The Stay Amazing Show

Suicide is a subject people find difficult to discuss. Jennifer Scott tried twice to take her life due to years of trauma. She survived and has now turned her story into an important film - "Eyes Upon Waking".

The film takes you from her second suicide attempt to her stay at a facility and how that experience changed her life. It's a film that shows the reality of mental health through the eyes of the main character, Taren Foley. The film sends a powerful message to those who know someone who has taken their life, those with depression, anxiety. It brings awareness to those who know nothing or very little about the seriousness of mental health and recovery.

"Eyes Upon Waking" has been nominated for several awards at over 40 different film festival, winning in over 20 categories. Jennifer has become a role model for other filmmakers and says the mission of this film is to save lives.

Some of what Jennifer discusses in this episode:

• What it was like in the facility and what she learned during her stay
• What drove her to attempt suicide, twice
• How she went from "I'm not dying fast enough" to " "I love being alive".
• Creating the film that took over 10 years to produce
• How impactful the film has been to audiences at premieres
• Choosing the music for the film
• Her loyal crew
• How she feels about all the recognition and awards

Visit the films website for more on this extraordinary film: https://www.eyesuponwaking.com/

If you feel you have a problem with mental wellness or have thoughts of suicide, please seek help. We have created a page with resources here: https://thestayamazingmovement.com/wellness/

Stay Amazing!

Vanessa Rusk, known as The Girl On A Bike, is passionate about living life to the fullest. A self described adrenaline junkie, Vanessa has always been active, into sports and fitness. She works hard and she plays hard.

But it was in Match of 2014, that her life changed. She was riding her bike when it collided with a car that ran a red light. At the hospital, she was misdiagnosed with just bruises. When in reality she had injuries to her shoulder and hip that required seven surgeries to reconstruct the damage. Throughout her therapy and recovery, she had the mental attitude and mindfulness to accept her situation in order to move forward with her life.

It was during this time that Vanessa decided that riding motorcycles was something she would like to pursue. She took it one step at a time setting goals and has battled back physically and mentally to continue to live a fulfilling and active lifestyle. Vanessa now races her bike in some of the most demanding and grueling off road courses in the world. In this episode she shares her harrowing experience racing in the Tunisia Desert Challenge.

Vanessa shares her inspirational story of courage and never giving up through her Because I Can series in schools and as a keynote speaker, She has the respect of her racing peers and a large social media following. Vanessa's outlook on life is to make the most of each day and to help others do the same. Learn more about Vanessa on her site:

https://thegirlonabike.com/

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Kimi Donahue is multi talented and knows no limits. Besides being a very successful businesswoman, she also is an abstract artist, singer in various bands and does it all with a "All In" attitude. Being busy with all her various interests and careers gives her happiness and purpose in her life.

We discuss where Kimi finds the energy to do all the things he is involved with. We also discuss having the right environment and people around you, the importance of having coaches for all aspects of your life, how art and especially music are her passions, inner strength, perspective, building your network, her Tourette's syndrome story, discipline and much more.

Kimi is energetic, positive and inspiring.

Visit Kimi's art website here: https://www.artsykimiko.com/

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With a distinguished career in classical music and Opera as a singer and vocal coach, Ruth Hartt has witnessed the struggles those organizations face to retain and grow their audiences. Ruth is also the the Chief of Staff for the Christensen Institute, a non profit, non partisan think tank. Ruth has used this knowledge to help classical music businesses grow through the Jobs To Be Done methodology.

"People don't buy because of who they are. People buy because of who they want to become."

In classical music especially, much of the marketing data doesn't address what causes people to purchase tickets to an event. The data can be confusing. Jobs to Be Done focuses on their motivation, the experience, clients want to have. 

It's a fascinating universal theory that any organization, non profit, small business can utilize. Ruth calls it "Space To Breathe" marketing. Find out more about Ruth on her blog: https://www.cultureforhire.com/ . A huge resource for all arts administrators, artists and all businesses.

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Sarah Hicks is a multi faceted, influential and versatile conductor who is always exploring new ways to bring a unique concert experience to both the musicians and the audience. She not only has lead orchestras all over the world but has also crossed classical music with different music genres to create a third art form.

Sarah also enjoys conducting the 'Live to Film' concert events. These are challenging major production events where an orchestra plays live to a film. Some past events include performing live to films such as Harry Potter, Return Of The Jedi, Toy Story, Coco and more. Sarah was also chosen to conduct the orchestra for Sting's "Symphonicities" tour and has worked with a variety of other non classical musicians.

She also gives back to the music community by helping young musicians expand their musical knowledge and for all lovers of music through 'Edutainment'. Above all Sarah is committed to bringing joy and inspiration by connecting humanity though her music.

Sarah Hicks is truly one of the most "Amazing Women In Music"!

Learn more about Sarah on her site: https://www.sarahhicksconductor.com/ and her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SarahHicksConductor/videos

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In this mini-episode, Ricardo gives his thoughts on the importance of sharing your life story with the world. There is much to be learned by everyone once you realize that your life experiences and knowledge can impact someone you've never met or dreamed of knowing.

The Stay Amazing Show is about giving great storytellers the platform to share those stories and for the listener to be inspired by them. Words are powerful and storytelling has a purpose. We need more human connection now more than ever. And the value in one's story can create change and  grow self confidence. We all have the ability and the responsibility to inspire others with our words.

Your voice, your story are your weapons of choice. Use them wisely and never ever let them be taken away.

So...What's your story??

Dare To and Stay Amazing!

Musicians for The World is a non-profit organization that provides music lessons to music students in vulnerable communities around the world. The organization was founded by classical musicians Jesus Saenz and Kelly McGarry in May 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic!

Through their connections with other musicians, many of whom were out of work during that time, they were able to begin virtual classes in Africa, South and Central America, Asia and the Caribbean. Now they have partnered with teachers throughout those areas for live interactive classes. They provide weekly classes on performing, composition and a bi-weekly masterclass series.

The results have been nothing short of Amazing, with over 300 students and teachers taking part in the program. And the program is expanding due to it's success. Musicians For The World just started a GoFundMe program to send 24 music teachers to Peru for live classes. They will also perform in communities where there is no access to music learning resources. To contribute to this cause visit their GoFundMe page: https://bit.ly/3tZvHPl

Music is the universal language and with the vision of Musicians For The World, they are creating the next generation of musicians. Learn more about their mission on their site: https://www.musiciansfortheworld.org/

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Keyboardist and composer Joey Navarro has been a musical force not only in Arizona but in Los Angeles as well. He stated getting into music art age six when he received his first toy organ. Joey grew up with music all around him and soon was learning how to play organ by listening to his families records.

One of his early influences was the group El Chicano. He was drawn to the way organist Bobby Espinoza played. He continued his studies and soon started playing in various bands around the Phoenix area. By his early 20's, he secured a record deal and released his first album, "On The Rocks". Later, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue better opportunities and immediately stared working with some of the best musical talent around. Including El Chicano! The band that first started his interest in music back home in Tolleson.

Joey continues to front his own group, Navarro, still performs live and in recording sessions, composes, arranges and teaches at Los Angeles College of Music. In 2021 he released a film about his life, "iRide - A Musical Journey". And on March 10th of this year, Joey received a Legislative Proclamation from the State of Arizona for his contribution to music!

In this episode, Joey shares stories of the people in his life who recognized his talent and have helped him throughout his career. He also shares his knowledge  for younger musicians to learn from. Learn more about Joey on his website: https://joeynavarromusic.com/

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At just 22 years of age, drummer Gina Osmar has become a much sought after artist for recordings and live performances. Her parents discovered her talents at age three as Gina banged away on coffee cans in a make believe drum set. They noticed her ability to create rhythms and not just noise. By age seven, she was performing with her church band and by age eleven she was in Nashville recording drum tracks for a country artist.

It was then that Gina realized that being a musician was what she wanted to do as a career. She recorded videos of her playing that went viral on YouTube and soon she received endorsement deals from various musical instrument companies as well as being featured in drum magazines. She has also performed on the main stage at the annual NAMM show in front of thousands of music industry professionals and recently at the SXSW convention.

Gina is self taught and has an outstanding ear for creating the perfect drum pattern for whatever song she is asked to perform. Gina also plays bass, guitar and piano which help her expand her creativity as a musician. She also teaches drums and is the music director for her church worship services. Throughout this conversation you'll hear her passion and enthusiasm for playing music and the devotion to her faith as she continues her musical journey.

Yes, she's still young, but first impressions can be deceiving. This young lady is talented, experienced and rocks with the best of them. Find out more on her site: https://ginagdrums.com/

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JV Collier and Rene Camacho are two of the most respected, in demand bassists on the music scene today. While JV was already established in Los Angeles, he met Rene more than 25 years ago in Tucson, Arizona and soon after moving to Los Angeles began working non-stop.

They have performed and recorded with a who's who of musical talent. Everyone from Bruce Hornsby, Gladys Knight, Celia Cruz, WAR, The Funk Brothers, Kevin Eubanks, the Pointer Sisters, Draco Rosa, Herbie Hancock, Juan Gabriel, Oscar Hernandez as well as various television shows and soundtrack recordings.

This conversation is like a master class to what the present day musician needs to know to survive the industry. If you're just starting your music career you'll find the insights that JV and Rene offer to be extremely valuable. They share details on how to work with producers, different bands, constantly improving as a musician, networking and some amazing road stories.

We had a blast recording this episode. It's a rather long episode, but stick with us. It's well worth the knowledge and the laughs from two of the best.

Stay Amazing!