{"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":"Inside the Genius of Joshua Smith","slug":"inside-the-genius-of-joshua-smith","published_at":"2025-11-18T06:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mindfulopus-7516546/inside-the-genius-of-joshua-smith","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mindfulopus-7516546","url":"https://9656012c-dddd-431b-80b7-a729bb8584a3.libsyn.com/inside-the-genius-of-joshua-smith","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/9656012c-dddd-431b-80b7-a729bb8584a3/5_Inside_the_Genius_of_Joshua_Smith.mp3?dest-id=5166550","summary":"S1 Ep #5: A conversation around vulnerability, long-haul artistry, and the case for communication over perfection—through the lens of a 35-year run in one of the most high-pressure chairs in the orchestral world. In this episode, I sit down with my friend and musical hero, Joshua Smith—Grammy-nominated Principal Flute of The Cleveland Orchestra. We trace his early musical journey (yes, it all started with a cool flute case), how showtunes and theatre taught him phrasing and stage presence, and why he's not interested in perfection as a goal. Josh shares how curiosity helps him meet the pressures of a 35-year career, why he resists having a rigid \"formula,\" and how meditation, yoga, and his recent sabbatical re-anchored him into his \"beginner's mind\". We also talk about his new audition books, The Audition Method and how his core artistic value – communication – has guided him all these years. Favorite quote: \"You can't really have freedom and safety at the same time\". Who this is for If you're in a high-pressure performing environment and want to know how to cultivate a healthy long-term approach to high-standards and limitless curiosity and freedom in the process, this one's for you. Timestamps (03:10) Early days in music (acting, musicals, phrasing, communication) (12:10) Life is the high-pressure chair (pressure, curiosity, authenticity, perfection, inner-critic, shame, vulnerability, freedom) (36:50) Yoga, meditation, sabbatical, hobbies + creativity, audition book (58:25) Rapid fires Mentioned Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Brené Brown on perfectionism & vulnerability Tara Brach (talks), Yoga Nidra Slow Horses (series) The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny (novel) New York Times Book Review (podcast) Guest Joshua Smith — Principal…","meta_description":"S1 Ep #5: A conversation around vulnerability, long-haul artistry, and the case for communication over perfection—through the lens of a 35-year run in one…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3775,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/mindfulopus-7516546/episodes/inside-the-genius-of-joshua-smith/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mindfulopus-7516546/inside-the-genius-of-joshua-smith.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}