The Limitless Musician

In this episode, Nathalie and special guest Anni Kallioniemi discuss how to tap into the human element to elevate your musical and online presence. From the pressures of social media, perfectionism, and the pivot from what a music career "should" look like to what it is truly can be, Anni shares her experience from orchestral cellist, to mother, to social media consultant.
 
If you've ever felt stuck in your career, anxious about embracing your flaws on social media, or feeling like your career needs to change, Anni shares insight into how imperfections can actually make stronger connections than perfection can within the Classical Music social media space.
 
Main Points:
How classical musicians internalize the fear of being "average"
The pressure to chase the idea of "traditional" success and why it doesn't work for everyone
How Anni's career shifted through motherhood and the pandemic
Releasing shame of changing your goals or wanting something different
Why reposting content can actually help the algorithm spread your reach
The myth behind "perfect" professionalism
How vulnerability and imperfection make you relatable in online spaces
Allowing yourself to build a career that reflects who you are now - not who you were trained to be
 
About Anni Kallioniemi:
Follow Anni on Instagram @annigrid
Anni recommends reading "The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes" by Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson
 
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New Year's resolutions are often framed as the key to personal and professional growth — yet research shows they rarely lead to lasting change. In this episode, we explore why resolutions create so much pressure to be perfect, how to shift your mindset on achieving goals with dialectical thinking, and 5 tips for approaching habit building with a healthier perspective. You'll learn to focus less on perfectly achieving resolutions and more on embracing the inevitable setbacks that shape your journey to long term goals.
Main Points: CHANGE AFTER RECORDING EPISODE
Audience question answered: How to take time for vacations, medical leave, or yourself as a freelance musician
The problem with New Year's resolutions and perfection-based goal setting
Why growth doesn't only happen at the beginning of the year
Dialectical thinking and how it applies to classical musicians
How setbacks shape your success as much as small wins
Five tips to embrace progress, setbacks, and small strokes to create the big picture
Creating habits that allow room for progress over perfection, rest, and real life
Mentioned in This Episode:
The LM Podcast | S1E7. Burn Your Burnout: Building Sustainable Patterns in Your Life 
The LM Podcast | S2E1. Learn to Reflect, Reset, and Realign with Reasonable Goal Setting
The Musician's 75 Hard Practice Challenge by Gill Derer
Have a question you want answered?
DM Nathalie on Instagram @thelimitlessmusician
Reply to the The Limitless Musician Newsletter
Want FREE real-world career insight?
Get The Musician's Real-World Survival Guide

New Year's resolutions are often framed as the key to personal and professional growth — yet research shows they rarely lead to lasting change. In this episode, we explore why resolutions create so much pressure to be perfect, how to shift your mindset on achieving goals with dialectical thinking, and 5 tips for approaching habit building with a healthier perspective. You'll learn to focus less on perfectly achieving resolutions and more on embracing the inevitable setbacks that shape your journey to long term goals.
Main Points: CHANGE AFTER RECORDING EPISODE
Audience question answered: How to take time for vacations, medical leave, or yourself as a freelance musician
The problem with New Year's resolutions and perfection-based goal setting
Why growth doesn't only happen at the beginning of the year
Dialectical thinking and how it applies to classical musicians
How setbacks shape your success as much as small wins
Five tips to embrace progress, setbacks, and small strokes to create the big picture
Creating habits that allow room for progress over perfection, rest, and real life
Mentioned in This Episode:
The LM Podcast | S1E7. Burn Your Burnout: Building Sustainable Patterns in Your Life 
The LM Podcast | S2E1. Learn to Reflect, Reset, and Realign with Reasonable Goal Setting
The Musician's 75 Hard Practice Challenge by Gill Derer
Have a question you want answered?
DM Nathalie on Instagram @thelimitlessmusician
Reply to the The Limitless Musician Newsletter
Want FREE real-world career insight?
Get The Musician's Real-World Survival Guide

Join co-hosts Katherine and Nathalie to start off 2026 for KE Creative! Get a behind-the-scenes look into some of our recent personal and professional milestones, as well as how we really feel about the ups and downs of being music entrepreneurs. 
 
Listen to our discussions on the question marks over our own careers, the things we DREAD doing and also look forward to, and how we plan on moving forward this year… even if life finds a way to redirect us along the way!
 
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Wrap up the end of Season 2 and the year 2025 with co hosts Dr. Katherine Emeneth and Nathalie Simper! In the final episode of this season, Katherine and Nathalie talk about good news in the Classical Music Industry. They share ways that Classical Music has taken steps toward better wages for orchestral musicians, creating hand-on training for upcoming professional musicians, modernizing music degree curricula, and advocating for new music and representation.
 
Links:
 
University of South Florida & The Florida Orchestra
The Memphis Composers Institute
The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra
 
Follow us for Season 3 in 2026!
Katherine on IG: @katherinemeneth
Nathalie on IG: @thelimitlessmusician
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