We were lucky to catch up with Cheryl B. Engelhardt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cheryl, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the best boss, mentor, or leader you’ve ever worked with.

I had a boss at a jingle house, a company that writes music primarily for commercials, who, when I was ready to leave and go freelance, told me I needed to remember that I was a “performer.”

Then he defined that in a completely new way for me. Performing isn’t just about being on stage. It’s about presenting something I created and, in real time, getting feedback, both literal and energetic, from an audience. He pointed out that when I was teaching piano lessons, I was performing. When I had a boss listening to the music I wrote for a new commercial campaign, I was performing.

He said that the life of a freelance composer can be lonely: sitting alone in a studio, writing for films or commercials, sending off a file, and waiting for feedback. It wasn’t the same as performing, and I needed to remember to honor the part of me that was, indeed, a performer.

That advice has stayed with me through every pivot in my career. When I was a touring singer-songwriter, the performance element of my life was obvious. When I moved into being a New Age artist, where the music was much more science-based and less about performing, more about allowing listeners to have their own experience on their own time, I had to create other opportunities for my performer self to express herself.

I started music directing at a local theater. I leveled up my coaching training so I could work more deeply with artists. I started a membership that recently celebrated its tenth birthday, where I lead a fabulous group of creative entrepreneurs.

All of that feels like performing, even though my music career still often involves creating in isolation. His simple redefinition of what it means to perform gave me a framework that has shaped every major decision I’ve made since.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a 2x GRAMMY®-nominated composer, recording artist, educator, and Certified Trauma-Informed Master Coach, but at the heart of everything I do is one question: What becomes possible when people feel grounded enough to create their best work?

My career has never followed a straight line. I started as a commercial composer in New York, writing music for advertising and film, toured internationally with my own pop music, composed for choirs and meditation apps, and eventually found myself equally passionate about helping other creatives build sustainable, fulfilling careers.

For a long time, I thought I had two separate careers: musician and coach. Eventually, I realized they were the same calling. Both are about helping people connect with themselves, tell the truth, and create something meaningful.

Today I compose immersive music that supports focus, healing, and emotional connection while also coaching musicians, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals to build careers that are as grounded as they are ambitious. My work combines practical systems with nervous system regulation because I’ve found that the biggest barriers to success are rarely talent or information. They are overwhelm, fear, burnout, perfectionism, and trying to force creativity from a place of depletion.

That philosophy has evolved into my Rooted Results™ Methodology, (www.rootedresults.org) the framework that now guides my coaching, workshops, and retreats. It blends nervous system regulation, strategic planning, self-awareness, and sustainable action so people can build lives and careers that feel deeply aligned instead of constantly reactive.

I also created the Luminary Journal (https://amzn.to/4v0kWJn) to support that work through small daily practices. I believe transformation rarely comes from one giant breakthrough. More often, it comes from consistently returning to ourselves through simple moments of reflection, intention, and grounded action.

I love creating frameworks that make impossible goals feel approachable. Whether that’s helping an independent musician launch an album, facilitating a retreat where participants reconnect with themselves, composing music that allows someone to finally exhale, or offering a daily practice that helps someone feel more present, my goal is always the same: create more ease, more clarity, and more impact.

I’m especially proud that I’ve built a career by embracing reinvention instead of resisting it. I’ve been fortunate to have my music featured in television, meditation platforms, and airlines, to share stages with incredible artists, to moderate panels at industry conferences, and to create programs that have supported thousands of musicians. But the accomplishments I’m proudest of are the quieter ones: the artist who finally releases the album they’ve been sitting on for years, the entrepreneur who rediscovers joy in their work, or the listener who tells me a piece of music helped them feel safe enough to breathe.

If there’s one thing I hope people take away from my brand and my work, it’s that success and wellbeing don’t have to compete. I believe our best ideas emerge when our roots are as strong as our reach. We don’t have to hustle ourselves into exhaustion to create meaningful work. We can build systems that support us, regulate our nervous systems, trust our intuition, and still pursue extraordinary goals.

Whether I’m writing music, leading a retreat, coaching a client, or standing on stage, I’m ultimately doing the same thing: creating spaces where people can reconnect with themselves and discover what’s possible from there.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think my reputation has been built through consistency more than anything else. Simply: showing up.

I’ve spent over two decades saying yes to opportunities to serve my creative community, whether that meant composing music, teaching, mentoring, moderating panels, writing educational resources, speaking at conferences, sitting on non-profit boards, or simply answering someone’s question with as much care as I would give a paying client. I’ve never believed in gatekeeping information, and I think people remember when you genuinely want them to succeed. I like to lead with fun (if I had a penny for every time someone asked if I ever did stand-up….), but also walk the walk.

I’ve also never been afraid to evolve publicly. I’ve gone from commercial composer to touring artist, educator, coach, retreat facilitator, and founder of the Rooted Results™ Methodology. Rather than trying to fit into one industry box, I’ve let my work grow alongside me. That authenticity has attracted people who value both excellence and humanity.

Another piece is that I care deeply about creating practical transformation. I love inspiration, but I love implementation even more. Whether someone listens to my music, attends a retreat, joins a coaching program, or picks up my journal, I want them to leave with something they can actually use in their everyday life.

Finally, I think my reputation comes from leading with curiosity instead of certainty. I’m comfortable saying, “Let’s explore this together,” and I think that creates trust. I don’t believe success comes from pretending to have all the answers. It comes from listening well, continuing to learn, and creating spaces where other people can discover their own wisdom.

If there’s a common thread through everything I do, it’s this: I want people to feel more grounded, more capable, and more connected to their own creative voice than they did before we met. I hope that’s what people remember most about my work.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Partnerships, without question. Whether it’s collaborating with industry peers to promote a program or my podcast, or partnering with conferences and organizations to deliver keynotes and workshops, getting in front of aligned audiences has been the biggest driver of growth, by far.

I’ve found that the most effective marketing isn’t saying the same thing louder. It’s building genuine relationships where everyone involved creates value for the same community, and where I get to show them who I am. When there is alignment, somethign magical just clicks.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rootedresults.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbemusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbemusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbemusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/cbemusic

Image Credits

Angelique Hanesworth (on piano shot)