Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Rebecca Hass of Berkeley

We recently had the chance to connect with Rebecca Hass and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
A little of both! As a creative person, it’s essential to have the space to wander, since being curious is what leads to discovery and exploration. My creative path has a general direction, and some “signposts” where decision points happen, but I like to leave plenty of space for the unexpected, too.

Earlier in my life, I tried walking several paths that I’d seen others take, and none of them worked, because they weren’t mine.

So, ironically, trying to follow a path led to more detours (not to say that detours are bad!)

I think that a successful creative career mixes following a path and wandering, and just how to do this is each person’s decision – we all work differently! Generally, I’d say that wandering in a general direction (anchored by the “north star” of my goals and values) is the way to go.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m on a mission to help musicians and artists bring joy and magic back to their creative practice.
Through my work as a pianist and composer, I have brought my passion for Brazilian music to many different venues, and have collaborated with classical and jazz performers, musical theater companies, choirs, and movement artists. I recorded my first album, Florescer, of originals and arrangements in Brazilian styles, in 2018, and my second album, Bright Little Worlds, a collection of original piano compositions in various styles, in 2024.
I also co-founded the Bay Area-based Women Composers Collective in 2024 with Lillian Yee, a dynamic community dedicated to amplifying the voices of women composers, which is presenting some exciting upcoming concerts.
In my roles as a creative coach and educator, I’ve helped many musicians and artists (including myself!) reconnect to their creative energy through staying curious, practicing self-compassion, and learning their energetic cycles, so they can bring their creative dreams into real life.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I couldn’t have articulated it in so many words at that time, but as a child, teenager, and even young adult, I generally lacked a belief in myself and my ability to succeed. I later learned about the concepts of “growth mindset” and “fixed mindset” from Carol Dweck’s book Mindset, and realized that when I was younger, I was in a “fixed mindset” frame of mind, where I didn’t believe in my ability to grow beyond who I was at that point. I now firmly believe in our ability to grow, because I’ve seen it! I Each time I’ve taken a creative risk, I’ve learned from it, and also know that growth doesn’t have to be quick to be meaningful.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell her that she doesn’t have to be so afraid of failure. My younger self was often praised for my intelligence and achievements, very perfectionistic, and internalized the idea that my value came from these things. (Now I refer to myself as a “recovering perfectionist” because those tendencies can still be there, but I don’t have to listen to them!)
I know that this discouraged me from trying new things and pursuing many opportunities that I didn’t yet know how to do. I would encourage my younger self to embrace the process of learning by doing new things more often, because the only way to gain experience is to actually let yourself have experiences. We learn so much from our mistakes and failures, and it’s all good information that helps us discern how to move forward and what to try next. 

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
1) The idea of “overnight success” is an illusion – most people labelled as an overnight success put in years, if not decades, of work before they achieved that level of success, it’s just that few people saw their journey until they got more famous. 
2) The music industry is full of messages that we have to constantly hustle in order to succeed, and I am living proof that it’s not sustainable to work too hard without resting.
This illusion is made worse by the fact that on social media, most people present their successes, so we don’t see the struggles. We might then focus on how great we perceive our peers to be, and contrast it with how we view ourselves negatively, which feeds into the scarcity mentality that leads to overwork. 
When I was younger, I viewed any time not working as unproductive, and spent years not knowing that my beliefs about productivity could even be reframed. When this led to burnout and anxiety, I was forced to change my standard of what a productive day looked like, because it became clear that constantly pushing beyond my energy capacity was not going to work. As I started to trust that breaks and days off were not going to ruin my career, I saw how essential down time was, how replenished I was afterward, and how this helped my creative energy re-awaken.
Some music career paths are more exhausting than others, but no matter which path you’re on, there are ways to prioritize self care and find some kind of balance that will evolve over time, but enable you to enjoy your life and your career.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
1) When I’m at the piano composing music and in a state of creative flow – this gives me so much good energy and makes me feel like anything is possible.
2) When I’m at a concert enjoying listening to some great music
3) When I am walking in nature and taking in all of the sensory experiences around me. I take a walk around my neighborhood most days, but I also love that in the Bay Area I have access to so many great parks and trails within a short distance of my home.
All of these answers have something in common – allowing myself to truly be present with what’s around me. 

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Sarah Eichstedt Photography, Leslie Plesser, Dave Luke, Rebecca Hass, Rebecca Hass, Rebecca Hass

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
What would your closest friends say really matters to you?

If you asked your best friends what really drives you—what they think matters most in

Highlighter Series
When do you feel most at peace?

In a culture that often celebrates hustle and noise, peace can feel rare. Yet, peace

Highlighter Series
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?

Almost everything is multisided – including the occurrences that give us pain. So, we asked