Soundtrack to a Movement: The Music Behind the Hauer Hour

Some ideas are born from whiteboards and strategic plans.

This one was born under a Denver sunset — and soundtracked by Ani DiFranco and Brandi Carlile.

As we dreamed up the Hauer Hour, we found ourselves circling back — again and again — to the lyrics and melodies that have carried us through the hardest moments of caregiving, leadership, and life itself.

“Maybe the best that we can do
is to see each other through.”
— Ani DiFranco, Hour Follows Hour

That line became a sort of quiet anthem for this podcast. A reminder that we don’t need to fix it all. We don’t need to be perfect. We just need to see each other through — with presence, with grace, with love.

And then there’s this gentle whisper of a song from Brandi Carlile:

“Stay gentle, keep the eyes of a child
Don’t harden your heart or your hands.”
— Brandi Carlile, Stay Gentle

That line stopped us in our tracks. Because so much of this work — whether you’re a clinician, a caregiver, or simply someone trying to lead with love — depends on exactly that: the decision to stay gentle in a world that often rewards the opposite.

Why Music Matters Here

Music has the power to shift your mood in a millisecond.
It also shapes your brain over a lifetime.

In both ways, it’s like the best kind of leadership — subtle, deeply felt, and transformational.

As we created the Hauer Hour, we didn’t just build out a content plan or guest list.
We built a playlist.

Songs that have gotten us through burnout, grief, joy, early morning commutes, and late-night charting sessions.
Songs that say what we sometimes can’t.
Songs that hold both the mess and the meaning.

🎧 COMING SOON: An upcoming episode where we dive into our favorite lyrics, geek out on musical theater (you’ve been warned), and reflect on how music has shaped the way we show up — in clinics, in family rooms, and in our own lives.

Until then…

👉 Listen to the Hauer Hour Playlist on Spotify 
✨ Catch Episode 1 on May 5 — and maybe press play on Stay Gentle while you wait.

Because sometimes leadership starts with a song.