Jan 21, 20217 min read

Guest Interview with Cassandra Lynn

Welcome to the first guest interview on the Refine Blog. Throughout the year I will be interviewing and collaborating with talented and passionate individuals who are aspiring to live their life in alignment to their authentic self, thus inviting you to do the same. By reading these diverse personal stories I hope that it inspires you to consider who you are at your core and also empower you along your journey of owning your life story.

On Thursday January 28th 8:00PM EST I will be hosting a FREE online Reiki event featuring musical guest Cassandra Lynn. Together we will be sharing our creative gifts to offer you entertainment, relaxation, and healing.

Before the event, I am honored for you to meet the talented musical guest here on this blog.

Introducing Singer/Songwriter

Tell Us A Few Things About Yourself

1. What are your natural talents and abilities?

I’m a singer/songwriter with empathic abilities.

2. What would you like the readers to know about your professional work?

I create from my soul.

3. What type of self-care practice do you benefit from most?

One of my favorite self-care practices is to get out into nature. I love to go for walks, especially along a body of water or through a forest. I live close to Lake Michigan and walk there whenever I can. When I can take a few minutes to be quiet and listen to nature I feel grounded and at peace. When I travel, I always try to find a way to spend time in nature, even if I’m traveling to a large city. It’s a great way to release any energy and to re-ground yourself.

Tell Us About Your Past

4. What is one of your earliest memories of noticing your own natural talents and abilities?

As long as I can remember, I have loved music, it runs through my veins. I don’t remember this, but my mom tells me I begged her to start taking piano lessons when I was 4. I don’t remember begging her for the lessons, but I do remember the lessons well. I even found some old piano books at my parents house recently. They are dated with the day I completed the page and they do date back to when I was 4! I remember getting stickers for playing a page in the book correctly.

5. What is a past hardship, challenge, breakthrough, or life lesson that has had a big impact on you and has shaped your life perspective?

There are a lot, but if I had to narrow it down to one, it would be my brother. He was a life lesson for our whole family. Through his disability, I learned empathy and learned the importance of being able to tell how someone around me was feeling. This also helped to hone my musical skills - he loved music! He wasn’t able to speak and had the intelligence of a toddler, but he LOVED music and his face would light up whenever he heard a song he liked. I would sing to him - with the radio, with the piano… sometimes my other family members were around, but I would also sing to him when I was taking care of him.

6. What is a habit or lifestyle pattern that you have come to realize no longer serve your best self and what did you do to initiate change?

Not setting boundaries… I’m still working on this, but after getting out of a really bad relationship, I knew I had to make a change and start respecting myself more and setting boundaries. I always wanted to be able to help others when they needed me, so I would put my needs last. But after getting out of the bad relationship, I realized I can’t do that anymore. I’m still working on it, but I’m really proud of how far I’ve come in the last few years. I now listen and if someone asks me for something I don’t have the bandwidth for, I tell them I’m not able to do it. I’m a work in progress, but aren’t we all?

7. Do you recognize any similarities or differences from how you were raised to the values and lifestyle you have today?

I was raised to show compassion to everybody. Everybody has a story and you don’t always know what it is. Growing up in my house, we learned compassion at a young age. Because my brother was disabled and in a wheelchair, we were stared at as a family everywhere we went. And my family didn’t shy away from going anywhere - we were a big family, 6 kids and mom and dad. Back in the 90’s that was spectacle enough at the mall. But we also had my brother and people just didn’t know why we would all be out together. It showed me to have compassion for others because they just don’t know - it made me self-conscious a bit, but it never stopped us as a family. This boldness and compassion serves me everyday. I try to show compassion and empathy towards others. I also try to be bold in my decision making and not worry too too much what others might think of my decisions. Be Bold in your decisions. It will take you much further in life.

Tell Us About Your Current Lifestyle

8. What lead you to Chicago and what keeps you there?

Music and Music, haha! I moved to Chicago for an internship opportunity at a recording studio downtown. It was amazing and eye-opening at the same time. I stayed there for about 6 months, but instead of moving back to Ohio, I stayed in Chicago because I fell in love with the city and the opportunities here. I was a stage manager for a small local play right after I stopped working at the recording studio. Then I dabbled in writing music a bit, but never took it seriously. I then became a children's choir director at a local church and sang back up in an Indie Pop Rock band. I was then part of a small duo act, later became a lead singer for a Country/Rock/Blues band which lead me to wanting to write and create my own music. I am currently writing and in the studio creating my first solo album. I'm so excited to share the music I've been creating with my producer. I'm really looking forward to getting it out to the public. But also beyond the music - I've met some of the most amazing, courageous and beautiful people since I've been in Chicago. Always growing and learning through everyone I meet.

9 .What is your driving force/passion/motivation and how do these influence both your personal and professional life?

Love, compassion, truth, beauty, and faith are my driving forces. I try to find the beauty in all situations (even when I’m in a really bad spot - I may not know what I’m supposed to be learning, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. It may take some time (sometimes even years) to find the wisdom, but there is always wisdom to be found. And I have faith I am being guided in the right direction toward truth, compassion and love. I use love, compassion, truth and beauty to be guided in my writing as well as in my relationships with others.

10. Do you have a structured or spontaneous approach to self-love practices?

I would say both. I try to have a structure in place to ensure that I practice self love, but I never limit myself to the structure. If there is a time I am feeling like I need to practice self-love in a situation, I try to steal a few moments for myself. This was put to the test over the holidays - I spent a month at my parents house. I was staying with my parents, my brother and his wife and their 3 kids. I hadn’t lived with that many people under one roof since I left for college at 17. I enjoyed almost every moment of being there, but it was hard to have time alone and hard to find time to do my self-love practices. After a few days, I was able to establish a little bit of a self-love routine.

11. What are your 'go-to' self-love practices/hobbies/interests?

I try to start every day with gratitude affirmations. I then go into a daily meditation practice. I also try to spend as much time in nature as I can - to become grounded again. When we are not in the middle of a pandemic, I also like to travel to new places as a form of self-love and self-exploration. Anytime you are in a new place, it’s an excellent time to reflect - especially reflecting in gratitude and self-love. Of course another go-to self love practice for me is writing a song or just writing down lyrics.

12. What are some personal boundaries that you have established and practice that allow you to tend to your own well-being so that you can then show up for others?

This is something that I need to work more on, I’m not very good at it. I’ve always put the needs of those I care about before my own needs. The last few years I’ve been working on setting boundaries and knowing how to say no when I am feeling like I don’t have much to give. This is a practice and is something I will continue to work and build on.

13. How do you support yourself through a funk?

When I’m in a funk, I turn to 4 things: God, Music, Family and Friends.

God - I pray everyday whether I am in a funk or if I am in a good place. God is always listening and wants to hear to good or the bad. Little prayers all day long either saying thank you or asking for help.

Music - I am listening to music that exemplifies my current mood; i’m creating music to get out what I need to get out.

Family and Friends - They are who I lean on with a phone call, a text, or just a silly gif.

Tell Us About Your Future Aspirations

14. What type of personal lifestyle and/or professional career are you cultivating?

I am working towards building a music career, which is no small endeavor. I’m hoping I am writing music people can relate to.

15. What is one thing that you would like to try or experience during your lifetime time that you haven't experienced before?

I would like to sing in a stadium concert.

16. What is the legacy/message/influence that you hope your life has on humanity?

I hope that what I leave behind is a trail of love, empathy and compassion. I hope that I am able to help people to see past their own prejudices and beliefs and to be open to receiving the gift of cultures.

Tell Us 5 Daring Sentences That Express Your Authenticity

Tell Us About Your Experience With Reiki

Reiki is a powerful and beautiful tool if you are willing to open yourself up to the treatment. It can lead to meaningful insights about who you truly are.