The Mind Over Finger Podcast - 223 Unlock Your Edge – Discover the Reflection Practice That Transforms How You Perform

Episode Date: May 8, 2025

If you've ever felt stuck, even though you know what to do, this episode is for you. I'm sharing the five key prompts from The Musician's Edge Challenge that have helped hundreds of musicians gain clarity, uncover what's holding them back, and perform with more confidence. In this episode, you'll explore: A moment when your playing felt effortless and what it reveals about your potential A strength you've been underestimating and how to lead with it The real challenge that keeps showing up under pressure A pattern that's been running in the background and how to change it A simple blueprint for building the musician you want to be If you're ready to perform with more trust, freedom, and intention, start here. Are you ready to take your playing and career to the next level and create a life that feels purposeful and joyful? The Music Mastery Experience is now open for enrollment through May 30. This is your opportunity to stop spinning your wheels and start building a practice and performance system that actually works. Apply now at mindoverfinger.com - I'd love to see your name come through.   Book your FREE Music Mastery Experience Discovery call with Renée HERE   Download the transcript from this episode HERE   Mind Over Finger Click www.mindoverfinger.com/coaching to book your free consultation with me. Visit MindOverFinger.com for my online courses as well as free resources on peak performance. Grab my free workshops and PDF downloads by going to www.mindoverfinger.com/resources. Connect: https://www.youtube.com/@MindOverFinger https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/     THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.    

Have you ever felt like you know you're capable of more, but you're just not sure what's in the way? You practice, you prepare, you show up, but something feels a little off. Maybe you're stuck in the same habits, maybe you're holding back under pressure, or maybe you're just tired of second-guessing yourself and not knowing what to change. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. You're listening to the Mind Over Finger podcast. This is episode 223. Welcome to the Mind Over Finger podcast, where we dive into the world of mindful music making, peak performance, and crafting a purpose-driven life and career. I'm your host, violinist, certified performance and life coach for musicians, and your guide to unlocking your full potential,

Dr. René-Paul Gaultier. Hi, everyone. I hope you're doing so well today. I'm still personally riding the wave of energy and inspiration after wrapping up an amazing week inside my free challenge, The Musician's Edge. Over five days, 200 musicians joined me to reflect deeply, gain clarity, and start mapping out the next step in their performance journey. And I have to say, the breakthroughs were incredible. So many people reached out to me to say how powerful the impact had been and how amazed they were by the insight they gained. And that made me realize that I had to bring this to you here on the podcast, too.

So if you were part of the challenge, I hope this episode feels like a meaningful recap, something that helps you go even deeper with the reflection you already started. And if you missed it, well, don't worry, you can still benefit from every insight because I'm walking you through the full experience here now, step by step. Because this work is too powerful to keep to just one week. Why a challenge? Well, because we're trying to solve a problem. Most musicians are not struggling because they don't care enough or because they lack talent, right? Like you are not struggling because you don't care enough or because you don't have talent. You're struggling because you're doing this alone, without structure, without feedback,

or a system that helps you apply what you already know. You might know how to calm your nerves, but you still fall apart when the stakes are high, right? Happens to all of us. You might know what to focus on in practice, but you might end up spinning your wheels anyway. You might have moments of joy and confidence, but they feel random, like you can't make them happen on purpose. Now, that gap between what you know and what you can access when it matters, that's where the struggle lives. And the solution is not more information. It's not more information. it's integration it's being able to reflect on your strengths recognize your patterns and build a system that supports you emotionally mentally and technically and that's exactly what we did

during the musician's edge and it's what I want to offer you today so in this episode I'm going to walk you through the exact same reflection process I shared with the challenge participants it's short it's powerful and I promise that if you give yourself even just 10 minutes a day this can change how you show up in the practice room and on stage first I want you to understand what I mean when I use the word edge because for me it's a whole concept and it encompasses many things. I chose that word very intentionally because your edge is where your power lies. It's your inner edge. It's the limit of your current skill and mindset. So it's where you're at your best. And it's the line you're always dancing on because it's also the place where

your comfort zone ends and your potential begins. And most importantly, it's your unique advantage. The strengths, the insights, and the resilience that live inside you. Your edge is your best competitive edge. And not because it's flashy, but because it's deeply yours. It's not something you copy from others. It's the version of you that shows up with presence, clarity, and intention. It's what you already have when everything clicks. And it's what you can train to show up more consistently. So throughout the challenge, we weren't just reflecting for the sake of it. We were exploring this edge, defining it, stretching it, and learning how to access it on purpose. because the better you understand your edge, the further you can go. And the more you nurture it,

the more you expend what's possible. Now, before we get into the prompts, I want to take a moment to share why this kind of reflection is so powerful and why I believe every musician deserves to take the time to do it. We live in a world of constant doing. It's always practice more, fix more, prepare more. But often the thing that actually unlocks the next level of your playing isn't more action. It's deeper awareness. When you pause and when you look inward with honesty and without judgment, you start to see what's really helping you and what's quietly holding you back. And here's the key. What you're going to find through this process is already inside of you. It's already in you. You've already had glimpses of your best playing. You've already

shown up with confidence. You've shown up with creativity. You've shown up with joy. You've already made it through challenges. This process is about reconnecting with those truths. It's about noticing the strengths you've overlooked and you do it. You know you do it. It's about noticing the patterns that you repeat and the version of yourself you're becoming. And you don't need to overhaul everything. But if you give yourself 10 quiet minutes a day for the next five days, you're going to learn something important. Something that can reshape how you practice, perform and grow from here forward. It's not about getting it right or finding some perfect answer. It's about pausing to reflect, to reconnect and to uncover what's already inside of

you. So give yourself space, no pressure, no judgment. Maybe you sit down with a journal, maybe you talk these through on a walk. You can do one each day or take a week to move through them slowly. Let it be whatever you need. All right, let's begin. So the prompt for day one is one moment, a past performance that reveals your future success. So in this prompt, we're starting with something powerful and surprisingly simple. We're going to look back at a moment in your musical life when everything clicked. The music flowed, you felt fully like yourself, and whether it was in performance, in rehearsal, even just a moment in the practice room, you knew this is what it's supposed to feel like. This is not just about reminiscing. This is data.

This is where your edge, your true artistic self, has already shown up. And once we uncover what made that moment possible, we can learn how to recreate it on purpose. So here's what I want you to do. You take five to ten minutes and you reflect on a single moment when you felt completely in your element as a musician. Where were you? What were you playing? How did you feel in that moment emotionally, physically, mentally? What did your preparation look like?

What was your mental state throughout the preparation process? What thoughts did you find yourself returning to or believing as you got ready for that moment? And when you're done, ask yourself, What does this reveal about what brings out my best playing? What made this performance so special? In this moment you're remembering, it's not just a lucky break. It's a window into your potential. It shows you what's already possible when you're aligned with your strength, supported by a good process, and connected to the music.

It shows you your edge when you're on top of your playing. This reflection is more than nostalgia again. It's research. Please believe me when I say that. And the insights that you're going to uncover with this prompt is going to directly shape how you show up for yourself in the days ahead. All right, the prompt for day two is one, strength. The strength you've been underestimating.

Let's talk about something most musicians are not used to doing. which is identifying what's already working. Because here's the truth. Growth doesn't always come from fixing what's broken. Please hear me when I say that. Often the fastest and most sustainable growth comes from amplifying what's already strong. Amplifying what's already strong. So today I want you to take a few minutes and reflect on this. What is one thing, just one, you do well as a musician? Maybe it's something you worked hard to develop. Maybe it's something that comes naturally and you've never really claimed it as a strength. Find that. Ask yourself, where do I feel solid or steady in my playing?

What have other people consistently noticed or praised about my musicianship? What feels like it's mine? A part of how I express myself musically. Then take it further. How can I lead with this more often? And I love this one. What changes when I stop downplaying this and start trusting it as my edge? So this prompt is not about building ego. It's about reclaiming ownership of the things that already support you. Because what's working deserves to lead. What's working deserves to lead. So write it down, sit with it, and let that strength rise to the surface. okay prompt for day three is one edge what's really getting in your way and how to stop

fighting it this is where things get really honest and really powerful today I want you to name one thing that keeps showing up and keeps making things harder than they need to be for you and that's not because you're doing anything wrong but because we all have patterns we all have habits or we all have thoughts that create friction in our process we call this your edge the thing that feels like it's holding you back and it might be perfectionism fear of making a mistake maybe you're over practicing Maybe you're avoiding hard things. Maybe you're second-guessing yourself under pressure every time.

So ask yourself, when I'm playing, what keeps pulling me out of the moment? What am I constantly trying to control, hide, or push through? What's the voice in my head saying when I'm under pressure? Now, take a deep breath. You're not judging this edge. You're just naming it. Right? No judgment.

This is the thing you're going to get curious about. This is the thing we work with, not against in that next stage of our growth. Because when you stop finding your edge, you start transforming it. all right day four one pattern and that's the thread running through everything and how to change it today is about zooming out so now that you've explored a powerful moment a clear strength and an honest edge it's time to step back and ask what patterns are showing up across my musical

life. So grab your notes from the last few days and look through them and ask yourself, is there something I've been doing on autopilot? And these could be good, but maybe not. So it's worth exploring. Am I playing small in the same way again and again? is there a belief about myself that I've carried longer than I realized and do I still want to believe that so maybe you've been underestimating your strength maybe you've been overworking to make up for something you think you're missing maybe you've been practicing in the way that reinforces the pressure instead of the trust. You want to know these things. So whatever it is, notice it, not with criticism, but with curiosity. You're not here to tear anything down. You're here

to see clearly. Because once you see the pattern, you can begin to shift it. And small shifts change everything. Small shifts change everything. And finally, day five, one blueprint. This is where you build a musician you want to be on purpose. So you've done the reflection. You've gathered the data. Now it's time to bring it all together. Today, I want you to design a simple, personalized blueprint for what comes next. And be careful. I don't want some grand overhaul. Just a few aligned steps forward. So here are some questions that can be helpful. Ask yourself, what kind of musician do I want to be six months from now? What would it feel like to prepare with confidence and clarity?

How do I want to feel when I walk into a performance? What would change if I had the right support every step of the way? Then write this down. One thing I want to keep doing. One thing I want to stop doing. One small thing I can start doing today to move toward the artist I want to be. and let this blueprint guide you. Let it come to you and let it guide you. You don't need to figure out everything. Just keep showing up. Show up honestly. Show up intentionally and show up with

curiosity. This is how change begins. And if you try this process, I would love to hear what you discover. So seriously, send me an email at mindoverfinger at gmail.com and let me know what stood out, what surprised you, or what you're stepping into next. I read every message and I'd be honored to hear from you. So there you have it, your edge, the musician's edge. And when I talk about your edge, I'm talking about the place where your strengths, your skills, and your potential meet. That's your competitive edge. It's where you're operating at your highest level, the part of you that shines in performance. And it's also the line that you're going to keep pushing forward. That's the zone where growth happens. And the goal isn't to become someone else. It's to sharpen

in and expand the artists you already are. Here's a quick recap of our five daily prompts from the Musician's Edge Challenge. So on day one, it's the one moment you reflect on the past performance when everything clicked and you ask yourself what were the conditions that helped you shine. On day two, you look at one strength. You identify what's already working in your playing in your mindset? What strengths are you underusing? On day three, you really identified what was the limit of that edge. You named the real obstacle, what's actually getting in your way. Is it your inner critique? Is it perfectionism? Is it pressure? Is it a technical skill? That's for you to know. On day four, we found the pattern. We looked across everything you've uncovered so far,

your best moments, your strengths, and your challenges. And we asked, what patterns are emerging? What themes keep showing up in your playing? What themes keep showing up in your thinking, in your results? And these patterns hold the key to your unique edge and how to move forward with clarity. And then finally, on day five, we connected the dots between all of that so that you could identify what are the next steps.

What is the blueprint moving forward? And if this process has stirred something in you, if even one of these reflections opened a new door or gave you a glimpse of who you really are as a musician, I want you to know that you don't have to stop there. In fact, this work is just the beginning. What would be possible if you had this kind of support every single week? Not just for five days, but a full year.

That's what you get inside the Music Mastery Experience. This is my signature year-long program for committed musicians who are ready to stop spinning their wheels and stop guessing themselves under pressure and finally build a performance system that actually works. so if you're done with over practicing and underperforming if you're tired of showing up prepared but still not feeling confident if you're ready to love music again and play like the artist you know you truly are then the music mastery experience is for you it's not a course you forget to finish or a few mindset tricks that fade. It's a structured, proven, high-touch experience that gives you everything you need to grow with confidence, sustainability, and joy. Here's what you can expect. In the first three months, we go through the peak performance summer

intensive. You're going to learn how to prepare under pressure so that the stage doesn't throw you. If your dream is to win an audition or prepare the best recital you've ever played by the end of August, this is the summer intensive for you. Then during the expansion year, we keep that momentum going with monthly coaching, expert workshops, and a community that supports your artistry and career at every stage. So whether your next goal is winning an audition, returning to this stage with confidence or finally enjoying the practice room again, you don't have to figure it out alone. This is for you if you're preparing for an audition and want a system that actually works. You're a seasoned player who wants to trust yourself again under pressure. Or maybe you're

returning to music after time away and you want to rebuild with intention. If you're done with trying harder and ready for strategy, structure, support, and results, the Music Mastery Experience is for you. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to be ready to take your growth seriously. You have to be willing to show up. So go to mindoverfinger.com and click apply for MME. We start June 1st and space is limited. So do that today. If you're ready to make this the year things finally click. I'd love to see your name come through. If you're feeling the pull, if you're ready to stop circling the same challenges and start building a path forward that's clear, where you feel supported, go to Mind Over Finger right now and apply today. So that's what I have

for you today. Thank you so much for spending this time with me. And if you do their reflection prompts, don't forget to email me at mindoverfinger at gmail.com. I really would love to hear what you uncover. So keep going, keep growing, and remember, the musician you dream of becoming, they're already within you. Just build the bridge to get there. And there you have it. Thank you so much for spending this time with me today. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you'd share with your friends and colleagues. Take a screenshot, post it on social media and tag me. I'm mind over finger everywhere. I always love hearing your favorite takeaways. And if you're ready to take your playing career to the

next level, I'd love to invite you to join the Music Mastery Experience. This is my signature group coaching program where we're going to dive deep into building your confidence and mastery and set you up for success and fulfillment in your life and career. You can find all the details at mindoverfinger.com. While you're there, check out the free downloads and online courses available to support your journey even further. And don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you never miss an update or a tool to help you thrive. Again, thank you for being here. Until next time, much love and à bientôt.