Top Reaching Higher Episodes

Judy Stakee on Discovering Sheryl Crow and Jewel: Songwriter Advice From a Warner Chappell Legend

Judy Stakee, the “champion of the songwriter,” joins Aaron Strout on the Reaching Higher Podcast. Her career started as an assistant at Arista under Clive Davis and led to 20 years as Senior VP of Creative at Warner Chappell Music, where she helped launch artists like Sheryl Crow and Jewel. Judy shares how gut instinct and a lifelong love of music guide her, why professionalism and fun belong together, and what she learned from Carole King, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil. She explains what separates artists who keep going from those who stall out (hint: cut the word “hard” from your vocabulary), and why a human songwriter’s lived experience can’t be replicated by AI. They also cover music as energy and vibration, the art of mentoring and letting go, and a few book and podcast picks. Thanks to Jenn Greenhut for the introduction.

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