Christopher Lloyd Bratten-Zappala’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Christopher Lloyd Bratten-Zappala. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Christopher Lloyd, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Definitely integrity, with intelligence being a close second. It doesn’t matter how smart you are or how much energy you have—if you lack integrity, you’ll end up doing harm to yourself and others. Integrity is a master value. It also happens to be the hardest of the three to cultivate. Integrity is something that too many people are willing to abandon when it’s convenient for some stronger desire. It is exactly in those moments—when it would just be easier to subvert integrity—that it’s most necessary and most substantiated.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Christopher Lloyd Bratten-Zappala. I’m a musician, educator, and creator. I’m the host of the At The Vanguard podcast, which is dedicated to empowering artists, elevating the arts, and preserving excellence. This podcast is just a piece of a larger vision—The Vanguard Institute For The Arts. This will be like Hogwarts, but for artists. Vanguard is a conservatory, a venue, a community center, and an advocacy organization, all woven together. And it’s starting with the podcast, where I engage with creators of all stripes who are pushing the boundaries of their field and reshaping our world through their work.

I call myself a forever student. I devour knowledge. I’ve spent my life navigating complexity with a blend of logic and creativity. My journey has taken me through music, linguistics, pedagogy, philosophy, science, meditation, and even baking. I’ve built collegiate programs, taught countless students, and performed on stages where the magic was palpable. I’ve worked with countless stars of stage, studio, and screen, co-founded a production company (For The Record) and a volunteer choir (Urban Lights), and initiated the development of a brand new lexicon of music theory terminology in American Sign Language in collaboration with Deaf West and Pace University. I’ve also had the challenge, and the privilege, of rebuilding my life after deep depression. That experience taught me mindfulness, compassion, and clarity. It reminded me that people are the priority—things matter most when we have someone to share them with.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My marriage is the relationship that has most shaped how I see myself. When you go through the world without someone seeing or knowing you that intimately, you can remain pretty naive about yourself. You can easily believe the stories you tell yourself. But when you share your world with someone else, you can’t hide anymore. Aspects of myself I didn’t even realize were hidden have been illuminated. My relationship with my husband has also drawn out the best aspects of me and allowed me to step into my potential. It’s humbled the parts of me that were falsely inflated and uplifted the parts that were sinking in self-doubt. Sharing myself and my life with someone I love continues to rewrite old, unhealthy narratives and heal past traumas.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
My greatest and deepest fears have always been loss and abandonment. I grew up essentially an only child, and we moved around a lot. Both my parents have passed away. I’m not close with my family except for my half-sister. My social circle has always been small. I had bad luck with relationships before I got married. And I had a couple significant professional losses. My nervous system has learned that nothing lasts and I can lose what I care about most at any moment. That has driven me to sometimes make decisions out of fear instead of hope or desire. It’s occasionally kept me from taking chances. That being said, it’s also led me to practice gratitude, to seize the moment, to cherish the people in my life, and to be steadfast in my commitments.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I think there are a few key areas where smart people today are misguided. One is education. There are efforts to diminish, devalue, and dismantle educational institutions and the whole prospect of higher education. To me, this is, on its face, a foolish and biased enterprise. There is nothing more fundamental or obviously essential than the value of knowledge, learning, wisdom, insight, discovery. Educational institutions don’t need to be destroyed—they need to be rehabilitated and reformed. Another area is art. With the rise of technology and AI, and the likelihood that entire workforces will be replaced by computers and machines, I believe the last refuge for mankind will be art. It, more than any other pursuit, is what gives life its meaning and allows us to understand ourselves. Even though AI may be able to create spectacular art, humans will inevitably continue to make it themselves because we’ll want to be the creators, not just the consumers. Lastly, the sociopolitical landscape is completely bent out of shape. Many people don’t realize how partisan they’ve become, how their views have been commandeered by tribalism. We have to work and live together. We have to work to understand each other and care for each other. We have to let the better angels of our nature guide us into the future.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
The Vanguard Institute For The Arts, the organization that I dream of—I’m only just planting those seeds today. It will take time to grow, I know, but I’m patient and tenacious. The vision is a big one. It’s an epicenter, a launchpad, and a sanctuary for the arts, worldwide. Steve Jobs started Apple in his garage. Vanguard is starting with a podcast. Soon, there will be online workshops and resources, then in-person classes, a physical space… The greatest achievements have all started with a single step.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://CLBZWorks.com
• Instagram: @atthevanguard
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stealingfire/
• Twitter: @at_the_vanguard
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581694226622
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AtTheVanguard
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/clbzworks
• Other: https://CLBZWorks.com/AtTheVanguard