Let Doubt In: Alex Pride's Secrets to a Winning Audition
1 hr 1 min
S3E8 I talk with trumpet player Alex Pride about auditioning for the Cincinnati Symphony chair his father once held—and the pressure of trying to win a job he was already doing on a temporary basis. We explore the work that helped him feel he had already won before the committee offered him the position. We talk about making room for doubt instead of fighting it, developing an inner coach alongside an inner critic, and treating practice mistakes as data rather than a verdict on who we are. Alex shares how rest, meditation and a life beyond the trumpet changed his preparation, and how recordings, a metronome and a tuner helped him ground confidence in evidence. We also revisit the perspective Alex took from my conversation with Lauren Roth in season one, episode seven. I cannot guarantee an audition result, but we can work on how we speak to ourselves, prepare and care for our lives along the way. If you would like to explore working with me or find the free wellbeing resource, visit mindfulopus.com For students, explore StudentOpus at mindfulopus.com/studentopus Come find me on IG and say hello! @mindfulopus Thank you for being here… Jo Timestamps: 00:00 – Opening 00:47 – Meet Alex Pride 03:29 – Conversation begins 08:00 – Audition experiences 16:56 – Inner critic and inner coach 21:44 – Practicing with self-compassion 28:07 – Wellbeing and practice 39:14 – Letting doubt into the room 42:16 – Audition day 48:28 – Life after the audition 51:50 – Confidence and practice recordings 56:34 – Rapid-fire questions
