I’ll admit it: I’m a workaholic.
I love what I do. I love teaching, treating, creating, learning, collaborating, encouraging, refining, expanding.
And I can spend 12–16 hours a day doing it — because it lights me up.
But lately, I’ve been asking myself: when is it too much?
We all know that phrase: mind over matter. Push through. Get it done. Power through the discomfort.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what’s needed.
But sometimes… it’s not.
The High-Performer’s Dilemma
Whether it’s work, sport, or singing, we’re often praised for our endurance. For how much we give.
And there’s beauty in that — the devotion, the discipline, the grit.
But here’s what I’ve learned: the same drive that makes us excellent can also burn us out.
I wrote about this in my blog post The Power of Gratitude: Learning to Thank My Body, where I talked about hitting the wall at mile 23 of a race. That moment where your body screams “no more,” and your mind says, “keep going.”
Of course, in a race, there’s adrenaline, there’s the finish line, there’s the crowd.
In that moment, yes — mind over matter gets you through.
But what about when that mindset becomes the default?
What happens when pushing through replaces listening in?
Singers Do This Too
Singers are athletes.
And just like athletes, we’re trained to strive. To override. To perform no matter what.
But the voice lives in the body. And the body doesn’t lie.
If your voice feels tight, tired, unstable, or overworked…
You don’t need more willpower.
You need more awareness.
Because resilience isn’t about pushing harder — it’s about learning to regulate, to restore, and to move with your body, not against it.
The Difference Between Grit and Grace
There’s a moment in every high-performer’s journey when the question shifts from
“Can I push through?”
to
“Should I?”
That’s the invitation.
To pause.
To listen.
To ask: what does my body need right now?
Not what should I do?
But what serves me in this moment?
And let me tell you — that shift is where the real magic happens.
Because that’s where longevity lives. That’s where artistry breathes. That’s where the nervous system finds safety, and the voice finds freedom.
Mind with Matter
If you’ve ever found yourself caught between drive and depletion, you’re not alone. It’s a common place for high-achievers and artists alike.
But you don’t have to choose between showing up fully and honoring your limits. You can do both. You can stay committed to your craft while also staying connected to yourself.
You can shift from force to flow. From override to awareness. From mind over matter… to mind with matter.
And that small shift might change everything.
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