Finding Your Voice: The Journey of Jon Schmidt

In this episode of the Franklin Planner podcast, co-hosts George Wright III and John Harding welcome special guest John Schmidt, an accomplished pianist and composer known for his work with The Piano Guys. John shares his journey from a musically inclined family to global recognition, emphasizing the importance of passion, hard work, and love in achieving success. He offers profound insights on finding one’s mission, the power of discipline, and the impact of music. The episode culminates with John reading an influential poem that guided him through anxiety and uncertainty, advocating for a mission-driven life with God as a partner. The co-hosts challenge listeners to craft their personal mission and use music as a tool for inspiration and planning.

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Episode Timeline

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:56 Meet John Schmidt: A Musical Journey

02:48 Early Influences and Family Support

03:55 Finding Joy in Music

06:01 The Power of Sharing Your Gift

08:15 Talent, Hard Work, and Passion

13:01 The Birth of The Piano Guys

19:34 Overcoming Struggles and Finding Inspiration

21:46 The Role of Miracles and Perspective

26:11 A Poem That Changed Everything

27:21 Discovering a Life-Changing Book

28:07 The Power of Personal Gifts

28:58 Finding Your Divine Destiny

31:08 The Importance of Persistence

32:41 Overcoming Anxiety Through Faith

34:11 The Role of Mission and North Star

36:57 Collaborating with God on Your Mission

43:28 The Power of Music in Life

46:49 Final Thoughts and Challenges

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Episode Transcript

Introduction to the Episode

George: Welcome back to the Franklin Planner Podcast. I’m so happy to be here with you today. My name’s George Wright III with my co-host John Harding, one of the owners of Franklin Planner and board member. How are you doing, John?

John Harding: I’m doing fantastic. 

George: This is going to be a great, powerful episode. We’re really excited about this. We are joined with an amazing guest. His name is Jon Schmidt, and I think that you’re going to find that we’re going to have a message that’s going to resonate with a lot of you. Jon, welcome to the podcast.

Jon Schmidt: Thank you for having me. It’s an honor.

George: Yeah. You know, I think every once in a while I like to say for those of you that don’t know our guests, let me introduce him. I’m going to do that anyway, but I think most people probably do know you. So, Jon Schmidt, for those of you that don’t know him, is an American pianist and composer. He’s classically trained.

He branched out in new age music in his twenties, but he’s really done these crossover styles that blend classical, contemporary, and rock and roll. He’s released eight solo albums, seven piano books, and is globally recognized for The Piano Guys, an amazing, amazing group. We’re just happy to be here with you today because we’re going to have conversations about music, passion, love, and life.

So Jon, maybe if you wouldn’t mind, you could kind of give us just a little bit of what took you into this whole arena of music and sparked your love for music in the first place.

Early Musical Roots and Family Influence

Jon Schmidt: Oh, that’s a great question. First of all, I just want to say one of my closest friends in this life is John Harding. So I just get to hang out with my buddy today, so that’s—

John Harding: Really exciting.

Jon Schmidt: —really exciting.

John Harding: Of all the things you just said, I’ve got to put this in. I’ve known Jon for a number of years, and that is an incredible list, but I know him as a father, as a husband, as one of the absolute strongest human beings I’ve ever met. So my privilege to be with you, Big Jon.

Jon Schmidt: Thank you. Thank you so much.

George: Well, when we’re trying to inspire and motivate people to lead their life and create the life that they love, you are an awesome example of that. You’re someone who is living a life that you love and doing what you love. So yeah, help us— I mean, I think a lot of people probably see you as this iconic global figure, but help us to understand who the real Jon is and how you kind of got down this path.

Jon Schmidt: Well, you’re nice. My parents moved here from Germany and they were very musical. They came right after the war, young, married, didn’t have any kids. The musicality of my parents really created a home that was so rich in music. I was the youngest of five kids, but my oldest sister was the best pianist in the family. She was so good. She was in a master’s program at BYU—Master’s Piano Performance Program—as a freshman.

She decided she would teach her little bro piano lessons, 11 years younger than her. I don’t think she ever got paid. I mean, it was just a labor of love. And my mom—one thing I learned early is you don’t argue with German moms as far as practicing. I was going to practice every day. There was no question in my mind.

And I hated it. I hated it so badly. But if you do something every day for a couple of years and you have even half a talent, you start to get good at it, and then it starts to get fun. Then it was sort of like a kid with a video game—they couldn’t keep me off the piano.

In fact, my dad handled everything with humor. Occasionally, when it was like 11 o’clock at night and I’m still pounding on the piano in this tiny little German immigrant home—right next to the wall shared by their bedroom—he’d come out and say, “Jon, you should be on the radio.” I said, “Wow, thanks Dad.” He replied, “Yeah, then I could turn you off.” Classic way of dealing with it.

I felt so supported by my parents. I used to accompany my dad—he was an operatic tenor. My sister and I would accompany him as he shared his gift. He was such a great example of “find your voice.” Step one: find your voice. Step two: share it.

My dad was a great example of that, both with music and with his gift of humor. He was a great stand-up comedian when he was captured as a prisoner of war by the English. He decided he was going to hog the airtime, have uplifting humor, and he learned how to do stand-up comedy. He could tell jokes for hour after hour after hour. It was such a cool inspiration to watch him and the joy it brought him when he could make somebody smile or laugh.

Finding Joy Through Sharing Your Gift

Jon Schmidt: I really feel that is a great measure—if we are sharing, can we make a sad person smile? Can you bring a smile to somebody’s face? Even one person? I know a lot of people get hung up on “oh, it’s just one person.” But I really, really believe that communion is a beautiful thing, whether it’s with one person, a hundred people, a thousand people, or a million people.

It is a joy to have that experience of being able to use a gift to enrich someone else’s life in some way. That’s how I measure my art—was it able to enrich somebody? That, for me, is the best payday, the greatest joy.

Discipline, Talent, and Discovering Your Voice

George: Ultimately, as we talk to organizations and as we talk to people throughout our business careers, we find more and more that people want that and they need that fulfillment.

It’s interesting—I actually want to back up a second because I was going to ask you… people see your talent, your gift, and your voice, and they think, “Wow, just so talented.” But you made a comment I was curious about because you said you were made to play the piano.

A lot of people maybe have trouble finding their voice or identifying what it is they’re talented at. I’ve heard people say talent is sometimes a gift, but sometimes it’s progressing long enough to discover it. Did you feel like you knew this was your talent or voice, or did you grow into that voice, based on your comment about having been made to play the piano?

Jon Schmidt: Yeah, I’m going to be completely 100% honest on this—this is exactly the way things really are. Compared to Jacob Collier—have you guys heard of Jacob Collier?

George: Yeah.

Jon Schmidt: He is, in my opinion, the best musician on the planet today. He can take an audience and turn them into a choir. You’ve seen this guy? He’s in his twenties, insanely talented. All of the big names—like Hans Zimmer—say, “Oh, if I could just be like Jacob Collier.”

He has perfect pitch, every musical gift you could want. Me compared to him? I feel like a pygmy. I don’t have perfect pitch. I don’t have the training. I don’t have so many of the things Jacob has.

But I feel you can do so much with half a talent if you make up for it with extra time and determination. I’m a testament to that—you can make a lot of people happy with half a talent.

The best piano players in the world—like Yuja Wang—are superhuman. They practice 10 hours a day so they can play Beethoven better than anyone else in the world. My technical skills compared to them—or even any rock pianist like Billy Joel—are pygmy level.

So in all honesty, I feel like I’m an average musically talented person… and yet I’ve been able to make a lot of people happy. And it’s really, really fun.

Discipline, Hard Work, and Passion

George: Then that’s what you said—you’ve made a lot of people happy. For you to say that, Jon, I think so many people see success like yours and think, “I’ve got to be so talented,” and so they don’t move forward.

You’re saying that with discipline and hard work—talent is just part of it—discipline and hard work, and I think we’d add passion as well, you can succeed. This goes to leading your life and trying to find the thing you’re passionate about. It’s so hard sometimes for people to find their voice and talent.

John Harding: Jon, you’re an amazing example. We want to help people with this formula. We believe inside everyone is unbelievable greatness, and also a leader who can take charge, take responsibility, and lead their life.

Maybe some people don’t see that, but you’re a great hope because you’re telling us you hated practicing. You clearly didn’t think you’d change the world with your music—but you have.

That’s a great example. You also showed a lot of obedience to your great German mom—respect for her to practice. Then you kept working at it, took initiative, and started to see where it could go. But what if you’d never done that?

Aligning Discipline With Passion

George: You make a great point, and back to a lot of the principles we talk about—Jon said talent and hard work. Inside, we believe everyone has greatness, but they also have the ability to take responsibility and create the discipline and commitment to whatever they choose.

And then things go a step further when you align it with passion. So I’m curious—how did The Piano Guys come together? How did that era of your life and the success you’ve achieved happen?

The Birth of The Piano Guys

Jon Schmidt: Well, that’s a fun story. And I just want to add one more thought to the previous discussion—when you add the element of love, when you’re doing it out of love because you love what you’re doing and you love people, that’s a winner.

George: I had a mentor say the key is to find your unique talent—something you’re great at and passionate about—and that you can do in the service of men and women. That’s where love comes in.

Jon Schmidt: That’s huge. As good as it gets, in my opinion.

John Harding: Without being selfish, that love and respect is for yourself as well. You have to respect yourself and believe in yourself enough to know you have that gift to give others.

George: And clearly you took it to the next level with The Piano Guys, sharing this on a global stage. So what was that transition?

Jon Schmidt: A friend of mine, Mike Glauser, teaches entrepreneurship at Utah State University. He traveled the country interviewing at least a hundred entrepreneurs and found a common theme—successful endeavors often come from people doing something they love, in service to others, and then serendipitously meeting others doing the same thing.

That’s what happened with The Piano Guys. Steven Sharp Nelson doing what he loved, Paul Anderson—the piano store owner—doing what he loved, and Al Van Der Beek with his home studio doing what he loved.

It started as a favor. Paul Anderson was a friend who asked me to help him advertise his piano store on this new thing called YouTube. He said he’d always wanted to put a piano in Snow Canyon and film someone playing it instead of paying for a billboard or newspaper ad. He wanted to put it on his YouTube channel called The Piano Guys.

Paul had helped me many times, so I said, “For sure, let’s do this. It’ll be fun.” The whole thing turned into a happy accident.

George: I love that you said “accident” because people often try to find the perfect path before starting. This is almost a recipe—find your passion, create discipline, do it in service of others, and along the way, things happen.

Jon Schmidt: They do. But you have to take action.

From Discipline to Career Decisions

John Harding: Jon, keep going on this bit. I love it. And I think you’ll see—I’d like you to slip back in there. I know we asked you about The Piano Guys, but between the German-inspired discipline of practice and The Piano Guys…

If this is okay, go back, because I think there’s initiative and courage in there. You made a decision. Because we’ve known each other a number of years, I know there were times where you weren’t this grand success, where nobody knew you. You had struggles, and you were going to do school, career, other things.

I think you’re an excellent example—you led your personal inspiration. Tell your story about following these gifts. You could have been doing business like we’re doing or something else, and you went through times of very little and high risk to follow your inspiration.

Can you just take a second—give us some of that struggle?

Jon Schmidt: Yeah, I’d love to talk about that. In fact, if you don’t mind, can I pull up a poem?

John Harding: Do it.

Jon Schmidt: Yeah. That was such a guide for me—it helped me so much.

Choosing the Riskier Path

John Harding: While you’re looking for that, what I know about him, George, is that with Michelle, his wife, as you’re raising a family and deciding what to do—you could. He had this incredible talent.

Mine might be skiing or golf, or a little bit of art in painting. But he found the courage to follow that, even though it wasn’t the obvious, lowest-risk, highest-return option. I’m just so impressed, Jon, with how you kept seeking and stayed open to personal inspiration to go forward with something you felt deeply about. But nobody had done the path you’ve done in this way.

George: And probably back to your point and yours, Jon—if you didn’t have the love of it or the love for sharing it, it probably wouldn’t have kept you going through the times where it wasn’t an easy path to global stardom. The love and passion probably helped you with that. But yeah, I’d love to hear your poem.

The Role of Inspiration and Miracles

Jon Schmidt: And I’m a real believer—you mentioned inspiration, John. Boy, I am a real believer in that, because it suggests that we’re all influenced by and dependent upon miracles.

I could talk for an hour about the miracles that led to where I am. Like Jacob Collier being born with perfect pitch—that’s a miracle. To love music from the start, to never hate it, to always be like a kid playing a Nintendo game for hours from the get-go—that’s Mozart, that’s Jacob Collier. That’s a miracle.

I sometimes think the miracle aspect of things gets overlooked. Yes, I practiced a lot, but I’m also grateful for these unusual situations that shaped me.

For example, a seventh-grade buddy of mine was a huge Billy Joel fan because his older brother was. He challenged me to learn Billy Joel’s music by ear. He worked the tape recorder for me, cheered me on, and said, “Jon, you can learn this.”

And that’s a miracle. I also had an older sister… If you took the miracles out of this, it wouldn’t have happened. I just want to give credit where credit is due, because I think my practicing and hard work get too much credit sometimes.

Perspective and Leading Your Life

George: That’s a good point. And for listeners, I always try to bring it back to them. Success leaves clues. Sometimes it’s not just about the message—it’s the message behind the message.

One thing I’m learning from you, Jon, is that perspective drives a lot. You were forced to do something that became your unique talent. You had accidents that turned into one of the best things that could have happened in music. And you had miracles that some people might view as difficulties.

Your perspective on life is huge. And John Harding always tells me—if you want to lead your life, you’ve got to be open to inspiration and willing to do the work. That really seems like your whole story.

Jon Schmidt: Well, I’m glad you’ve given me license to say, “Be open to inspiration,” because that will allow me to give you the rest of the story.

George: We want to know how you think, because that’s what created what you did.

Jon Schmidt: Okay—then it’s your fault if I go too far.

George: That’s okay—go ahead.

The Life-Changing Poem

Jon Schmidt: This poem answers the original question you posed to me. When I was about 21 years old, I was so doubtful, so anxious, full of fears: How am I going to get a girl to like me? How am I going to find a career? How am I going to feed a family? How will I know what to study in college?

I was full of anxiety. I remember the day like it was yesterday—I was sitting out in the backyard of this tiny little house I still lived in with my parents. I prayed, “God, help me with this anxiety. I need help.”

I’d had enough experience with prayer by then to turn to it. I feel it was a miracle—I was led to find this book in my room that my Aunt Hilde gave me when I was 14 or 15. At the time I thought, “Oh gosh, a book,” but somehow it ended up on my shelf.

I pulled it out—it was a little book called I Challenge You, I Promise You by Richard M. Eyre. He and his wife Linda have been a great inspiration to so many in finding their voice and serving with it.

This book literally changed my life. I’ve read this poem to a lot of people in spiritual settings. It applies to any gift that someone feels they have—something that can enrich someone’s life. I believe everybody has something like that inside, waiting to be nourished and cultivated.

It says:

I challenge you to seek your personal divine destiny. Everyone comes to earth with specific missions to perform. But once we’re here, there’s no guarantee that someone will do what God wants them to do while they are here.

Start at the right place—prayer. Go to God. Ask, “What is my mission?” I don’t think it’s one thing—in most cases, it’s a combination of several things that make up your voice. Whether it’s cooking, cross stitch, or professional art—find out what your gift is, find your mission.

It will distill upon your soul like dew, a little at a time—line upon line, precept upon precept. There are no shortcuts. Even Jesus found out about His gift slowly. Have faith to let it be revealed at the rate God wants. Be persistent—He rewards persistence. If He knows you want to know, you can be sure He will tell you somehow.

In the meantime, as it’s revealed to you gradually, you will not be held up in your progress. Stay prepared. Perhaps He will show you your mission one small step at a time. Your lifetime cause may still be vague, but the immediate step—the school, the marriage—becomes clearer.

Take that clear step. As you do, the long-range vagueness will become less vague, like slowly turning a lens into focus.

The important thing is not that you know fully and precisely your complete mission, but rather that you are seeking to know it. God will not allow someone sincerely seeking their calling to make very many false steps.

When I read that, something hit me so hard my anxiety melted away. I realized—I can make this the number one thing.

George: Your intention.

Jon Schmidt: The answer I got was, “Yes, I can.” It might not be perfect, but I can totally focus on that. And if I do, I don’t need to worry. I can leave all that anxiety I had a half-hour ago and be done with it.

It was life-changing. And because I made this principle number one, even though I did not want to do music as a career—because I didn’t want to put my family through uncertainty—I believed that God would not allow someone sincerely seeking their mission to make very many false steps.

Mission as an Anchor

George: Well, Jon, it’s interesting—and I really want to get you to comment on this, John—because there’s a message in there I want to pinpoint.

Most people have anxiety and stress because they’re trying to figure it all out and don’t want to take a wrong step. But if you have the intention of moving forward—and you’ve said before your personal North Star is finding your voice and sharing it—this goes back to mission.

John Harding, you’ve said before that the goal of a mission or North Star is to guide you, not to give you the exact path and map. Because by the way, that causes anxiety and stress, right?

John Harding: Absolutely. And Jon, your mission became an anchor. Think of the rest—the worry, fear, doubt, unknown. In today’s age, there seems to be more of that. You have all this information, lots of voices saying, “You should do this, you should do that.”

The power of your story is you’re such a great example of being mission-driven and following that anchor. Your concern was related to your roles—supporting your family, putting them through this. But I’m glad George mentioned that—you’re an awesome example.

Most people don’t do what you did, Jon. Our research finds many people don’t set clear goals for themselves. The power of a mission—to know it, to know it’s what you want, and that you have a unique contribution—is huge.

Inspired Mission vs. Uninspired Mission

Jon Schmidt: Can I just tie into what you’re saying before we go further? What I got from that poem is: counsel with God on your mission and make it an evolving thing. It will tweak, He will focus it.

For me to get to the point where I was doing music—it was a counseling process. God, I want the mission to be Yours. You know that saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans”?

I feel what this poem told me to do was say, “God, I want Your plan. I have 100% faith Your plan will be better than mine.” It became a collaboration—a collaborative mission.

Having an inspired mission rather than an uninspired mission is a beautiful thing.

John Harding: Totally. You looked up, you counseled with God, and you had the courage to run with that plan, even against obstacles. Having felt that power and greatness within you, you kept making a plan, setting goals, deciding what to do today or this week—but with that North Star anchor guiding you through.

Mission Guides Through Transitions

George: The thing I wanted to mention is that people might not realize this: your mission is critical because no matter the direction your life takes, it’s still guided by that anchor.

You’ve transitioned—you did a bunch of things, then The Piano Guys, and now even some solo acoustic shows and solo work. But no matter what, your mission and passion guide you.

If you have courage, direction, and passion—and you’re getting fulfillment and giving back—the path will manifest itself along the way. It’s not laid out ahead of time.

Jon Schmidt: Day by day, week by week. It’s a beautiful thing.

Advice for People on the Path

George: What kind of recommendations would you give to someone who’s now on the path? Maybe they’ve found their voice, maybe not—but they’re trying to persevere. What advice would you give, in hindsight, from the path you’ve gone through?

Jon Schmidt: Some great advice I heard was from artist Minerva Teichert—she said she never picked up a paintbrush without first praying. If she encountered problems with a painting, she would pray.

That made such an impact on me. For me, that boils down to: make God your partner the whole way. If you want to make a smoothie—are you going to do it without a blender, using your hands and a knife? Or are you going to use the dang blender?

For me, it’s a no-brainer. Too many guys, especially, say, “No, I’m good without the blender.” It’s idiotic—we’re such idiots as guys.

Music as a Source of Inspiration

George: Well, Jon, do you have any other thoughts? We also like to leave our listeners with a challenge—something to take away.

John Harding: I’d like to do that. Jon, I’ll send that question your way first. While you’re thinking, I’d also like to see—George, we can edit this if we want—but maybe another podcast or two, Jon, if you’re willing.

Part two could be about using music for inspiration in planning your life. The power of music, and maybe how to apply it in executing your plan and managing stress. There are so many benefits The Piano Guys and you have brought to people—and everyone can tap into it because of creators like you.

George: I think more and more people understand the power of music to influence, inspire, and motivate. When I want to get in the zone, I use music. We’ve talked before about your new Spotify playlist—it’s great. Music can help calm you, much like journaling and writing can help you focus.

The Endorphin Effect of Music

Jon Schmidt: I think music is such cool stuff. Studies have shown it produces natural endorphins—like exercise does. I saw a clip of an expert on a late-night talk show. They were asked, “Besides exercise, what else produces endorphins?” And he said, “Music.”

Music provides natural endorphins. But there are so many other things—pets, nature, cooking—so many gifts people have.

I feel that when you tap into something, and maybe apply music to any gift that can enrich others, it’s powerful. Music is just a great tool.

Challenge to the Listeners

George: This has been a great foundation for a second interview. We’ve laid the foundation of finding your voice and sharing it, using it as your North Star, and knowing that accidents, discipline, and miracles all play a role.

John Harding: I have a challenge. Jon, help me with this. I’d like to invite our listeners to do three things we’ve talked about:

Create a personal vision and mission—list your values, who matters to you, and your unique contribution.

While doing this, tap into some of Jon Schmidt’s music and The Piano Guys.

Take an hour, go somewhere quiet, and work on your mission while listening.

Jon, can you tell them where to go and what to listen to?

Jon Schmidt: I’d be thrilled if people found something I put a lot of love into. In the early days, albums were limited—you couldn’t make one longer than 45 minutes. We’d carefully choose how it started, what the most ideal next song was, and so on. I never wanted a “throwaway track”—I wanted the whole album to feel like one musical work.

Now, it’s cool because you can make “super albums” called playlists. I made a five-hour playlist, starting with imagining someone hearing the first song and asking, “What do I want to hear next? Where should the mood go now?”

I put so much love into this playlist. Spotify is the only platform that lets artists do this. Apple Music and others don’t allow it. I prayed over the order of songs, and I’m so thrilled with how it turned out.

George: I’ll put the link to your Spotify playlist in the show notes—it’s a five-hour playlist with all the carefully curated tracks. I’ve listened to it myself.

Jon Schmidt: I’d love to start hearing from people, “I love this playlist you made.” That would be so fun.

John Harding: That’s my invitation. As you do weekly planning, take 20–30 minutes with this playlist. Look out over your priorities and the people that matter to you. It’s a practical way to get inspiration.

George: I think it’s a great challenge—take these success principles and do them with the power of music.

Jon Schmidt: Music brings inspiration.

George: It does—absolutely. This has been great. We’re so grateful, Jon. We’ll queue up the idea of coming back with the power of music. In the meantime, go check out Jon’s Spotify playlist. We’ll keep finding ways to inspire you to lead your life and unleash the greatness inside you.

Jon Schmidt: It’s an honor. It’s so fun.

George: All right, everybody—have an amazing week.

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Thank you for joining us on this Journey to create your best life and to lead your Life and Teams. Please share this show, and we look forward to the journey we will take together.

The Franklin Planner Team

About John Schmidt

Jon Schmidt is a world-renowned pianist, composer, and founding member of The Piano Guys, known for blending classical and pop music into powerful, cinematic performances. With billions of views and sold-out shows worldwide, his work has inspired audiences of all ages. Now, Jon is returning to his roots with intimate solo acoustic concerts that focus on connection, emotion, and authenticity. He continues to use music as a tool for healing and inspiration.

Check out Spotify Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2YQ4MY2VwOMv43C0GemUY5 || https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jon-schmidt/5118375 

Resources

Website: https://thepianoguys.com/pages/jon-schmidt2 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepianoguysjonschmidt/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonSchmidtPiano/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC41Po6yLBco1WoGQZpJ4ySg