Rich Redmond and Jim McCarthy sit down with Nashville drummer and counselor Elizabeth Chan to unpack what it really takes to build a sustainable music career in 2024: from grinding on the road and tour managing, to setting healthy boundaries, negotiating contracts, and managing your mind while you chase the dream.

Elizabeth shares her journey from Brooklyn churches to Liberty University, moving to Nashville at 20, landing gigs with Carrie Underwood and Lady A, and earning a master’s in counseling so she can help artists unburden and stay healthy in the process.

You’ll hear shop talk on rates, contracts, tour management, mental health, imposter syndrome, AI and the future of music, plus a hopeful look at the rise of female drummers and what real longevity in this business looks like.

Watch, share, and tag a musician or creative who needs to hear this.

Timed Highlights:

00:00 E-bikes, gym guilt, and seven seasons of the show

02:30 Meet Elizabeth Chan: Nashville drummer and the show’s first female drummer guest

08:20 Learning drums in church and 10 years of free lessons

11:30 The audition video that won a full-tuition scholarship

12:50 Moving to Nashville at 20 and booking an audition on day one

20:25 How one CCM showcase put her in front of the whole industry

23:10 Life with Carrie Underwood: Vegas, drum features, and serious work ethic

26:00 Connecting into Lady A through house-band award shows and Instagram DMs

29:10 Doing double duty as drummer and tour manager

36:00 Real talk on pay, prep time, and why low day rates don’t add up

44:30 Nashville’s evolution: from handshakes to “the most one-sided contracts”

48:10 When mental health gets real: Elizabeth’s mom, therapy, and a new path

57:00 Imposter syndrome on big tours and talking to your “child” vs “adult” self

1:00:40 Getting her counseling degree during COVID and launching Arrow Counseling

1:05:00 How therapists avoid taking clients’ pain home

1:08:10 Self-care routines: yoga, pools, oceans, and real community

1:16:10 Helping younger musicians figure out run rate, budgets, and boundaries

1:23:00 AI, music, and why we may run back to live, imperfect bands

1:30:00 Red pandas, otters, and guilty pleasures

Links:
The Rich Redmond Show site:
therichredmanshow.com

Rich Redmond:
richredmond.com

Podcast production:
itsyourshow.co

Drum-tensive study with Rich:
drumtensive.com

Elizabeth: 

elizabethrchan on Instagram, Arrow Counseling (Nashville)