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This week on The Hardcore Humanism Podcast we have Grammy Award winning musician, singer, songwriter and producer Paula Cole. You may know Paula from some of her greatest hits such as “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone” and “I Don’t Want To Wait.” And Paula has a new album out May 21st called American Quilt that you can preorder now.

One of the most important principles of humanistic psychology is the fundamental value of human beings and the hope that they will self-actualize, meaning that they find their authentic purpose and achieve it. And one of the most important things that we try to do as humanistic therapists is to remove the barriers that interfere with someone finding their authentic self. And unfortunately, a very powerful force that interferes with people pursuing their purpose in life is stereotyping. 

Over the course of her career and life, Cole has consistently written and spoken out about the harmful effects of sexism in our society. And in our conversation, Cole talks in particular about how sexism has interfered with her ability to find her authentic voice both personally and professionally. 

Cole explained how she understands and confronts this bias. And one of the things that was really interesting to hear about was what Paula refers to as her “jazz self.” And that is something that is a deep and enduring yearning to be improvisational. It is a drive to explore new forms of expression and ways of looking at the world. It’s the exact opposite of the limits that stereotypes and bias have put on her. And if we can take a cue from our favorite artists like Cole and think about how we can be open-minded and creative in our own life, we can challenge the biases that others have for us as we shatter barriers and pursue our purpose in life.

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