From Burnout to Musical Breakthrough:

Why I Created a Coaching Program to Help Busy Women Rediscover Their Passion for Violin.

 Marlene Cruz Lozano - Music Consultant - Violinist

Today - 4 min read

Hi, my name is Marlene and I’m a professional violinist, teacher, and coach. I specialize in helping busy women rediscover their passion for violin and overcome imposter syndrome to become confident in their musical abilities.

I’ve been on a personal quest to become a violinist most of my life. I started dreaming of playing violin at just seven years old growing up in Mexico. However, I wasn’t able to begin my journey until I was 19 (considered too old to learn in many circles). Looking back, it is wild to think that although I didn’t start formally training until adulthood, I was able to graduate with an Honors Music degree with violin as my main instrument and go on to become a successful teacher and performer.  

You would not believe me if I told you all the obstacles I had to overcome to get where I am today - the cultural barriers, the lack of support from people around me, the extra hours and years of conscious practice to catch up to my peers, and the bureaucracy I found along the way. I had to change universities and even countries just to pursue violin as a career because of my age. The damage these years of stress caused was unbelievable…and then came motherhood.

I nearly gave up playing violin when I became a mom. Somewhere in my subconscious, there was an unspoken deadline. I believed that if I hadn’t done everything I set out to do before becoming a mother, I’d lost the game. It took abandoning my instrument for nearly six years (after I fought so hard to play it in the first place) to overcome the impostor syndrome that had set deep within me. 

What helped change my mindset ironically was burnout. Those six years without violin were filled with an unfulfilling job and the loss of my physical and mental health. While a dream job on the surface, my day job became a way of avoiding the music career I truly wanted. My well-being suffered. I was so overweight that I couldn’t handle a 10-minute walk or focus long enough to finish a simple task. I couldn’t take care of myself or my family - much less think of picking up my violin. I was out of shape, out of the music scene, and I thought I was out of options. 

But when you are at your lowest, there’s nowhere else to look but up. I had to start recovering my health in order to be available to the people I loved. I decided I could commit to short 4-minute HIIT workouts to get back in shape, and I gave myself permission to not do more. This simple mindset shift changed my life. I lost 26 lbs (12 kilos) by just exercising consistently for short bursts of time. I was shocked!  I was back to my ideal weight, and my energy and ability to focus came back, too.  

Then I thought, “why couldn’t I start my own HIIT-style practice for violin?” I needed something that was not overwhelming to motivate me to play and transition back into being a full-time musician. I had the knowledge, and I had beaten the odds before! I knew I could do it again.

What a life-changing decision! I found myself once again! Thinking back I had been avoiding violin because I had no idea where to start after such a long break. It made me wonder how many other women are living what I went through…the sadness and fear… the blocked mindset… the inner voice that says you aren’t good enough. What if I could inspire other women who have lost their way to busy, unfulfilling jobs and forgotten music degrees?  

I took a chance and invited my immediate social circle to what I called the Violin Bootcamp - based on the principles of HIIT. People in my own personal Facebook network actually took me up on it. Women I didn’t know or forgot played violin wanted in! The Bootcamp was a total success and has allowed me to expand my business into a coaching program for a constantly growing group of women who find joy and fulfillment in rediscovering the violin together and motivating each other to achieve their goals.

What if I told you that you can get your joy back, too? What would it mean to you to unearth both your violin and your spark for playing or even restart your violin career?

If you are looking for a sign to stop putting the violin off, this is it. I help busy women like you rediscover their passion for violin and set achievable goals to make their dreams a reality. 

Let me hear your story. Take the first step and book a complimentary transformation session with me here or click below.