The Mind Over Finger Podcast - 224 Stage Freeze – Why Everything You Know Disappears Under Pressure

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

You've practiced the techniques. You've done the mindset work. But when it's time to perform, everything seems to disappear. In this episode, I explore why musicians often struggle to access what they know under pressure and what to do about it. You'll learn: Why your tools vanish in performance, even when you know they work How over-focusing on control can disconnect you from the music The real difference between skill prep and pressure prep One small, practical shift to help you reconnect with your strengths on stage If you're done guessing, spinning your wheels, or second-guessing your ability on stage, I'd love to support you. The Music Mastery Experience is where we turn these insights into lasting transformation. It's a full year of high-level coaching, structure, and community designed to help you go from inconsistent and overwhelmed to grounded, prepared, and confident every time you play. If this episode resonated with you, I invite you to apply today at mindoverfinger.com/mme25.   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.

you know what to do. You've studied, you've practiced, you've done the mindset work. You've been told many times, maybe you've even taught that to others. Just breathe, stay grounded, trust your preparation. But when the lights come up and it's your turn to play, your heart races, your hands tighten, your mind goes blank. And all of those tools, those tools that you know are supposed to help, they vanish. Then you walk off stage thinking, why does that still happen? Like I know what to do, so why can't I do it? If that sounds familiar, I want you to know you're not the problem. And today I'm going to show you what the real missing piece is and how to start building it right now. You're listening to the Mind Over

Finger Podcast. This is episode 224. 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. Well, hello, everyone. I hope you're doing wonderfully well today. If you've listened to episode 223, you know we went deep into the insights from the Musician's Edge Challenge. That challenge was a powerful reflection experience that helped musicians reconnect with what's working, recognize what's in the way, and start shifting how they prepare and perform.

In the challenge, we explored a concept I call your edge, the inner zone, where your strength is. That's the zone where your strength meets your growth. And that's the line that you're always pushing. That's the advantage that's already inside of you. And that's the place where real progress begins. And most importantly, as I shared in episode 223, and if you have not listened to it, run, run and catch it now. And I'm going to read my own transcript now. Your edge is your unique advantage, the strengths, the insights, and resilience that live inside you.

Your edge is your best competitive advantage. 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. And today we're continuing this conversation because what came up again and again and again from the challenge participants and listeners that got back to me after episode 223 was this. I know what helps. I've learned the tools. But when I'm under pressure, when I'm stressed out, when the stakes are high, I still can't access them. her this time and time again. So in this episode, I want to take that even further and offer you a simple concrete shift you can start using right now. Something to help you bridge the gap between knowing and doing without overhauling everything. And if you're ready for more than just a tool, if you're ready for a system that helps you apply what you know consistently and with confidence,

then I'm also going to share how we build that inside the Music Mastery experience. All right, let's dive in. Here's what I kept hearing throughout the challenge. I know I need to breathe. I know how to calm myself down. I've learned these mindsets tools before, but when I step on stage, I can't access any of it. So many musicians are working hard. they're learning, they're trying, but they're still not getting the results they want. And then they start to wonder, is something wrong with me? Why do I keep getting in my own way? And I'm here to tell you that this isn't about not trying hard enough. It's not about needing more tips or one more YouTube video. The truth is, musicians today, they're more informed than ever

but information does not equal transformation. One musician shared that she knows breathing helps but every time she's in performance mode she forgets to do it. Another one said that he's had moments of musical joy but he cannot seem to create them on purpose. And another one had done some mindset work, but in the high stakes moment, her inner critique took over anyway. Does that sound familiar? These people are like you. These aren't people who need to try harder. You're trying hard already. They're people who need support, structure, and strategy that meets them where they are so they can turn what they know into what they do. Right? You want to be able to turn what you know into what you do. That's the secret. And when we start thinking we should have it

figured out already, it creates even more pressure. We internalize the struggle. We make it personal. and that leads to overthinking. That leads to self-judgment and that definitely leads to frustration. What most musicians are missing isn't knowledge. You guys know enough. It's a system to implement what they already know with what's needed to fill the gaps in their knowledge. And I'm curious, do you feel this way too? Right? You need something that helps you apply what you already know under pressure. Because without it, you start to think you're the problem. You get stuck in patterns of overthinking, patterns of self-doubt, burnout. Not because you're not trying hard enough, but you're trying without the right support. You need a repeatable

supportive flexible framework that helps you apply what you know especially when the pressure is on and here's something else that's important skill prep is not the same as pressure prep let me say it again skill prep is not the same as pressure prep you can spend hours practicing You can be polishing. You can be perfecting your repertoire. But if you're not actively training your brain and your body for what happens under pressure, your system ends at the moment the pressure begins. You've heard me say this many, many times. And I'm going to say it again. It's not a practice problem. It's a performance prep gap. And when you learn how to fill it, everything changes. So from the musician's edge challenge, there's a lot of things that

emerged. Knowing what works doesn't mean you're doing it, right? And not doing it doesn't mean you're failing. It means the system you have right now isn't supporting you. And that can feel like a relief because it shifts the focus from what's wrong with me to what support do I actually need? And across the week, I saw five big themes come up again and again. Let's go through them together slowly because I want you to really ask yourself, is this me? First theme, you're ready to trade control for connection let me ask you if this is you do you ever find yourself gripping your instrument just a little tighter when it really matters or maybe you're hyper focusing on every tiny detail in the name of preparation but when

you hop on stage you feel disconnected from the music that first of all happens to me But that came up so often in the challenge. Musicians realizing that their best performances, the ones where the music flowed, they felt alive, they felt like they were able to express their own voice. Those performances didn't come from micro-controlling everything. thing. They came from trust. They came from presence, from connection. Connection to the music, connection to the audience. And if you've ever felt like you're doing everything right, but you're still not feeling connected, you're not alone. This is the moment where you can ask, what would happen if I let go of control and leaned into connection instead? Here's the second theme that

came up during the challenge. You know what works, but you don't give yourself permission to lean into it. This is so many of us. Maybe you've been told that you have a beautiful sound or you know you have a really good rhythm, you have a great work ethic, or maybe you have a very natural musicality. But instead of trusting it, you downplay it. You brush it off. And instead, you're focusing only on what still needs fixing. This came up so often during the challenge. Musicians could name their strengths, but almost immediately followed it with, but I still have so far to go, but I still need to improve this and that. Can you relate? And I think we do this everywhere, not just in music, right? How different would your life be if instead of constantly trying to fix yourself,

you let your strengths lead, not just in your playing, but in your life? So you don't need to be perfect to trust yourself. Please hear me when I say this. You don't need to be perfect to trust yourself. You just need to start noticing what's already working and you build from there. The third theme is overthinking and inner criticism are stealing the joy. Be honest. Be honest with me. Have you ever finished a performance and immediately replayed every mistake in your head. Or maybe you've judged yourself mid-phrase while you were still playing. I know you've done it. Don't lie. I know you've done it. That internal noise, that perfectionism, it's exhausting. Even some of the most thoughtful, talented musicians

in the challenge admitted this. I can't stop analyzing myself. My mind is so loud on stage. I forget to enjoy it. I'm just surviving. I think that this describes a lot of our experiences on stage, right? And if that sounds familiar, I want you to know it's not a character flaw. it's a pattern and that's a great thing because patterns can be changed patterns can be changed but it's not going to shift just because you tell yourself to think positive that never works that's fake positivity it's going to shift when you have the support and the tools to retrain how you think consistently. Now is the fourth theme. You're craving something sustainable, right? No, I'm definitely craving something sustainable. So many musicians told me,

and musicians in the challenge, but also clients throughout the years, I'm tired. I love this work, but I can't keep pushing like this. I've said that myself many times. I need a way to grow without constantly burning out. Can you relate? Maybe your schedule is full. Maybe we've got kids, gigs, lessons, or a second job, long commutes, and you're still trying to do it all. You're trying to practice perfectly, perform perfectly, show up perfectly. But deep down, you're craving a new rhythm, one that feels purposeful, not pressured. You want something that's nourishing and not draining or grounded as opposed to chaotic. And if you've ever felt that tug towards something more

sustainable. That is inner wisdom. I want you to follow it. Theme number five. You've already glimpsed the artist you want to be and you're ready to become that version more often. Maybe you've had that one magical performance where everything clicked or a rehearsal where you felt totally in your body and in the music or even a moment alone in the practice room where you thought this this is me this is how I sound so you're not chasing a new identity you're trying you're wanting to return to the truest version of you. That's the artist that already exists inside of you. But you want to meet that person more often, right? With more ease, more consistency.

And this is where structure and support matter. Because it's one thing to have glimpses, but it's another to build a life and a process where those moments become your normal. Think about what life would be like if those moments became your normal. All five of these themes are deeply human. And even if only one of them resonated, I want you to know you're not alone. You're not broken. And you're not behind. You've already done the hard part.

You are aware. Now it's time to take the next step and actually build what supports the artist you're becoming. So if you're nodding along, here's what I want you to try today. Pick just one of the five themes I just shared. Just one, whichever one feels the most true for you. Maybe you feel like you have to work on your inner critique. maybe you have a need for something sustainable maybe there's a moment where you thought I do know what works I just don't give myself permission to trust it so pick one theme

then ask yourself what is one way I can respond differently next time this shows up What's one small way I can respond differently next time this shows up? Here's what this could look like in real life. Let's say you recognize your tendency to overthink. Set a timer during your practice session and give yourself five minutes where the only goal is sound, not judgment. If that's too much, start with less. Start with one minute, then two minutes, then three minutes. But you give yourself some time where the only goal is sound.

Presence. If you're tired of downplaying your strengths, write one on a sticky note and put it on your stand and let that lead the session. if you're craving sustainability give yourself a hard stop time and let it be enough even if you think the progress is not enough let it be enough even if all the work isn't done let it be enough so these are just some examples i'm going to encourage you to get very creative in coming up with examples that work for you.

And I would love if you would share them with me. Now, this isn't about overhauling your process. It's about making one conscious choice today so you can start breaking the pattern and stepping into the version of you that already exists. It's already there. And if that small shift feels powerful, Well, just imagine what becomes possible when you're supported in making those shifts every

week, not just once in a while, but consistently with expert coaching, that's me, and a system that meets you where you are. Well, let me tell you, that's what we do inside the Music Mastery Experience. we're going to give you the structure the coaching and the community that helps you move from knowing to doing you're going to go from scattered effort to progress from feeling confident from time to time to feeling steady and secure every time you play So whether you're preparing for an audition, or you're planning a return to the stage, or you want to grow your career, you want to go for a bigger position,

or that one position you've been eyeing for a year, or maybe you just want to feel more joy and trust in your playing, this is where real transformation happens. So here's my invitation for you today. ask yourself if i didn't stop here if i had this kind of support every week what would be possible for me six months from now a year from now and if that vision excites you even just a little bit i invite you to apply for the music Mastery Experience. This is not just another course. It's not a quick fix. It's not a hack.

The Music Mastery Experience is a full year of high-level coaching, performance training, and deep support that's going to transform how you practice, how you perform, and how you grow as a musician. It's for artists who are done with guessing, over-practicing, wasting their time, and still walking on stage with shaky confidence. It's for musicians who want more than that. You want inspiration. You want a clear system that you can trust. You want expert guidance that you can rely on and a supportive community that's walking alongside you. That's what you get inside of MME. So when you join Music Master Experience, you're going to walk into audition feeling calm, focused, and ready because you're going to have trained under pressure,

not just in that safety of your practice room. You're going to know exactly what to work on every day. No more spinning your wheels. No more second guessing. And more importantly, you're going to feel in control of your nerves, not because they disappear, but because you're going to have real tools that actually work in the moment. You're going to finish performances feeling proud, not picked apart, because you're going to have practice the way you want to show up on stage. You're going to walk into rehearsals and gigs with quiet, grounded confidence, like you finally trust yourself again. What would that be like walking into rehearsal and gigs and concerts feeling like you can trust yourself? And you're going to be able to keep that momentum going

even if you're working full-time, even if you're freelancing, even if you're parenting or you're managing a packed schedule, because this system is designed to support your real life. MMEs for you if you're preparing for a high-level audition and you're done over-practicing and under-performing. Maybe you're ready to start that solo career, but you know you need support to rebuild your confidence. Or maybe you're working toward grad school auditions and you want a clear system that gets results.

You're juggling gigs, you're teaching, and you need a structure that actually fits your schedule. If you've been flying by instincts for years and now you're ready to get serious, intentional, and confident without burnout, you're done wasting your time, Music Mastery Experience is for you. You're going to find all the info,

including all the logistics at mindoverfinger.com. I'm going to have that link for you in the show notes. The next cohort begins June 1st in Spaces Limited. I'm closing the cart May 30th, so don't wait. And again, ask yourself, what would be possible if I had this kind of support every single week. I don't need to piece it together alone anymore. So stop spinning your wheels and let's build the foundation you need together. So if you're ready, you're ready to stop guessing, you're ready to stop going in circles, you're ready to start moving forward with support that actually works, I would be so honored to support you. So go to mindoverfinger.com right now, apply, and I'll see you in sight. All right, that's what I have for you today. Thank you so

much for being here with me. And a huge thank you to everyone who joined the Musician's Edge Challenge. Your openness, your insights, and your courage were really inspiring. All right, friends. Remember, you don't need more tips. You need a system that helps you do what you already know works. And you deserve to have that kind of support. Much love going your way. A bientot. 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.