Epi 106 – Interview with Julie Freedman Smith
Copyright 2019 © All Right Reserved Living on the B-Side | Website Designed by Tracey White
Here is a truth you haven’t realised yet: Your morning playlist isn’t just entertainment. It’s emotional preparation you’re probably wasting.
I discovered this the hard way, one that messed with me and my energy levels big time – and for years!
I would shuffle through random songs while rushing to start my day, letting my music platform’s algorithm decide my emotional state. Or pick playlists that did not match where I was at that point in time.
What was the outcome, you wonder?
Some mornings I would end up stressed from an aggressive track. Other days, a melancholy song would leave me feeling heavy before I’d even had coffee. And some days I did not listen to one song because I did not think of it …
Then I realised: I was using music passively, like wallpaper, instead of intentionally.
We treat it as background noise while we rush through life, instead of recognising it as one of the most powerful tools we have for emotional regulation.
The science backs this up: Music releases dopamine (our “feel good” neurotransmitter) and can lower cortisol levels (stress hormone) within minutes (research here if you’re curious). Yet most of us accidentally trigger stress or melancholy simply because we’re not choosing our soundtrack consciously.
When you’re already running on empty and crave support, the last thing you need is your own playlist working against you.
A Simple Shift That Changes Everything
Instead of fighting with your energy levels or forcing yourself to “power through,” what if you could support your nervous system with something you are already doing?
Create Personalised Music Rituals – with playlists!
I started with three intentional soundtracks:
These aren’t just playlists—they’re emotional anchors that signal your brain: “It’s time to energise,” “Time to focus,” or “Time to release the day.”
Why This Works Especially Well for Quiet Entrepreneurs
When you’re introverted and running a business, you are often emotionally exhausted from navigating a world that celebrates loud. These music rituals create predictable moments of emotional safety in unpredictable days.
The magic happens in the consistency. When you use the same morning playlist for a week, your brain starts associating those songs with feeling ready and energised. It becomes an emotional ritual that grounds you before the day even begins.
You don’t need another productivity hack. You need gentleness.
Where to Start (When You Have the Energy)
Tomorrow morning—or whenever feels right—choose 3-5 songs that genuinely make you feel ready for the day. Play them in the same order while you have coffee or get dressed.
Notice how different it feels to start your day with intention instead of randomness.
That’s it. No complicated systems. No forcing yourself into someone else’s routine.
Just bringing attention to something that’s already part of your day.
Your emotional wellbeing deserves this kind of care—especially when everything else feels hard.
I’ve created a free guide with 2 simple music strategies that take less than 5 minutes to implement—perfect for when you need more room to breath and not more hustle. Get your free strategies here.
Love Music? Love expressing your life through it? Awesome, you are at the right place. It’s all about using songs/artists to share what we’ve experience in life.
Copyright 2019 © All Right Reserved Living on the B-Side | Website Designed by Tracey White