Mama Kin

Episode 1: Give Yourself Permission to Create

Story weaver, creative thinker, speaker and philanthropist Danielle Caruana AKA Mama Kin is a powerhouse of wisdom and connection. We talk about the creative process, taking action before you feel ready and giving yourself permission to create.

I’m a huge fan of Mama Kin, and not just because her music is transcendent, spiritually uplifting and freaking STRONG. I’m a fan because she speaks her truth and, in doing so, she speaks the truth that so many of us are experiencing too. 

In this conversation you’ll get an inside look into her creative process. Literally, how she starts with a word or idea, sits down to write free-flow, uninterrupted stream of consciousness writing, and then pulls little golden gems from that word storm to start to piece together a song.

Dan also explains how she tries to express an idea or emotion without ever stating it directly. How she weaves words in and around eachother to paint a picture in her songs - leaving so much open to the listeners interpretation while simultaneously speaking to a universal truth.

Truly. How does she do this? Is it magic?!? Well, she is a liiiitle bit magical - but it’s really just songwriting tips and tricks - like sense based writing - put into practice.

Whether you’re a songwriter, or a human who likes to express themselves, this will blow your mind.

So here’s my favourite thing (I think - she said a lot of brilliant things) that I’m taking from this episode. 

When we were talking about fear of showing up fully, to who you are and the gifts you have to offer, Dan offered one simple piece of advice. The one thing that helped her start to move forward after years and years of denying herself the joy of creating and sharing music: 

“Ask yourself: What is the simplest thing that I could say yes to?”

That’s it. Start there, and say yes to the next simplest thing when it comes.

Tune in, and hear the magic unfold.

In our chat, Dan and I talked about I Heart Songwriting Club - an online platform that helps writers connect to a global songwriting community and practice their craft. Dan also mentioned the book “On Connection” by Kae Tempest you can check it out on Booktopia here.

Georgia Mooney

Episode 2: I’m Not A Female Songwriter - I’m A Songwriter

Solo artist, band member, podcaster, radio host and live music curator Georgia Mooney joins me to chat about.... everything. Mental health, touring, women being treated differently than men in the music industry and how being in band is like being in a sexless marriage.... fun!

Make sure you tune in right to the end. When we got up to the “Final Five” we went on a bit of a tangent, around question two or three, and started talking about Georgia’s experience of being celebrated as an “all girl band” with her work in All Our Exes Live In Texas.

This conversation was fascinating because, as Georgia points out, there’s two sides (actually, there’s probably more) to the conversation. 

On the one side, it IS unusual, statistically speaking, to have a band entirely made up of female writers and musicians. And it’s something that should be celebrated! More celebration of women! More women in the music industry! More women telling women’s stories! Yes please.

On the other hand…. Um. No one refers to Midnight Oil as an all boy band. No one celebrated that four English men got together and decided to form an all male group and call themselves The Beatles. No one talks about how The Wiggles are all men and isn’t that great. Power to men.

As women, we need to reclaim our power. And that means stating that we are here. As women. And every time we do that it could be either really empowering, or really frustrating.

In my opinion, so much depends on the context. So a radio presenter is talking about you being an all girl band? What are the other words around that? What are the implications? What tone of voice are they using? Are they open to having a conversation about what that means for you, what that means for women, and the complexities and intricacies of it? 

That’s what I’m interested in. Not the token “yay a girl band!” But the conversation that exists around the fact that four women got together and decided to form a band - and that that was cause for any conversation at all.

Tune in and fall in love with Georgia Mooney. I guarantee you will.

Also, Georgia has a new podcast “Simply Marvellous” - The silliest and least essential addition to your weekly listens! Join Georgia, Rhys Nicholson and Kyran Wheatley as they watch all the Marvel movies in order, then have a yarn about them over a glass of rosé.

Fanny Lumsden

Episode 3: Claim Your Right To Be Here

How do you forge your own path and how do you find your community?

Fanny Lumsden is arrogant. She said it! Not me! And you know what, arrogance is not at all a bad thing. I’m actually practicing being a little more arrogant myself. 

Dictionary definition of arrogance: Having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities.

Let’s just step sideways for a minute and talk about how we (especially women) are specifically told NOT to tell people about our importance or abilities.

Forget about exaggerating….we don’t even make it to the start line, because we’re so busy playing our skills and talents down, handing off praise to others and deflecting compliments like they’re terrifyingly poisonous word missiles.

So, you know what, I don’t think most of us run the risk of having an exaggerated sense of our importance or abilities. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably just trying to find a base line of not being afraid of celebrating who you are, and expecting basic respect and dignity.

Now that that’s out of the way. 

I’ve know Fanny for a while now, and it’s always been clear that she knows and accepts who she is. She’s building her life and career her way, and is an advocate for other people doing the same. 

In this chat we go deeper into how Fanny has cultivated her sense of self and how she sees her success as the work of communities and teams all around the country. 

We talk about how she cried on the bathroom floor, in the middle of a highway, when she found out she was pregnant - then got on stage to perform just a few hours later. I ask what she views as her responsibility as an artist in the public eye, and we talk about being real - sharing the highs, lows and hard work that surround working as a touring musician. 

If you don’t already know and love Fanny Lumsden, get ready - she’s about to be your biggest new girl crush.

Francesca De Valence

Episode 4: Show Up and Practice

Francesca De Valence, as well as being a gorgeous songwriter and performer, is the founder of I Heart Songwriting Club - an online platform that connects songwriters to a global community, and helps them hone their craft.

I’ve known Francesca since before she started the club six years ago, and was one of the founding members…. And I’m still in it! In all honestly, I wouldn’t be the songwriter I am today without having this community, the support it provides, and a simple weekly prompt to work on my craft.

Francesca is an absolute powerhouse, and we chatted about building community, finding the right people to walk alongside you and the power of aligning with creative energy.

But what does that really mean?

Well, it turns out that creativity, ideas and inspiration are all waiting for us. Our job is to simply show up.

Yeah, it gets a little more in depth than that… We also need to build the skills so we know how to tune in, catch the creativity while it’s flying around us, and refine our work.

So, the way I see it, our job as creators (whether you’re writing songs or creating anything else) is to show up and practice. That’s it.

Elizabeth Gilbert talks about The Elusive Creative Genius in her book “Big Magic”, in her podcast “Magic Lessons” and one of her infamous Ted Talks. The idea that “the genius” is the creative energy that wants to be expressed THROUGH us. We are not the genius… we’re just a vessel for it’s energy. We’re a worker bee. The creative energy is our queen.

In this episode, Francesca and I talk about all this and more. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify - and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

And, if you’re a songwriter, PLEASE go and check out I Heart Songwriting Club. It’s for all levels of experience and, being an online platform you can access it from anywhere in the world.

Ainslie Wills

Episode 5: There’s No Rule Book When it Comes to Creating

Tapping into your creative power through self awareness and compassion, and giving yourself permission to be shit... could these be the keys to doing amazing work and feeling creatively fulfilled? I talk to Ainslie Wills about this and SO much more in Episode 5 of the Song Baker podcast.

In the past, I’ve found myself looking for songs that reflect my own experience, and broach topics that are more in depth than what has typically been shared on commercial radio. I think, as artists, we reach a point where we just decide to create the songs that WE want to hear. The songs that comfort us on our own journey. The cool thing about that is that when we tap into that truth within ourselves, we tap into other people’s experiences too…. in telling our own stories, we allow others to see themselves reflected.

Ainslie is an absolute master at this, and I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that, in my opinion, Ainslie Wills is one of the best songwriters in Australia. I asked her about two of her most popular tracks “Society” and “Fear of Missing Out” and the responsibility that she feels as an artist, to share her personal experience in the context of a greater, more universal experience.

We also talked about understanding and working with our menstrual cycles to harness creative power and self expression - Shout out to Lucy Peach who’s live show “Your Greatest Period Ever” changed both mine and Ainslie’s relationship to our menstrual cycles. Lucy also has a book “Period Queen”  ….. check it out 🙌

Ainslie shares the way she practices songwriting and creative work, and we talked about the value in using emotion based language vs technical language when creating music.

There’s more! There’s honestly SO much in this chat! We talk about setting up your life the way YOU want it and creating a shared language around gender differences, learning how to communicate effectively with each other, and standing up for what we need - regardless of any differences.

Ainslie has so much wisdom to share and talking to her always brings me some sort of comfort… I hope you feel the same when you listen

Melody Pool

Episode 5: I’m In Charge Now

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and walked away thinking “Wow. That person is truly wise. Not because they’ve read a lot of books, or understand a lot of ideas, but because they’ve lived it, felt it and done the work”?

That’s how I felt after chatting with Melody Pool for the podcast. I’ve known Melody for several years, but we hadn’t spoken for a couple. In that time, Melody has been going through an incredibly personal process of learning her own mind, and making new choices.

Melody shared so openly about this experience when we sat down to chat, and we jam-packed so many interesting things into this episode. 

We talked about welcoming creativity as a core part of yourself - and removing external pressures (real or perceived) that get in the way of creating authentically. We talked about not attaching your identity to your thoughts, and how to take back the reins when those thoughts are taking over and threatening to spiral you down in a pit of despair.

Raw truth telling is one of Melody’s super powers - if you haven’t heard her song “Black Dog”, about experiencing depression, yet drop everything and check it out on Spotify. 

Also, in our chat, I completely misquoted. I said something like “you must do the work without attachment to the fruits of your labour” and I said it was a Buddhist quote. 

When I was looking to reference it for the show notes I couldn’t find that quote anywhere …. so yeah.… I kind of made it up. 

But the idea is based around multiple spiritual teachings including the Bhagavad-Gita (which I’ve attempted to read three times 🤦‍♀️) so… I half got it right??

Anyway, this conversation was true honour and, when I listened back, I felt empowered and like I had permission to be who I am and take charge of my own mind and life. I hope it makes you you feel the same.

Tash parker

Episode 7: Reclaim Your Artistic Identity

Tash parker is Superhuman. Her power is in the details, the preparation, the relentless commitment to excellence and nurturing a project right until the very final touch has been made.

I’ve always admired this about Tash and, as her friend, I see how committed she is to the process of creating great work. I hear about parts of that process and get to experience some of her work in it’s early or “in progress” stages. 

Interestingly, when I hit play on a song, all of that falls away and just I’m face to face with an incredible, potent work of art brimming with raw creativity and soul.

I can’t HEAR the attention to detail… I just FEEL the music.

In episode seven of the Song Baker podcast, Tash and I talk about this process, how being stuck at home in 2020 expanded her creative practice, and how Tash reclaimed her artistic identity. 

She shares so openly about how she spent years prioritising somebody elses life, dreams and creativity over her own - and the difference in her life now that she’s made that reclamation. 

We talk about cleaning up your spiritual life (and how you still have interesting things to write about because SURPRISE not all great art is born from suffering) and so much more. 

Tash has been a part of the worldwide music industry and spent a fair amount of time at “the top”. She knows what it takes to get there and understands that great art is (usually) the path. She puts in the work and truly understands the value of honing your craft.

This chat is packed full of wisdom and, aside from being one of the most inspiring artists I know, Tash Parker is a truly cherished friend. To chat with her and let you all in on it felt like a gift to you, dear listener - because she is such a gift to me.

Listen and feel your mind and heart expand x

(We also talk about I Heart Songwriting Club in this episode. I talk about this club so much! If you’re a songwriter…. check it out. It will revolutionise the way you write. That’s a promise.)

Anna Cordell

Episode 8: Slow Fashion, Slow Music

As a small business owner, I’m constantly becoming more aware of how the choices I make inside my business affect the greater world around me. What am I spending my time on, what words am I putting out into the world, what products am I selling, how are they made, how long will they last? 

We vote with or dollars - what we choose to spend money on can be a reflection of our values… So what kind of business we choose to run is a reflection of our values too.  

Slow fashion champion (and label owner) Anna Cordell, brings her values of sustainability and high value to her work as a designer AND musician and we had such an interesting chat about how the two worlds - music and fashion - parallel each other in so many ways. 

We dove into social media, the drive to be seen as busy and productive, fast turnaround release cycles and fashion seasons, discarded fashion and how we’re constantly chasing our tails to get the next accolade or buck.

One of my favourite parts of this conversation as when we got into talking about how musicians can create conscious , sustainable and valuable merch. We all know that people aren’t buying music the same way they used to, and merch has become a really important income source for artists. We talk about designing merch that’s a beautiful piece of evergreen art. Something that goes beyond advertising the artists name for them. Something made with high quality materials, that will last for years. Something that your fans won’t want or need to get rid of.

Anna talks openly about her experience with anxiety and depression and how these two sides of the same coin were affected by expectations (internal and external) as a young mother. 

Now, parenting five kids, Anna works as a fashion designer and musician. Sometimes it feels as though things are running smoothly…. sometimes not. Either way, Anna’s advice is to slow down. 

Angie Hart

Episode 9: This is Your Voice, Stop Trying to Escape it

I first met Angie Hart when we were working on a tour together. Songs That Made Me - with Katie Noonan, Melody Pool, Angie and me.

The tour was a flurry of rehearsals, press, shows, drives and flights and while it was one of the best tours I’ve been a part of there were also some really hard times.

Angie and I shared our stories and helped each other through the tour and, of all the things that stand out in my memory about that time, her gentle strength and kindness really hit me in the heart.

She shared that heart so openly in our chat for the Song Baker podcast.

We talked about distinguishing yourself as an artist from “the industry” (the episode with Melody Pool talks a lot about this too) and creating without thinking about how it will be received.

We talked about the difference between being willing to collaborate and learn from others vs assuming that whoever else is in the room knows better than you - and Angie shared one two of the biggest indicators for her, to help notice when she’s doing this.

One of my favourite parts of the chat was when Angie talked about the questions she asks before saying yes to an opportunity/offer:

Does it pay well?

Is it enjoyable?

Does it further my skills?

and maybe the biggest question of them all: “Is this how I want to spend my time?”

It felt like such a good reminder that we get to empower ourselves as artists (and people!) and make choices that are aligned with our own wants and needs.

This moved into a conversation about Angie’s journey of learning how to honour herself, her health and her work and how she looks after her mental health.

Honestly, her generosity with her experience and opinions after working for 30 years in the music industry was so enriching. I love her curiosity for her work, still! After so many years doing it! And how she’s always striving to stay true to whatever wants to be created.

What a legend. Ladies and gentlemen…….. you’re bloody welcome.

Emma Dean

Episode 10: Connection and Community

I know I pretty much fan-girl every time I write these show notes and release a new episode of the podcast… I know some people might think it’s strange that I fan-girl over my friends, but I don’t think it is! Like, you become a fan of someone when you admire who they are as a person, what they stand for, the work they do and how they show up in the world……. so shouldn’t we fan-girl over all our friends??

Anyway, I am a HUGE fan of Emma Dean, and she’s also one of my dearest friends. I can’t even remember which one came first … the fandom or the friendom (not an actual word).

When I asked her to come on the podcast I knew we’d have an incredible chat, because that’s what happens every time we get together…. But Emma took it to a whole new level this time and so generously shared herself, her experiences and her thoughts on things that matter to both of us - creating, community, self care and navigating the pressures of “making it” in the music industry to find a career and existence that works for you.

Emma and I talked about the healing power of music and community and how telling your story as an artist helps other people connect to theirs. The vulnerability and openness that’s required to really connect through songwriting and storytelling can take years of practice and, even when you think you’re ok with sharing yourself so fully, it can feel so exposing and scary.

Emma faced this fear in our chat, and shared her story of reaching a personal low, realising that she was completely out of alignment and feeling so disconnected and unhappy that she considered ending her life.

What came after this was a beautiful unraveling and rebuilding of self, seeking connection and expression and creating a space where others seeking that connection and expression could find it - her community choir “Cheep Trill”

“The things we need to heal ourselves, end up being the thing that heals others”

We talked about letting go of trying to fit into a box, the creative and personal possibilities that open up when you let go of internal or external restrictions, and so much more.

Sarah Humphreys

Episode 11: Catching Ideas

“You can have amazing ideas while you’re scrubbing the dishes. We don’t have to be in this pristine environment to create music.”

Sarah and I launched straight in because, as so often happens when we get together, we just started chatting and all of a sudden we were off and running - tuning into each others ideas and experiences and making sense of it all together.

One of the millions of things I love about Sarah is she has an incredible calm and gentle energy - with a fiery and powerful core. She tells it like it is, with kindness. She doesn’t take shit, but she doesn’t dish it out either. She owns her magic and she owns her struggles. She’s a beautiful artwork of opposites - balancing herself, and anyone who she graces with her presence.

We talked about the difference between being independent and being interdependent and how we can learn almost anything if we want (or need) it enough. The idea of limitation breeding creativity came up, which is a conversation I love to have and feel like I could dedicate an entire episode to. Maybe one day!

I told Sarah that, in my experience writing with her and also hearing so much of her work, it seems like she’s a bottomless well of songs (I can’t remember if those were my exact words… but it was something along those lines). What was really cool is that Sarah didn’t play coy about this. She was like “yeah. I feel like all these ideas and songs are all there for me, and I just have to get still enough to catch them.” She owned the fact that she’s tapped into what so many people seek desperately for….. a creativity that feels alive and infinite.

Sarah talked about how co-writing helped her tap into this space and how things don’t have to be perfect in order to create. We talked about making money in the music industry, combating loneliness, issues that come up as a parent and touring artist and why she made the decision to leave her record label, publishing company AND distributor.

Aside from being one of my favourite songwriters, Sarah Humphreys is one of my dearest friends and having this chat with her reminded me just how important it is to find the people that just “get” you. They don’t have to be the same as you, live the same as you, or agree with you all the time…. but they have to get you. Sarah and I get each other, and this conversation felt like a big warm hug. I hope you feel that too.

Nidala

Episode 12: Reconciliation

“To reconcile with others, we must reconcile with ourselves”

Musician, activist and gardener Nidala joins me for the last episode of Season 1 for a chat that completely opened my heart and mind.

We dove straight in, from the first minute, talking about the concept of taking what’s not needed anymore, letting it die and using it to grow new life. This, in itself, is such a powerful concept and Nidala has an incredible way of sharing profound and important ideas in ways that make complete since.

It’s simple. We allow the natural processes of life to unfold.

I found myself getting emotional, more than once, during this chat. When we started talking about the feeling of disconnection that we can so often experience in our personal relationships I was instantly in that place of loneliness and hurt. What was so powerful for me was Nidala explaining that one of the only ways to re-connect with others and the Earth is to reconnect with ourselves.

Conversations like this are EXACTLY why I started this podcast. It’s about sharing ideas, and our own experiences and wisdom to benefit the collective.

When I think about who I’m going to ask, to chat on the podcast, I’m always thinking about what each guests super power is. Like, what’s THEIR gift? I don’t mean songwriting, singing, producing etc…. I mean, how do they see into the soul of humanity?

Nidala talked about this exact concept, in a conversation around worth. The idea that we all have an inherent worth and whether or not we understand that determines whether or not we share ourselves fully with the world.

“What are we doing, in our every day life, that reflects our inherent worth?”

Honestly, my head is still spinning after this chat. Nidala uses music as a tool for reconciliation - but she lives and breathes it in her every day life. Accessing connection to self, the earth, humanity…. it’s always there - we just have to be open to it.

I’m gathering together Season 2 so make sure you subscribe in your favourite podcast app so you get the new episodes when they come out.

Áine Tyrrell

Episode 13: Remember Who You Are

Áine Tyrrell is a Pirate Queen.

Listening back to this episode, I felt so seen. Áine has a way of telling her own story that resonates so deeply with mine (and possibly yours) that I felt completely at home talking about some really challenging things.

Áine and I talked about following the call to release music that won’t necessarily make her popular but that speaks the truth, and the cultural purpose to why she makes music.

We talked about storytelling as tradition and the music industry not honouring the original song keepers of this country and why we need to work to hear the voices and stories of the people who have been silenced.

She shared so much of her personal experience of being sabotaged within the music industry - by people in the industry, and inside her own camp through domestic violence. She shared how unsafe it felt for her to play music, and how that took her away from sharing her art for many years.

There was something she said that resonated on a whole other level for me….. Áine talked about the ways she continued the patterns of domestic abuse within her relationships in the music industry. How those toxic dynamics kept showing up in her professional relationships until she was able to heal, set boundaries, and come back to who she is. That really hit home.

We talked about attracting the people that support your vision - instead of attracting people with the same trauma as you and trying to heal your own through trying to fix theirs - and the idea that how you show up is how people show up for you.

For me (and, as it turns out, for Áine) setting boundaries in both my personal life and professional life has been huge. We talked about some of the reasons why we let boundaries go and why it’s so important to not let ANYONE tell you who you are.

This was such a nourishing episode. Áine is one of the fiercest, most caring people I know - and she’s not afraid to stand up and tell the world who she is and what she gives a shit about. And, for that, I salute her.

Brittany Maggs

Episode 14: You Are Who You Surround Yourself With

I love Love LOVE how Brittany Maggs backs herself and never EVER apologises for asking for what she wants and needs.

We first met in Sydney, when we were thrown together for a songwriting session. We spent over an hour getting to know eachother and sharing our stories of work, career and relationships and found that, even though we live really different lives, there are so many parallels in our experiences of music and life.

One of the big things that stood out to me was how strong, confident and ambitious Brittany is, and how there have been many people in her life that had a problem with that (that’s actually what we ended up writing a song about…. it’s a banger). Learning to let go of those people and only surround herself with supportive loving relationships has means that Brittany’s circle has become smaller… but so much stronger.

This really resonated with me …. the pain and guilt of walking away from people that don’t support - or simply don’t align - has been very real in my life. There’s an idea that it’s selfish to be yourself and expect the people around you to love and support that ….. WHAT? That is actually SO ludicrous…… So why do we buy into that narrative?

Brittany expects the people in her life and the people on her team to show up 100% for her (and is very vocal about that expectation). For that, she is my hero.

We talked about defining success for yourself and how it’s not about what you have, but how you feel….. and it’s DEFINITELY not about money or fame. We talked about holding people accountable, the concept of writing a “hit”, backing your own work and finding an audience for it.

Brittany has built her YouTube following to over 200k subscribers by knowing what works for her, staying authentic and true to who she is, and connecting with her audience in a real way. She’s persistent, stubborn, and has no back up plan. Do you ask lawyers, doctors, teachers and builders what their backup plan is? NO YOU DON’T.

We actually talked so much in this chat that I had to edit out a whole chunk of the conversation (because I’ve had feedback from y’all that episodes over 1 hour get a little bit tricky to listen to. Thankyou 🙏). But I left in the very very best of the chat - wise words from a woman who is crystal clear about who she is, what she wants, and who she needs to be to achieve it. Brittany will show up and give 100% to achieve her dreams …. and if you sign up to be part of her life or her business, get on board or get out of the way.

Smith & Jones

Episode 16: We don’t want to be perfect

I met Smith & Jones back in June when I was touring my single “Something More”. The venue suggested Abbie and Sophie as the support act and, without meeting them or hearing their music I said ok.

I tell them in this episode that I fell in love with them when I first met them, and I wasn’t at all exaggerating. Also, their show was killer and I have been a TOTAL fan girl ever since. This is one of the things that’s so cool about working in music…. You never know who you’re going to play with and what’s going to come of that. I was so stoked when they said yes to be on the podcast 😍

We talked ALOT about dating apps on this episode! But somehow, it also related to music???? I’m not quite sure how we managed to do that….

We talked about having standards (on dating apps) and in our work and letting go of the fear of not being liked. And what that actually means, practically. And how we tend to put other people on pedestals and “other” each other, creating a pretend hierarchy and constantly striving to “get somewhere” (that place where everyone else seems to be).

This is the first time I chatted to a duo for the podcast and it was so beautiful to see Abbie & Sophie bouncing off eachother and sharing the mic. They’re obviously so close and comfortable with eachother, and talked really openly about how they had to take some time apart in order to come back to eachother. 

They told me that the turning point for the health & happiness inside the band was having that time apart and learning how to say no inside of their relationship - instead of feeling anxious about making each other happy. They talked about the importance of trusting yourself as well as eachother and finding what your passions are outside of the music. It’s a marriage! 

They said something that really struck me…. “we don’t want to be perfect…. we want to be us”

Isn’t that something we’re all striving for? The courage to let go of perfection or expectations (internal or external, real or perceived) and just express our true selves?

Perfect or not, these women made me laugh ALOT and they are so down to earth, real and relatable. Their songs are gorgeous poetry and y’all should go and listen to them NOW.