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Music With Purpose: Fuel Your Focus · PTT Music Podcast

• 0:21
  Welcome to the PTT Music Podcast, everybody!
• 0:24
  I'm your host, Jordan Sterling, and we're absolutely thrilled to welcome back our
• 0:28
  loyal community as well as say a huge welcome to anyone tuning in with us for the
• 0:33
  very first time.
• 0:34
  If you're new around here, the purpose of the PTT Music Podcast is simple yet
• 0:38
  powerful: we believe music is so much more than casual background noise or
• 0:43
  entertainment.
• 0:44
  It's a profound force designed to inspire confidence, awaken emotion,
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  strengthen the mind, encourage perseverance, and connect people through shared
• 0:53
  experiences.
• 0:55
  We take you behind the songs to explore the stories, the creative passion,
• 0:59
  and the life principles that give music authentic purpose and lasting impact.
• 1:04
  And I'm Ava Brooks, creative correspondent and cohost!
• 1:08
  A huge, warm welcome to all of our longtime listeners and our brand new friends
• 1:13
  joining us today.
• 1:14
  Like Jordan said, our heartbeat here at PTT Music is all about music with purpose
• 1:20
  and sound with impact.
• 1:23
  We're dedicated to creating and exploring music that leaves you better than it found
• 1:28
  you, providing an uplifting soundtrack to help you thrive in your daily life.
• 1:33
  Today, we're taking time to explore a topic that touches every single person
• 1:38
  listening, whether you're an artist, an entrepreneur, a creator,
• 1:43
  a student, or someone simply committed to personal growth and purposeful living.
• 1:48
  We're talking about how to stay focused on your vision, build momentum,
• 1:53
  and bring your creativity to life every single day.
• 1:56
  When we look at real artistic growth and building a purposeful life,
• 2:01
  a lot of it comes down to how intentionally we channel our focus and our energy.
• 2:06
  Many of us already sense that the sounds we surround ourselves with can shape our
• 2:10
  mood and our motivation.
• 2:12
  And researchers have been studying exactly why music has such a pull on us.
• 2:17
  That's so true, Jordan!
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  And there's research behind it.
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  In a 2024 Harvard Medicine Magazine feature on how music resonates in the brain,
• 2:26
  Harvard Medical School lecturer Doctor Patrick Whelan, cognitive neurologist Doctor
• 2:31
  Andrew Budson, and Harvard Medical School psychiatry professor Doctor David
• 2:36
  Silbersweig explain what happens when we listen.
• 2:40
  They describe how music lights up nearly the whole brain.
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  Let me put that in everyday terms.
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  The hippocampus is the part of the brain that helps us form and recall memories,
• 2:51
  and the amygdala helps process our emotions.
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  Together, they're part of why a song can bring a memory and a feeling rushing back.
• 2:59
  The limbic system is a network that governs pleasure, motivation,
• 3:03
  and reward, so it's part of why music can feel so good and get us moving toward our
• 3:08
  goals.
• 3:09
  And the motor system, which controls movement, is why it's so easy to tap your feet
• 3:14
  or clap along.
• 3:15
  Doctor Budson explains that because so much is happening at once,
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  music gets encoded as a rich experience, and Doctor Whelan notes that music can put
• 3:24
  everyone in the same emotional space.
• 3:27
  That connects beautifully with a 2019 study in the Proceedings of the National
• 3:31
  Academy of Sciences, from a research team that includes Doctor Laura Ferreri,
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  along with Doctor Robert Zatorre of McGill University and the Montreal Neurological
• 3:40
  Institute, and colleagues in Barcelona, Lyon, and New York.
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  In a double blind study with twenty seven healthy participants,
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  each person listened to music after taking a dopamine boosting medication,
• 3:52
  a dopamine blocking medication, and a placebo, in three separate sessions.
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  When dopamine was boosted, people reported more pleasure from the music and more
• 4:02
  motivation to engage with it.
• 4:04
  When dopamine was blocked, both went down.
• 4:06
  So the researchers concluded that dopamine plays a causal role in how rewarding
• 4:11
  music feels.
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  Of course, this was a controlled lab study of how dopamine shapes our response to
• 4:16
  music, so it doesn't promise any particular result.
• 4:19
  But it does suggest that the pull we feel toward music we love has a real biological
• 4:24
  basis.
• 4:25
  Exactly.
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  Together, these two pieces of research help explain why music feels so rewarding and
• 4:32
  motivating.
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  It engages the brain's emotion, memory, and movement systems,
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  and dopamine helps shape how much pleasure and motivation we feel.
• 4:42
  With that in mind, let's talk about some PTT Music.
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  One official song from the PTT Music catalog that we love to talk about is
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  "Synergy."
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  For us, it's a song about what happens when different ideas,
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  people, and talents come together and build something bigger than any one of them
• 5:00
  alone.
• 5:00
  That's a theme that fits beautifully with a conversation about purpose and creative
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  momentum.
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  Think about a time you worked with a team, a bandmate, or even a friend on a shared
• 5:11
  project, and everything just clicked.
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  Each person brought something different, and the result felt bigger than what any
• 5:18
  one person could have done alone.
• 5:20
  I love "Synergy" so much, Ava!
• 5:23
  The title itself says it all.
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  Whether you're working on a creative project, a team goal, or your own personal
• 5:30
  growth, it helps to remember that good things grow when your efforts and your
• 5:34
  purpose line up.
• 5:36
  For a lot of listeners, a song like this becomes a little reminder to keep moving
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  forward, and the research we just talked about helps explain why a song you love can
• 5:45
  feel so motivating.
• 5:47
  I'd add that synergy isn't only about other people.
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  It can also be about the different sides of yourself working together,
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  your creativity, your discipline, and your heart for the work.
• 5:58
  When those line up, focus gets easier.
• 6:01
  So the next time you sit down to write, design, study, or plan,
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  try putting on "Synergy" and ask yourself, which of my strengths can I bring
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  together right now?
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  And that flows right into another song from our catalog, "Built For This."
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  If "Synergy" is about bringing things together, "Built For This" is about trusting
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  yourself and your preparation.
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  It's a reminder that the skills, experiences, and lessons you've gathered along your
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  journey have prepared you for the opportunities in front of you right now.
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  I like to think of it as the next step.
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  Once you've brought your strengths together, you want the confidence to move.
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  Maybe it's an audition, a presentation, a launch, or a conversation you've been
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  preparing for.
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  All of that preparation counts.
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  That message in "Built For This" is so encouraging.
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  It reminds us that no matter how big your goals are, you already carry experience,
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  courage, and capability.
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  When you keep that in mind, taking on a new opportunity can feel like an exciting
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  step forward.
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  And pairing a message like that with music you enjoy can be a great way to start
• 7:09
  your day with confidence.
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  So here's a simple idea for our listeners.
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  Before your next big moment, play "Built For This" and take a minute to name three
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  things you've done that prepared you for it.
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  Write them down if you can.
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  It's a small habit, and it keeps your attention on your strengths and your progress.
• 7:25
  Exactly, Jordan.
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  Music can't do the work for us, but it can be a wonderful companion.
• 7:31
  The research tells us that music engages our emotions, our memory,
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  our movement, and our sense of reward.
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  So when you surround yourself with uplifting music like "Synergy" and "Built For
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  This," you give yourself a little extra encouragement to focus,
• 7:47
  create, and keep going.
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  Try it this week.
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  Pick one song, pair it with one goal, and see how it feels.
• 7:55
  Again, thanks for spending this time with us on the PTT Music Podcast.
• 8:00
  We hope today's conversation left you inspired, encouraged,
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  and ready to carry that energy with you wherever life takes you.
• 8:07
  I'm Jordan Sterling...
• 8:08
  and I'm Ava Brooks.
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  We'll see you next time for another conversation that celebrates creativity,
• 8:13
  purpose, and the power of music.
• 8:16
  If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love for you to continue the journey with us.
• 8:21
  Visit PTTMusic.com to explore our latest music, official videos,
• 8:26
  exclusive merchandise, artist updates, and much more.
• 8:30
  You can also stream PTT Music on your favorite music platforms,
• 8:34
  subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who
• 8:38
  could use a little inspiration today.
• 8:40
  Until next time, keep moving forward, and let the PTT Music continue to move you.