{"podcast":{"title":"MindfulOpus","slug":"mindfulopus-7516546","podcast_index_feed_id":7516546,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/594395/rss","website_url":"https://sites.libsyn.com/594395","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/b/1/4/1/b141132f65174188d959afa2a1bf1c87/MindfulOpus_podcast_cover_art_1500x1500-20250930-rsbrndzle0.png","author":"Jo Zakany","episode_count":21,"summary":"The MindfulOpus podcast is where we switch from Grind to Kind in our artistic process – so that artists like you can avoid burnout, ditch performance anxiety, and create a thriving, healthy life - on and off stage. The podcast is hosted by Jo Zakany, violist with The Cleveland Orchestra, yoga teacher, and coach for classical musicians.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-17T04:18:15.914559+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mindfulopus-7516546"},"episode":{"title":"Finding Your Inner Compass When Life Gets Hard","slug":"finding-your-inner-compass-when-life-gets-hard","published_at":"2026-05-19T06:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mindfulopus-7516546/finding-your-inner-compass-when-life-gets-hard","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mindfulopus-7516546","url":"https://mindfulopus.com/","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/9656012c-dddd-431b-80b7-a729bb8584a3/MIO_S2_EP7_EDITED_V1.mp3?dest-id=5166550","summary":"S2 Ep #7: There are moments in life when the map disappears. You thought you knew where you were headed, and then something shifts — a loss, a disappointment, an unexpected turn — and suddenly you're navigating without a clear north star. I've been there, and so have many of the clients I work with. This episode is my honest attempt to share what has actually helped me and them find some steadiness in those moments, not a perfect formula, but a set of concepts that can quietly build something I think of as an inner compass. In this solo episode, I'm drawing from Buddhist and yogic philosophy, mindfulness, self-compassion work, psychology, and years of being a deeply curious person trying to understand my own pain a little better. This isn't about bypassing the hard stuff or pushing through it with grit. It's about learning to be with it while staying connected to yourself, which I believe is where real healing begins. What I'm exploring today touches on some of the most profound shifts I've witnessed — both in myself and in the musicians and artists I coach. From the way we relate to pain, to the stories we layer on top of it, to the quiet steadiness we can cultivate even in the middle of a storm, these are concepts that don't just help you survive hard times. Over time, they can genuinely change how you relate to yourself. You'll Discover: - Why remembering impermanence can create unexpected relief when you're inside something really painful - The difference between the original pain and the extra suffering we create around it through storytelling - How letting go of control can feel scary at first but ultimately gives you more agency, not less - What equanimity actually means and why it matters especially for deeply feeling artists - How a loving-kindness practice ca…","meta_description":"S2 Ep #7: There are moments in life when the map disappears. You thought you knew where you were headed, and then something shifts — a loss, a disappointm…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1261,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/mindfulopus-7516546/episodes/finding-your-inner-compass-when-life-gets-hard/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mindfulopus-7516546/finding-your-inner-compass-when-life-gets-hard.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}