What does it mean to live a life in tune—with yourself, your passions, and your wellbeing? In this episode of Musings on Wellbeing, host Charlie Bresler and his guest, internationally renowned pianist Milica Jelača Jovanović, explore how the pursuit of excellence can both shape and challenge our inner lives.
Raised in a family of classical musicians in Yugoslavia, Milica's journey spans elite music schools, intense conservatory training in post-Soviet Moscow, and a new chapter of life in Michigan. Their conversation touches on the delicate balance between ambition and self-care, artistry and identity.
Her story is both deeply personal and universally resonant—a reflection on discipline, resilience, and finding meaning through music. Listeners will hear Milica's candid take on how intensive training has shaped her mental and emotional wellbeing, the role of family in grounding her, and why she prioritizes self-improvement over competition.
She also shares the guiding principles behind her teaching style and gives a sneak peek into exciting musical projects on the horizon.
Links:
Milica on YouTube @milicajj
Music from this episode:
Mozart concerto performance with bellinghamsymphony.org
Musing on Wellbeing is sponsored by EH Walkers. Discover more and join EH Walkers at www.ehwalkers.org.
Charlie Bresler is a former business executive, co-founder of the nonprofit The Life You Can Save, and a self-described effective hedonist. As a psychologist, Charlie emphasizes the importance of aligning personal pleasure with doing good, rejecting the notion of self-sacrifice in favor of a fulfilling, values-driven life.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com