Meet Zach Wetzel

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zach Wetzel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Zach, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Failure is only failure if you give up. I have closed theatre companies and moved to new careers. But every step of the way I pivot and find new ways to use my skills for the good of mankind. I spent 6 great years as a music teacher. Recently I changed course to use my Juris Doctorate as an English language arts teacher. Through it all I remember that I am a teacher at the end of the day, and I love it.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a professional educator. With 6 years of experience teaching music, I have begun a new journey teaching English language arts. My undergrad is in vocal performance (Brigham Young University), and I also hold a Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota. I am a BroadwayWorld critic and professional performer. On Saturdays I teach private voice, violin, and viola lessons at Instrumental Music. It’s been my absolute pleasure to work for many professional theatre companies such as The Phoenix Theatre Company. I love creating art and finding ways to inspire the next generation of creatives.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Be willing to make changes. If we are set in our ways we cannot grow. There is no growth in the comfort zone.
2. Be teachable. We can never stop learning. If we think we know it all then life truly has nothing more to offer us.
3. Laugh! Children laugh substantially more than adults, approximately 300-400 times a day. Laugh more!

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

I would hold my loved ones close. I would travel back to England and soak up as much theatre as possible. If I only had 10 years left in my life I would be certain to spend that time doing what makes me most happy and nothing else. I would share that joy with others. It’s important to live this way regardless of how much time we have left. This is how I try to live. I work to be the best teacher I can and to serve everyone I come into contact with. As much as I love teaching, writing, and performing, I enjoy the company of my wife Sarah and my two kids the most. Sarah is a talented artist in her own right. I enjoy supporting her and encouraging her. This summer I’m doing a show at The Gaslight Music Hall and her paintings are front and center as part of the production. I love my family and have chosen to spend more time with them instead of performing so much. It’s worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zachwetzel.com
• Instagram: @mister.wetzel

Image Credits

Gretchen DW, MTAA