My Next Opus: A New Chapter After 20 Years with The Cleveland Orchestra

S2 Ep #10: This is one of those episodes I've been sitting with for a while. I have some big news to share, and honestly, even typing that feels surreal. After more than 20 years as a violist with the Cleveland Orchestra, I have officially stepped away from my position and am now full-time in MindfulOpus!! It's the kind of decision that took years to arrive at, and yet the moment it became real, my nervous system had plenty to say about it. In this episode, I'm sitting down to unpack the journey that led me here: from winning my job at 21 with double tendonitis in both arms, through burnout, yoga teacher training, a health coaching certification, and ultimately building MindfulOpus into the community it is today. I walk you through what I call my "clear yeses and polite no's," the universe moments that kept showing up along the way, and what it actually felt like to send that email. This has very much felt like a "life imitates art" moment, because so much of what we've explored together in these two seasons has led right here. If you've ever stood at a crossroads between who you've been and who you're becoming, this one's for you. You'll Discover: Why making the right decision doesn't mean it will feel good, and what to do with the harder emotions that come up anyway How Jo used "clear yeses and polite no's" to navigate a major life and career pivot What "universe moments" are and how to recognize confirmation and challenge when they show up Why following your curiosity doesn't have to mean a dramatic career change, and what it can look like instead How the nervous system responds to even positive change, and why that's not a sign something has gone wrong What my next chapter looks like, including whether I'll keep playing or not... Timestamps: (00:00) welcome and season two finale announcement (00:32) the big news: stepping away from the Cleveland Orchestra (02:50) the overarching why: tracing the journey from injury to burnout to curiosity (05:16) yoga certification, coaching, and building an artist-plus identity (07:35) when thriving started to feel heavy: honest self-reflection (09:59) the universe moment that confirmed the decision (12:21) why the right decision still came with a body terror wave, nervous system and change (14:42) following curiosity doesn't have to mean a career pivot, examples from the show (17:06) two ways universe moments show up: confirmation and challenge (19:30) what's next: viola, coaching spots, bonus episodes, and season three       Interested in diving deeper into this work with me? Visit mindfulopus.com to learn how we can work together. MindfulOpus has a video podcast! Visit our YouTube channel to watch: youtube.com/@mindfulopus Come say hi over on Instagram @mindfulopus