We were lucky to catch up with Michael Gazzo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Michael, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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 think taking risks has been, for better or for worse, a staple in my life. Growing up, I always admired those who went against the grain but had difficulty finding what that meant for me. I had an internal battle of trying to fit in and be likable, while following my own compass. As the years went on, it became clearer and clearer that I was not able to make some of the safer choices a lot of my peers were able to make about money, relationships, career and generally life. The first big risk I took was moving across the country to pursue a career in music. It felt magical to make that decision even though I wouldn’t say I was financially or mentally ready to move from NJ to CA. Regardless, it pushed me in so many different ways that it was ultimately a huge decision for me looking back. LA incubated my creativity but at the cost of my sanity. I found myself partying every single week, always an excuse to “celebrate” when in reality I was running away from myself. Finally, years and years of struggling internally led me on my first ever silent meditation retreat. I knew I needed to do something most others would consider insane to figure myself out. I would say that it half worked out. While I had this incredibly deep experience internally, I struggled to integrate and change much of my outer world, continuously slipping into old patterns and habits. Then when the world slowed down in 2020, I got the calling to fly down to Peru to work with the sacred plant medicine Ayahuasca with the Shipibo-Conibo. This risk ultimately defined the biggest shift in my life, as two years of meditation retreats finally came together. I changed everything in my day to day life like what I ate, what I consumed (media wise), how I spoke and how I ultimately viewed the world. It was a big risk heading to Peru alone, to explore the inner world with a medicine I had never worked with before. I have to say though, the courage to face my struggles paid off. Within a year, I got certified in Breathwork & Theta Healing and opened a relationship with the plants, akashic records and eventually one on one coaching. These series of risks defined the path I would walk and ultimately, even though challenging at times, would lead me back home to myself. Now if I’m in a breathwork session or a music session, I’m guiding an individual to a deeper sense of self and helping them move through whatever it is that is in their way of true peace, happiness and harmony. These risks were not easy, as each of them came with sets of challenges and tests along the way. Every which way you may grow inside or come to realize an inner spacious gets inevitably tested in the outside world. My perspective is this “test” is a way to deepen the learning and realizations in a very real way. Without welcoming in more struggle or suffering than is needed, I do see these challenges as opportunities to grow and evolve to better serve this world.

Michael, 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?

The desire to create and perform music started at an early age for me. I was always fascinated with the process of creating something you could listen back to and feel something for. I think that the realization that its not only the creative process that inspires me, but the people I would collaborate with was a big ding ding for me as I begin to pull away from the industry a bit a few years ago. I realized that what I really love is dropping in with people in where they are right now. “What edge are you rubbing up against in this moment?” And through some digging in, creating something from that tender, vulnerable place. It’s essentially the same thing that called me into coaching and any service to others. I always see the best versions of people and want to help them grow into that version of themselves without overly pushing them into edges they aren’t “ready” to face. So the art of holding space was something I learned through many places in life, including studio sessions with artists, songwriters and producers.

I think ultimately when I describe what I do from a bird’s eye view, it’s guiding people toward a more peaceful and inspiring life. My coaching program focuses on helping individuals find a sense of “flow” and arming them with tools to navigate those spaces within the walls of their waking life. Things come up, challenging things, and empowering someone to know they have everything they need within themselves is part of the mission. As a music producer, I do the same with artists and writers. My work involves offering artists and writers these incubative, immersive containers where we dive into the personal challenges arising in their life, dig in to find the roots of those struggles, heal/feel/transmute what’s there and then use the clarity to channel some authentic music.

I also co-host a lot of events with my beautiful wife Aileen. We have a company called Unearthed with a range of amazing healers, creatives, and alchemists. Our events range from Breathwork Workshops to Medicine Immersions.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

I believe as both a creative and a facilitator, it is super important for an individual to continue to do their deep work. They should always be in the process of pushing into edges, moving into uncomfortable and unknown spaces to ultimately be able to navigate others through the same process of transformation. How can you guide another to work through something you haven’t started to? I don’t believe knowledge or training alone will be enough to truly guide others to a better space. You have to be a risk taker and really go into your inner world with courage, surrender and intention.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think in both the music industry and the wellness space, I’ve built my reputation by just being as kind as I can and as open as I can. I never had a hard time working hard for something, but honestly, I think it’s been my willingness to be myself and judge myself less in the process. I think a lot of people try to figure out who they are while building a career and a family. I have felt outside myself plenty of times and this path has shown me that allowing parts of you to die is a magical alchemy. But at the same time, I think the most important quality through all the transformation was never losing my sense of self based in the virtues I wanted to cultivate or the personality qualities that I knew were good in my life. One of those is never losing a sense of play! I love joking around with clients in both industries and using Joy and Levity to help cut through some of the more serious, dense energy that comes through when we work together.

Contact Info:

• Website: unearthed.la
• Instagram: @allthingsgazzo
• Facebook: @gazzo
• Twitter: @gazzo