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Navigating Career Pivots as a Creative: Insights from Kate Kayaian
In a recent episode of PM Podcast Videos, coach, author, and former professional cellist Kate Kayaian sat down with host Bree Noble to talk about the intricacies of creative career trajectories, how to recognize when it’s time to pivot, and the stories we tell ourselves about identity and success. Drawing from her own experiences and her recent book, “Beyond Potential: A Guide for Creatives Who Want to Reassess, Redefine, and Reignite Their Careers,” Kate shared honest insights that resonate across disciplines—not just for musicians.
Listening to the “Tap on the Shoulder”
Kate’s journey is one of both devotion and intuition. After an impressive run in classical music, including studying at the New England Conservatory and a coveted position at the New World Symphony, she realized, “I did not want an orchestra job. So here I am at this elite orchestral training academy, and I didn’t want that life.” While others may have seen this as an enviable position, Kate paid attention to the small annoyances and gut feelings that signaled a need for change. “I’ve learned to really pay attention to those taps, even if they seem a little bit random,” she said.
Challenging the Narrative of “Wasted Potential”
Leaving behind a well-worn path often brings up questions about wasted effort or talent—especially when your identity is centered on your profession. Kate confronts this head-on: “I couldn’t find examples of other classical musicians, or other musicians for that matter, who had stopped performing. Not because of an injury, not because something bad had happened, not because of some scandal, but simply because they decided to do something else.”
She insists that moving on doesn’t mean failure or regret: “I have zero regrets. Zero. That’s the number one question I get. Are you sorry you started? Are you sorry you went into music? No. I wouldn’t be sitting here with you right now if I hadn’t … Nothing that I love about my life would be the way it is if I hadn’t made every decision I made. So I’m grateful for it.”
Recognizing and Rewriting Our Stories
Kate’s coaching and her book focus on identifying the narratives—internal and external—that can hold us back. “We have the stories from our parents in childhood. We have the stories from society, and we have the stories that we tell ourselves: ‘I have to keep doing this because I don’t know how to do anything else, right? I have to do this because other people will be disappointed if I stop.’ All of those stories—we’re just making up ourselves.”
Part of her work is helping creatives see beyond labels others have given them: “As artists, especially musicians, we’re all told from a very young age, we’re told by other people what our potential is. … And the book allows us to question those things and to go beyond what other people have told us our potential is and to figure it out for ourselves.”
Practical Advice for Young and Seasoned Creatives Alike
For both young artists at a crossroads and seasoned professionals contemplating change, Kate emphasizes experimentation over fear. “If you are going after a true desire, you can’t be wrong. Even if you don’t end up being a soloist, even if you decide, you know what, actually I don’t want to be traveling every week to a different city. … But you won’t know if you don’t try.”
She also encourages action even in the absence of confidence: “You’re not going to feel confident first. You’re going to feel scared, you’re going to feel terrified, and you’re going to do it anyway, and you’re gonna survive. And then you’re gonna feel terrified again, and you’re gonna do it again anyway, and you’re gonna survive that time too. And maybe by the third or fourth time, you’ll start to have the confidence that you will survive.”
No Regret in the Pivot
Kate’s message is clear—careers, especially creative ones, are rarely straight paths. They’re shaped by moments of bravery, honesty with oneself, and the courage to redefine what success can look like. Whether you’re contemplating a small change or a complete reinvention, take her advice and “just do it. Scared.”
For those interested in exploring this topic further, Kate’s book “Beyond Potential” is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, and can be requested at your local library. More resources can be found on her website.
Wherever you are in your journey, remember—pivoting isn’t failure. It’s growth.
All quotes are sourced from the PM Podcast Videos interview between Kate Kayaian and Bree Noble. For more information on Kate Kayaian’s work and her book, visit her website.
