We are back for another great interview on our podcast on how to unlock your world of creativity. Our guest today joins us on our around-the-world journey where we talk to creative practitioners about how they get inspired and how they organize ideas. And most of all, how they gain the confidence and the connections to launch their work out into the world.
Today we have the pleasure to chat with Deborah Johnson. As an entertainer, pianist, vocalist, and composer, she has toured the world and has been up for multiple Grammy Awards.
As an educator, Deborah taught at every level through graduate school. As a speaker and podcast host, her words touch the mind and her music touches the heart. Authoring multiple books, producing over two-dozen albums, and writing three full-length musicals makes her one of the most prolific women composers and writers in the world. Deborah has won multiple awards, but she claims her biggest accomplishment is successfully raising and launching three sons.
On today’s show, we pay particular attention to a creative’s mid-career midlife and the next steps to perhaps not just refining, but reinventing the craft and personal brand. Deborah has a program, called hero mountain summit, that is a guide on getting out of your roundabout. If you're in the middle of a roundabout, which many people right now are, especially after the two and a half now or almost three years that we've just experienced so much upheaval, people have found a way to reinvent and that's what is getting out of that roundabout. She also is vocal about it in her book Women at Halftime: Principles for Producing Your Successful Second Half.
Her latest book The Summit: Journey to Hero Mountain, is an allegory. Which is a story within a story, the character’s original name is Mallery which means not good enough or ill-fated. And it has to change for her to get to her summit. And it changes to Andreette, which means a strong and courageous one, but she has to go through all these little different lands. Because in the book before this, she goes through hero mountain, which is her woman at half times
In her work, there is an emphasis on women at halftime. We've been talking about mid-career midlife, which by definition says, we're not done. There's still another half of the game left. As an experienced creative, she teaches us some lessons to hold onto at that midpoint.
- You've got to develop the actual business plan. And ask yourself, what are your residuals like as an artist? What are the products that you're putting out? Does it help you move your business ahead?
- You have got to understand that in the creative sector we are in the gig economy which particularly presents a unique challenge. So your network is extremely important in establishing the business part, the arms of your business, and what is going to actually generate the most money. Not only the most money but what gives you the most satisfaction. What do you love to do? And how can you develop that further? And what's gonna actually pay off
- You have to study and you have to see what's out there.
- You need to think about the business side of creativity, the pricing, the contracts, and the negotiation.
- You have to be able to put together your own contracts. And understand that they are letters of agreement. You've got to have those because you may forget some important details. You have got to study those, all of those details, and make sure those are very clear. You don't have to be demanding, but just make sure they're very clear on what your needs are to be able to give the best performance.
- Show up early enough that you can provide a great experience for everyone involved, including yourself.
- You have to hire the right team. From the agents and the bookers and the negotiators to the sound people, logistics, and everything in between.
- It is still your job as an artist to learn how to promote and how to market your work despite having a great team.
- Always own your own land, always own your own newsletter, and your own property on your website.
- The imposter syndrome does not end. So she encourages creatives to journal just to get those thoughts out. Those little negative voices have to be pushed away. That might be the voices in your head or the naysayers you have to silence all of them.
In conclusion, she reminds us that there are many similarities and differences between writing music, composing a score, and writing this book, especially as an allegory. And that writing is rewriting first of all, and you need to finish whatever it is you are working on, but you have to be willing to put the work in to finish it as well. Put in deadlines so you can be able to emotionally get to a point of saying, it may not be perfect, but it's done, and done is better than perfect.
keynote speaker: Deborahjohnsonspeaker.com
Get in touch with Denora and get her newsletter: goalsforyourlife.com/newsletter
Podcast: women at halftime
You can find lots of her music on: DJworksmusic.com
Deborah Johnson
Deborah Johnson, M.A. has not only written multiple books and albums, but hundreds of songs, three full-length musicals and is the producer of the popular podcast, Women at Halftime. Her fifth book, The Summit: Journey to Hero Mountain, an allegory, came out fall of 2021. She relishes the creative process and has focused on helping those at mid-career or the halftime of life maximize their skills, talents and resources to make their second half better than their first. Deborah was past president of the National Speakers Association, Los Angeles and has written & produced multiple online courses. She enjoys being outside and traveling with her husband and also loves spending time with her children and grandchildren. Up for multiple GRAMMY Awards and spending over 20 years in the entertainment industry, she's built multiple self-driven businesses and is an expert on how to constantly reinvent yourself in a gig-economy. Deborah speaks and performs for both live and virtual events.
@deborah_johnsonworks on Instagram
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahjjohnson/
Mark Stinson
Copyright 2025 Mark Stinson
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