Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Hurwitz.
Hi Deborah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began my career as a seven years old concert pianist in England, where I was born. My family moved to New Jersey when I was ten, and throughout my school years, I performed, competed and worked as a professional artist. I wrote my first pop song when I was 12 years old and dreamed of being a star, though I felt a great deal of pressure from my family and academic community to find a “real job” and not pursue music professionally.
After graduating Princeton University I made a beeline for New York City and immersed myself in the commercial music scene, working my way up from internships to freelance writing positions and substitute keyboard spots in the Broadway pit orchestras. By the time I was 25, I had composed scores for national commercial campaigns, played a handful of top Broadway shows, including Miss Saigon and The Who’s Tommy, and gone on my first national tour.
Along the way, I kept writing and producing my own music, although making a living was always my top priority and my mission was to be a full-time professional with no “day job” or “survival gigs.” So I chased the TV, film and Broadway credits, always looking for the next paycheck. I toured with Cyndi Lauper and Cher, composed music for projects ranging from Sesame Street to Jack Nicolson’s “The Crossing Guard,” and served as the original Associate Conductor and Music Technical Designer for the Broadway hit “Jersey Boys.”
In 2011, I was hired as the Music Director for Cirque du Soleil’s flagship Hollywood production, “IRIS: Journey Through the World of Cinema.” This was a huge opportunity, to serve on the core creative team of a $100 million production, making extraordinary art, and conducting a complex live show with 72 artists on stage, a ton of tech and a live 8-piece band. I was IN with every fiber of my being!
I left my full-time post at Jersey Boys, moved my life to LA and loved my new gig, but when the show closed less than two years into its run, I was exhausted. Because I’d been consumed by the show and its attendant needs, I had no irons in the fire, no “next big thing” lined up. I was starting over, and I didn’t know how to make a living on the west coast.
At that point, I hit something of a mid-life crisis. I needed a better way – a better way to make money, make work, live my life. I didn’t know what that was, and I was depressed. I spent the better part of the next seven years learning how to be happy in my own skin and honor what really mattered to me.
About five years ago, I did a deep dive into online marketing, worked with a series of top leaders, and found a mentor whose program really clicked. I learned how to build an audience around my passions and UNLEARNED a whole lot of useless and outdated ways of doing business – of doing life, really. I started helping stuck perfectionists to blast through procrastination, overwhelm and self-doubt and achieve the goals that really mattered to them.
I found my second calling. It’s been sublime.
I now have a thriving coaching business, entirely online, and I feel incredibly fulfilled and inspired by helping others break through their own blocks and struggles. I’m a better artist now, because I’m able to follow my own desires and ideas, rather than looking for others to hire or validate me, and I’m enjoying extraordinary collaborations and creative opportunities as a result.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
See above! 🤣 I’ll add that in this most recent chapter, building my coaching business, I’ve had to let go of my own perfectionism again and again. They said, “If you’re not embarrassed by your Version 1.0 then you’ve launched too late.” It’s SO true — I’ve had so many cringe-worthy 1.0 projects! But they’ve added up to a big, beautiful body of work and a healthy, vibrant community.
If you’re going to build an online business in today’s world, you’ve got to let go of the idea that something has to be “perfect” before you show up or release or publish or sell it. Just show up. Bring what matters to you. Let yourself care about getting it across. Then let ‘er rip.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a composer, music director, recording artist and productivity coach for perfectionists. I’m best known for my work with Jersey Boys, Cirque du Soleil and Cyndi Lauper, but in the music world, I am most proud of my work as a solo artist (Deborah Marlowe) and as a film composer, where I believe I’ve created truly powerful, compelling music for pictures.
Currently, I am most excited about COBALT Coaching, the business I’ve built from scratch in just over 5 years. I serve an online tribe of almost 25,000 kindred spirits (through email and socials) and work closely with clients through both private mentorship and group coaching programs.
What sets me apart as a coach is my big, fast brain, along with my ability to slow said brain down and be PRESENT with the human in front of me. It also helps that I have real credibility as a professional artist and I walk my talk! So when I teach and train on productivity, getting unstuck and doing the tough work, my clients know that I’ve been there and I’m able to provide effective, practical solutions to their problems. I truly do help people get things done that matter to them.
How do you think about happiness?
Happiness shifts like the wind; something that makes me indescribably happy one second could be boring or annoying the next. That said, some things are pretty reliable:
– The ocean, because it connects me to the vastness of nature and the rhythms of Mama Earth.
– Great movies because they transport me to another realm and because I LOVE production magic
– A big, strong hug from someone who digs me because – well, that’s obvious
– Making tons of money because it allows me to steward resources towards what I care about, including myself:)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cobaltcoaching.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maestrahurwitz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/productiveperfectionist/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaestraHurwitz
- Other: www.hurwitzmusic.com
Image Credits
Wendy Yalom
