Megan Leigh: Going back to the “ask and you shall receive” concept, those masterminds are like the epitome of that concept to me because when we're there, it's always a warm and encouraging environment. There's never any judgment. It's always people sharing what works for them, the challenges that they have, and like you said, our gold artists are able to ask our platinum artists things and pick their brain and they're super happy to share. That is one of the most impactful things that happens in person is just to be able to be in that presence. And it's super, super inspiring.

Michael Walker: It's easy to get lost in today's music industry with constantly changing technology, and where anyone with a computer can release their own music. I'm going to share with you why this is the best time to be an independent musician and it's only getting better. If you have high-quality music, but you just don't know the best way to promote yourself so that you can reach the right people and generate a sustainable income with your music, we're going to show you the best strategies that we're using right now to reach millions of new listeners every month without spending 10 hours a day on social media. We're creating a revolution in today's music industry and this is your invitation to join me. I'm your host, Michael Walker.

Awesome. I'm excited to be here today with Megan Leigh. So Megan is one of my favorite human beings. She's on our team. She helps to coordinate all of our awesome events at Modern Musician, snd she's also really a living embodiment of a Modern Musician. And so I'm excited to have her on the podcast today to share a little bit about her story, her music and sort of what she's taken from her journey in terms of being a Modern Musician, how all of us as artists can really be able to build a successful career in a sustainable way. So Megan, thank-you for being here today.

Megan Leigh: Thanks, Michael. I'm so excited to be here.

Michael Walker: Oh, yeah. So to kick things off, maybe you could do a quick introduction of yourself and share a little bit about your story and how you found your way into the Modern Musician team.

Megan Leigh: Awesome. Yeah, I'd love to. So I'm Megan. I hail from Western Maryland. And I grew up here. I grew up singing. I always say that I sang before I even spoke, which I think is true. And so I've kind of always been a musician at heart. Yeah, so singing's not new to me, but, but gigging and recording music and kind of doing the whole touring thing is rather new. I started that about 2018/2019. So that's been a really, really cool journey. I first started with Modern Musician in 2020. Did an internship actually. I was working with partnerships and at that point, my music career was kind of just starting out and, of course, you know 2020 pandemic year.

Michael: [sarcastically] It was a great year for live shows.

Megan: [sarcasticlaly] Yeah. Yeah. Super great. That was actually the year that I released my first song; my first solo single. I had a chance to kind of dive into the recording part before all that happened, which was really nice. But then this go-around with Modern Musician, I'm coming up on two years, actually, which is kind of crazy. I love being the event coordinator and doing some human resource stuff behind the scenes. And our team is absolutely amazing. There's all sorts of growth and change and I'm here for all of it. Yeah. So I actually just released a new single. I think I have 12 songs now? Yes, 12.

Michael: Wow. Yeah. That's pretty awesome.

Megan: I don't do it enough and I would encourage everyone to kind of go back and at least yearly, but maybe quarterly or monthly, just really reflect on how much you've actually done because it's a lot more than it usually feels like just day to day. So, yeah, so that's kind of me so far.

Michael: That's awesome. Thank you for sharing. Yeah, I mean, it is such an important habit to get into is sort of reflecting and appreciating the things that have happened. It's very easy, especially in our culture nowadays, to always want more and kind of be thinking about what's next, which is awesome and growth is great, but if we always live in that state and we never appreciate where we're at, where we came from, then it's just kind of like a endless rabbit race that you're running on and you kind of missed the whole point of life.

Megan: Absolutely.

Michael: So maybe you can share a little bit more about: when you were in that phase when you're kind of transitioning from….. music has been a part of your life and DNA for a long time. And then it was about 2018, you mentioned that you really started to be like: You know what? I actually want to take this music and I want to focus more on it!

Megan: Yes!

Michael: If you can share a little bit about what really kind of pushed you over the edge to make that decision or why did you decide to go all in on your music and maybe where some of the initial biggest challenges that you faced when you first started with that?

Megan: So really it started with me putting myself out there, really. So I started getting into the local music scenes here. So I'm in a really central spot to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland, and also Northern Virginia. So the DMV as a whole, which has a really super thriving local music scene. So I just kind of decided that I've always been a concert goer, I love going to see live music, but up till that point it had been more like bigger acts coming through; more mainstream. Something kind of sparked in me. I found some local artists on Instagram, including Eli Lev. And so I connected with people. I just started putting myself out there and going to their shows and networking. And that's really what inspired me to do it because I was watching all these amazing musicians do it on their own; DIY and indie and they were making it happen. And so I was inspired. I have a very strong choral background.

Michael: [punderfully] So that’s “coral” reefs, right?

Megan: Yeah. Yes. [laughing]

Michael: Great barrier reef. Lived there in 8^th grade.

Megan: Yeah. All of those. So it served me really well that I could kind of jump in and do harmony vocals. And that was my big strength that I was able to offer to a lot of bands who were performing live and ended up recording with a lot of people doing BGVs (background vocals) and harmonies. So yeah that was really what did it for me. I just immersed myself, basically, into the scene. Scenes, rather. And I opened myself up to it and it kind of just came flooding in which I found more and more is what happens if you are willing to open yourself up to new things. So yeah, so that was around 2018. I started singing with Eli. I started singing with my friend, Karen. I was doing back-up and harmonies for a party rock band in Baltimore for a while. So it just kind of became… I was working a full-time job and it became too much for me because I was doing so many shows. And so it was like: okay, time to move to part-time. So I switched to a part-time job and then eventually it just became the music and it became very clear that that was the path. So I was really lucky and super grateful, still/always, that I was willing to take that leap.

Michael: That's awesome. Thank-you for sharing that. And yeah, it's interesting: the D.C. area, I know there's quite a few of our like team members and clients community that have come directly from that heart of that music scene.

Megan: Yes.

Michael: I know Luke Justin Roberts was from there. You and Eli. I know we have several clients who are in that scene.

Megan: Yeah. Brendan Lane. We've had a bunch of alumni, for sure.

Michael: Super cool. It makes me think that if we can do that in a bunch of places, right.?If we could create that local scene, it'd be a lot of fun to build that around the whole country. And then when we're traveling, we're going on tour together, we could all interconnect and play shows together. Yeah.

Megan: Yeah, that's for sure the dream. Yes.

Michael: Yeah. We should make that happen. We have the ability to do that for sure.

Megan: Yeah.

Michael: I mean, we definitely are making that happen this year with the program now with the direct integration with StreetTeam, now we have like the ability to, it's going to be month three now that after we've launched the core system, now it's about building that network and collaborating with other artists in the community. So there's gonna be a lot more networking collaboration. I want you to share in terms of your story and connecting with the local music scene being such an important part of your journey. I can imagine that's going to be a total game changer to be able to plug into that network.

Megan: That's insanely exciting. It's never been so easy to do that. And it's still a big deal. It's still very challenging. I think you asked me about the biggest challenges that I had. And I would say the biggest one was just starting. You know, as musicians, we probably all of us at some point struggle with imposter syndrome and it's like: who am I to do this? Do I deserve to have this kind of life? Yes, you do. That's the answer. That's always the answer, but it's hard to convince yourself of that sometimes. And we have to do that over and over as our lives change and the music changes and things get hard sometimes and you know, but it's always worth it, especially now that we have all of those tools to use to network and to connect with people all over the country and other countries. 

Michael: That's so, so powerful. I mean, what you're just sharing around imposter syndrome and like being willing to basically believe in yourself and to keep going early-on. It seems like that's the most valuable part of that vision map/vision tank, for me personally, is having that vision written down, but then starting to collect all of the testimonials and screenshots and the vision board and just being able to really create that and step into it and “be the change that that you want to see”. I'm curious how in your own life, how have you dealt with that feeling, especially at the beginning? Because, you have to be sort of audacious. When you start out, you don't start out with everything being perfect. You start out from the beginning with nothing basically, and you have to hold it in your mind and your vision that like: yeah, like if I keep showing up and I keep doing this, like I'm going to be at this place, but I'm not there yet, but you kind of have to live/you have to be on the right track to get to that place. So I'm curious for you, what are some of the most valuable insights or lessons that have helped you to work through those initial challenges?

Megan: Something that I always come back to is: If you don't ask, you're not going to receive. What I mean by that is: people are most often (more often than not, and most often) they want to help, which is kind of a revelation in a way because most people don't ask. You are trying to do this thing and you feel like you have to do it alone, but you don't, you know? And so I sought out mentors. I sought out people who were doing it. And we became friends and I was almost always welcomed with warmth and encouragement. That is something I keep coming back to cause that's something that continues to happen as you grow and move forward, but even at the beginning (especially at the beginning), it's really good to just make those connections and ask people: how am I doing? What should I be doing? How did you get where you are? Just those questions and people like to talk about it. It's really cool to form that kind of bond, especially when you're just starting out. It's really powerful and it can be super strong. So that's probably the biggest thing that I just kept doing. I would reach out to people and I would say: what you're doing is incredible. You inspire me. And then whatever connection comes from that, it was almost always super helpful and engaging and motivating for me. For sure, good. 

Michael: Yeah. Ask and you shall receive.

Megan: Yeah. 

Michael: There is something so powerful about the art of asking and learning. You also had to ask the right questions.

Megan: Yes.

Michael: But I think there's some sort of cosmic universal power to questions. When you make a statement, it's sort of like a closed off thing where it's like: you're saying something and the statement is almost never ultimately true. It's like a symbol or it's pointing to one thing, but it's kind of closed off. It's like contracted. Whereas when you ask a question, it opens space. It actually invites an answer. And that's so interesting to hear you share that that was such a powerful part of your journey was learning how to ask those questions and how it invited space to be able to achieve your goals.

Megan: Absolutely. And another thing too is, even when you're starting out, we already touched on this, the “being able to reflect” part, even when you're starting out, you've already accomplished something. And it's always good to go back and realize that, and say: well if you're really just starting out, what did I do yesterday that brought me to today? What did I do last week that gave me this opportunity that I have now, or that's leading me to something that I want?  That was something else that I probably should have done more of, honestly, and would have helped me be more confident in what I was doing. But just realizing that there's always progress. Everyone has those days where it's like: what am I doing? You know, I feel like I haven't done anything. I feel like I am failing at this. And you're you're not. But it's sometimes hard to see any progress, but there always is some, so that would be another thing for me. And just staying centered; being grounded. Because everytime I'm in my head about something or stressed out or feeling like nothing's going right, I just walk outside and be like: Oh, look at this world! I love things that make me feel small because it just brings everything back into perspective. I was just flying from LA back to Maryland and I had a moment where we were taking off and I could see all the lights below. It was kind of weird, cause it was almost like they were twinkling in rhythm or something. I don't know. I don't know what that was. I've never actually seen that. I've flown a lot and I've never actually seen anything like that before. So I was like: okay, I am very small, but I'm also very powerful at the same time and it's all connected. And it's like: okay, well, that was really good for me to be feeling like that and connected to something much, much bigger. So, yeah.

Michael: We’re talking about some really profound insights. Cosmic level stuff. [both laughing] Yeah. I mean, it is so humbling just recognizing when you look out at the night sky and you look at all the stars, it's kind of hard to really fully grasp, but there are some of those moments where it's like: it's not an idea, but you actually just fully like sink into the reality of it: the fact of like the whole cosmos, like we're just such a small piece of that. And it's so big. And we're a piece of that. We're interconnected with it. Really, really powerful.

Megan: Yeah, I think it's the eclipse that has me in that kind of zone.

Michael: The eclipse. I mean, gosh, that just like took the world by storm this last week. It was really, really interesting seeing how many of our team were traveling and going to see it. I wish that we had a little bit of a better view here in Orlando. It was cool seeing the partial eclipse, but it sounded like it was pretty spectacular seeing the full total eclipse.

Megan: Yeah, really, really awesome. I think we had like 91% totality in Maryland. We were all sitting out there as a family with our glasses on watching. It was just incredibly moving. That's just one of those things that makes you feel small, which I love. 

Michael: Cool. So talking about music and of your journey discovering your voice; discovering how to share that and kind of overcoming the initial challenges. I'm curious how you first discovered Modern Musician.

Megan: Yeah. So, it was through the network; through the people that I was connecting with.

Michael: [sarcastically] Watch out for this Modern Musician Company! Those guys. Their podcast sucks! [both laughing]

Megan: Oh, Modern Musician. Hmm. That was just another amazing thing that came from me making that network in the local music scene. Eli was the one who connected me first, but then I started realizing how many of the D.C. people were actually in Modern Musician at the same time. And so, of course, I was intrigued and that's how I got connected initially. I took a break and then I was drawn back because it's awesome! And the team is awesome and you are awesome. And what we have going here, it's revolutionary, it's not like anything anyone else is doing. And really grateful. It's super cool to be a part of that. So, that was 2020. And, I think what drew me in first was obviously the fact that I was doing music independently and one of the opportunity to learn about what Modern Musician was teaching, but also just the fact that I knew how powerful the networking had been for me just locally, so I was just really drawn in by knowing about the impact that it could have expanding that network. Now, looking back, I know a ridiculous amount of musicians all over the country and other countries. And we even do the in-person events now and I have had opportunity after opportunity, just from being part of Modern Musician. So it's definitely the right vibe that I was getting, and a great calling to follow. So thank-you for that.

Michael: Thank-you. I appreciate you being a part of it. I hear this often, and I say this often is that if I had a superpower, through no means of my own, I just happened to attract awesome people around me and you're definitely an example of that. The community that we're a part of, the culture, the team members, the clients, the networking is very special. I'm very grateful to be able to have the opportunity to connect with you and everyone that's here live and everyone that's listening to this, wherever you're listening to this from. You're like a ripple effect and all of the impact that you make on your community and your fans is all connected to this movement that we're all part of.

Megan: Yeah.

Michael: Certainly the in-person events/actually connecting in person at the mastermind events and performing. The times that we've actually had performances and everyone goes around and perform is just a testament to the diversity of the artists and the music. At the same time, it seems like there's a common thread between everyone, even though totally different styles and genres, it kind of has this uplifting positive authenticity to it. It’s cool!

Megan: That's a really good word for it. Yeah.

Michael: I'd love to hear a little bit from your experience with the events and helping coordinate the events. What do you say is your favorite part about the mastermind events that we run together?

Megan: That's hard because I probably have more than 1 favorite. I would say, in general/overall, building community and bringing people together has always been something that I really love. So it kind of was natural for me to want to do events and bring people together in that way. I think my favorite part is watching that happen. And it happens in so many different ways. It happens musically. It happens organically and very personally for some people. It happens through business networking. It's all these different dynamics working at the same time. And it's truly magical when you can see. Cause people will interact online for like years until they actually finally meet in-person. It is a wild feeling. And for me, personally, it was so many team members that I've known. And I feel like we're friends. We're absolutely friends. You can't imagine until it actually happens how exciting it is to be in a room with somebody and make that personal connection. So that's definitely, definitely my favorite part. And then from there, seeing the collaborations that happen. People doing songs together and releasing music together, or working together on a launch. There's just so much that comes out of them that I think would not be possible without that in-person connection.

Michael: Man, now I just want to be at the mastermind group right now. Like tomorrow. The next one's in Denver. Yeah. What are the dates for that again, roughly?

Megan: It is the end of July. So, July 23-27.

Michael: Cool. Yeah, July 23^rd. Mark it off your calendars. You'll definitely be getting some invites if you're a part of our community. And this is for all of our gold artists, you're invited to come hang out together. I see a few folks here that have been to those mastermind events, so let us know here in the chat if it was a valuable experience for you. But yeah, I mean, there is something magical that happens and it happens online, but it's like: being in-person… It really is like a mastermind. It's really like: we're different neurons in the same brain, and when you bring these neurons together, then they can fire together so quickly, and you have those branches; the ideas are so fast when you're together/grouped up like that. I also love being able to bring some of our most inspiring artists together and teammates.Ryan Krysiak. Seeing him at dinner connecting with newer artists and just sharing nonchalantly strategies for 500 million YouTube views. And he's still so humble and generous with his insights. And Erica Mason's and her connect with people. There's so much value that comes just from being a part of that mastermind together, and it's been a great joy of my life being able to connect with you and with all of our team and our clients there. If you're listening to this right now and you're a part of our community, then I definitely encourage you to look up those dates and set them aside in your calendar so you can be their life.

Megan: Yeah. And something I thought of while you were talking about that. Going back to the “ask and you shall receive” concept, those masterminds are like the epitome of that concept to me. When we're there, it's always a warm and encouraging environment. There's never any judgment. It's always people sharing what works for them, the challenges that they have, and like you said: our gold artists are able to ask our platinum artists things and pick their brain. They're super happy to share. That is one of the most impactful things that happens in-person is just to be able to be in that presence. And it's super, super inspiring.

Michael: Hmm. It's interesting, too, when you describe that “ask and you shall receive” part of it, those hot seats, is literally designed to be like: what is your question? And then you put it out and the whole mastermind is like a flood of love and insights and creativity. Cool. Well Megan, man, this has been a really fun conversation. I appreciate you coming on and sharing your story and it's been great to connect a little bit more and hear about your roots and how you got started with your music, how you came into Modern Musician. I already knew you were a badass, but getting to know you more and hearing that definitely even adds more depth to the awesomeness.

Megan: Thanks, Michael!

Michael: So for anyone that's here right now that would be interested in checking out your music or connecting more, what would be the best place for them to go to check it out?

Megan: I would say look up MeganLeigh. I'm on all the platforms. My Instagram is probably the place where I'm most active. My handle on there is ItsMeMeganLeigh.

Michael: It rhymes. Yay! [both laughing]

Megan: Yep.

Michael: Awesome. Cool. Well, let's give a virtual round of applause for Megan Leigh. Yeeeaaaah.

Hey, it’s Michael here. I hope that you got a ton of value out of this episode. Make sure to check out the show notes to learn more about our guest today, and if you want to support the podcast then there’s a few ways to help us grow.

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