We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Juliet Lyons. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Juliet below.
Juliet, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
I find myself becoming more open and more vocal about this, whereas initially I tried to hide it as much as possible. What has really become my challenge in the last four years has been a physical one, although it certainly comes with some emotional struggles. I was diagnosed in 2019 with an extremely rare airway disease called idiopathic subglottic stenosis. Basically, this means that for unknown reasons, my throat just decided to start growing scar tissue, which basically will completely seal up my airway without intervention. Intervention is endoscopic surgery to essentially cut and push back the scar tissue, in my case twice a year. In between surgeries, my airway starts getting narrower and narrower as the scar tissue grows back, and breathing becomes very difficult. I am a singer, and the foundation of singing is breath.
Aside from that, there is a certain amount of lifestyle that is affected by the disease. When breathing becomes more difficult as the scar tissue grows back, I become dramatically less active. Simple things like walking up a flight of stairs or doing laundry can leave me gasping for air. People see me at social functions where we are mainly sedentary – sitting around a table for a meal, or standing and chatting, and don’t realize what bad shape I’m in.
Sometimes it really gets me down. Somedays I mourn, somedays I pout, somedays I’m extremely frustrated. But I think what is most helpful to me is to stay rooted in gratitude. I am still singing. I am more immersed than ever before in the music business, despite this disease. It hasn’t stopped me, it has only motivated me to push harder. I am still alive! And I don’t take that for granted.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a recording artist, songwriter, and production music composer for film and television. My music has aired on over 300 television shows, and while I’m constantly working on new songs for film and tv show briefs, I’m really excited to be working on my next New Age album, Breath of Gratitude…based on my answer above, can you guess the concept of the album, ha ha? The songs are musical representations of the moods and feelings I experience through this cyclical journey: breathing well, then struggling to breathe more and more, then going in for surgery, then waking up from surgery to feel air pouring into my lungs – the immense gratitude at that moment for the simple act of breathing is pretty profound.
I love to do yoga and meditate and there is such an emphasis on breathing in these practices. When your air becomes limited, it’s very easy to feel how making changes to your breathing can affect your physical body and your mental state. For example, the box breathing technique can calm you down when you’re nervous, and taking slow breaths when you turn out the light at night can help you fall asleep.
It’s therapeutic to be working on this album, and I hope it will inspire every one who hears it to take a moment to breathe. There is more power than most people realize in that simple act. Look for it in 2024!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. As Steven Pressfield tells us: Do the work. Decide very specifically what you want, and work towards it every day.
2. Build your network. Always be a nice person, and always be professional.
3. Challenge yourself to do things that scare you, things that are out of your comfort zone. Take big, bold actions; small actions get small results.
4. Bonus tip – Celebrate the every day wins and little victories. Dare to dream big, but when you’re feeling like that big dream is nowhere in reach, recognize that those little victories are showing you that you’re headed in the right direction, that step by step you’re making your way forward.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I am often overwhelmed because I am always doing way too much!
Practically speaking, I try to do the biggest task or thing I’m least looking forward to doing on my to-do list first thing, so at least I can feel good about having that one “must do” done, even if nothing else goes as planned that day.
While I have quick, indulgent fixes for overwhelm, like taking a bath or giving myself a treat like popping some popcorn and drizzling some ghee on top (oh yes, it’s divine, you must try it!) to create some comfort and to re-set, those don’t actually confront the cause of the overwhelm. I ask myself, what am I stumbling on right now, and what can be done about it? (BTW this is something I learned from my therapist!) I remind myself that in the present moment, I am ok. I notice all the good things in my life and all around me – the sun shining, my dogs’ adorable faces, that my family is alive and well, the fact that I am somehow in Los Angeles – the heart of the entertainment world – creating music. Seeing all this helps put things in perspective and diminishes the power of the obstacles.
Or…there’s always more popcorn. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.julietlyons.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julietlyons.music/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julietlyons.music
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/youronlinesingingcoach
Image Credits
Rupesh Menon, Kate Boyd, Robin Sandoval
