[00:00] Speaker 1: (music) Have you ever wondered how sound can heal, inspire, and transform your life? What if the vibrations around you could unlock your true potential and guide you to a deeper sense of harmony? Welcome to Sound Pathways, the groundbreaking journey into the healing power of sound, creativity, and connection with your host, Dr. Karen Olson. In each episode, she explores the profound link between your mind, body, and spirit, from composers and musicians to sound healers and visionary leaders. She'll dive into captivating conversations that reveal how sound shapes your reality, heals our wounds, and helps us manifest our dreams. And guess what? You're part of the conversation. So call in and ask questions and experience personalized sound healing live, and let your sound be your guide to the life you've always dreamed of. On Sound Pathways tonight, we will be talking about a frequency reset: retuning and returning to yourself, featuring your host, Karen Olson.

[01:24] Speaker 1: Simple enough for real life, powerful enough to elevate how you feel and show up. Karen is an internationally recognized violinist, recording artist, composer, and sound healer, and a longtime member of the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. She has released nine acclaimed albums, five of which reached the Billboard Top 10, and she performs internationally and is a member of the New York Pops, performing regularly at Carnegie Hall. Karen brings her signature sound and a healing presence to everything she shares. She is a graduate of the Julliard School, Yale University, and New York University, and is the bestselling author of Sound Path: Using the Power of Sound & Silence for Health, Harmony, and Happiness, a book that has inspired healing worldwide. If you're driving, this is a listen-only show, folks. So please help me welcome Dr. Karen Olson.

[02:37] Speaker 2: Oh, thank you so much, Don, and thank you for all you do to make this show possible. And I'm so grateful for this opportunity, and welcome, everyone, to Sound Pathways. I'm Karen Olson, and here we are. We're still at the beginning of the year, and this is about keeping a good start going. This time of year, it's so interesting. Some people feel so inspired and focused or at the gym every day. They have all these resolutions. And other people feel pressure, like fog. Like, "I should be doing more. I'm not even doing what I wanted to be doing." So tonight is for all of you. It's about being steady. It's not a fix. A frequency reset is for any moment when you wanna feel more connected to yourself and your truth, more present and more aligned. When I say frequency, I mean your inner state, your mood, your baseline, your emotional baseline. And that baseline doesn't stay inside your head. It shapes what you notice, what you allow, and what shows up in your life.

[03:51] Speaker 2: Your frequency becomes your filter. Your filter becomes your life. And this isn't about being all high-vibe all the time. It's about learning to retune on purpose with focus. And here's what I mean about showing up. The same day, the same circumstance, but with a different state of mind. One version as you sees problems everywhere, and another version of you sees options. And when your frequency is lowered and contracted, you may feel urgency and irritation and self-doubt and fear. You rush around. You overthink. You react, and you lose the thread and connection to your deeper knowing. When your frequency is more open, you have access to patience and creativity, and you hear choices, and you make the choices. And you respond instead of react, and your life feels like it's flowing and more cooperative to what you want. I think of moods like the weather. It's real, but it's not your identity, and weather moves through all the different states. You don't have to become the storm.

[05:14] Speaker 2: So take a quick check-in. Where is your inner weather right now? Think about it. What is it? Is it calm? Is it foggy? Is it stormy? Is it heavy? Is it bright and sunny? Now ask yourself, "What would make my forecast just 2% kinder or clearer today?" What could those steps be? Now, add a simple map, a vision, a picture of a ladder which represents your inner states. The lower rungs of the ladder feel contracted and pressure and worry and irritation and shutdown. It could be regret and anger and just-... envy. It can be all those things that just weigh you down. Even if they're for all the best reasons, because all these things happen and all these people are wrong, it keeps you at a lower state, a lower rung on the ladder. And the higher rungs, you start to open up. You feel steadier. You feel more willing. You feel clearer. And you get to feel peace and acceptance. And more joy comes in your life, and more love. And all the way up to bliss, and really living your dreams.

[06:39] Speaker 2: And the goal isn't to just leap up to the top and to stay only up at the top, but it's about moving up one rung at a time. And sometimes you go up a few rungs, and then you come back, and you have to kind of rethink it again, and then you go back up. So one rung changes your breath. One rung changes your nervous system. One rung changes your choices. And those choices change your outcomes. The shift starts to happen when you move from coping to choosing, just one rung at a time. You start listening more, and you choose your next true step. Not out of obligation. It's your choice. So let's make it even more practical. Here are a few signs that you're out of tune. You feel rushed. You feel behind. You feel late. And sometimes even when you have time, you feel that way. You're running. You're on all day, and then you crash at night.

[07:47] Speaker 2: Except sometimes at night, you can't even sleep well 'cause you're looping all these things that could've been different, what if they happened, all those things that don't help you have a restful night of sleep. You can second-guess things. You feel very reactive and extra sensitive. You might even lose your appetite for eating, or you might eat too much. You might lose your appetite for joy or for creativity. Or you could feel numb and just kind of flat. But music and rhythm and presence help to break up these stress reactions, and it wakens your connection in your calm. It can be a bridge back to yourself, to your truth. I like to help people move from overwhelmed to being aligned. And sound and presence and these practical tools really can help that. It's about your sound and your nervous system. Because stress, it makes your breath shallow and fast breathing, and it kind of, when you pay attention to it, the sound can help you to just release.

[08:58] Speaker 2: And it gives your brain a pattern to follow. And the attention locks into the tone and the breath, and the body kind of feels a way to feel safe and relaxed. And here are signs that you're returning and you're retuning. Your breath deepens, and your shoulders drop. And your thoughts slow down, and they're clear. And you feel more choices. You see more choices, and you hear more guidance. You can hear your inner self saying yes or no, and you can follow it. You can say it, what you really want. And you can be just a little kinder to yourself, and a little kinder to others. You can be more present when you're with people. Stress can feel like driving with one foot on the gas and one foot on the brakes, or with an emergency brake on. You can still move, but it costs you, and it's such a struggle to move. You're just not able to go forward so easily. So tonight, we're gonna soften those brakes. We're gonna take off those brakes. And we're not forcing the gas.

[10:04] Speaker 2: We're just softening the pressure so you can move forward with less effort and more ease, and more joy and peace. And this is why sound helps, because everything is in vibration. Your vibration, your breath, your heartbeat, your emotion, your voice. These are all vibrations. Your thoughts are vibrations. Everything, and especially people, they're on this wavelength, and they hear what you're thinking, what you're feeling. Sometimes even more than you do 'cause it's on the subconscious level. And when we're under pressure, we hear this staticky noise and looping thoughts and the guardedness, and we're stuck. But when we can remove the blocks, we remove the static. The static... It's not because you're broken, it's just because your system learned to protect itself. And the protection can become a habit, and you don't really need it anymore, but you have to learn that you don't need it. 'Cause stress keeps score long before dis-ease sets in, or an overdraft notice appears.

[11:14] Speaker 2: So resonance is different. The resonance helps your system remember harmony and balance. It shifts those blocks. It clears the static. And now you have that way of peace. You have the way of guidance and dreams. When the static clears, the inner guidance gets louder. And we're listening more so we can really hear it. And from that clarity, you can create the life you were born to live. I've learned this both on stage and off stage, being a performer. And life isn't a performance. It isn't that we're always being judged. But sometimes we have to really step back and just notice that. But sometimes we are preparing for that one thing, like some really high celebrity clients I have. It's like a pyramid.... and all this part of the pyramid prepares for that performance at the top. Maybe it's three minutes, maybe it's an hour. But it's all these subconscious beliefs, all these things that can keep us stuck and keep us from being able to open up in relationships.

[12:26] Speaker 2: And sometimes, we just find these ways to numb ourselves that aren't healthy and good for us. All these things can keep us from our peace and from who we- who we are. Even if we can perform on stage, it's really in our private lives. It's knowing that when people learn who we are, we know we're really beautiful, and we know how much we deserve love, and how much we love, and we are love. And we also have a connection to a higher power, a higher place that can give us that support, and give us the guidance when we're listening, when we really want to know it. So, here we are, learning about retuning. And in every way, just that one small shift, it can change everything. Your softer jaw, your freer breath. Having that clarity of manifesting, seeing the vision, having that dream with all the steps. And you don't force music into beauty. You just remove what blocks it, like taking a stone and a- and a sculptor.

[13:33] Speaker 2: He just keeps taking the stone away so he can see what he's creating, and we are creating, and clearing and clearing the way for us to be our best self, living our highest dreams with joy, and love, and so much to share. So, we don't need willpower. We need less static. We need to return to the resonance. So, try this with me. We're gonna take three deep breaths. And we take it, expanding our stomach, in through our nose, and then we hold it, and then we release it with a sound, and we pause, and we do it again. So, soften your jaw. Drop your shoulders one inch. And we're gonna take a deep breath in (inhales) .

[14:25] Speaker 3: (inhales) (exhales)

[14:35] Speaker 2: Now, feel yourself taking in light and love, and all that serves you. (inhales) You're gonna breathe out any darkness, anything that's in your way, anything that's just not helping you, and let it go.

[14:52] Speaker 3: (exhales)

[14:58] Speaker 2: It's not a big effort. It's just a retune. It's just a return. So, this is your baseline. A place of peace. Now, you're gonna choose the next rung. It's not perfect. It's just gonna be next. And what state do you wanna live from today? Steady, clear, willing, peaceful? And what is that small action that matches that state? A state that becomes real when you live one step at a time from it. What if you feel like you don't have time for this? But you can do a reset in 30 seconds. It's just pausing and putting your attention in a calm state. It's about returning. You're not performing a ritual. You're present in that moment in the now. And what if your mind won't stop? Well, don't fight the mind. Just let it think. Just notice. Just notice what you're thinking without judgment. Maybe you can focus on your breath. Or, it's really cool sometimes just to notice if you're hearing those little extraneous sounds. It's- it's amazing to just focus on those funny little sounds.

[16:22] Speaker 2: It could be the refrigerator. It could be a truck outside. It could be a computer fan. Just focus on those. And you'll notice that your mind then can start to settle, and it helps your body also calm down. So, when you feel fine, but you're not inspired, what can you do? It's a great time to retune because inspiration can't be forced. It just comes to you when the static clears. And a small reset can reopen this creative channel 'cause we're all creative, and we need to create and live our dreams. So, what if you slip back and make this progress, and you get so discouraged? Well, you will, because that's normal. It's just the practice of returning. Because when you return, you're even stronger to keep going. So much is about not judging, and appreciating, and being grateful. Being grateful for- for each step, for everything that we have. After a short pause, I'm gonna share a sound reset. So, find a way to get comfortable and just listen. It's not music for a performance.

[17:41] Speaker 2: It's not a song you're gonna be humming. It's actually the frequencies that- that I channel. Some of them are to clear blocks and static, and then some is when it just loosens up and it becomes free. Maybe some ancestors come to comfort you, and- and your angels are there. But you just let your mind stop for a moment, and you just receive it, and you feel the vibrations inside. I'll see you in a moment.

[18:19] Speaker 4: (Music) Are you ready to elevate your energy and awaken your dreams to their fullest potential? This isn't just music. It's transformative, intuitive healing, sacred frequencies channeled to shift your energy, dissolve blockages, and align you with your highest potential. It's your path to vibrant health, limitless dreams, and a life of purpose. Each note is harmonized to your unique frequency, unlocking profound healing, inner harmony, and a deep rejuvenating renewal. Discover the powerful tools of sound healing you carry with you. Visit karenolson.com/events to sign up for the free webinar titled Release Stress and Find Inner Peace Through Sound, and explore personalized one-on-one sessions at karenolson.com/services. The moment for peace is now. Don't wait. Embrace the healing you deserve.

[19:43] Speaker 5: (Music)

[24:00] Speaker 5: So continue to pause and take in those vibrations and feel the resonance. Just notice it. It doesn't have to be analyzed, just integrate it and feel perhaps just a tiny shift, maybe in your breath, maybe in your chest or your shoulders or your thoughts.Maybe a word comes to you that can remind you to center, that you can return to, or another time when you're listening, you can just tune in as kind of a baseline, as kind of this vibrating string. It connects you from the core of the earth, up through all your chakras, up to the heavens. And as it vibrates, it balances all your chakras, and it helps th- when it goes into resonance, all that that doesn't serve you, all of that's ... this chaos, and it just, it just is gone when there's harmony. Like the light, it just takes away the darkness. So that's what we're talking about, finding those ways to retune.

[25:13] Speaker 5: It might be in relationships to pause and retune before you speak and in work or in a performance to pause and connect so your urgency changes to clarity. And when you're being creative, just to feel that channel open up as ideas flood through you, and you can enjoy them and share them and build on them and create your dreams. And in leadership it brings you steadiness, and in performance it brings you more presence. And in healing it brings you gentleness, and in your day it brings you guidance. So we turn it into action. What's one true step you can take in the next 24 hours that matches the state you wanna live from? One email, one boundary, one practice session, one walk, one trip to the gym, one honest conversation, one creative act without any perfection? And make it specific. Say it out loud if you can. "In the next 24 hours, I will ..." And then choose when. Will it be in the morning, the afternoon, or the evening?

[26:37] Speaker 5: Or if you just wanna be a free spirit, just vision yourself going to sleep at night, saying, "Wow, I'm so glad I did that one thing that I planned on." Because that small commitment, it, it makes momentum, and the momentum builds confidence, and the confidence builds trust in yourself, and that trust changes everything. And I truly love to continue this conversation, so please check me out on Instagram or Facebook. It's at karenolsonviola, K-A-R-E-N-O-L-S-O-N-V-I-O-L-A, and that's my website also, karenolson.com. You can sign up for my newsletter there, and I'm really excited because I created a gift for the new year. It's about a frequency reset, like the introduction we had today, and it's really kind of fun, and you can find it on my website, karenolson.com/academy. Just look for the New Year's Frequency Reset. And I also created another gift that you can find. It's called a Starlight Call, and it's really very exciting.

[27:58] Speaker 5: It's a gift also if you'd like to have a call with me, and you can find that on my website as well under Starlight Call. But anyways, let's get back to what we were talking about, even though it's all what we're talking about. We're talking about starting this new year not with a list of things that are gonna take discipline and willpower and disappointment. Instead, it's about growth. It's about joy. It's about doing things from a place in you that is exciting. It's about building little steps. It's about tuning in to what your weather is and having tools and just moving up the ladder, noticing your mood, the state of the weather, and just what you could do to change it. Unless if it's a sunny day, and you just wanna lay out at the beach. Well, that's pretty cool, too.

[28:50] Speaker 5: You just notice, and take that and soak it all in, all that warmth and sunshine and happiness, 'cause maybe one day it's gonna be so cloudy, and you're gonna just think, "I just won't even remember that day 'til the next one comes." But all days are good. They're all filled with gifts and wonder and so much to be grateful for. So tonight, it's not about fixing yourself. It's about retuning yourself and choosing one true step that feels aligned and doable, and let your next step be guided by peace, not by pressure. So create the life that you were born to live, one breath, one choice, one true step now. Blessings and love.

[29:41] Speaker 4: (music) Thank you so very much for joining us on today's transformative journey. We're honored to have shared this space with you, and we hope you're feeling inspired and aligned with your highest self. For more insights, resources, and to continue your path of healing, be sure to visit karenolson.com, your gateway to deeper sound healing music and wisdom. Remember, Sound Pathways is here every other Wednesday at 9:00 PM Eastern, 6:00 PM Pacific, on VBS Radio TV Station One. Until next time, stay aligned, stay inspired, and let the magic of sound guide you.