Episode 5: How To Manage Valuable Resources and Frustration Tolerance, The Four Steps To Learning, and an In-Depth Discussion on How vs. Why with Debbie Stanley

Drawing on the concepts presented in Matt's book, Hooks: Lessons on Performance, Business, and Life from a Working Musician, Debbie joins Matt to discuss

• the 4-part sequence to learning, 
• identifying Learned Helplessness and Imposter Syndrome, 
• how to identify and allocate your most valuable resources,
• identifying and managing Frustration Tolerance,
• strategies for managing difficult team members, bandmates, and associates, and 
• how and when to establish professional and personal boundaries. 

A licensed mental health counselor and organizational psychologist with extensive field experience, Debbie has advised individual and corporate clients across all industries and established herself as a speaker, instructor, and author since founding her company, Thoughts In Order, in 1997. In 2012 she moved to Austin, Texas, and sharpened her focus to the music industry, digging into the systems that drive every aspect of a music career, including booking, touring, production, marketing and promotion, recording and distribution, copyright and royalties, and the wellbeing and protection of artists and their creative gifts. Her past and current project portfolio range from large-scale conference and festival production to one-on-one consultation and coaching of music creators and industry professionals. Her educational background includes an MS in mental health counseling, MA in industrial/organizational psychology, and BFA in journalism.​

​Debbie's latest book, The Organized Musician, helps independent artists around the world to get their act together and live their dream of a career in music. Well-received as the basis of her South by Southwest presentation "Time Management for Musicians," The Organized Musician has become a workbook, touchstone, and traveling companion for artists throughout the U.S. and beyond. Her next book, Modern Music Patronage, will teach music fans how to give substantive support to the artists they love in the post-pandemic age of independent music. 

Debbie has offered books and courses for her organizing and productivity-industry peers for over twenty years as an educator. She is the author of books including Newbie Pitfalls and Ethical Pitfalls for Professional Organizers; the developer and instructor of "Fundamental Organizing and Productivity Principles," a flagship course of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals, as well as other courses in the NAPO curriculum; and a frequent conference presenter. Debbie is also honored to be a curator of the Austin Public Library's Electric Lady Bird streaming music catalog, a South By Southwest Music Conference Advisory Board member, and a Professional Member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Matt Wilson gained national exposure as the "Piano Man" in the First National Tour of the Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's Tony-award-winning musical Movin' Out. In 2005, the Texas State Senate honored Matt with a resolution for his achievements in Fine Arts, and he was accepted to the 2016 - 2018 Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster. Matt continues to tour with his band, headlining numerous public, private, and social events of all sizes. 

In 2021, Matt released his first book, Hooks: Lessons on Performance, Business, and Life from a Working Musician, available on Amazon and iBooks.