Lili chats with Tim Russell and Jenna Pastuszek, co-founders of Innovative Voice Studio. They discuss the best ways to find a business partner for your parallel career, and how they've managed to continuously innovate for their clients throughout the pandemic.
Innovative Voice Studio's website
IVS on Instagram: @innovativevoice
Gretchen Rubin Four Tendencies Quiz
The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
TDQ’s Website
Instagram: @thedreadedquestion
Lili’s instagram: @lili_torre
Email: thedreadedquestionpodcast@gmail.com
TDQ IVS: Tim Russell and Jenna Pastuszek
[00:00:00] Lili Torre: Hello, and welcome back to The Dreaded Question podcast. I'm your host, Lili Torre, and this week we have a special episode with an amazing duo Tim Russell and Jenna Pastuszek of Innovative Voice Studio.
I realized that in all of TDQ history, I had never featured two people from a business partnership before, and I immediately knew that Tim and Jenna would be the perfect people to break that streak.
Jenna P shared her story with us in season one and was a guest on an episode of the BASE mini series last year, both of which I'll link in the show notes. And while she spoke about Tim on her episode of TDQ, I wanted to hear from both of them on how they make their amazing partnership work, in case any of you were thinking about starting a parallel career with a partner.
One of the things I admire most about Innovative Voice Studio, is that they live up to their name. The programming they offer is truly innovative, especially since COVID hit. Their newest program, The Daily Warmup just launched on February 1st, and there's still time to hop in. If you've got [00:01:00] 15 minutes, you've got time.
The IVS Artist Expansion Fund, their program for BIPOC artists in collaboration with Shavanna Calder of Arts in Color, is now accepting applications for the spring edition. The application closes February 14th. And the spring session of their BADassery program begins March 1st, registration opens February 8th. You'll definitely hear more about these amazing programs in today's episode. So make sure to check them out.
So without further ado, let's find out what Innovative Voice Studio is up to.
So Tim Russell and Jenna Pastuszek, what are you up to?
Tim Russell: Following creative sparks whenever we can find them. Clinging onto them desperately for dear life when we see them.
Jenna and I are also mapping out the next year. We've been doing some program planning and giving ourselves full permission to also coast into the new year because 2020 has been an absolute doozy.
And as we were prepping for the [00:02:00] podcast, we were looking at our calendars and going, Holy crap, we did a lot of things.
Lili Torre: You really did!
Tim Russell: How interesting to put a lens over all these months and go, "Okay. There were a lot of things, a lot of boxes that we checked. So what would it feel like to give ourselves some time off as we coast into the holiday?"
So it's, it's been a hybrid combo platter of working, and also breathing and giving ourselves a little bit of space to push the reset button as we welcome a new year.
Lili Torre: Yes.
Jenna Pastuszek: So well put Tim.
Lili Torre: I really love that. So what does your reflection process look like?
Jenna Pastuszek: Well, it's kind of funny. I mean, we have been... we founded Innovative Voice Studio unofficially, probably in like 2014 or 2015 is really when Tim and I joined forces, and the way that that came about is actually kind of interesting.
We both went to NYU Steinhardt and very quickly in our class of about 18 people, [00:03:00] it was clear that there were some people who were there and they just wanted to teach after graduation. And then there were other people who were there and they just wanted to perform after graduation. And then there were a few of us in the middle who were like, I want to do both.
And so as I always say, one day I found Tim lurking around a corner - hiding, hiding in a corner of the practice rooms, eating Cheez-Its. And I was like, what are you doing? And he was like, " I just like, I just need a minute." And I was like, "that's my business partner." I know it.
I just felt, I felt that. So, so then after we graduated, you know, people started booking work and then people started their own private studios. And pretty quickly, Tim and I were like, "Hey, listen, you're working. You're teaching. I just booked a contract and I'm going to be out of town for three months. Can I refer all my clients over to you while I'm out of town? You speak a similar language, you have a funny sense of humor like me. I feel like people will like you and you'll teach them something. Like, let me know if that's cool."
[00:04:00] And so we just started doing that to each other, bouncing back and forth, and then the summer of 2016, we were finally, like, I think that this is like a little bit more official then it was originally. So should we come up with a name and like make a website and like be a business?
Tim Russell: Jenna, I felt that too. I remember actually, as you're saying this, a specific contract... I was doing a contract, we were doing like eight shows a week and then literally the show ended, and the next thing I knew, I was like serving cocktail wieners at a bar mitzvah.
Lili Torre: Yes.
Tim Russell: And I was like, I cannot continue. And I called Jenna P and I was like, "Can we please invest in our parallel careers?"
Lili Torre: Yes
Tim Russell: That's how it began.
Jenna Pastuszek: I mean, I, to answer your original question, like it's, it's funny in, in looking back at life since March 12th, 2020, you know, when Broadway shut down. The amount of pivoting and content and creative stuff that we have created for the studio has exploded [00:05:00] over the past nine months. And so in some ways it's been...
I mean, it's been definitely like the hardest nine months of all of our lives. And then also as small business owners throughout this... because, we've wanted to create content that was worth it for our clients to invest in and, also felt generous and supportive while also feeling sometimes fun and then sometimes challenging for the sake of diving into your craft and focusing on that instead of focusing on the world events and then ... you know, so it's been, it's been really hard to keep us afloat and then also it's been hard in terms of like, so many different, exciting ideas and spaghetti balls that we've thrown against the wall that now we're kind of like, okay, let's take a breath.
And then let's examine which of those spaghetti balls is still sticking on the wall or which one we could actually like press onto the wall a little harder. And then like, what other things do we want to throw at the wall in [00:06:00] 2021 and see what happens?
Lili Torre: Yes. What you're talking about right now is literally the reason I wanted to have you back on TDQ and to bring Tim on to TDQ for the first time, because I was just thinking about how, you know, your studio is called Innovative Voice Studio. And I was thinking about how y'all have really lived up to that name this year.
Like the new programming and content that I've seen you develop over the course of the year is truly astounding and so different from what other people are doing. And so, first of all, I would love to hear a little bit about some of the programming and new things that you created this year. And I would love to hear about how you came up with them
Tim Russell: Well, I think the market obviously changed. As we moved into a new sort of world, we had to look at what was our market then? Who was it then? And who is it now? And the key difference, obviously for us was going from [00:07:00] one-on-one in a small vocal studio to an online global market, which felt so daunting at first.
And so we, we kind of asked ourselves, what are our client goals? Selling the old thing doesn't really exist anymore. So now it's about adaptability.
Jenna Pastuszek: And I think like what, what Tim specifically is talking about is that a lot of, a lot of the work we were doing before March was audition and call back centered. And New York centered truly. So people would come into the studio, yes, with the general interest in learning to sing. And then also with a specific need in mind, like I have a callback tomorrow, so I need to work on this material now, kind of thing.
And so even when we created the BADassery, which we started in fall 2019. A lot of that was audition oriented and industry specific to how things worked in New York. And suddenly when we were continuing to figure out programming to [00:08:00] offer after March with no auditions, no callbacks, no, no real vocal needs other than everyone should continue to sing because singing brings you joy and makes you happy, and it's helpful to express yourself.
So we had to figure out, okay, great, how can we keep clients coming in and keep them motivated to show up for themselves now that there's no outer need to show up?
Tim Russell: And it turns out what they wanted was less perform-y things and more community. A safe Haven to just be and to flex artistry and to just grow and to nurture and cultivate the things that they're working on with other people who have like-minded values. And so we kept going with the BADassery.
So the BADassery, like Jenna mentioned earlier was the... our sort of like, I guess flagship program that we kicked off last year, fall 2019. And then when the pandemic hit in the spring, we were doing it [00:09:00] all in person, and then we all had to move it to this online medium, which was crazy because we never had done like exclusive workshops online before.
And so we were a little worried about, are we going to get the same sense of community through a screen? How are we going to be humans in a box when we're all in separate places? And that was a little scary to us, but we luckily found out that it worked really, really well. And so we're probably going to keep it going even when everything gets back to normal.
Jenna Pastuszek: Yeah. We actually found out that it worked even better than it had in person. Like our, we had a fall semester of the BADassery and a spring semester and friendships were formed and it was a really nice community. But when we had our summer session, it exploded, it magnified.
Like truly the, Zoom actually created the conditions for people to really come together as a collective and work together. And, and we were so excited to see our artists really embracing something that [00:10:00] is a pillar of the studio, which is choosing collaboration over competition. So it's been, it's been truly beautiful to watch them lift each other up and support each other through everything that has been happening over the past six months, especially .
And I think another thing that Tim and I have thought about over the years and, and have struggled with is that you know, we are both performers and teachers. And so what I actually think has really been innovative about the programming that we've been offering over the past nine months is that we are, we are in the trenches right there with all of our clients, you know, where we lost just as many performing gigs as they did.
And we used to be afraid to wear that proudly on our sleeves. To say, yes, I'm a performer. Yes. I'm truly a teaching artist, right. I'm a teacher and I'm an artist. And now I actually think that's one of our biggest assets as the studio and what sets us apart because we have that on the ground experience at the same time as our clients. So we are [00:11:00] able to create these webinars and create community calls and create the workshops that we're basically like, what would I, what would I want to take right now? Let's create that, let's do that.
Lili Torre: Yeah, I mean, it's so smart and I mean, it kind of goes back to what you were saying about when you two met in school, that you were kind of the only... Some of the only people that you felt like were truly had a foot in both camps and really we're going for performing and for teaching.
And you know, I think that's a hesitation that a lot of people with parallel careers or multi hyphenates feel is this idea of like, "If I am too vocal about the other things that I do, that people won't take me seriously in this other category."
So like, if I'm too vocal about being a performer, they might not take me as seriously as an actual voice teacher. And so I love that y'all have shifted that narrative to make it more about how that is an asset for you. How that's [00:12:00] one of the things that makes you unique and innovative and you know, able to better understand the struggles of your clients.
And yeah, I think that's exactly why your studio has continued to have such success during this time, including the BADassery. And I'm curious if you can like put a finger on what specifically made the BADassery so much more successful over the summer virtually.
Jenna Pastuszek: There are a few factors. One of our favorite things that we added to the summer and that the summer actually provided us the opportunity...
You know, originally when Tim and I had, when we had dreamscaped and created the BADassery, we had originally said, okay, we'll do a fall 2019, a spring 2020. And then we'll take, we'll take some time off this summer in the summer. Maybe we'll do a 30 day sprint or something, but otherwise, Tim was going to get married, I was going to go to Italy for a wedding. Like we were like, let's take a vacation...
Tim Russell: I was going to be in Hawaii on [00:13:00] the beach drinking a Mai Tai. We had it all planned out
Lili Torre: How'd that go for ya?
Tim Russell: It went really well...
Jenna Pastuszek: So then in May, we kind of looked at each other and we're like, I feel like we can't do that. So we literally, we actually can't leave the country. So that's off the table.
So we were like, maybe we should try to run a summer thing. And actually, what about if we create a subsect of the BADassery called the BADassery Bridge, and we invite current college students and/or the class of 2020 to come and be part of the BADassery as kind of like a bridge program, connecting them from, from college into the professional world.
And I feel like that had an awesome result, in terms of the community aspect of the BADassery, because now all of a sudden we had... We had six college kids. So we had 24 professional people from, from all over the country and actually all over the world. From the Czech [00:14:00] Republic, all the way to Oregon, down to Houston, we had people all over. And they really centered themselves around supporting these college students and, and kind of, you know, telling the students that it was okay, there was going to be a light, a light at the end of the tunnel. And really enforcing that idea that growth happens continuously through your life. You're never done learning and you're never a finished product. So let's all get in the proverbial Zoom sandbox and get messy and see what happens.
Tim Russell: It was really fun. It became like a vocal sorority in a way. There were so many big sister, little sister partnerships that were created through this online experience. And we loved seeing it. It was so, so fun for us.
But I think there's something else too, Jenna, that like, we maybe didn't talk about yet, which I'm realizing right now is that... our identity as teachers almost changed a lot more this year than it ever had, because we sort of went from voice teachers to something else this year.
[00:15:00] I think it started last year, but this year was magnified because it had to be, if we only taught voice, our business would have drowned. I think. So we had to serve our artists beyond just the voice. And the way we did that was by helping them fill their creative wells and, you know, inspiring growth and curiosity and empowering them beyond just lip trills and all that crap.
So that was a part of it. It's, you know, it's the cornerstone of the studio, but it had to go beyond just building like a beautiful belt voice so that we could help them understand the biz, help them choose material that made them shine and help them find their special sauce.
Lili Torre: So what else do you think you became, if you had to put like a name to it?
Jenna Pastuszek: I think that there are really three, three hats that we wear as the founders of IVS, which are: we are voice teachers, at times we are vocal coaches, and I [00:16:00] think the third part that Tim was just getting at is we are mentors. And so we were able to really help guide people through this.
I have said many times during this pandemic, everyone is looking for a beacon. A somebody who's an example of like, well, if they got through it, we can do it. And there is none because none of us have ever lived through this. And so at that point, since we had no one else to really look toward, Tim and I could say, listen, we can't look toward anything, but we can take your hands and we can all walk together. We can all walk forward together.
And so I feel like that's really where we, we found ourselves living mostly in the mentorship category that we hadn't, we hadn't fully embraced until this past year, which is I'm glad you, you made that connection, Tim.
Lili Torre: Yeah. That's such a beautiful image too, and I think you're absolutely right that people were just looking for someone who was willing to stand up and say, "I don't know where we're [00:17:00] going either, but like, let's go this way." Like, And I, I think that truly the people who were leading those charges are the ones who I reflect back on as being true leaders in this time.
And I feel like maybe that's what I've been picking up on from you guys. Is this... what I've been saying has been innovation and innovative and maybe that's maybe that's what you would call it as well, but it's really just this willingness to, to try something and to not necessarily be like, this is the way like, let's do this, but more so to be like, this is a way, and this is something that. Can potentially help you.
Like, I think of your... Jenna P you know this, I'm obsessed with the Let's Get Physical course that you, that you ran. I think it's such a unique and creative and [00:18:00] innovative idea, and really speaks to the different goals that people might, may or may not be setting during this time and the ways that they want to improve themselves.
And I just love that you held space for people to do that in whatever way felt right for them.
Jenna Pastuszek: Well it's back in March!
Lili Torre: Well tell everybody what it is so we can all be obsessed with it.
Tim Russell: I think that what's fun about that is that it's, finds the intersection of what we love to do, which is mind, body, and voice. And so the idea behind Let's Get Physical is that within each two hour workshop, we would bring in a guest who specializes in their movement fanciness, whether it be yoga or Pilates, and they would lead 60 minutes in their craft, only body related, no singing. And then Jenna and I would come in and we would work as a trio to intersect the voice into the physical [00:19:00] work that had been done previously.
And so it was kind of cool. It was like, let's get the body juiced up. Let's get the body warm. Let's find your pelvic floor through this weird Gyrotonic move. And see how your voice shows up afterwards and each week would be a different theme.
So when we did it in September, we did five separate weeks. We did yoga. We did basically like a weight training. We did a Pilates. We did Gyrotonic, and we did meditation. And so each week highlighted one of those different themes. And then basically it's collecting data from the singing perspective. It's going, where does my voice show up freely, most powerfully and most authentically in relationship to whatever theme is happening that week.
Jenna Pastuszek: And what's really cool is that all of the... All of our collaborators have a performance background, so they understand their medium through the lens of a performer and can speak about why it would be important for a singer to know how to do yoga. And how it might affect you if you learn to meditate.
And so, [00:20:00] again, going back to that, embracing collaboration over competition. We invite all of these collaborators, many of whom we we've never even worked with, we don't know socially. A few of them are our friends and then other people, we it's been a great opportunity for us to reach out to people also again, around the world.
We have a Pilates instructor who we're hoping to work with in March, who is in Mexico City. And so it's just a really cool opportunity to say, "Hey, you know something, I know something, no one has all the answers, but like let's, let's join in together. And I bet we'll... as that trio, we'll be able to help other people better express themselves by using their body and their voice."
Lili Torre: Yes. I mean, obviously that's one of the things that I really love about it is that, you know, you're giving artists with parallel careers and opportunity to get involved and be... you know, practice their craft, like do whatever their parallel career is, whatever form of fitness that is, but [00:21:00] also giving them an opportunity to sort of marry that with their artistry and deepen some of those connections.
And I think, you know, the ways that physical exercise relate to singing is something that's sort of talked about a lot or like noodled on a lot, especially in the before COVID times, like I've heard a lot of people talk about it.
I've heard voice teachers talk about like, especially with things like lifting weights, like you have to be careful, you can be doing damage to your voice. You can be, you know, if you're practicing poor form and poor technique, you can be strengthening muscles that aren't going to help you when you're trying to sing.
But there, to my knowledge, hasn't really been a lot of space held for actively participating in correcting those issues so that people can utilize the benefits of exercise to their advantage when singing, and I just love that you took the opportunity to open that door for people.
Jenna Pastuszek: Well, thanks, Lili. Yeah, it's been... Tim and [00:22:00] I are, you know, if, if I didn't find him eating Cheez-Its in the corner, I probably ran into him at the gym. So we, we love to think about marrying the two and, and often have found ourselves, you know, in the gym, on a run, doing something. And then coming back to each other and saying, Hey, listen, I was doing this workout. And I was thinking about like, if this affects my traps or like, actually like, if this is good for my intercostals and like all kinds of nerdy voice stuff. And so we were like, if we have these questions, then I bet other people have these questions too.
And then I think about one of my clients who actually inspired the workshop. I saw her back in June. And we were talking about how belting comes from the back. And I was talking about incorporating and using your larger muscle groups to support the smaller muscle groups. And she was like, well, what can I do to get better at belting?
And I was like, well, you know, you could start a Pilates practice or start incorporating yoga, strength [00:23:00] training. And she was like, hold up... If I work out, that's actually going to make me a better singer? And I was like, yes!
And so there's also that, that route too, where even if you don't have a physical practice, because it feels sort of unmotivating. What about if you knew that it would actually be a positive benefit for you vocally, you might try to figure out what is the best school of physicality for me so that I can get a vocal workout in at the same time?
Lili Torre: Right. You're double-dipping
Jenna Pastuszek: It's a twofer! I'm obsessed with twofers.
Tim Russell: Like good life habits create good stage habits. So you can think about your voice in context of exercise. You're basically like telling your brain, this is what I want to do on stage too.
And if you think about it, singing is movement, you know, like you're sending air through your vocal folds and they vibrate and then like sound waves enter into the air. That's all about movement. So it's built on speed and stamina and strength and skill in those ways.
And so [00:24:00] you don't need to be in a voice lesson to develop good singing habits. You can do it when you're walking on the sidewalk, by working on your breathing, you don't have to even sing a thing. You can do it when you're in the gym doing tricep pull-downs making sure your form is good and keeping an open throat and all that jazz, you know?
Lili Torre: Right. Well, again, that's the other thing is like knowing the appropriate techniques so that it is actually strengthening your singing technique, not harming it or, you know, making it more difficult.
And that's what I love about bringing in artists with parallel careers in fitness, because they have a deeper understanding of, you know, if I go to a personal trainer, who's not an artist, and I'm like, Hey, I want to learn how to, you know, do a workout without damaging my singing technique, they're gonna stare at me blankly. But an artist is going to understand, you know, more or less, hopefully what I'm talking about.
And I think that's it's just so smart! It's such a great idea!
Jenna Pastuszek: Well, Tim and I really value growth. [00:25:00] And so anytime we have an opportunity to learn from people who know more about something than we do, we're like, please, please come into the studio because not only are you going to teach our clients something awesome, but also we are going to learn something cool too.
Tim Russell: Jenna and I will forever be in the vocal laboratory trying to solve the mystery of the singing voice.
Lili Torre: Yes, a very, very worthy mission and a great segue into something I've been really excited to talk to you all about today. You know, you're actually the first partnership that I've brought on TDQ... Yeah! Collaboration! We love it!
Most of, or really all of my guests have been people who have started a parallel career, you know, somewhat on their own. And I got thinking about how there are probably listeners out there who know that they don't want to start a business entirely on their own and would love a partner.
And one of my favorite partnerships of all [00:26:00] time is this duo right in front of me right now. So I would love to know some ways that you feel that you have set yourselves up for success when it comes to your collaboration as business partners.
Tim Russell: Well right out of the gates, I think there's a lot of yin and yang happening with Jenna and I where there's right and left brains. For example. I really hate washing the dishes, but I'm totally down to vacuum. Like I actually really enjoy vacuuming.
So Jenna and I are really clear about that. It's like, I'm going to vacuum, I'm going to do the books. And Jenna is going to like spearhead the social media stuff. Jenna is going to do the dishes. Cause I don't really want to do that, but I am more than happy to make some spreadsheets. Like, that's just an example of like healthy delegation.
So we've always kept that at the forefront of our conversations and just being clear with each other about, "I think you're better at this thing than me. So why don't we pleasantly like push ourselves to go down those avenues where we excel."
Lili Torre: Yes.
Jenna Pastuszek: I mean, we have, we firmly believe and practice "yes, [00:27:00] and-ing" each other. So we have just, we just have an open space where we'll say, "Hey, Hey partner, I got an idea." And then the other person's like, okay... and then they present the idea. And even if it's the worst idea that they've ever come up with, you can kind of always watch the other partner, like register, like interesting... Okay. All right. So we can do that if we do this. Or yes, that's a great idea, and what if it's like this instead?
So, so there's a definite positivity that we've embraced and, you know, I mean also the fact that we truly, truly respect each other and we respect each other, not only as voice teachers and collaborators, but also as artists and also as people like, we love each other.
So we're like, "Hey, if a life thing comes up and like, you have to take some time off or you can't handle [00:28:00] this thing, like, don't worry, dude, I got your back. Like, it's fine." And that's just how we are.
And you know, we were also laughing about this on Friday because we have, we it's like, we both feel like the younger sibling in the relationship. So we're both like, "Oh yeah, well you can do that. Like, look what I can do!"
Tim Russell: Yeah, anything you can do, I can do better. There's a healthy competition, but it, it drives us to be better learners, lifelong learners, and better collaborators. You know, sometimes I see Jenna doing 14 million things and I'm like, "Oh my God, I need to be doing something else. I'm gonna sign up for this class. Great."
Jenna Pastuszek: And then, I see Tim reading like 312 books and knowing everything about every muscle in the body. And I'm like, "Hmm, I should probably learn something."
Tim Russell: There's mutual pushing on each other though, which is really at the end of the day, it's healthy and it makes us better at what we do.
Lili Torre: Yeah. And I think it shows each other, like by pushing each other, you're telling the other person that you [00:29:00] believe that they are capable. I was gonna say capable of more, which I think sounds kind of insulting, but like that they have limitless potential where they can continue to grow and you, and you see that potential in them. And I think that's a vote of confidence.
Jenna Pastuszek: We are are (sings) unlimited, right?
Tim Russell: I gotta go. Get me outta here.
Lili Torre: This was fun. See you later. No, I'll take any opportunity to hear Jenna P sing.
Jenna Pastuszek: Whatever.
Lili Torre: Well, I feel like if I had to boil down what you just talked about into like four steps. What I heard was that the keys to a successful partnership are: 1. Finding the right partner who fills your gaps. So who's good at the things that you're not good at, who likes the things that you don't necessarily.
Number 2: "Yes, and" your partner, no matter what. So even if you think something sounds crazy, go with the [00:30:00] flow, go with them, see where it can take you guys and trust that they're trying to do something to help the partnership.
Three was respect, which I think directly correlates from number two. And four is either like a sense of healthy competition or learning from each other or inspiring each other to keep growing and evolving.
And I think that that is just, it's such a great sort of four step checklist. I feel like for me personally, when I reflect on previous partnerships that I've had that have failed, I think for me, it probably mostly boils down to number one, actually, finding the right partner who fills my gaps.
Because I think there can be a tendency to want to find someone who's really, really similar to you because you feel like you're going to get each other, you're going to jive, you're going to, you know, understand each other well, but like you said, there has to be this kind of [00:31:00] yin and yang. And you know, if you both hate doing the dishes, like they're just going to pile up 10 stories high and you're not going to have anything to eat off of. So but your carpets will be extraordinarily clean.
Tim Russell: I think too, there might be one more, which is that there is a mutual acknowledgement on both of our parts that we don't know everything. We are lifelong students and we are always trying to one up our knowledge and our technical know-how and savviness so that we can be better teachers. And we are fully on the train of mutually student and mutually teacher.
Jenna Pastuszek: Yeah. And actually it's funny, my fifth one is very similar to that. It's it's honesty. And so honestly embracing what you know and what you don't, like Tim just said, being a lifelong learner and openly communicating that with each other, you know.
It's really funny we had... after the summer [00:32:00] BADassery, before we went to start the fall, Tim was like, "Hey I think we should do, you know, it's been a year since we did the BADassery, we just did this whole new brand relaunch website relaunch, members space portal for our client relaunch, all of this stuff. I think we should have like a a meeting and just talk about like, maybe get some feedback from each other."
And I was like, Oh my God, a feedback meeting. Like he hates me. He wants to quit the group. Like this is over, what are we going to do?
And so... I don't know why, but we both just ended up deflecting that meeting and we kept being like, yeah, yeah, we'll do that another time. Or like another thing came up and we, we did that instead. And so finally, I think two weeks ago I was like, Hey, we never had that feed feedback meeting that you wanted to have. Do you want to do that now?
Tim Russell: I was like, no, we're not going to have it. That ship has long sailed.
Jenna Pastuszek: It's like I watched his face fall and he's like, Oh my God, you hate me. You want to quit the group? And I'm like, I thought you felt that way! Like, this is so funny.
[00:33:00] And we were both just like, no, I think that it that's where we really hashed out like the dishes and the vacuuming. And we were both like, you excel in so many areas that I don't and vice versa. And that's why this works. And the more that we just keep talking about, like... you know, if, if there was resentment that ever came up, then we would just talk about it. We would just say like, Hey, I feel like I'm carrying the weight here. Can you pitch in? And then the other person would be like a hundred percent. I got you.
Lili Torre: Yeah. I mean, it sounds a lot like a marriage or, you know, like any other relationship it's like, yeah. You just have to talk about the hard things and be open and honest with each other. But I think, you know, I think it really is true. I do think that the most successful partnerships in general, but like even business partnerships have that, have that level of vulnerability and openness and honesty.
Jenna Pastuszek: Except, Tim is like my brother, so I don't want to marry him
Lili Torre: Other than [00:34:00] that ... no, I love that. I, I definitely think that you are both very aware of what, what makes you great partners. And I'm curious what that looks like for. Coming up with new ideas. Like, do you have a process through which you like, do you have a timeline of your like, okay, so at once a month that we're going to do this and then we can launch something new every fall or whatever it is, or do you just kind of take inspiration as it comes?
Jenna Pastuszek: I wish we were that organized ...
Tim Russell: No, we plan dreamscapes. We have quarterly dreamscapes on the calendar where, where we put our heads together, which are exclusively creative moments. There's nothing admin-y about it. And we're really intentional about making dreamscapes only about just idea-churning.
And so at the end of every BADassery program, we like put our heads together and have a dreamscape and we ask ourselves what went well, what didn't go well... we know we're doing this thing again, but how can we tweak it? To keep the magic, but also like level up a little bit more.
Jenna Pastuszek: There's also [00:35:00] in, in 2021, we have now intentionally put some administrative quote unquote white space on our calendars, where we have these admin days where we can turn that into a dreamscape, or we can turn that into, you know a more ... Like a to-do list, checklist kind of day, because we ultimately felt like we were coming into our teaching days sometimes a little bit drained because we were trying to do all of that at the same time.
And so now we're like, maybe we should compartmentalize that a little bit and then give us that room, give us that breathing space to see where we can improve or see new ideas or see where we want to stick to what's happening a little bit clearer.
And the other thing we've done this year is we've expanded our team. We've hired an equity and diversity consultant named Shavanna Calder of Arts In Color. And she has been really, really great to work with because she's helped us implement some great [00:36:00] programming that we're really, really proud of. And also have, like, we just started in the fall, we started the Artist Expansion Fund, which is a program intentionally designed to support BIPOC artists and invite them into the studio for one-on-one voice lessons and to participate in our workshops and programs like the BADassery, as well as connect our BIPOC artists with other BIPOC industry changemakers and facilitate that connection and support that growth.
And so as we've been working with Shavanna, we're also looking ahead to 2021 and saying, great, we love this program. We're opening up another round of applications in February for new people to join the studio, and what else and what else can we be doing with that? Can we create a workshop series that has cultural approaches to singing? Or can we invite more BIPOC collaborators into the studio to teach webinars and workshops?
[00:37:00] And how else can we expand our mission that way as well? So, so yeah, just, just trying to get, as, I mean, just going back to our, our name, just trying to get innovative with our programming as much as possible. And just, and just always again, lobbing that ball and saying, what if? Like, yes, and we can do that, if we do this, et cetera, et cetera.
Tim Russell: And I think we both know that we thrive under a situation where there's built-in structure. So when we're thinking about developing new ideas and new programming, we both have to keep ourselves accountable.
So as an example, Jenna and I are trying to branch into corporate America. God help us. But one way that we made sure that we could like see that idea through was by taking Jen Waldman and Pete Shepherd's Big Ideas Lab.
And so having that safe Haven and having a community to cultivate the idea and see it through to the end was so, so, so helpful. And when we were developing the BADassery, we're working with our business [00:38:00] mentor as a way to help get it off the ground. So it's, it's very much not just the two of us. We are intentional about surrounding ourselves with people who are geniuses and who can really help us make our dreams come true.
Lili Torre: I love that. You know what you just said, that the collaboration really isn't just between the two of you. I mean, of course, I'm sure it also involves, you know, your students and the people taking your classes. But yeah, that there are other people that you, you bring in to continue to broaden your perspectives and to help you implement things that you feel like are in line with your mission in a way that maybe you hadn't thought of before.
And I think that that is really exciting, both with the EDI work that you've been doing, but also branching out into corporate America. Like you're really stretching the edges of your sandbox. And in order to do that, you're bringing in people who can help look at that in a new way.
And I think that that is I could see that being a pitfall of a partnership of being like, okay, I already have, I have this outside [00:39:00] person. I have this outside eye, so I don't need to necessarily incorporate anyone else into my ideation process. And so I think it's really great that you haven't fallen into that trap.
Tim Russell: But I think that's part of the innovation too. That we, like, we don't know everything. So let's bring our, bring in the ringers who have done this for years and years, who can actually like help hold our hands and like, see it through.
Jenna Pastuszek: And I think the other thing about that is that we bring in coaches, you know, we, every good coach knows that they need a coach too. That's why Tim and I are still in voice lessons ourselves. But also we know that yes, we are going to call upon these incredible people to help us and encourage us and push us in new directions.
And then also Tim and I are going to come back at the end of the day. Just with the two of us and say, okay, great. What about what they said can we do? What inspires you? What, scares you? And like let's lean into those things and make it our own thing.
Cause I think that that's too where a partnership [00:40:00] or, or where anyone can really get lost when they're trying to just do what the coach prescribes, but really that takes out the the ownership that you have to make the decision. And again, like that's another studio pillar, which is you are in the driver's seat of your career van. We are happy to be sitting passenger side, passing you snacks and blasting the jams, but you got to drive the car. So it's very similar to how we work with our coaches and with our, our team.
You know, Shavana is a great part of our team as well as Maggie McNeil, who's our studio assistant. And Maggie comes back to us all the time with... she's like, you guys are, you guys are lovable tech dinosaurs. You're you could do this so much more efficiently and we're like, just fix it, Maggie. We're sorry.
She has so many great ways to, to figure it out and fix it and suggestions. And then, and then at the end of the day, Tim and I, you know, talk and we say, okay, great. What do we want to do? And what can we wait for another day to do? What's going to be best for us, is really what I'm trying to get at.
Lili Torre: If [00:41:00] anyone listening to this right now is thinking of starting a parallel career and they're thinking to themselves, I don't know, like I might need a partner, but I'm not really sure. Do you have any advice for them on how to make a decision like that? What to consider when considering whether or not they might want to bring in a partner to their parallel career?
Jenna Pastuszek: Well, I, I think Tim and I have both found a lot of value in Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies quiz, and I know you have too, Lili. And so, you know, we always make. We have our BADasses do it at the beginning. And then, and then tell us in their first session, what are you so that we know how best to work with them.
And I think that that was really helpful for Tim and I. Tim is...Tim, what are you? You're an upholder, right?
Tim Russell: I am an upholder slash rebel.
Jenna Pastuszek: Okay, great. And I'm an obliger slash rebel. Great. No, one's washing the dishes.
Lili Torre: Not if they don't feel like it.
Jenna Pastuszek: But um, when we had [00:42:00] that monumental meeting in 2014, 2015, 2016, whatever it was to say, Hey, I think we have to make this official. We both said to each other, we were like, I feel like I'm doing, I'm doing fine by myself, but I could be doing so much better with a partner because I could have someone to bounce ideas off of, and have an accountability buddy to work with.
And we actually, we also do that in the BADassery, we pair people up who want one with an accountability buddy. Just so that you have someone that you can check in with and see how it's going. And actually, like, I think originally when we, when we paired up, we hadn't even thought about co-teaching and workshops and programs.
So that wasn't, that wasn't our original intention. We were like, great, we'll just be two independent voice teachers under the same umbrella. And then we realized how awesome it was. And we were like, wait, wait, wait, we should, we should, co-teach way more, that's that's so much more fun.
Tim Russell: Yeah, it turned out we [00:43:00] liked doing that thing more than the original thing to begin with. So instead of passing the baton back and forth, it's like, let's hold this thing together. This is fun too.
But my answer is simple. It's just, I think two minds are better than one, but I think Jenna is right. It does come down to what is your tendency? Like if you are really good at staying accountable to yourself. Maybe you don't need a partner, but if you are comfortable with knowing that your motivation, ebbs and flows, it's really nice to have someone else to step in and be able to like either, either lift you back up or where you can provide that for the other person.
Or those days where you're both just like jazzed and you're ready to go, those those days are the best where you can get on the same bus and just drive down the road and you're able to bounce energy off each other. And that's where really exciting things happen. That's where big ideas happen.
Lili Torre: Yeah. And you know, again, if anyone's listening and decides that they might want a partner for their parallel career. I mean, earlier in this episode, we kind of walked through a couple of steps to [00:44:00] finding the right partner because it's certainly not just going to be anybody. But I think that's all really great advice, you know, I'm sure a partnership isn't for everyone, but it sounds like it's been so successful for the two of you that it's definitely something that should be considered.
Jenna Pastuszek: The moral of the story is if you round a corner and find someone hiding in the corner, eating Cheez-Its it's meant to be.
Tim Russell: That's how it started, but it all comes back to, we don't take ourselves too seriously. We take it serious enough without it being so rigid and held and tense and intense. There is a recognition that humor is really important to both of us. We always say we love to blend the science with the silly and taking the edge off and having Jenna with her sense of humor is like so important to me. I don't think it would work out otherwise. So that's rule number six.
Jenna Pastuszek: Real rule number six and never take yourself too seriously, also [00:45:00] in The Art of Possibility, so way to tee that up, Tim. But also the thing that we, yes, we merge the science and the silly, and also the thing that the two of us take so seriously is our clients. And the, our client relationships and making sure our clients feel nurtured, supported, cared for.
And that they feel like they're getting the most bang for their buck. We, we understand that picking a voice teacher in New York City there are hundreds of incredible teachers, many of whom we collaborate with and are in this really fun group called the voice nerd wine and book club. Emphasis on the wine,not so much on the book.
But it's a really fun group of voice teachers, and that's actually been an incredible resource for us during the pandemic, because we've all formed this really nice kind of like coalition where we get together occasionally once every, every other month or [00:46:00] so on Zoom and just trade ideas for how to, how to make Zoom lessons more fun and how to make them more impactful on the, on the end of the client.
And also like talk about, you know, the comfort of many of us about when, when we can go back in the studio and what that looks like. So that's been a really great resource. And so knowing that our clients. Have the opportunity to work with. So many of our peers are awesome peers. We take it so seriously that you choose to work with us.
And so we want to make that whatever, whatever you need it to be. And so that again is going back to like, are we, do you need a teacher? Do you need a coach? Or do you need a mentor in this moment? And how can we provide what you need based on where you are today?
Lili Torre: Yeah. I mean, that all sounds like exactly the reasons that I think of that Innovative Voice Studio is so successful and that your partnership soars and succeeds. And thank you so much for coming [00:47:00] on today to talk about that. I think this was a really important and fresh perspective on this podcast and I'm excited for people to hear it.
And I'll definitely be linking all of the information for IVS in the show notes, because I'm sure everyone listening is so interested to check out what you've been working on, and if nothing else to follow along, cause there's sure to be more interesting and innovative stuff in 2021.
Tim Russell: Lili, thank you for holding the space. We appreciate you so, so much.
Jenna Pastuszek: Thank you, Lili.
Lili Torre: Truly innovative! It makes so much sense to me that Jenna and Tim have such an incredible partnership, because after chatting with them in today's episode, I want to collaborate with both of them on absolutely anything under the sun. They really are a perfect duo and they're very clearly aware of what makes their partnership work, which I also think is an important element of working with a collaborator that we didn't talk about. You have to know what it is that works about your partnership, and you have to recognize it often.
I'm not sure what impresses me more about IVS, what [00:48:00] they do or how they do it. As I mentioned in the intro, IVS has a ton of amazing programming happening now and in the upcoming weeks, including the next round of the BADassery beginning on March 1st.
And don't forget that they're now accepting applications for the spring edition of the IVS Artist Expansion Fund, applications close February 14th. To access any of their previous workshops and to stay in the know on other upcoming classes and series, you can visit the IVS On Demand section of their website, which I'll link in the show notes.
I hope that you enjoyed today's episode and that you'll share it with anyone you consider partnering with. As always, I'm so grateful to you for listening. I'm Lili Torre, and this has been The Dreaded Question.