“My journey with music has just also been my life journey.”

How do you go from a kid obsessed with drums to becoming a music producer, engineer, and eventually an independent artist? This episode traces Joe Louis’ music journey from his earliest memories in church to Atlanta’s music industry, Brazil, live streaming, artist development, and finally discovering what his own music is supposed to sound like.

It starts with drums at four years old, learning instruments by ear, struggling to read music, playing in school bands and drumline, and eventually realizing just how much of his identity had always revolved around music. After football temporarily removed music from his everyday life, discovering Logic Pro X opened an entirely new world: music production. That path eventually led to studying audio production, moving to Atlanta, becoming a full-time producer and engineer, and learning the music business through real experiences—including encounters with Jill Scott, Dallas Austin and Leslie Brathwaite, and getting the opportunity to produce with Adam Levine vocals for Maroon 5.

But succeeding behind the scenes created another problem: becoming so useful as a producer, engineer and music professional that being an artist kept getting pushed aside. A trip to Brazil became an important turning point when someone finally took his voice seriously and encouraged him to sing. From there, the journey moves through artist identity, live streaming, building an audience, letting people into the creative process, and discovering a sound influenced by gospel, Brazilian samba, R&B and Black rock & roll. After nearly a lifetime in music, becoming the artist feels less like the end of the story and more like the beginning.

#APodcastByJoeLouis #JoeLouis #MusicJourney #IndependentArtist #MusicProducer #MusicIndustry #ArtistDevelopment #musiccareer

Key Discussion Points

(00:00) - The Story Behind My Music Journey

(04:30) - How Drums Became My First Memory

(10:00) - Growing Up Around Music in the Church

(17:00) - The Musician Who First Inspired My Showmanship

(24:00) - Learning Piano by Ear Instead of Reading Music

(31:00) - Engineering Audio Before I Even Knew What Engineering Was

(38:00) - Performing on Drums for the First Time

(45:00) - Why Teachers Kept Giving Me the Wrong Instruments

(54:00) - How I Fooled Music Teachers Without Being Able to Read Music

(1:02:00) - The Teacher Who Finally Recognized My Musical Ability

(1:10:00) - “Are You a Music Man?”: The Report Card That Said Everything

(1:18:00) - Finally Getting to Play Drums in School

(1:27:00) - Drumline and Learning How to Read Music

(1:36:00) - Football Made Me Realize How Much I Missed Music

(1:43:00) - Discovering Logic Pro X and Falling in Love With Music Production

(1:48:00) - Choosing a Career in Music

(1:52:00) - Moving to Atlanta and Entering the Music Industry

(1:57:00) - Meeting Jill Scott and Learning How to Treat Artists

(2:05:00) - The Music Industry Lessons I Learned Behind the Scenes

(2:11:00) - Meeting Dallas Austin Without Realizing Who He Was

(2:16:00) - Quitting My Jobs to Pursue Music Full-Time

(2:20:00) - How I Almost Had a Song With Adam Levine at the Super Bowl

(2:27:00) - Brazil and Being Seen as an Artist for the First Time

(2:34:00) - Why Producers and Engineers Aren’t Your Competition

(2:39:00) - The Mixing Advice That Changed How I Work With Artists

(2:44:00) - Becoming Too Much of a Producer and Not Enough of an Artist

(2:49:00) - How Live Streaming Became Part of My Music Career

(2:54:00) - “Give Yourself First”: Why Good Music Alone Isn’t Enough

(2:59:00) - Building an Audience Around the Person Behind the Music

(3:04:00) - Finding My Sound Through Gospel, Samba and Rock

(3:10:00) - Discovering Black Rock & Roll and My Artist Identity

(3:17:00) - Why I Don’t Want My Music Put Into One Genre

(3:22:00) - Turning the Music Creation Process Into the Show

(3:27:00) - Why My Journey as an Artist Is Really Just Beginning

“I've been to the light and I'm back to show the unconditional love.”

What happens when a near-death experience completely changes the way you think about love, forgiveness, faith and your own life? In the first guest episode of A Podcast by Joe Louis, Glenda Oden shares how surviving a stroke and what she describes as an encounter with “the light” became a turning point in a life shaped by difficult relationships, loss, spirituality and a search for peace.

After years of feeling that she wasn't always loved in the ways she needed, Glenda explains why she made a conscious decision to start putting the love into the world that she wanted to receive herself. The conversation explores her relationship with God outside of organized religion, learning to forgive even when forgiveness isn't returned, finding peace in being alone, leaving toxic relationships behind and realizing that loving other people doesn't have to mean sacrificing yourself.

The conversation eventually turns toward self-love and healing. What does it actually mean to make yourself whole? Can you give someone your whole heart without becoming empty when they don't give the same thing back? From relationship advice and generational perspectives on love to learning how to enjoy her own company, Glenda's story is ultimately about choosing peace, giving love freely and discovering that healing has to include learning how to love yourself.

#APodcastByJoeLouis #JoeLouis #NearDeathExperience #UnconditionalLove #SelfLove #HealingJourney #Faith #personalgrowthstory

Key Discussion Points

(00:00) - “I've Been to the Light”: Glenda's Story Begins

(00:56) - Why Glenda Became the Podcast's First Guest

(05:53) - How Life Changed the Way Glenda Understands Love

(07:10) - Choosing Peace After Years of Dysfunction

(10:03) - Losing Faith in Church Without Losing Faith in God

(12:27) - Finding Purpose Through Giving Love to Other People

(16:09) - Why Glenda Tells People She Loves Them

(17:48) - Giving Love When It Isn't Given Back

(20:26) - Putting Out the Love You Want to Receive

(22:26) - How a Stroke Changed Glenda's Life

(23:42) - Why She Stopped Giving People Half of Her Heart

(25:27) - The Near-Death Experience That Changed Everything

(27:12) - Meeting “The Light” and Not Wanting to Come Back

(29:31) - Why Asking for Forgiveness Doesn't Require Being Forgiven

(32:45) - Faith, God and the Spiritual Side of Her Near-Death Experience

(33:15) - Losing Her Mother and Learning How to Grieve

(36:50) - How to Keep Going When Life Feels Like Too Much

(38:43) - Why You Should Tell People You Love Them While They're Here

(42:08) - Relationship Advice: Never Get Too Comfortable in Love

(44:22) - Has Modern Dating Made Romance More Difficult?

(47:44) - Love, Relationships and Younger Generations

(52:26) - Choosing Happiness, Peace and Acceptance

(53:46) - How Different Generations Learned to Love

(57:08) - Love, War and Why Older Relationships Lasted

(1:02:03) - What Does It Mean to Feel Whole?

(1:03:52) - Learning to Love Yourself for the First Time

(1:04:40) - Is Self-Love the First Step to Healing?

(1:07:24) - Healing After Toxic Relationships Starts With Yourself

(1:09:23) - How to Give Love Without Losing Yourself

(1:11:17) - Glenda's Final Message

(1:12:00) - Why Glenda Has Been So Important to Joe's Journey

“Do not take your lessons and confuse them as your purpose.”

How do you find your purpose and how do you know whether what you're doing is actually what you're meant to do? In this episode of A Podcast by Joe Louis, the conversation explores finding your purpose, understanding your identity, redefining success, and recognizing that something you're good at isn't necessarily your calling.

From football to becoming a music producer and engineer, working in Atlanta, and eventually stepping forward as an artist, the journey raises a bigger question: what if some of the things you succeed at are actually lessons preparing you for something else? Professional opportunities, music industry experiences, relationships, and different stages of life can all teach you something without necessarily being the final destination. That distinction became especially important when success behind the scenes started competing with the feeling that being an artist was something that could no longer be ignored.

Faith and spirituality also play a major role in this perspective on purpose, identity, and success. What is the thing that has never left you? What would you continue doing without recognition, money, awards, or validation from other people? And what happens when success stops meaning “Did everybody else think I made it?” and starts meaning “Did I actually do what I believe I was here to do?”

#APodcastByJoeLouis #JoeLouis #FindingYourPurpose #LifePurpose #FindingYourCalling #PersonalGrowth #Identity #success

Key Discussion Points

(00:00) - Can Failure Still Count as Success?

(02:15) - Why Purpose and Success Aren't Always the Same Thing

(06:10) - Redefining Success Beyond Awards and Recognition

(08:20) - Why Identity Can Be More Important Than Purpose

(11:45) - Who Are You Beyond What You Do?

(14:15) - The Early Search for Purpose

(18:20) - Finding Purpose in Helping Other People Grow

(23:30) - Faith, Relationships and Recognizing a Deeper Purpose

(31:00) - Entering the Music Industry Without Losing Your Identity

(35:30) - When Professional Opportunities Make You Question Success

(39:15) - Faith and the Music Industry Journey

(44:04) - Don't Confuse Your Lessons With Your Purpose

(48:30) - When Being a Successful Producer Became the Wrong Goal

(52:20) - Why Becoming an Artist Could No Longer Be Ignored

(57:30) - What Happens When You Ignore Part of Your Purpose

(1:02:00) - Purpose, Faith and Spirituality

(1:08:30) - How Becoming an Artist Changed the Bigger Picture

(1:14:00) - Live Streaming, Music and Taking Small Steps Toward Purpose

(1:19:30) - How Different Parts of Your Purpose Can Work Together

(1:24:00) - The Question That Can Help You Find Your Purpose

(1:28:30) - What Would You Keep Doing Even If Nobody Paid You?

(1:32:00) - Purpose, Death and Knowing You Did Your Job

(1:35:00) - Why Finding Your Purpose Can Redefine Success

(1:38:00) - Stop Measuring Your Success Through Other People

(1:41:00) - What Would You Still Do When You're Exhausted?