We recently connected with Clotele and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Clotele, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I can say with gusto that at every step of my life thus far, taking a risk has always been involved. Risk is important because it enables an individual to make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively, mitigate potential harm, evaluate opportunities, foster growth, and get a leg up on life. One of the only differences between me and where I am, and someone else? I took risks, I was willing to fail, look a fool, be sick, and push myself. I risked recovery finding my own healing paths, I pushed myself back to work. Not to say, ALWAYS RISK.. but definitely take some chances even if you know they will be difficult. Push hard enough to move forward, but not hard enough to really damage yourself forever. Trust your gut, it doesn’t lie. Take the risks when you feel that ping. Have moxie.

Clotele, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m just Clotele. I don’t much like to talk about myself. I grew up far from stability, and then a few life-altering events resulted in a serious brain injury. It presented numerous challenges and obstacles for me to overcome.. but my nature is an almost annoying need to keep going forward and not let adversity define me, Life is to be embraced. My journey of recovery really started picking up speed when I discovered an incredible outlet for healing: music and creation. Personal art, whether it’s kept to ourselves or shared, enables us to express emotions and experiences, work out trauma, and give us a path to being healthy and stable. As a human, musician, and creator, I want to use my unique perspective and the transformative power of music within ourselves to inspire others and spread a message of resilience and hope to others who are struggling. We all have our dark nights of the human soul. I feel like sharing my story serves as a testament to the incredible capacity of the brain to not only heal but also empower us to transcend the limits imposed by life’s most challenging circumstances.

I have a solo Clotele music single coming out this summer so stay tuned! I’m also a part of running a small venue located at Ellerbeck Bed and Breakfasts Cafe 140B, putting on shows called The Carriage House Sessions! We aim to help local artists and musicians practice, record live performances for them to use in their own journeys, and connect with others in our community. You can find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Spotify. I’m also in a band called Little Lonesome, our EP will be out this fall, and we have a podcast called Crate Divers on Spotify. Follow us on Instagram for updates!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Oh boy. Pivoting is all I do! But the big story I could tell- When I got my first head injury in a car accident, I was in such a different place in life. I had an agency, I was young, modeling and acting, and I felt confident. After my accidents, my teeth were busted, my body was busted, I couldn’t remember lines, let alone whole parts to memorize. I was too injured to go on.. I had to drop all my dreams for a while to recover. I was devastated and it took a long time to figure out how to pivot, but I eventually found ways to break life into chunks and repetition that I can master. Now I’m in music and content creation, and working as an Innkeeper two days a week at a historical bed and breakfast (Ellerbeck Mansion in SLC) that I love. I found ways to work around my limitations and push myself. I’ll continue to pivot whenever necessary in big and small ways. I think it literally might be one of the most important skills to have. I’ve currently pivoted to putting on local shows and open mics, and content creation online.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I honestly started posting on Instagram to form some kind of accountability and community surrounding my healing and fitness journey. If I shared workouts and problems I found I was much more likely to stick with it. I saw so many people in my TBI (traumatic brain injury) and stroke survivor support groups who felt hopeless and helpless- giving up when things were tough or painful. I decided to push myself and share tips about what worked and didn’t because I really didn’t see any others giving that advice at the time. I didn’t want to give up. I wanted to share my journey, and boy has it come far. My advice for others on building a following- post consistently, be vulnerable, share knowledge and ask questions. Your people will find you!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @stephclotele, @carriagehousesessions, @littlelonesome
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@carriagehousesessions
• Other: I just want to take a second and thank a few people, Chase Gillins for being my partner in music whimsy, Victoriya Baskin who works on Carriage House Sessions with me and is such a beautiful friend and coworker, and Tyler and Kara Alden, the owners of Cafe 140B. They do so much for me! Thank you. Really I want to thank anyone around me, you know who you are. Thank you for any support you give me.

Image Credits
Jeffrey Flowers, Victoriya Baskin