Starting with a Song
By Amanda Mazzo
STARTING WITH A SONG explores how people "sing" and find joy in their circumstances; how they persevere between the no longer and not yet.
As a child of the 80s raised in an analog age where mixtapes were the ultimate form of communication, I'll also be talking about literal songs that time travel back to our favorite times and places.
Starting with a SongMar 18, 2022
S3Ep8: Week Eight of #The100DayProject
Can you believe it?! It’s already time to celebrate the halfway point of The 100-Day Project! Today, I’m chatting about the BELONG Retreat with author, Karen Kingsbury, songs of the heart, and my favorite four-lettered word. Plus, our new segment: 100 Days of S.O.N.G. — listen along for the songs I'm Singing, my Observations of the week, what's Noteworthy, and what I'm Grateful for.
*The 100-Day Project is a free global art project that takes place online. The idea is you’ll practice a creative project every day for 100 days and share your process through social media. You can follow along on Instagram and subscribe here for updates.
S3Ep7: Week Six of #The100DayProject
Today, I’m chatting about the wonders of digital painting, the rarity of double yolks, and why I love my favorite local arts organization: Daybreak Arts. Also, our new segment: 100 Days of S.O.N.G. — listen along for the songs I'm Singing, my Observations of the week, what's Noteworthy, and what I'm Grateful for… including words by Ann Voskamp and how to cultivate “good soil” in your life.
*The 100-Day Project is a free global art project that takes place online. The idea is you’ll practice a creative project every day for 100 days and share your process through social media. You can follow along on Instagram and subscribe here for updates.
S3Ep6: Week Five of #The100DayProject
Creative projects, haircuts, and so many emails… oh my! This week, I’m talking about vulnerability and what I’ve learned about body-positivity. Also, our new segment: 100 Days of S.O.N.G. — listen along for the songs I'm Singing, my Observations of the week, what's Noteworthy, and what I'm Grateful for… including words by C.S. Lewis AND Led Zeppelin.
*The 100-Day Project is a free global art project that takes place online. The idea is you’ll practice a creative project every day for 100 days and share your process through social media. You can follow along on Instagram and subscribe here for updates.
S3Ep5: Week Four of #The100DayProject
Week Four finds us celebrating our first milestone of #The100DayProject – we’re ¼ of the way through! This week I’m talking about Tennessee’s Spring of Deception and highlighting Emily P. Freeman’s “These Are the Days” series and why I, too, am finding that we’re living in a season of AND. Also, our new segment: 100 Days of S.O.N.G. — listen along for the songs I'm Singing, my Observations of the week, what's Noteworthy, and what I'm Grateful for.
*The 100-Day Project is a free global art project that takes place online. The idea is you’ll practice a creative project every day for 100 days and share your process through social media. You can follow along on Instagram and subscribe here for updates.
S3Ep4: Week Three of #The100DayProject
What a difference the sun makes! Nashville has gotten a taste of spring weather this week and that natural Vitamin D has breathed new life into my bones and creative energy! In our new segment: 100 Days of S.O.N.G. — listen along for the songs I'm Singing, my Observations of the week, what's Noteworthy, and what I'm Grateful for.
*The 100-Day Project is a free global art project that takes place online. The idea is you’ll practice a creative project every day for 100 days and share your process through social media. You can follow along on Instagram and subscribe here for updates.
S3Ep3: Week Two of #The100DayProject
Where did the week go? Did it fly by for you, too? Today, I talk about the themes I'm noticing and what other works I'm sourcing for inspiration. Plus, our new segment: 100 Days of S.O.N.G. — listen along for the songs I'm Singing, my Observations of the week, what's Noteworthy, and what I'm Grateful for.
*The 100-Day Project is a free global art project that takes place online. The idea is you’ll practice a creative project every day for 100 days and share your process through social media. You can follow along on Instagram and subscribe here for updates.
S3Ep2: Week One of #The100DayProject
It's been a weird Week One of #The100DayProject*... but weird times impact creativity! Today, I talk about the themes I'm noticing and what other works I'm sourcing for inspiration. Plus, we introduce a new segment 100 Days of S.O.N.G. — listen along for the songs I'm Singing, my Observations of the week, what's Noteworthy, and what I'm Grateful for.
*The 100-Day Project is a free global art project that takes place online. The idea is you’ll practice a creative project every day for 100 days and share your process through social media. You can follow along on Instagram and subscribe here for updates.
S3Ep1: And Now For Something Completely Different...
For those who aren’t familiar, The 100-Day Project is a free global art project that takes place online. The idea is you’ll practice a creative project every day for 100 days and share your process through social media. Last year was the first year that I completed all 100 days and I celebrated with a big art show where all proceeds benefited one of my favorite local organizations, Daybreak Arts. It was SUCH a blast.
I kick off S3 talking about some challenges that impact my creative projects this year and why I'm moving forward with The 100-Day Project in spite of them. Want to join me? Let's create something awesome together! You can follow along on Instagram and subscribe here for updates.
014 - Song of Serving with Tina Doniger
I don't know about you, but I always tend to get a little introspective this time of year. It feels important to take a look back on where we've been to give perspective and context to where we're going. I couldn't think of a better guest to chat about the saga of 2020 than with Executive Director of the Community Resource Center here in Nashville. I hope you enjoy this Year-in-Review conversation with my dear friend, Tina Doniger.
013 - Song of Connection with Courtney Cochran
My guest today is a life-long stationery lover and postal proponent and in the middle of a digital age where we were forced to quarantine, she continued to believe in the power of old-fashioned mail to create authentic connections. Here’s my conversation with my friend, Courtney Cochran.
012 - Song of Evolution with Angela Wiggins
011 - Song of Finding Your Voice with Deborah Floyd
It’s hard to believe Season 1 is already coming to a close… BUT, we have one more bonus conversation up our sleeves! While I was spending some time in my hometown, I sat down with one of our treasured family friends, Deborah Floyd. It gave me just another reason to be grateful for the community we have, learning so many lessons from how well they love.
Thank you for all your feedback and support in Season 1. We're planning some fun things for Season 2, so subscribe, share with your friends... and stay tuned!
010 - Song for a Cure with Rachel Mayo
Rachel Mayo is no stranger to the microphone. As a speaker and advocate, she has a healthy disrespect for the impossible – one of the many reasons why we’re friends. You'll love her infectious energy and big heart as we talk about her journey with music, motherhood, and Type 1 Diabetes.
009 - Song of Our Roots with Robin Davis & Jennifer Starks
Robin Davis & Jennifer Starks are two of my favorite people – they’re clients, colleagues, friends, and all-around awesome women who keep us laughing AND keep us well-fed, thanks to their Nashville restaurant, Homegrown Taproom and Kitchen. Listen in as we chat about misheard lyrics, how they found their way to Nashville, and how they bridged a gap in the Hip Donelson neighborhood.
008 - Songs of Escape with Renease Perkins
They say if you don’t like the weather in Nashville, just wait 15 minutes. As we’re recording, this week has been everywhere from the low 30s to the high 60s so I’m just apologizing now for the coughs and sniffles ahead of time. But none of it is enough to rain on our parade! Today, I’m sitting down with Renease Perkins — a true Nashville native — and chatting about her memories of our city and its music from the 80s to today.
007 - Song of Humor with Jason Mazzo
Today, we’re celebrating April Fool’s Day on the podcast! I don’t have any tricks up my sleeve, but I do have someone who makes me laugh (and sometimes roll my eyes) for his puns and affinity for Dad Jokes. Either way, he’s the perfect choice for today… and the perfect one for me. I hope you enjoy this special April Fool’s Day conversation with my husband, Jason Mazzo.
006 - Song of Surrender with Beth Inglish
Am I the only one getting a little stir crazy here? The past two weeks have felt like one blow after another here in Nashville - first the tornado and now a global pandemic. With all the recent cancellations in the news, I just want to open with this reminder:
- Conversations will not be cancelled.
- Relationships will not be cancelled.
- Love will not be cancelled.
- Songs will not be cancelled.
- Reading will not be cancelled.
- Self-care will not be cancelled.
- Hope will not be cancelled.
Whether you agree with media recommendations or not, let’s use this time to lean into the good stuff that remains. Let’s rest, love others from afar, let’s start with a song and keep singing.
Coincidentally, my guest and I talk about some of this very same stuff. To Nashvillians, she needs no introduction, but for everyone else – I hope you enjoy this conversation with artist, speaker, comedienne, and founder of the Nashville Creative Group, Beth Inglish.
005 - Song of Homecoming with Chris Lee
Chris Lee and I met as young professionals, both very early on in our careers. You may wonder what a CPA has to do with music, but he’s here to change your mind. We dive into band instruments, competitive dancing, Beck, and defining moments that turned into a Homecoming.
004 - Song in the Darkness with Sarah Robinson
You know that moment when you meet someone and you just click? I met Sarah Robinson in early 2019 and was instantly drawn to her big heart and her compassion for people who are struggling. She has a way with words — both spoken and written — that lead you to truths of how seen and loved you truly are.
003 - Song of Community with The Hoehnes
Since it's the week before Valentine's Day, I wanted to sit down with a favorite couple of mine. I attended Belmont University with Jeff & Kristin Hoehne in the early 2000s, but it wasn't until recently that our friendship grew roots. These two combine their generous hearts with an open door that has made a huge impact on my life as well as many others.
002 - Song of Joy with Bill and Karen Wyler
001 - Song of Remembering with Flynn Tracy
I'm kicking things off with one of my oldest friends! Flynn Tracy and I met in 7th grade in Newnan, GA and quickly developed an annual tradition that solidified our friendship (exchanging mixtapes!). After experiencing life with her for almost 27 years I felt like this was a really good place to start.
Holiday Announcement
Dropping in to wish you Happy Holidays... AND announce the Starting with a Song Launch Date!