Daily Inspiration: Meet Brett Magdovitz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Magdovitz.

Hi Brett, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been an entrepreneur most of my adult life, spanning a broad spectrum of industries, including: health/wellness, open-air markets (Butler Street Bazaar), independent film, consumer packaged goods (BRONUTS), real estate, and tech (KULA).

In 2016, I was offered the opportunity to work for Rocky Mountain Aardvarks (RMA), the regional license for a kids music program out of New York called Music For Aardvarks. Though I had never even considered kids music as a career choice, it turned out to be something I loved and did well. After three years of running classes and birthday parties for RMA, I wanted to try something totally different, so I became an independent catastrophe adjuster, going to areas stricken by natural disasters and trying to keep people and insurance companies honest.

However, it kept me away from my daughter, who was 4 years old at the time, and I didn’t want to miss her growing up. So, I found work back in CO for a bit…and then COVID hit…and I got to mostly stay at home with my kiddo for a while, which was a real gift. During that time, I ramped up my sports cards side hustle, which was something I had done for years, but took to another level. And during that time, I was writing music again and being called to make it a more important part of my life.

I have been a songwriter/performer since I was in my late-teens/early 20s, but I hadn’t ever taken it very seriously or shared much of my music with many people. But, in the Summer of 2023, I finally realized that making music and telling stories and sharing nuggets of knowledge/wisdom/humanity through music was what gave me the most joy. So I started building MagdoMusic, a kids music/play program that was/is in many ways the culmination of everything that makes me…me.

I make music with kiddos and grownups, and I get to be silly and playful and help foster connections between people through music, laughter, and play. I am very grateful.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Is it ever a totally smooth road? For anyone? I imagine that would be horribly boring.

My road has certainly not been smooth. I think most people would say that all of my various businesses have failed, in that that none of them have made me much money….which is the most palpable and trusted metric of success in our modern world. And, in all fairness, making money typically alleviates many struggles (up to a point), so in the absence of not making much, I’ve struggled to pay my bills and provide my kid with the lifestyle that I’d love to give to her. And naturally, this has invariably at times caused mental/emotional challenges that have tested my trust in myself and caused great sadness and pain.

That said, I consider myself to be quite privileged. I have a wonderful, loving family and a remarkable community of friends that are my wealth in this life. As cheesy (and Boulder-y) as it sounds, I feel incredibly fortunate to have the abundance of amazing humans I have in my life, and I owe so much of this to my struggles. Not only would some of these people not be in my life were it not for my struggles (many of which we share), but I don’t think I would really see the value of my relationships as clearly or the opportunities I’ve had as richly.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Regarding what I do…
At my core, I’m an innovator, a connector/collaborator, an adventurer, and an opportunician (I think I made that word up).
I also fancy myself a wordsmith. I think the most truthful anwer to the question of “What do I do?”…is…I don’t really know.
I write songs. I’m not prolific like other songwriters I know and admire. I might be more prolific if I were more disciplined.
I make people laugh a lot. And I make people think….I think. And I bring people from many different backgrounds and cultures together, which I really love.

I may be best known for my resilience. I’ve gotten knocked down a lot, and each time, I’ve gotten up pretty quickly, dusted myself off, and gotten back on the proverbial horse (not heroin). I think this is due in great part to my very broad sense of humor combined with not taking myself or life too seriously. And, I’ve done a lot of work on myself (and continue to) which gives me the freedom (sometimes) to “zoom out” and “zoom in” on my circumstances fairly quickly, thus offering perspective and breathing room to assess and recalibrate.
I also tend to bring a sense of balance to whatever I’m doing. I seem to naturally gravitate toward the center line…for better and for worse. As such, I’m often good at listening to and understanding multiple angles/perspectives to a problem/conflict and finding a middle ground.

As far as what I’m most proud of….
I’m not big on superlatives, so choosing a ‘most’ or a ‘best’ anything is challenging for me.
That said…I’m most proud of my daughter. I think she’s a terrific little human who will grow into an even more terrific big human. I feel so honored and grateful that I get to be her Dad.
After her, I’m proud of some of my songs. I really like some of them. And the ones I don’t ‘really’ like, I’m still proud of…but not as proud. Please don’t tell them.
I’m also proud of my various business ventures. Though I’ve yet to make a lot of money on any of them, I’ve completely poured myself into them and gleaned so much from them. I wouldn’t be who I am today without the experiences of my successes and failures.

And as far as what sets me apart from others….
I suppose it’s my life experiences; my stories. They are uniquely mine…and I have many…some of which are told in the form of song. And though I continue to ask folks where they might put my music categorically within the world of music…I can’t seem to get a clear answer. I myself don’t have one either. So that’s a curious thing.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Oof. Again, I’m not big on superlatives. I don’t think I could possibly pick a singular most important lesson.

Instead, I’ll just offer some words/concepts that I keep close to my heart and think of as lessons in and of themselves, all of which require practice.

Love, compassion, vulnerability, accountability, humility, courage, perseverance, gravity, levity, humor, freedom, privilege, abundance, philanthropy, mercy, tikun olam (Hebrew for “repairing the world), the paradoxical nature of life, Popper’s ‘The Paradox of Intolerance’, self-expression,
…I’ll stop there.

I’ve learned all of these words/lessons over and over again…because life is not static…and just because I learned a lesson today…and really feel like I “got it!” this time…doesn’t mean that I won’t need to learn it again tomorrow. And I can laugh or cry about that. I think I laugh a lot more than I cry…and I cry a lot too…out of joy and sorrow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.magdomusic.com
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/magdo-802761684