203. Don't Let Age Stop You From Pursuing Your Music Career Dreams with Cayla Brooke

My guest for this podcast has truly inspired me and I learned so much more about her in today's interview. Some of you will definitely relate with her, especially since she has been in hiatus for many years. 

Cayla is one of our Community Managers for the Female Indie Musician Community which is our large free group on Facebook. We talk about why she joined in that group and what she thinks it offers to artists in particular. You can check our group at woscommunity.com. Then we also talk about the Academy and how it's different from the free group, why she joined the Academy and the higher level of benefit she gets from it. If you would like to find out more, you can join my free class at musiciansprofitpath.com

About Cayla

At 3 years old she wanted to be a singer but her mom told her that she couldn't carry a tune. She was still determined to become a singer. She started to sing professionally at 14. At 19, she has toured and performed in several continents as well as for prime ministers and presidents and even in Lincoln Center in New York. She was brought up in the church and in a Christian community. She joined a contest for her church that had 1000 people in it. From there, she joined her church group that toured in Israel and different countries as well as in front of dignitaries.

She also sang gospel music which during that time had various styles and that's what helped developed her music. With her mom's, dad's and musical theater influence, she was a real mixing pot when it comes to music. 

Cayla experienced a lot of struggles including abuse from her family, controlling marriage, abandoned relationships from family, churchmates and friends. Due to the abuse she endured during her childhood, she lost who she was.

Sometime in her 50s, her daughter asked her why she has not pursued her dreams. She explained because she was already old. Then her daughter asked her if she wanted her to give up on her own dreams. That was a wake-up call for her. She realized she was the one who decided to stop pursuing her own dreams and she chose to let life stop her. After that, she joined a gospel choir to get her voice back then it's gone from there. She slowly rediscovered herself and her confidence.

Things she learned through her life experiences:

• Do not be complacent and continue learning and continue bringing ourselves forward.
• We should not stop living our dreams when we reach a certain age because we think we no longer have value and we have nothing more to say. We should show our children that we can reach and live our dreams no matter what age we are.
• Listen to your intuition and follow your own dreams and passions.
• We encounter fears whenever we try something new but your why should be stronger than your fear.
• Find out who you are as a person and as a performer. Do not follow what others say or what others want. You got to do you.

How the Academy Helped Cayla

One way the Academy has helped Cayla was the "brain dump" where you need to write down your plans and target what you want to achieve in 90 days. She also learned about and worked on getting a residual income so she can do the things she wants to do. Ask yourself, "What is it that I really want"?

She is working on a free course that works as a good lead magnet. You can find the Chair Workshop at caylabrooke.com.

How FIMC has helped Cayla

Female Indie Musician Community is a group where female musicians can join and feel safe. It's not a place where you can promote but you do have a place to put your Youtube link or so. You can celebrate your wins and ask questions. Other artists with decades of experience can give you advice. It's also a great place to make friendships with other musicians who understand you.

How the FMA and FIMC differs

Cayla shares that the free group is like being in a big church while the Academy is like being with your girls who support you and care for you. The Academy also conducts expert workshops to expose members to different things and choose which one you want to use.

Learn more about Cayla on her Instagram at @officialcaylabrooke, and on Spotify and Facebook as Cayla Brooke.

You can join our free workshop "How to Get Your 1000 True Fans" at musiciansprofitpath.com to have an idea of how I run my Academy.

Links mentioned in this episode: caylabrooke.com, woscommunity.com, musiciansprofitpath.com