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What happens when you reach success—but it leaves you disconnected from the very reason you started?

For Lionel Cartwright, it meant returning to something deeper—his creative identity beyond the charts, the crowds, and the constant market pressure to chase trends.

In this episode, Māris sits down with the Nashville country artist to explore what it truly means to create from your true self—especially after reaching the top. With a career that includes Billboard-charting hits, national tours, and composing for television, Lionel shares what unfolds when you stop chasing success and begin creating from a place of wholeness, rest, and inner clarity.

This conversation isn’t about industry hacks or formulas—it’s about rediscovering your voice, your values, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing you’re already enough.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Letting go of external pressure and creating from your core
• The hidden cost of tying your identity to success
• The tension between public persona and personal truth
• The connection between rest, values, and long-term creative health
• What Johnny Cash taught Lionel about authenticity
• How to keep showing up and finishing creative work

About the Guest:

Lionel Cartwright is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter and composer known for his Billboard-charting country hits in the 1990s and later work scoring for film and television. Today, he continues to write, produce, and perform while mentoring artists to align their work with their values, purpose, and creative calling.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Rick Rubin — The Creative Act and reflections on Johnny Cash

• Austin Kleon — Steal Like an Artist and Keep Going

• Anne Lamott — Bird by Bird

• Elizabeth Gilbert — Big Magic

• Viktor Frankl — Man’s Search for Meaning

Listen & Subscribe:

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

Connect with Lionel Cartwright:

🌐 Website

📺 Lionel's YouTube Channel

Find the podcast website here: https://storyclicks.us/podcast/
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