When Jenny O’Connor connected with me she already had a well-established, self-generated career as a nationally-touring musician and YouTube personality. (And she was still in her 20’s!)

She decided to work with me for a year because she wanted to shift gears in a major way.

Her list included:

• transition from being a touring musician to being an actress
• cut down on her touring schedule to eventually transition to living full-time in L.A.
• get her own apartment in L.A. (a big deal after many years spent out on the road)
• create additional sources of income to replace her reliance on touring income

Each of those major changes to implement – not only because of the logistics involved, but also because when you start to change your life, it effects the lives of those in your life. Some relationships can weather such change and others can’t.

That’s where courage comes in.

And that’s where having the support of a coach and a group of big-hearted, like-minded colleagues becomes extremely meaningful.
Some of the plans that Jenny and I made unfolded even better than we expected. Sometimes her setbacks turned into unexpected blessings. And some of our most solid strategies unraveled…

…for example:

To help her gain traction in the acting world, we wanted to maximize the amount of time she’d spend in L.A. during her Leap Year. To that end, I encouraged Jenny to find and train a violinist who would be willing and able to substitute for her at some of the gigs her band had already committed to.

She found a great violinist. She trained and rehearsed with the violinist. She made arrangements that would make her absence on the road easier for her bandmates.

And then, two days before her last big rehearsal, the violinist dislocated her knee and needed surgery.

So, after all of that effort, Jenny had to go out on the road for several months. It was crushing news. But you can tell the kind of pro Jenny is by what she wrote to the group soon after she got the news:

Once I get out there and get a weekend of performing behind me, I’ll definitely be calling Kristine to formulate a plan to make the very best use of my week days. The current annoyance must serve as rocket fuel to launch myself to a place where I don’t have to put myself in this position again. It feels pretty combustible coursing through my veins, lemme tell ya!

Our year together was not about having a perfect year. Or a magical year. It was about learning how to set a clear course – and how to deftly change that course, if need be, without disconnecting from your focus, function, or flow.

I doubt Jenny would say 2013 was one of her favorite years… but I’d bet she’d say it was a year in which she experienced some truly significant inner-growth spurts which will serve her well in the next decade of her life.

 

HER INTERVIEW

Play the video below to listen to my interview with Jenny about her experience with me:

 

THE GIRL’S GOT CLASS

To describe Jenny as multi-talented is such an understatement.

In addition to being immediately natural and beautiful in front of the camera, she is the business brain behind her band, and she is as gifted at teaching people how to play the violin as she is at playing it herself. No small distinction, that.

I’m also pleased to report that getting fabulous headshots lead to signing with an agent led to booking a commercial. Music to my ears!

A big hug of appreciation to Ms. O’Connor – not only for putting her trust in me but also for allowing me to share her story with you. Thanks, Jenny!

(The photo at top is of Jenny in all her glory as The Hot Violinist – which, by the way, was the title a fan gave a video that he posted of her playing at a festival. I love how Jenny defines what “Hot” means to herself and her peeps.)

Best always,