Music is the universal language. The heartbeat is a universal rhythm. All babies move to a beat. Musicians have always been storytellers and mirrors of society. There is an opportunity to leverage music to unite and energize us toward the empowerment I referred to earlier. Also, telling stories and using symbolism through music is powerful because we all interpret those narratives through our own experiential lens, making it even more powerful.
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Catherine Harrison.
Catherine Harrison is a Canadian musician, mental health strategy consultant, human-centered leadership expert, author, certified executive coach, and advocate for inclusive and equitable well-being. As the founder and president of Revelios, she aims to improve our collective mental health literacy and social fitness through education, reducing stigma, and facilitating open, courageous conversations. Over the past several years, Catherine has been active in illuminating the unique mental health challenges that musicians and crew experience and is currently a trusted advisor to several national and international non-profit music organizations.
Thank you so much for joining us on this interview series. Can you share with us the backstory that led you to this career path?
Music was always part of my life. My dad played guitar and had lots of records when I was growing up. Muddy Waters, Buddy Holly, Beatles, Neil Young, CCR, The Band, Rolling Stones, Gordon Lightfoot, Canned Heat, Tower of Power, Miles Davis, Beach Boys, Elton John. I learned a bit of guitar when I was 13 but was too involved in sports to get into it fully. However, I started playing the guitar, writing, and singing in my early twenties. I went through Neil Young’s Decade songbook, learned some basic chords, and found that making up my songs was more enjoyable than learning cover songs. I never made a full-time career out of music, but I have been writing, recording, and performing for 30 years.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The story that comes to mind is that my sister and I signed up for an open stage night at the University of Guelph in Ontario, where she attended. I would do two of my originals; she was doing backup vocals and harmonies. I’m unsure how much we rehearsed, if at all, and it did not start well. We did one song and fumbled through it, with much silence and arm-crossing in the crowd. I was so nervous that I couldn’t make the right chords on my guitar; my sister’s harmonies were all over the place. So, instead of doing our second original, I called an audible, and we sang “Mercedes Benz” by Janis Joplin, acapella, and the crowd went wild. We still laugh about that night. This experience taught me to rehearse, relax, and, most importantly, find ways to connect with the crowd.
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
It’s so cliché but true — focus on the process. Live in the moment. Recognize that life is made up of moments, and that’s all you’ve got. Do what brings you joy and add some discipline to the mix. Write and perform and create for you, not the audience. Stay curious. Keep exploring. You will connect with the right audience if it is an authentic expression of your humanness. Art is subjective. Some people will like it, and others will hate it. Don’t attach to either response too tightly.
Also, having other jobs or careers while being an artist is okay. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Finding balance and energy from multiple places can significantly support your artistic pursuits. Everything we do revolves around different forms of energy and currency. Money is a currency, and so is time and effort; one helps feed the other.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
While living in Vancouver in April 1994, a friend suggested we see a gig at the Starfish Room. I had never heard of Jeff Buckley, but he was touring his first album, Grace. The three of us, in a crowd of maybe 40 people, were blown away by the band. After the show, we all hung out a bit, and I bought the CD. It has remained one of my favorite records to this day. A few years later, in 1997, that same friend sent me a note that Jeff had died by accidental drowning. I called my dad because I knew he would understand my feelings. Jeff was my Buddy Holly.
Fast forward to 2001. I was booking a gig with the show manager at the Rivoli in Toronto. We discovered a mutual love of Jeff Buckley and decided to produce a tribute show. I wanted to ensure we didn’t exploit his name or memory, and all proceeds were to go to charitable organizations. I contacted the company managing Jeff’s estate in New York for their blessing. I ended up chatting with Jeff’s mom, Mary Guibert. We planned to meet in Chicago at the tribute show at Uncommon Ground. We produced annual tribute shows until 2010. I made lifelong friends because of those Toronto and Chicago shows, including Mary, my long-time producer Mike Borkosky, and many other international musicians.
Jeff was a catalyst in my life.
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you’re working on right now?
My writing has always focused on the human experience, and so has my professional life. I recently completed a master’s in psychology to further my work as an advocate and consultant to democratize mental health literacy and psychological safety in the workplace. I volunteer at several non-profit organizations serving the music industry and provide ad hoc, non-clinical mental health support to those in need. Also, all proceeds from my recent single, Love is Not a Game, will go to the Unison Fund, a Canadian non- profit providing financial and health support to those in the industry.
Can you share with us a story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
I am a musician, an entrepreneur, and a human. I am passionate about cultivating holistic well-being, i.e., physical, mental, and social wellness. We need to connect at the human level. Through technology, we’ve become more connected than ever and, yet, more disconnected than ever. We all feel the effects of this mental health crisis. Leveraging my experience and membership in these various communities seems like a good way to make a difference, however small it might be.
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
Bill’s story here Canadian musician Bill Bell speaks candidly about his mental health struggles and the lifesaving support he received from Unison.
Are there three things or are there things that individuals, society, or the government can do to support you in this effort?
First, we all need to improve our mental health literacy. That means understanding the mental health continuum, reducing stigma, and learning the language and tools to support our own and others’ mental health. You can do that by taking our Mental Health First Aid classes, learning how to create and sustain our physical, mental and social well-being, or leveraging the emerging training programs online or in your local areas.
Second, employers must commit to investing in these tools to make our workplaces more psychologically safe. Currently, most organizations don’t have a mental health strategy; if they do, it is primarily an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This helps provide access to counselling, medicine, and paid time off, but it does little to improve the daily experience at work. Many of those organizations have very toxic work cultures that contribute to adverse mental and physical health outcomes.
Third, as governments and other infrastructural institutions shift (slowly!), we must develop our sense of empowerment and agency by coming together and talking about mental health, leveraging our new literacy, and supporting ourselves and each other at the community level. People are so creative and powerful. Please don’t wait for the institutions to save us! Leverage art and community and join our peer groups.
Why do you think music in particular has the power to create social change and create a positive impact on humanity?
Music is the universal language. The heartbeat is a universal rhythm. All babies move to a beat. Musicians have always been storytellers and mirrors of society. There is an opportunity to leverage music to unite and energize us toward the empowerment I referred to earlier. Also, telling stories and using symbolism through music is powerful because we all interpret those narratives through our own experiential lens, making it even more powerful.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started”?
You are good enough as you are. Believe in yourself, do what you love, and do the work!
Everyone has their own sh*t…don’t worry about it. Their negativity is about them, not you. Keep doing the work.
Keep finding space to reflect, get bored, and play.
Life goes by fast, and it is comprised of a series of moments. Be mindful of these moments; they are your life.
There are only a handful of people who really matter in your life. Please pay attention to them, and don’t worry about the rest.
You’re a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Mental health literacy and cultivating agency and positive psychology. Not just positivity — that’s very different and can be very toxic. Toxic positivity compels individuals to show only positive emotions, suppressing any negativity. This invalidation of genuine human experience may result in trauma, isolation, and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Moving from broken victim to agent of change. Creating communities of love, compassion, courage, growth, progress, and lifelong learning. Personal agency refers to an individual’s capacity to make independent choices, set goals, and take intentional actions to influence their own life circumstances.
Can you please give us your favorite life lesson quote? And can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
“Uncertainty is your path to freedom.” Deepak Chopra (A Path to Love, 1997)
Many of us, including me, like to know the outcome of a goal, plan, calendar, relationship, whatever. However, trying to control the outcome keeps us bound to rigid and narrow possibilities. Releasing the outcomes opens a vast expanse of potentiality. Most of my biggest life experiences have occurred through random twists and turns. Ultimately, as humans, we all participate in radical uncertainty from the moment we’re born and then try to control everything. Letting go and letting be is profoundly freeing. And this helps the creative process and the ability to be mindful in our life moments. I use this quote in my book Three Colors, Twelve Notes (2020).
We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
That is so difficult to choose! My shortlist would be Sheryl Crowe, Patti Smith, Annette Benning, Bob Dylan, Ryan Reynolds, and Nate Bargatze. Probably in that order.
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
Music Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Catherine Harrison Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.