Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cheryl B. Engelhardt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cheryl B., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

When I was scheduled to attend the GRAMMYS, I decided to take a train from NY to LA to get there rather than fly. But then my dearest friend and collaborator died the day the GRAMMYs got postponed, but I did not cancel my trip and scheduled to depart two weeks later. I embarked on what would become a transformative journey and became the first person to make a record ON a cross-country train trip. Spending 216 hours (nine days – five outbound and four inbound) in a “roomette,” seeing the entire country and processing big emotions was just what the Universe had in store for me. The trip resulted in a brand new collection of nine ambient/New Age songs. From the train, I sent files to collaborators to contribute their talents, including GRAMMY-winning artist Lili Haydn, GRAMMY-nominees Sangeeta Kaur and Danaë Xanthe Vlasse, world-renowned flutist Sherry Finzer, and Billboard-charting Dallas String Quartet. Composing and producing entirely on the train trip, my album “The Passenger” was mixed by me upon my return and then mastered by Kim Rosen, making it one of the first ambient records composed, mixed, and mastered exclusively by women. Oh. And the album got nominated for a New Age GRAMMY award this year!

Cheryl B., 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 am a GRAMMY®-nominated composer and songwriter. I started my career as an advertising and film composer in New York City, creating scores for several nationally-airing commercials and short films before hitting the road with my pop band. My music has been heard on dozens of TV shows including “So You Think You Can Dance” and “All My Children”, on airlines, and on meditation apps like Insight Timer.

I also compose for social justice choirs and was recently featured in People, Harper’s Bazaar, and Forbes Magazines for my collaboration with Martin Luther King’s goddaughter, Donzaleigh Abernathy, in our song “The Listening”.

My unique journey as an indie artist has landed me on stage singing with Sting, writing a musical (“Boiler Room Girls”), scoring documentaries and live theater, and on a train: being the first person to compose and produce an entire album on a cross-USA Amtrak trip. My album, “The Passenger”, became my seventh commercially record (my third in the New Age genre) and was nominated for a GRAMMY®. My GRAMMY® red carpet look of a crop top made of my fans’ signatures and ball gown skirt landed me in Vogue.

I am a certified trauma-informed master coach and provide a variety of resources at my site www.InTheKeyOfSuccess.com. I am the facilitator and coach for the popular musician mastermind, Amplify.

As a sought-after speaker, I have moderated panels at SXSW, ASCAP Expo, TAXI Road Rally, and many universities, including my alma mater of Cornell University. I am also a voting member of The Recording Academy and part of their District Advocacy team. After graduating from Cornell with a double major in both music and biology, my first job was SCUBA diving for the United States Geological Survey. Six months into the job, I found myself in Rome, Italy, creating music for a friend’s video project, and I never turned back.

I also studied orchestration at Juilliard and serve as the American Choral Directors Association’s Chair of Research and Repertoire for Contemporary and Commercial Music for the East Division.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I unlearned was the belief that you had to work hard in order to make a living. For the longest time, I held the assumption that hard work was synonymous with sacrificing joy and fulfillment. I believed that in order to earn a decent income, I had to toil away, enduring long hours of monotonous tasks that left me drained and unfulfilled. This perspective had a significant impact on my overall outlook on life and my relationship with work.

However, as I embarked on my personal and professional journey, I began to challenge this notion. I discovered that it is possible to find joy and fulfillment in the work that I do. I realized that when I align my passions and interests with my career, work no longer feels like a burden, but rather a source of inspiration and personal growth. I unlearned the belief that making a living had to be a joyless endeavor and opened myself up to the possibility of finding purpose and enjoyment in my professional pursuits. This shift in perspective has not only transformed my relationship with work but has also allowed me to create a life where my occupation aligns with my values and brings me genuine happiness. I also focus on being effective, not being busy.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

100% freedom. I create, work, don’t work, travel, collaborate, bunker up alone, and do whatever I want, pretty much whenever I want. The downside, of course, is that any success, income, or movement forward is ALSO 100% up to me. But it’s a good payoff.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cbemusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cbemusic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cbemusic
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/cbe
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCITEd_Kolcpmt5t0LxcBDTw

Image Credits
Photograph by Angelique Hanesworth