WOMEN TO WATCH

By Madison Frilot

Sarah Todd, artist, producer, entrepreneur, educator, also goes by “Iggy T” - that is, when she is serving up soulful vocals as the lead singer of the retro pop band Iggy T and The Crazymakers. After a decade of wearing a myriad of hats in the education and nonprofit worlds, Sarah turned her desire to be of service toward supporting other artists. She managed the independent record label Underground Sun (“USUN”) focusing on artist relations, creative direction, production, and branding. While at USUN, she co-creat-

ed and hosted “The Mixdown,” - a web series designed to connect with the music community on the topics of songwriting, recording and production, and music business.

Sarah is currently focusing her attention on creating custom music for Film, TV, and Ads. Through her company “Snaxx Music” she partners with top tier synch agencies and production music libraries to build high end catalogs of one-stop music. As Creative Director and Executive Producer, she often serves as the translator between artists and gatekeepers, cultivating fruitful partnerships and building diverse teams that span the globe. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up? I grew up as a super quiet kid. I had a pretty tumultuous home life. My mom was an alcoholic and my parents divorced when I was just three years old. I bounced between both homes, plus my grandparents’ home which taught me to travel light and to cherish the moments when I felt love and safety. I always felt loved, but I just don’t know that the people who were around me knew how to show it all the time. My safety was sometimes questionable emotionally and physically, but I learned to find the silver lining, to be adaptable, and to observe everything and everyone in my surroundings. From that place of quiet I was able to build my vision and my dream of how I wanted to express myself in the world. I was observing and using everyone around me as examples of how to build the vision for my own dream life. I was always taking notes. Many people are surprised because I’m not very quiet these days whatsoever, but as a kid, my teachers and my parents were worried about me because I rarely talked. In a lot of ways, I still operate that way. I’m always observing and taking my ship in the direction that provides forward motion. My struggles as a kid are never something I feel victimized by. I think that’s a vicious cycle that is easy to get sucked into. By seeing the value of growing up the way I did and by sharing my story, I’m able to rise above it and empower others to do the same. By radically accepting where I came from and what I endured growing up, I’m allowed to say, “Okay - now what?” This is one of my favorite things to say.

What brought you to this specific career path? Because there was so much going on in a tumultuous way, I often found myself feeling settled when I was able to be creative as a kid. I was happiest doing arts and crafts or listening to music. I was super into the lyrics. I would unravel the packaging of the CDs or tapes and find the lyrics notes - I felt connected to a force that I couldn’t see but that I could otherwise sense. Before entering the music industry I was on a mission to save the world through non-profit work in environmental education. I went to grad school for education. I was fulfilled in connecting with youth, inspiring their connection to the planet, and their pursuit of protecting it. It was such a full plate, like any non-profit work. I had no time to be creative musically. I find creative outlets in everything I do. I kind of approach it from an artist’s lens; creative problem solving, ways of approaching things, building something, connecting with people - it’s all creative to me. But specifically, I wanted to have more time to be musical. I came to terms with how important it was to me. I realized that when I don’t have time to be able to invest in music, I feel like I can’t breathe. I feel like a shell of myself. I realized how important music was to me: not just as a listener, but as an artist myself. I had fallen in love with my vision of pursuing music after I fell off a cliff while rock climbing. I broke both of my feet and a leg. I couldn’t walk for 3.5 months and I was forced to sit still.

What I could do, however, was play guitar and sing. It was like being reunited with an old friend. From there I found myself in a group of fellow artists reading through Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way.” The rest was history after that. I realized I was allowed to pursue art and that I loved supporting other artists too. I realized that despite the stories we are often told as kids of art being a hobby, I could make a career out of doing what I love. Creating AND helping other creatives along the way to do what they love? It was a dream come true. I wanted to support other artists in whatever way I could to empower them to be even more creative and to build sustainable business models so that they can have revenue streams associated with their art - that’s the dream. I am doing that in every aspect of my life right now and I couldn’t ask for a better situation. I couldn’t ask for a better dream.

It has not been easy, but nothing worth doing is. Every grueling step of the career change has been absolutely worth it.

What was the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career? About six years ago I was at a dark, outdoor jam circle at a mutual friend’s party. I didn’t really know anybody there at all. I was listening to some guy play music and thought, who’s that? That sounds very cool. It ended up being David Franz. Moments later, I was playing music and David Franz had the exact same reaction. Who’s that? That sounds very cool. It was an instant connection. I love telling that story because we heard each other before we met each other or even saw each other. From that point forward, we realized we had very similar tastes in music and that we wanted to do something with that. That was how Iggy T and the Crazymakers was born.

What are you working on now? I’m working with David at Underground Sun to release a few singles for Iggy T and The Crazymakers after the release of our record earlier this year. We’ve been hanging onto these for a while so it will be nice to see them make vagina. Why do you think it’s important to have diversity in your industry? How can that potentially affect our culture? It’s the simple fact that the media we consume should reflect the reality of the makeup of our society. Every child should see folks on tv and film that represent a part of them. Diversity is what makes our country so uniquely beautiful. Learning to embrace and listen and learn from

their way into the world. One of my favorite things to do is empower artists to stretch their creativity and see their output as worthy of being fairly compensated for. I’m a bit of a puppet master in this way. I often get to get in on the songwriting and recording side of these projects too. COVID has forced a lot of us to work remotely with our collaborators which has only opened the channels for more and more opportunities. I bring a mini studio with me wherever I go! Over the last couple of years, I found myself frustrated with being the only woman in the room of my music collaborations. I met a couple of amazing ladies online and all of us have been totally crushing on each other and the music we make. We’ve dived into the new culture of women working together and not competing, which has evolved to be my favorite thing about life right now. I just love working with women. I pitched them on doing a project together and somehow they believed me that it would work. We quite literally live all across the US (LA, Austin, and NYC). We’ve been putting in a lot of time becoming besties, laughing a ton, and just having fun writing and recording cheeky pop bangers nestled under my company Snaxx Music Co. We’ve got an awesome team of folks supporting our mission and we couldn’t be more stoked to start releasing some of the tracks into the wild. We are called Majority V. Yes, V for those who are different from us would make our world a much more loving place to live. I feel grateful to be a part of such a welcoming and diverse community through art, specifically music. You cannot hear race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. when listening to a song. You hear a unifying language that we can all connect to in some form. It’s the same when playing music with a group of people. What a beautiful model for how we could structure our society. I believe we can get there. I believe music can help, just like it always has. Even with politics, with Kamala as a public role model, I think we’re on our way. Everybody should feel represented and safe and welcomed just as they are.

What are five things you wish someone told you when you first started? I don’t resent learning any of the things below at the exact time that I did. They continue to shape me and my life path. Though of course, the more information any one person is equipped with before they start something, the more time and energy they can potentially save themselves!

potential of creating the reality we truly desire.

It required me to dive deep into defining what brings me genuine joy and fulfillment, but the possibilities are endless to cultivate that experience. I spent a lot of time living in fear, in self-sabotaging thought patterns, and of course, we all go in and out of feeling the waves of imposter syndrome. But developing a healthy level of self-awareness saves so much time and energy. We are never completely helpless over our circumstances. I’d even say we are in many ways responsible for them. That responsibility-taking ensures that there’s always something we can do about where we find ourselves. And that’s a much more empowered place to begin moving onward and upward. When I started paying close attention to - I mean getting REALLY honest with myself - about my thoughts, beliefs, true desires, and the purpose-driven action steps to get there, I began to experience what manifesting my ideal life felt like. This is not a onetime activity. It’s a daily practice and a way of choosing to be in the world. 2. Fear: I tell my nieces this when they say they’re afraid of performing: most people probably are. I think the experience of fear can often feel debilitating when it comes to pursuing our life’s purpose. I have always had performance anxiety. It took me years to realize what I was doing every time I chose to make a pitch or get on stage. I tell people there are two different types of fear: the kind that indicates that something is very important to us, unfamiliar, but incredibly exciting and scary in its newness, and the kind that indicates we’re in real danger.

Fear of failure is often outweighed by the fear of success for our really big dreams. And that’s the fear that I encourage everyone to walk toward.

The root of that fear is the same as excitement. It provides infinite potential in doing our best, most transformative work. 3. Mindset: Learning to have a growth mindset can change a person’s trajectory. There’s such power in realizing that achievement is not innate, but reached through hard work and valuable feedback. The options for growth and knowledge acquisition become limitless from this perspective.

I also group in finding the positive silver lining or finding the opportunity in any outcome or situation. If you are not seeing the upside or the opportunity, I believe you’re not looking hard enough. There is power in positivity, as opposed to a “woe is me” attitude. 4. Knowledge vs. Qualification: “You don’t have to know EVERYTHING about what you’re doing to be considered ‘qualified’ or ‘ready’ to begin working.” I’ve accepted that the most valuable learning happens through doing, so it’s best to just get moving on an idea or a dream instead of waiting around to learn more or get more expe-

rience. No one that is trailblazing knows 100% what they’re doing. That’s what makes them such powerful forces of vision and innovation. 5. Teambuilding: You don’t have to do it alone. In fact, you shouldn’t do it alone. I have learned that building relationships of depth and meaning are invaluable. Becoming an echo chamber is not good for anyone, nor is it helpful in completing your mission. I have to trust the people

I work with implicitly. Trust your gut when you bring people onto your team. Shared values are imperative. A similar driving motivation, and some overlap in two people’s “why” can create a productive and lifelong relationship that can navigate the unpredictable roads of building things. A healthy sense of humor is also a requirement on any team that I build. Ya gotta bring some jokes! We just can’t get by without jokes. It’s a fine line to walk with maintaining professionalism and a sense of humor but when you find your people, you will know. You don’t have to be serious all the time to be taken seriously. Fun teams are successful teams in my opinion.

How can our readers follow you online? Website: Band: https://www.iggytandthecrazymakers.com/ Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/iggytandthecrazymakers Insta:

https://www.instagram.com/iggytandthecrazymakers/ Twitter:

https://twitter.com/iggytcrazymaker Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4hrq7kRX2vnp5d43SttSs9

HOW TO MAXIMIZE

Advice From Business and Mindfulness Coach, Ayana O. “From a place of gratitude, I am able to see a better tomorrow and work towards it, getting a little closer each day.” -Ayana O.

At various times in our lives, we tend to isolate ourselves from the external by choice or by circumstances, often because the outside world it too much to bare. But what if we isolated with intention? During these periods you can have your biggest breakthroughs and aha! moments. It helps you do more, be more, and creates a foundation prepared to catapult you. 1. Get Clear 3. Plan Your Future 5. Practice Mindfulness

Clarity is the key to everything! Having a clear vision of where you are and what you want to achieve is the foundation for maximizing your time and talent. Once you gain clarity, then you will be able to yield the most benefits by spending your time doing what you need to to get what you want.

Without clarity there is ambiguity.

Ambiguous goals - or even worse, no goals at all - can leave you feeling as though you are wondering in the dark, frustrated and demoralized. Instead, articulate a clear and specific vision of what you want to create and get familiar with what that looks like. Going back to that vision and its associated goals will be your compass.

2. Journal

Journaling is a great way to get to know and discover all parts of you. It is a superb way transfer the problems from your head to paper, emptying the mind and freeing up mental resources for problem-solving instead of problem-storing. Journaling will excell your capacity for creativity - putting it on paper frees up your valuable mental creative space! Another great way to maximize your time during this period is to plan ahead. Start by writing down all the things you would like to do, be, and achieve, followed by all the things you deeply desire.

Create a framework/outline on how you plan to achieve each goal, outlining what you have and what you need to achieve it using a technique like the SMART goal method. You may find some goals you do not want to pursue after all.

4. Organize

I don’t have time for {blank}!

How often do you find yourself saying that? Where does the time go?

A major contributing factor for feeling overwhelmed, underproductive is that we do not manage our time effectively. We mismanage our most precious resource - TIME. Reclaim your time by staying in, not commuting, practicing social distancing, use it to get organized and implement time management tools and habits that will set you up for long term success. Mindfulness is purposely focusing your attention on the present moment, being intensely aware of what you are feeling and sensing in the moment and tuning in to be fully present

Going through your day mindfully eliminates distractions, reduces stress and anxiety, and improves consistency - all of which contribute to being able to maximize you.

No one said life would be easy, but with the right tools you will able to gain optimal results and avoid some major pitfalls along the way if you are able to create a solid foundation and maximize your time and talents.

Remember: whatever you do today, make a difference in your own way. Ayana O. Business & Mindfulness COach

Visit linktr.ee/CoachAyana0 for more!