260 The Journey to Winning — How Marie-Michel Beauparlant Reclaimed Her Confidence and Her Career

May 1, 2026

If you've ever stood in the wings before a performance and wondered how you got there — not in a good way — this episode is for you. Marie-Michel Beauparlant is an accomplished cellist, a mom of twins, and one of the most honest guests we've had on the show. She talks about the years she spent hiding behind section playing because solo performing felt impossible, the guilt of chasing an audition with six-month-old twins at home, and what it actually took to go from dreading the spotlight to being, as she puts it herself, a little addicted to it. This is a real conversation about the inner life of a working musician — and it will stay with you.

In this episode you will discover:

• Why perfectionism and stage fright so often go hand in hand and what Marie-Michel did to start untangling them
• How she went from barely advancing in auditions to winning two orchestra positions and making finals consistently
• The mindset shift that led her to remove the word failure from her vocabulary entirely
• How finding a community of musicians facing similar challenges made her feel less alone and normalized the struggles she had been carrying quietly for years
• The simple question she asks herself before every practice session that keeps her grounded and motivated
• What winning really looks like when you stop making it only about the outcome

 

Want to experience this kind of transformation in your own musical life? The doors to the Music Mastery Experience open June 1st. Visit mindoverfinger.com/mme to learn more and book your free call today. Spots are limited.

 

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Download the transcript from this episode HERE

 

 

 

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THANK YOU:

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.