Digitally She Does It Podcast

EPISODE 113: What country music can teach us about chasing our dreams!

• Karen Davies • Season 1 • Episode 113

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In this episode of Digitally She Does It, I’m sharing some unexpected (and seriously inspiring) lessons I picked up from a weekend at the Country to Country Music Festival and trust me, they apply to chasing your biggest dreams too.

From the stories behind the songs to the artists’ journeys, one thing became crystal clear: staying the course and following your passion is everything. I’m diving into why knowing your “why” matters, how to break those big, exciting dreams into bite-sized goals, and why tuning out the noise is key to staying focused on your unique path.

I’m also sharing some actionable strategies to help you take bold steps toward your dreams because if they can do it, so can you!

So, grab a cuppa, get comfy, and let’s talk about the power of perseverance, passion, and going after what truly lights you up. And don’t forget to check out the Digital Creators Hub for free resources to help you kickstart your online business dream.


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Karen Davies [00:00:01]:
Hello, and welcome to the digitally she does it show. This is episode one one three. And in today's episode, I'm talking about country music and how we can actually teach us about chasing our dreams. So let's jump right in and let's get started. 

Welcome to the Digitally. She does it show. I am your host Karen and I'm here to lift the lid on what it actually takes to create a successful business. If you are an ambitious creative ready to build a business on your own terms and without compromise, then this podcast is perfect for you.

Karen Davies [00:00:42]:
With my award winning approach to marketing, and expert knowledge in creating online courses, this show will leave you feeling inspired, energized, and ready to bring those big dreams to life. Join me each week for a dose of motivation and marketing know how along with actionable step by step strategies to help you accelerate your businesses grow. 

So, let's dive in and don't forget to subscribe to all my upcoming episodes which drop every Wednesday. Hello, and welcome. Thank you for joining me today. I'm your host, Karen, and I really do appreciate you hitting that play button to listen to today's episode. 

So today's episode, I'm going to be talking about country music and what it can teach us about chasing our dreams because I've just had the most wonderful weekend, and it just really got me thinking about how we are all on this journey trying to build something, trying to curate something that's going to support us in our lives. But before I do, I just want to talk about the Digital Creators Hub.

Karen Davies [00:01:56]:
Now the hub has moved homes. I've recently moved the hub over to a new platform. And so if you are in the hub, you will receive an email very shortly giving you the new login details. However, if you are not in the hub, then I encourage you to head on over to my website, www.karen-davies.com/hub, and go and get yourself in the hub because I've got lots of resources. I've given her a rejig, and I've tightened it up. So there's lots of things there that if you are new to the online space, it's gonna help you to get started. Now the hub is completely free. It's a resource bank.

Karen Davies [00:02:38]:
I've got lots there. I've got resources, templates, tips, all the things that are really going to help you to get started. So head on over to www.karen-Davies.com/hub, and go and get yourself in there today. Okay. So back to today's episode. And this episode is really off the back of my weekend, and I felt really inspired and compelled to create this episode because at the weekend, the weekend after it's gone, I was at a country music festival at the 02 in London. It's a huge event. It's called Country to Country, and all the big artists that are over in Nashville come over, and they perform over three days.

Karen Davies [00:03:32]:
And what's really cool about it is that there's a lot of mixed music. So it's very much about country, but the vibe and the flavor of each artist who performs at the festival is very different. So if you enjoy music and you love country and you like, you know, finding out about new artists, then this event is the event to go to. When I say it's absolutely phenomenal, I am not lying. It was an incredible weekend. I went for two days. I went on the Saturday and the Sunday, and I was lucky enough that one of my close friends, has links with the organizers of the festival. So we were able to go down and get these amazing seats.

Karen Davies [00:04:21]:
And, honestly, I'm so grateful to her because I didn't even know this festival existed. And then I went down, attended, and it blew my mind. The music is incredible. And what they do is they have sort of different areas within the o two where they do spotlight music. So you'll have artists that are maybe up and coming will be performing in the spotlight areas. And then in the main stage, you will have the sort of the more established artists. And then what they do is they it it kind of all leads up to the big artist on the Friday, the Saturday, and the Sunday night. And the big artists usually or the more more established artists come on about nine, nine thirty, and they play a good ninety minute set.

Karen Davies [00:05:12]:
And, honestly, they are incredible. I saw Dirk Bentley on Saturday night, and then I saw Cody Johnson on Sunday night. And as I said, it just really blew my mind. And what I really enjoyed about the performances is how they engage with the audience. And on the Sunday night, I was fortunate enough that I was able to take my daughter who is, she's nearly 13. And we love music in our house. I've always got the music on. Whenever I am working and I'm especially when I'm doing creative work, I will always have music on.

Karen Davies [00:05:50]:
I'll always be singing along to the music, and it just really fills me with so much joy. And I've always done it, and my children do it as well. So they listen to their favorite artists. And I think music is really important because it's so unifying and it's so uplifting as well. And I think when you put on a really good song or your favorite song, it just takes you to back to a memory or it just makes you feel so good. And what I love is seeing my own children appreciating music and listening in their rooms to their favorite artists. And so when the opportunity on Sunday came up to take my eldest to the festival, it was absolutely brilliant because that's her first concert. And what a concert to go to.

Karen Davies [00:06:45]:
It was like I say, it was incredible. And and we were able to watch these amazing performers live in front of us. And it kinda made me feel really emotional actually. I was saying to my friend that I remember the very first concert I went to when I was younger, and that memory stays with me even today. And this memory that she had on Sunday, it's gonna be one of those memories that she will not forget. And she absolutely had the best time. We were up dancing. We were singing.

Karen Davies [00:07:17]:
We were just having such good fun. And there was a moment in the concert when everybody put their phone their phone lights on, and I've got a a photo of the whole of the arena lit up with all the lights. And I said to my daughter, I said, how amazing is it that in this moment now, we are all connected because of the that performer on that stage. We have all come here to enjoy this music because we all have a love for the country genre. And we're all in this arena appreciating and enjoying this music, and we are all connected. And it was an incredible moment, and I think for my daughter to be able to see that as well and to be a part of it was just amazing. And the other thing that I really enjoyed I mean, there's there's so many things, but I love listening to people's story about how they have achieved their own success and how they have actually got to where they've got to. And that inspiration that sits behind their own journey and them sharing it with us.

Karen Davies [00:08:41]:
Because it doesn't matter what path you're on, whether you are starting a business and looking to grow that business, whether you're an unemployed person looking to further your career, or whether you're just somebody that has a dream and a goal. What it what it all boils down to is that we are all on our own path. We're all on our own journey, and we're all just trying to make what we want happen in our lives. And I think that it doesn't matter where you are and what you do. We are all on a similar path in that respect. So listening to the stories of these artists and how they have built these phenomenal careers that are based around the love of the music that they sing is so inspiring. It's so motivating. There was one artist that was absolutely brilliant.

Karen Davies [00:09:46]:
He came on stage, and he honestly blew he blew the the roof off the stadium, Chase Beckham. He shared his story with the audience about back in 2020, he lost everything in the LA Fires, and he didn't have anything. He said that he worked at a hospital. I don't think he was a doctor or anything. I think he just worked within the hospital helping out. And he said that because of the fires and the devastation that was happening in his community, he wrote a song. And the response to that song was phenomenal. He said that he got so much response back and love for the lyrics that he wrote that he realized he was on the wrong path and that the path that he actually wanted to be on was where he could write songs to connect people.

Karen Davies [00:10:46]:
That was his passion. That was his dream, and he wanted to make that happen. So he was telling us how he basically packed up his car. He said he didn't have anything, but what he did have was $14 in his checking account. And he made the decision that he was gonna move to Nashville, and he was going to try and get a a record deal so that he could share his music with the world. And he was in Nashville, and for him, it happened, which which is amazing. But he said that it was a really big risk because he was having to leave everything he knew behind. He it was devastating because of everything he'd lost.

Karen Davies [00:11:32]:
And but what he did have, he had a dream, and he wanted to follow that dream. And I suppose in moments of devastation, it puts everything in perspective. And for him, it was about, I've got one life. I need to do this. I'm here to do this, and I'm gonna make it happen. And listening to his story, it's so incredibly inspiring because you realize that, actually, we all, one way or another, have dreams. It doesn't matter whether it's about building a business or doing something else or traveling around the world or whatever it is. We are here to live our dreams.

Karen Davies [00:12:17]:
We are here to make the most of the one life that we've been given. And I think too many people walk through life in a passive state, not taking control of their destiny or what it is they're supposed to be creating for themselves. We get caught up in the mundanities of life. The fact that we've gotta, you know, be responsible and pay the bills and do all the things that's expected of us, those society constraints that we've all been experiencing one way or another. And I think the thing is we are here to live out our dreams. We we are here to make a difference in one way or another, and life is short. We've got to follow what it is that we want. And that takes courage.

Karen Davies [00:13:13]:
It takes bravery. It it takes sometimes, it's about saying goodbye to the old and embracing the new. And that's scary. And I think sometimes we stay comfortable because that's the easy solution. So when I was listening to these artists and their stories, the one big thing that I suppose I took away was the fact that it doesn't matter who you are and what you're doing and what your dream is, what your goals are. Everyone has to start somewhere. Some of the performers that played at the o two shared how they began by playing in tiny bars, or they started by recording songs in their bedrooms with no clue if anybody would listen. And I think it's the same for when you're starting a business or learn launching your first online course.

Karen Davies [00:14:14]:
You begin with an idea and a dream, but also with a whole load of uncertainty. Because here's the truth, nobody has it figured out when they get started. I remember when I created my very first online course, I didn't have a fancy setup. I wasn't I didn't consider myself to be an expert in anything, but I had a vision, and that was to help other entrepreneurs turn their knowledge into something more impactful and profitable. And that vision is what had pulled me through the tough those tough days, especially in lockdown. So if you're sitting on a dream, then you need to start where you are, and you need to take that messy first step that your future self is ultimately going to thank you for. Now here's the thing. Dreaming is easy.

Karen Davies [00:15:13]:
We can sit there and we can stare into space and we can dream about all the things that we wanna create create for ourselves. The thing that's tough and challenging is staying focused when things get tough and hard, and I think that's where most people will then go and quit. But if there's one thing a country artist knows, it's how to stay the course. Years of writing, performing, and hearing no did not stop them because they were so focused on something bigger. So if you stay focused on your dreams and you stay the course, then these are three strategies that I wanna share with you that's going to make things a whole lot easier. The first one is about staying focused on your why and keeping that front and center of everything you do. Now this is about what is driving you. Is it freedom? Is it money? Is it impact? What is it that is ultimately sitting at the very core of who you are that is driving you? Because when things get tough, your why is going to become your anchor.

Karen Davies [00:16:35]:
So what I want you to do is I want you to write it down, and I want you to put it somewhere and revisit it every time you feel that things are feeling tough. The second strategy that I want to share with you is about breaking down your dream into micro goals because big dreams can feel very overwhelming. Break them down into bite sized pieces. If you want to launch an online course, your first step isn't going to be creating that that big course. It's going to be outlining one module, one lesson at a time. You need to break it down so that you remove that overwhelm, and you take that step to getting started. And then my third strategy that I wanna share with you is about drowning out the noise because in the online world especially, there is so much noise. And just like the artists who went on to ignore their critics, you need to tune out distractions.

Karen Davies [00:17:44]:
Stop comparing yourself to others. Everybody is on a journey, whether they recognize it or not. We are all on our own path, and the path that you're on is specific to you. No one else. No one else is coming at what you do with your experience, your knowledge, your expertise, your perspective. It is unique to you. So you shouldn't be comparing yourself to anybody because it's going to be like comparing apples to oranges. You cannot compare where you are to where somebody else is because you're on entirely different journeys.

Karen Davies [00:18:26]:
Your focus should be on the next step that you need to take, not on what everybody else is doing. So stop comparing yourself to others and start recognizing how brilliant that you are and how much progress that you have made on your own journey. Because and here's the thing. There are going to be days when you want to quit. Hands down. I don't think I've spoken to one entrepreneur that has had an easy ride. We all come across challenges and obstacles that sometimes just make us feel like we wanna throw the towel in. You know, those days when it feels too hard, too slow, and too uncertain.

Karen Davies [00:19:20]:
But here's the truth. Success isn't about avoiding the hard times. It's about pushing through them. When you hit those moments, you need to consider the wins that you've had. Look how far you've come because every step forward is proof that you are capable of doing the hard thing. You need to lean on the people around you, the community that you're a part of, and the friends that you have. Don't do this alone. Whether it's joining a group or finding other entrepreneurs around you that get what you do, you need to be a part of something.

Karen Davies [00:19:59]:
We are not meant to do this in isolation. We are meant to be a part of something bigger. And then the third thing, again, that I want you to take on board is when things get tough and you find that you're struggling, I want you to adjust. Don't abandon. If something isn't working, then tweak your strategy, but do not walk away from your dream. The path can change, but your vision stays the same. And remember, just because it feels hard, it doesn't mean it isn't working. Look for those small signs that tell you that things are happening.

Karen Davies [00:20:44]:
They are there. You just need to tune into them. Now before I finish this episode, I just want to share with you that the artists within the Country to Country Festival didn't get there by accident. They got there by staying focused, putting in the work even when no one was watching, and refusing to quit when things got tough. And you can do exactly the same. Their dream was to be on that stage. Your dream's going to be something else most likely. So here's my challenge for you.

Karen Davies [00:21:25]:
What's one thing that you can do this week that's going to move you closer to your dream? Maybe it is something like outlining your online course or maybe it's sending an email that you've been putting off. Whatever it is, you need to start taking action because momentum is created when action is taken. And if you are looking to get started with creating your online course, then I want you to come and check out my own community, sell your brilliance online, where I help entrepreneurs turn their knowledge and their expertise into creating a profitable online course that's gonna give them that time back and give them that financial freedom. So go to my website and check out www.karen-davies.com/membership. 

Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope that you found this episode of value. And, of course, please do feel free to share it with others who you may think will also benefit from listening to today's episode. If what I've shared with you today has resonated or inspired you, then please reach out to me on Instagram, karen underscore digital coach, and let me know what your dream is and what steps you're taking to bring it to life.

Karen Davies [00:22:49]:
And if you need help to get started with creating your online business, then I want you to go and get into the digital creators hub over at www.karen-davies.com/hub. I will be back next week with another episode, but until then, have a great week. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the digitally she does it show. 

Don't forget to check out the show notes for all the links and resources mentioned in today's episode. New episodes drop every week on a Wednesday. So, why not rate and subscribe so you never miss an episode? Thank you for tuning in today, and I will see you next time.