“Working with Jo has been not only career-changing but also life-changing. She helped me prepare for auditions in and out of the practice room. We talked about practice plans,...”Lauren Roth Assistant Concertmaster, Atlanta Symphony
Performance and Well-Being Coaching for Classical Musicians
Tell me more!
Hi! I’m
Joanna P. Zakany
but you can call me Jo
I am a former violist with The Cleveland Orchestra, Certified Yoga Instructor RYT-200, and Certified Health and Well-Being Coach DHWCT through Duke Integrative Medicine.
I created 
as a way to help fellow musicians, artists and creatives find more balance in their lives. Born out of my own journey of recovery from burnout, I found deep healing in the mental practice of mindfulness and the physical practice of yoga, meditation, and breathwork.
I dove deeper into the science and psychology behind mindfulness in my coaching certification, and it’s the combination of all these offerings that led me to create MindfulOpus!
I want to be of service to anyone who considers their work to be in the artistic or creative field! If this is you, I offer an alternative to “toxic grind culture” by helping you come up with a kinder process in your work that ultimately leads to better results, so you can live a more balanced and thriving life. Geared towards students and professionals alike, I’m excited to bring these wonderful and supportive tools to you and help you create your own mindful life, one opus at a time!
“I offer an alternative to ‘toxic grind culture’ by helping you come up with a kinder process in your work that ultimately leads to better results, so you can live a more balanced and thriving life.”
How I work
What do I offer?
I work 1-1 with clients over Zoom to empower you through the process of coaching. Coaching is a partnership: I provide the strategies and thought work, while you provide the direction and goals we set. Together, we explore where your life feels out of balance and come up with concrete solutions to recalibrate your well-being.
Our coaching sessions are fully customizable and include mindset training, performance coaching, time-management, decision-making and well-being offerings of yoga, meditation and breathwork.
What results can my clients expect?
It will vary depending on what we decide to work on, but a sample of what to expect would be:
- Self-acceptance and self-compassion as a way to work kinder and smarter towards your results
- Methods for managing stress from both a mental and physical approach
- Decreased performance related anxiety; concert and audition mental preparation
- Mindful practicing tips, stronger mind/body connection, and improved body posture
- Burnout support, and how to navigate life transitions with more awareness and curiosity
StudentOpus
In addition to my 1-1 sessions, I also work with colleges, universities and conservatories in my group programs — and it’s this work that has inspired StudentOpus: an online monthly group experience for college music students everywhere.
Visit StudentOpusTestimonials
“Working with Jo has helped me tame my loud inner critic and develop a comforting and supportive inner mentor that has transformed my confidence on stage. Jo has taught me how to...”Hannah Hammel Maser Principal Flute, Detroit Symphony Orchestra
“I began working with Jo in the spring of 2024. I was finishing my second full year as a full-time freelance musician and educator in a major city. I signed on to work with Jo as I...”Dr. Emily Acri Violinist, Music Educator and Collaborator
“If you are looking for tools to empower and ground you, Jo is the perfect person to connect with. The combination of her breadth of knowledge and her compassionate presence creates...”Musician, US Orchestra
“Jo is an incredibly powerful coach and guide. I came to her with a specific wellness goal in mind, and in three short sessions I made more progress than I had all last year. Jo is...”Sindy Warren Coach, Consultant, and Yoga Teacher
“I won! I felt mentally "in the zone" and physically comfortable, which helped me play with more freedom than I've experienced in past auditions. Putting the strategies from our...”Audition Winner, US Orchestra
“I'm just letting you know I won the audition today after playing the best I have in recent memory! Thanks for everything - you made a huge impact on my results today.”Audition Winner, US Orchestra
“I've had many sessions with Jo around auditions and stressful performances. I always leave feeling like I have a better understanding of what I need, and to help me progress how I...”Audition Winner, European Orchestra
“One word I could use to describe my sessions with Jo is thorough. She's uniquely attuned to the challenges as a musician, and really gave me the impression that she has thought...”Audition Winner, European Orchestra
“Working with Jo has been not only career-changing but also life-changing. She helped me prepare for auditions in and out of the practice room. We talked about practice plans,...”Lauren Roth Assistant Concertmaster, Atlanta Symphony
“Working with Jo has helped me tame my loud inner critic and develop a comforting and supportive inner mentor that has transformed my confidence on stage. Jo has taught me how to...”Hannah Hammel Maser Principal Flute, Detroit Symphony Orchestra
“I began working with Jo in the spring of 2024. I was finishing my second full year as a full-time freelance musician and educator in a major city. I signed on to work with Jo as I...”Dr. Emily Acri Violinist, Music Educator and Collaborator
“If you are looking for tools to empower and ground you, Jo is the perfect person to connect with. The combination of her breadth of knowledge and her compassionate presence creates...”Musician, US Orchestra
“Jo is an incredibly powerful coach and guide. I came to her with a specific wellness goal in mind, and in three short sessions I made more progress than I had all last year. Jo is...”Sindy Warren Coach, Consultant, and Yoga Teacher
“I won! I felt mentally "in the zone" and physically comfortable, which helped me play with more freedom than I've experienced in past auditions. Putting the strategies from our...”Audition Winner, US Orchestra
“I'm just letting you know I won the audition today after playing the best I have in recent memory! Thanks for everything - you made a huge impact on my results today.”Audition Winner, US Orchestra
“I've had many sessions with Jo around auditions and stressful performances. I always leave feeling like I have a better understanding of what I need, and to help me progress how I...”Audition Winner, European Orchestra
“One word I could use to describe my sessions with Jo is thorough. She's uniquely attuned to the challenges as a musician, and really gave me the impression that she has thought...”Audition Winner, European Orchestra
Podcast
Where classical musicians drop the grind and lean into well-being
Welcome to the MindfulOpus Podcast — where your artistry doesn’t have to come at the cost of your humanity. Through honest conversations, reflections, and sharing tools you can use, we’ll explore how to thrive as a musician — so your art shines, performing stays fun, and you can kick toxic grind culture to the curb.
Hosted by Jo Zakany
Season 3
The Myth of Having It All Figured Out: Impostor Syndrome and The Pressures Of Being A Performing Artist
S3 Ep.4: What happens when, from the outside, you look like you’re thriving and have it all figured out—but on the inside, you’re riddled with self-doubt, a noisy inner critic, and the fear that one mistake could expose you? In this solo episode, I’m exploring imposter syndrome and the unique pressures that come with being a performing artist, especially in classical music.
Let The Path Curve: Yoga, Agency & The Artist+ Life with Elena Urioste & Melissa White
S3 Ep.3: Violinists Elena Urioste and Melissa White of Intermission join me for a conversation about yoga, performance nerves, ditching perfection, healthier practice, artistic agency, and allowing a musical career to become bigger than one prescribed path. This episode feels a little full-circle for me… I first…
Chasing Confidence: Why It Doesn't Work, and What To Do Instead
S3 Ep. 2: What if confidence isn’t what you actively need to cultivate to show up boldly on stage? In this solo episode, I’m breaking down confidence by working backward from the outcome most of us want. We often tell ourselves that we need to feel confident before an audition or big performance, but confidence…
Season 3: The Evolving Opus
A conversation about outgrowing old structures, choosing curiosity over control, and creating frameworks that support who you are today. Season 3 is here, and in a fitting way, I’m kicking it off by changing the structure of the podcast itself. After two seasons with clear timelines, missions, and end dates, I’m…
Season 2
Plot Twist: I’m the Guest! Interviewed by my Life and Business Coach...
Bonus Ep 2: A conversation about career transitions, perfectionism, identity, and creating your life one mindful opus at a time. In this special episode, the microphone is turned on me as I sit down with my coach, Lindsay Dotzlaf, who interviews me! We unpack the journey that brought me from a 20-year career with…
What Blue Jays Taught Me About Life, Music and Transitions
In this reflective bonus episode of the MindfulOpus Podcast, I share the surprisingly powerful lessons I learned by watching two blue jays, Harry and Sally, build a nest, incubate their babies, and eventually leave the nest. What unfolds…
My Next Opus: A New Chapter After 20 Years with The Cleveland Orchestra
S2 Ep #10: This is one of those episodes I've been sitting with for a while. I have some big news to share, and honestly, even typing that feels surreal. After more than 20 years as a violist with the Cleveland Orchestra, I have officially…
Self-Trust for Musicians: How We Lose It and Begin to Rebuild It
S2 Ep #9: Self-trust might be one of the most quietly radical acts we can practice as artists — and honestly, as humans. It sounds simple, but for so many of us in this field, it's anything but. This episode is a reflection on something…
Kayleigh Miller: Speaking Up for Musicians’ Health and Well-Being
S2 Ep #8: Kayleigh Miller is someone I've wanted to have on the podcast since the beginning. And our conversation today doesn't disappoint: we talk about musicians' body health, injury prevention, and what it means to use your voice to…
Finding Your Inner Compass When Life Gets Hard
S2 Ep #7: There are moments in life when the map disappears. You thought you knew where you were headed, and then something shifts — a loss, a disappointment, an unexpected turn — and suddenly you're navigating without a clear north star.…
Theresa Rudolph: Learning to Trust Yourself Again
S2 Ep #6: This episode felt like a conversation I'd been wanting to have for a long time — one that goes beyond the highlight reel and into the real, sometimes messy, always human experience of building a sustainable life as a professional…
Transformational Change: Create Lasting Well-Being On and Off Stage
S2 Ep #5: The Four Pillars of Well-Being for Performers Most of us who pursue music or are seeking excellence in any endeavour have been told at some point that it has to be everything. That if you're not living, eating, and breathing the…
Finding Alignment: Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir on Creativity, Authenticity & Change
S2 Ep #4: There comes a point in any creative life where pushing harder stops working. Where the effort that once felt necessary begins to feel depleting, and the question starts to shift from "How do I make this work?" to "Is this…
Grit Over Grind: How To Work Hard Without Burning Out
S2 Ep #3: How To Work Hard Without Beating Yourself Up Hard work is something most artists know intimately. But the way we relate to that hard work can make the difference between sustainable growth and eventual burnout. In this solo…
Let Your Values Guide You, On and Off Stage
S2 Ep #1: As artists, it's easy to get caught up in the pressure to meet others' expectations, which can lead us to create in ways that feel disconnected from our true selves. In this episode, I'll guide you through a practical framework…
Welcome to Season 2 of The MindfulOpus Podcast!
In this season, we're diving even deeper into the human behind the art, exploring how mindfulness, well-being, and authenticity are essential for creatives like you. If you're ready to move away from toxic grind culture and embrace a more…
Season 1
Stay in Your Boat: Stories on Life and Music with Ron Patterson
S1 Ep #10: A concertmaster's perspective on perfectionism, nerves, and the permission to be human In the season 1 finale of The MindfulOpus Podcast, I'm joined by my dad, Ron Patterson — world-class violinist, former concertmaster of the…
Befriending Performance Nerves
7 tools to help you actually enjoy performing again. Performance nerves are universal, unavoidable… and often hard to manage. In this episode, I share a compassionate, practical, and research-informed approach to one of the biggest challenges we face as performers.
Finding Freedom: Lauren Roth-Gómez’s Journey of Self-Worth
A story of reconnection, self-belief, and coming home to your art. What happens when you've spent years feeling like your playing is never good enough? Violinist Lauren Roth-Gómez, Acting Associate Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony, shares the inner transformation that led her back to herself and her artistry.
The Cost of Being Your Own Worst Critic
When your worth depends on your results, and how that pressure leads to burnout. If your inner-critic has been running the show — the one that tells you you're only as worthy as your latest performance, audition result, or practice session — this episode is for you. We explore the real cost of being your own worst critic and how to shift from inner-critic to inner-coach.
Inside the Genius of Joshua Smith
A conversation around vulnerability, long-haul artistry, and the case for communication over perfection — through the lens of a 35-year run in one of the most high-pressure chairs in the orchestral world. I sit down with Joshua Smith, Grammy-nominated Principal Flute of The Cleveland Orchestra, to explore curiosity, freedom, and sustainable excellence.
The Well-Being Wheel: A Whole-Human Approach to Music
If you've ever felt like music has taken over your entire life — the long hours, the pressure, the constant fear of not doing enough — this episode is for you. I introduce The MindfulOpus Well-Being Wheel — a framework designed to help musicians move from burnout to balance by nurturing all parts of your life.
The Mindful Audition: How Feeling Good Became James Patterson’s Secret to Winning
A conversation around mindfulness, perfectionism, well-being, and rewriting the audition story from the inside out. I sit down with James Patterson, Tredjestilling Horn (3rd/1st horn) player with the Oslo Philharmonic, to explore how he completely reimagined his approach to auditions — with his well-being front and center.
The Perfection Trap
Are you chasing perfection...or pursuing excellence? In this episode, I dive into one of the most common — and costly — mindsets musicians face: perfectionism. I share why perfection isn't sustainable and how excellence becomes the foundation for a career and life you can sustain, with the Excellence over Perfection Framework.
Winning, But at What Cost?
In the classical music world, we're often taught that struggle is the price of greatness. But what if our artistry didn't have to come at the cost of our humanity? I take you behind the curtain of my own journey — from grueling childhood auditions in France, to winning my dream job at 21 and facing career-threatening injuries.
Musings
Mindful Musings offers insights on mindfulness, well-being, and thriving as a classical musician
Equanimity: Where It Can All Be True
What is equanimity, and why is it important? Instead of avoiding the bad and craving the good, we learn to be with what is. Here are practical suggestions for developing this powerful skill.
Mindfulness: Broken Bone vs. Bugging Brain?
How do you check your thoughts, shift the feeling, and change the course of your human experience? By becoming aware of what's happening in the present moment.
Snow, Sun and Music: A Musing On Opinions…
I will be going on vacay with my hub next week to a warm sunny beach, and as it snows outside my window today, I have to say I can’t wait… I’m personally not a snow bunny, not my thing. Now, my…
A POEM ON REST
inspired by having a cold, on this cold day, written from my couch, where I will be for a while… with no shame. Why is rest so hard to take, When we know it’s what we need? We tell others “take it…
Winter Blues: Recognizing and Tending to Yourself This Season
Practical tips for managing winter blues: getting outside for sunlight, using a happy light, moving your body, resting, and reaching out to loved ones.
Progress over Perfection: A Shame-Free Mindset That Works
Perfectionism isn't the best way to achieve success. Self-criticism shuts down learning centers of the brain. Learn how celebrating progress cultivates a kinder relationship with yourself.
Pleasant, Unpleasant or Neutral — Which Is It?
A simple trick for mindfulness beginners: categorize feelings into pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. This builds a foundation for self-compassion without needing the perfect emotional vocabulary.
Are You Getting Results 'Because Of' or 'In Spite Of' How You Treat Yourself?
Self-criticism isn't a sustainable motivator. Self-compassion allows us to reach our full potential by nurturing ourselves. Which option would you choose to run a race?
What Does Balance Look Like for You?
Balance doesn't mean 'do less.' A mosaic-inspired life has each piece serving and strengthening the other. When you choose your version of balance, you show up as the best version of yourself.
Discover The Well-Being Wheel
Unlock your full artistic potential with “The Well-Being Wheel,” a thoughtful approach to holistic development crafted specifically for creatives. Whether that’s working towards an artistic or creative goal, trying to find more work/life balance, or exploring what other interests outside of your field might help you live a more diverse life (or what I call “Artist+”), learn to master the balance of emotional, physical, and creative wellness, fostering an environment where your artistry can truly flourish.
Get Your Free Well-Being WorkbookWork with me
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