Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joanna Barbera. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Joanna, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I was raised in New York City in a Roman Catholic, Italian family where I learned to play music at a very young age, saddled beside my grandmother on the piano bench while she reeled out old standards.
Over the years, I took up the guitar. I took the road, traveling from the East Coast to the Southwest and on further to the West Coast, stopping in Arizona which is where my spiritual journey really began.
I stumbled upon a studio that trained the Korean healing arts. This is where I began to learn the language of energy, the power of the unseen and what is possible beyond the 5 senses.
Eventually, these two worlds would come together in the form of Music City Mindfulness, a vision to support
my fellow seekers and light workers with tools that awaken us to deep self-love, sacred devotion, re-remembrance, and our soul mission on this planet.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I was raised in the Hudson Valley area of New York with a Roman Catholic upbringing.
Always seeking deeper meaning and purpose, I chose to leave New York at 19 and headed out West where my journey back to my True Self began.
With stints in San Francisco, Maui, London, Arizona, Austin, and now, Nashville, my earliest training in Eastern spirituality was in Sedona, AZ where I would study under energy and Tai Chi Masters of the Korean lineage. Years later in 2007, I would find my way to Kundalini Yoga teacher training and a variety of mindset mentors and guides.
When my Father transitioned out of this earth plane, I decided to break from my current path and follow my passion for music. I wrote, recorded, and self-released several albums, landing myself some notable placements in TV and film as well as touring most months of the year. Eventually, the ways of the music industry and culture would become too much for me to endure, so I returned to my spiritual roots and birthed Music City Mindfulness.
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. Learning the language of Music 2. Cultivating the wisdom to follow my heart’s path
3. Getting over my fear of what others think
If what you’re currently doing doesn’t fully light you up, start leaning toward what your heart truly desires.
Every experience throughout your life journey has value and can serve your emerging passion. Honor all that brought you here. Opening yourself to seeing how even past skills, jobs or roles might support this next creation.
Trust every step matters. Have faith that your soul’s purpose is unfolding, if you take aligned action from the heart.
Stay open to signs guiding you to your true calling. Listen within. Keep following the sparks of joy, creativity, and service. Allow your passion to flourish into its fullest expression.
Keep playing in that flow state. Stay true to your soul’s wisdom. Manifest the dream only you can bring through. Destiny arrives in the steps you take today.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I’m eager to collaborate with other mindful, somatic movement and sound healers nationwide who share my passion for in-person, live music, movement, and sound healing experiences.
My ideal collaborators are heart-centered creatives combining mindfulness, embodiment, and sound vibration. I thrive in co-creating immersive experiences through the power of presence, attunement, and community.
I love co-creating with like-minded facilitators through any combination of mindful movement, sound baths, live music journeys, cacao ceremonies, ecstatic dance, or other embodied practices.
Together we can craft profound communal activations that help others dive deeper into mindfulness, and self-healing, and elevate consciousness.
Contact Info:
- Website: joannabarbera.com
- Instagram: @musiccitymindfulness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musiccitymindfulness/
- Youtube: @musiccitymindfulness
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/joannabarbera
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6a9FwslWmrZ3F16bzakMhGhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/6a9FwslWmrZ3F16bzakMhG
Image Credits
Photos by Liz Cooper And Rhea Marie
