant for more and he went to this fundraiser And it was it'll be on wv1 ship that his buddy was doing and lucky drove in for the first time And it's like wait a minute like life could be different and the way I feel about myself is different when I'm in different environments I'm gonna create this for myself every day So he finally got to the point where he funded his dreams He was ready to go on the beamer brought it home pulled into his garage first thing He says like whoa my garage looks terrible and like it's not the environment that fits this car So I need to change my garage So he goes he cleans the whole thing feels better about that walks into his house He's like whoa house doesn't fit the garage or the beamer like it's time to organize my stuff And so it's like it was this chain effect where it was just like he felt inspired pardon He felt inspired and it just kept spiraling like out and out and out and out and over time like he's created this beautiful life for himself And he talks about like make sure you're seeing the big picture and like let what you love inspire you to continue growing and like Improving your circumstances, you know, because it's like you feel different when you're in certain environments you feel different when you dress Like you matter like you feel different when you exercise your body on purpose consistently you feel different when you drink Super clean water and when you like eat a ton of vegetables and fruits and like high nutrition every day like it's so huge And for me it changes my thoughts like that's what's moving you through depression and anxiety is like thought diet And when I got all those habits in place it completely changes what I think about myself what I think about the people I love It's been huge. Yeah, and so is that what kind of got you into music therapy is you noticed that that is what really brought out the best You and what you truly loved or how did you find that? Yeah, it started in high school.
I'm back to that idea like I was I had so many emotions. I didn't know what to do it But I just go downstairs and like beat the snout out of the drums for a while and it was like oh that felt really good Like I felt really healthy and then I Where I was going to high school. They had a pretty pretty healthy like a drum line program marching band kind of thing and I got way into that And really grew like as a leader No, because I wanted to just was like natural like I just love to see people grow And like I had a mission and a lot of people really flocked to that And so we just drummed a ton and I ended up like dropping my calculus class to like teach The sophomore percussion class And I just started like wow like there's so much to music and I'm watching these people make all these changes in their lives Through music and through the discipline they're gaining from like learning music and all these connections happening. It's like super healthy It's like kind of followed that path when I was going to college I um I started as a percussion major and It basically tell you to like go down to the basement and practice for like six hours a day and get good And I just felt like a waste to me like yeah, come all about improvement But like what's the point and you know, I was on stage with the win symphony and the lights were super bright I couldn't see any of the audience and I was playing a triangle and I was waiting forever because you know, you know, it's like two things per song And I had this like existential moment and I was like why am I here?
Like isn't music meant for so much more than this and that's what got me interested in music therapy I found there's a Utah State they've had a program That's essentially a double major between psychology and music and so you go through and you're credential really similar to like social work and You know with the music sides that you've got some really powerful tools there And it's been awesome and that led me to like the coaching field Because people can talk about their problems all day, but like until we talk about what we actually want to create like that's yeah, that's right It's fun. That's right. That's right. It's energizing.
That's where the fulfillment happens. Yeah So when someone comes in and To work with you for music therapy, how are you how do you address like what instrument they want to play or you have different instruments that they can use to Kind of let out what they need to or absolutely so there's always an assessment just to see like what are their goals? Like what are they interested in? Um, is it a case where You know, they've got a lot of stuff to work through therapeutically Is it a case where You know, they've got kids that have behavioral issues in school and they're working on attention span and things like that Do they have illness?
I had a gal recently that was really helping to serve in LDS mission But was on these heavy anxiety meds so they they said, you know We won't be able like you won't be able to serve While you're taking these meds like you can find a different solution We love for you to serve. Obviously, we'll find a place, you know, wherever and she's like, no, I want to go I want to go abroad and I'm going to handle this. Um, so she came and so depending on the goal You know her goal was like to function day to day like regulate her emotions Um to be able to go serve and so depending on the on the goal We'll look at you know with songwriting serve you better Do we want to look at song lyrics and some of your favorite bands on your Spotify or your Apple music playlist? Um, do we want to write songs together?
It's usually a combination of things, you know, are we going to drum together for emotional expression? Is there some kind of like self-soothing that you could do by playing acoustic guitar or by learning ukulele or by Singing or you know getting in touch with your body that way So it's like we have all these tools and it's totally up to the individualist like what they're interested in What's gonna serve their goals? Yeah, so do you have a favorite instrument that you like to use or? Drowns is my first love.
It kind of depends what mood I'm in so like rhythm feeds the body So like my body's needing some love. I'm kind of low energy like I've been drunk for a while I'm like generating some some awesomeness Melody feeds the heart so like when I go to do hospice work, it's almost always acoustic guitar and I'll sing I go out to the VA home once a month and sing we just did like a bunch of old Christmas songs And they're all excited about you know like a lot of them a lot of those Christmas songs were written for Veterans like for soldiers that were out in the field and their families are missing them And they're missing their families I like to sing those to the dudes that were like not home because they were on a boat or like a foxhole somewhere Like super meaningful, you know like yeah wave those my bucket, but yeah, I love acoustic guitar love drums Ecolele is fun. Those are my favorites Yeah, I gave guitar a try for a little bit and I never really picked it up I worked out at a bunch, but it's never really something like clicked with me and I really fell in love with it Yeah, but I'd like to try something out sometime and maybe see if something works well with me Absolutely. I had to try that Um early we're talking about national parks because I know that you're kind of an outdoors person We were gonna go hand-a-king for this episode, but wouldn't really wouldn't let that happen So do you have a favorite national park or area that you really like or?
again, it's There's like such a different beauty of different ones like I go to Bryce and the scope of Bryce just like blows me away all the different shades of Yellow and red and orange and high desert when I go to Zion That blows me away like being in all the different canyons and places to explore in there Um went out to Joshua tree recently and I just felt amazing There's like going to the Baker Dam area. I think that's what it's called Um, it's super pretty called the different wildlife and stuff out there I really love the Tetons and Yellowstone. That's been great They're more than I want to get to for sure. I made a goal to go to a national park every month this year Made it to parks every month except November.
I just felt good like self-care Yeah, you have somebody's probably my favorite if you ever been there I have many a somebody that I like that's one you gotta check out just because you get there and there's all it's just all granite rock You know, right and you stand up next to these giant cliffs like half-dawn or elkapitan and you look at them You just realize that how much bigger they are than you It's like really these small problems that you're having or just small and so it helps you like get away from anything realize that It's really not things going on in life isn't a big deal when you comparing it to like it's three thousand Tall blocks like it's crazy to just get out there and look at all the trees and stuff like that I definitely enjoy that. I love taking my clients out of the nature. There's so many metaphors there So many it's just a place to get reconnected like the perspective like he said Like oh, yeah, we get in these routines, you know, and it's like my problems get so big You know going into the office every day or going to school every day or whatever we're working on, you know, it's the same grind but like to get out into nature and just like There are a few things that pull me into the present moment like bird songs just like uh, pretty much Stuff and I do and just like take a breath. No, it's listen.
Just think like yeah, there's so much more to life Yeah, I think that's just the craziest part is like you said those routines you get in those routines But then when you get out nature and you're really thinking like why was that bothering me as much as it was? I gave out so much weight. Yeah, and you just let it consume you but when you get out you're realizing You're just like it really doesn't matter. You're okay.
Just let it go and move on That's what I love about going out whether it's hiking or anything like that It's just a chance to breathe and get out. Yeah, like reset almost Do you have anything like a favorite thing to do on the weekend as far as getting out? Maybe going on a hike run My thing I just love to see new places. Mm-hmm like I love to explore Yeah, I like to see new locations and share those with my family That's this part of my favorite thing to do.
Yeah And your family has you guys have a favorite place to go. I know I kind of already asked that but I keep it varied like Sometimes we'll I mean there's terrain out here in every direction. That's what I love about the St. George area Yeah, it's like whether it's sign in or up towards the north of Pine Valley or like out to snow Canyon or out to gunlock reservoir Head it out south like there's all sorts of cool red rocks around might We uh, I thought I would like train my son to really love hiking And he caught on pretty early that he like wasn't super interested in long hikes You know we tell like they're short.
He's like no, they're not So we do a lot of exploring now or it's like Just leave it open, you know to go bolder to drop down and look at shapes and That's been kind of cool for me to break the habit of like needing to have a destination like you need to get somewhere Because it takes a lot of times it kind of takes fun of it like so just to explore Different regions go to x-e rocks a lot my son. It's kind of just open to whatever we want to create there Yeah, that's what I love about snowboarding is when you get out there and like I'm up on brian head And of course it's like it's fun to be honest and weird But really the best part is just your phones. You don't have your phone on you You're not paying attention anything. It's just you and you're just going and you're just going and you're doing what everyone like if you want to Go over into these trees You can or if you want to just stop and just hang out you can't and there's just nothing else that matters when you're not there But that's what my favorite part about it is so I try to get out there at least once a week just to just relax have a good time Epic yeah clean air out there.
Yeah Mm-hmm. I was bound to come go yesterday because of the storm But it's all right. I'm probably gonna get up there for the next couple days. Awesome.
I can All right. Well anything else you want to address talk about anything on your mind Just want to send love whoever's listening and some hope like My conviction my witness like my belief is that we very much create our own circumstance We're always creating. I feel like that's the pillar of who we are as human beings And if we're not liking what we're creating own it and as soon as we own it we have a chance to change it For me, it's I've had I have had so much self judgment and so much self doubt on my entrepreneurial journey Like it just doesn't serve it just doesn't help anybody So just like to send more love Is huge and yeah, just encourage anybody listening like your dreams are possible keep dreaming them keep sending awesome energy Towards what it is you really want to create? Guarantee it'll happen because like that's who we are as creators and if you'd love help like reach out You can check out my website at ww.
You can create org or find me on facebook at daniel-adams Got a five step course right now To help folks come to peace with any like masculine wounds that they have And just create awesome relationships. Yeah, my jam's relationships So if you love some help working on that reach out love to help you get connected and get creating what you want It's in reach. We just got to keep focusing on it. All right.
Awesome. One thing we do have on this I'm starting to create is a reoccurring question and the question is yes If you like how to do you're given a deadline you have one week left to live What is going to happen in that week if money's not an issue just you just have one week What are your plans for that week? My first thought was I get to as many National parks as I could my second thought was I call my grandma and tell her I love her Um and reach out to the folks I love and just FaceTime them all and just share like my love for them Um I'm the next guy diving a higher priority. I know that's gonna happen at some point.
What else? I need a ton of Thai food I Awesome. It was great talking to Daniel had a great time learned a lot about you and looking forward to doing this again sometime Hopefully yeah for sure daily does everything. Yeah, all right.
Well, thanks for listening guys. We'll see you on the next one