This is a letter I’ve been wanting to write to the late Dan Miller of 48 Days Eagles. I miss him since his sudden passing in January of 2024. On his weekly podcast, he would answer questions that listeners submitted to his “ask Dan” email address. Instead of asking Dan, I’m starting my blog with a “Dear Dan”. You’re invited to ‘listen in’ to my conversation with him today.

Dear Dan,

I need your counsel. I miss the Monday Mentor Sessions offered by you and your leaders every Monday afternoon. In three years, I think I only missed one or two—one because I was flying home from Costa Rica and the other because I simply forgot… a very strange occurrence for me.

I’ve been very blessed to form relationships with very powerful people at just the right times in my life along my journey. From two lady teachers in high school who helped me navigate some dark times in my faith to great teachers in Oklahoma during my two years at Bible College. Then there was my pastor and his wife in our small town when my husband and I moved back to Newville after getting married.

Eventually, music producers became my mentors.

Then I met a music business professional and conductor from Nashville who had such a significant impact on my music life, that I’m still reaping the benefits today. In fact, I know for sure that some of my current music opportunities are a direct result of building a friendship with him.

Then COVID hit and everything was turned upside down in my world… like so many others. After almost a year of struggling, I came upon your free webinar about finding your sweet spot. I was touched by your soft-spokenness, your deep wisdom and your Mennonite-farm-kid stories. Your sense of adventure combined with your willingness to try new things, even in your 70s reminded me so much of Ed. He was a music mentor. You seemed to offer mentoring in another area of my life–growth mindst.

I immediately signed up for a paid membership and joined the 48 Days Eagles after that free webinar. The Monday afternoon one-hour sessions offered weekly began to transform my mindset. I started changing how I think about EVERYTHING. I know you said you were a career coach, but you were so much more than that. You became like a father to me—someone who understood my constant inflow of creative ideas, the desire to be more than anyone thinks you can be (including your own mind), and the passion to create and live life to its fullest.

But then you got the cancer diagnosis. I could feel my feet slipping. I resisted the temptation to give in to sadness. I’ve experienced so much tragic loss in my life that every time I get a sense that I’m about to lose something precious, I build up a wall or succumb to fear—fear of loss. Of losing something precious, once again.

But thanks to having done tons of work around grief and fear of loss, I understood what was happening to me and became much more diligent about guarding my heart and mind. I attribute much of my growth in this area to the past three years spent with the Eagles.

Nonetheless, I took it very hard when I got the news that you passed away within only 6 1/2 weeks of your diagnosis. Everyone kept saying, “Remember, Dan would ask, ‘What does this make possible?’” I’d nod my head and try to embrace this new way of thinking about a terminal diagnosis. None of us wanted this for you. Although shutting down the Eagles Community made sense; your family needed to focus on supporting you through the last season of your life, man oh man, it was SO hard. I know we all experienced such paralyzing shock and I couldn’t even grasp what your family felt. They had to grieve in front of the whole world. Yet it appeared as if the whole world came around you and your family to support you. It was amazing to behold from up here in South Central Pennsylvania. Wish I could have been there.

“What does this make possible” is not the way I was used to approaching loss. Yet my life has been so impacted by your heart and your perspective, that I decided to use this as another chance to apply what I had been learning from you.

So here I sit. Thanks to knowing you, I’m working on launching my second book. I’m climbing my musical Mount Everest with my artist friend, Kirstin. Thanks to someone I met at the Eagles event in Florida last August, we are actively pursuing sponsorships for our London Symphony Orchestra project. And I’m still innovating—trying to combine my passion and my skills together in a way to create income from my music.

But to be honest, I have also been feeling so overwhelmed. I keep having meltdowns—but I finally figured out a few weeks ago that what’s really going on is that thing called grief. There’s this huge hole in my heart that you used to fill. You’re a career coach and a father of new thoughts (that’s a title that I made up). Naturally, as I navigate my ever-challenging but fulfilling career, I really feel your absence. I miss your Monday stories. And not only did something snatch you away, but the whole community sort of disappeared too. We’re trying to rebuild, but ouch. It hurts and it’s different.

So in closing–I’m wondering if you would take a look at a job description I created for my ideal virtual assistant–from wherever you are. Based on your encouragement to us to always stay in our zone of genius and delegate everything else, I’ve created this draft of a job description. What do you think of it? How on earth will I ever afford someone?

I’m already working a part-time non-music job to supplement my music. I’m not sure what you would think of that, but it seemed to be the best thing for me right now as I continue to face changing times here in my region. I decided to take a positive approach and see it as acquiring more skills while I work a ‘day job’.. It feels good sometimes to just ‘clock in’ and work hard for someone else. Then I can ‘clock out’ and pick up my work where I left off each day.

Accepting the beautiful gift of being a newly published author has also added more to my plate than I ever imagined. I know you understand!

So in trying to take your advice to heart, I sat down and tried to prioritize my tasks and list the best ways hiring help might me. It seems that the help I’m looking for most should be able to help me book events because that’s where I usually generate the best income while also connecting with people. Could this approach help me generate enough income to pay that person? What if they earned a commission from the gigs they book for me?

I’ll close with a meaningful quote I read this week from your book “An Understanding Heart.” This book has been such a blessing. I’m so glad I grabbed a copy last May when I was in Virginia for our Eagles event. How could any of us known back then that you wouldn’t be with us a year later?!

“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents.

What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.” – Winston S. Churchill

A couple of beautiful opportunities are tapping me on the shoulder these days. I plan to be neither unprepared nor unqualified for what I believe is about to be my finest hour, thanks to standing on the shoulders of such great people, like you and other mentors I’ve been blessed to have.

And oh yes—I almost forgot—will you look at this job description draft and let me know what I should tweak and how to proceed? I sure could use a piece of your ‘career coach wisdom’ right about now.

With gratitude and missing you significantly,
Frances

Virtual Assistant Needed:

Author and Musician, Frances Drost, the owner of Musical Creations and producer of the Portraits of White Brand, as well as the pianist for the award-winning duo, Double Keyed, is seeking assistance!

Job Overview: (The 30,000 Foot View)

Musical Creations is searching for an organized and motivated virtual assistant to support various music-related tasks. The ideal candidate will have a passion for music, exceptional communication skills, and strong organizational abilities. This part-time role offers flexible hours, perfect for those eager to contribute to a musician’s creative journey.

Our primary goal is to free up Frances to focus on her strengths, such as playing the piano, composing songs, and captivating audiences. With upcoming book releases and larger-than-life collaborations on the horizon, Frances needs assistance in managing her busy schedule and ongoing projects.

Responsibilities Listed by Order of Importance (or at least what might be most beneficial to Frances):

Concert Booking Assistant:

We need help booking concerts at various venues. Responsibilities include researching potential venues, negotiating contracts, and coordinating logistics.

Merchandise Coordinator for Concerts/Events:

Pack up merchandise before hitting the road.

Unpack and set up the merch table before each event.

Oversee the merch table during concerts, handling sales and keeping everything organized while the artist/s is/are performing.

Pack everything up again after the event.

Restock all merch for the next event.

Schedule Management (Calendly):

Integrate Calendly with Frances’ event calendar and project schedules. Create (or support) a system for tracking sponsor progress.

Build a Team of Volunteers:

Recruit and manage a team of volunteers to support Frances and her projects, delegating tasks according to skills and interest.

Phone Management (Ideal):

What would it look like to have someone else manage Frances’ phone, keeping it in their possession? Provide a daily update on any important messages or calls that require Frances’ attention. Dream BIG!

Portraits of White Book Launch:

Assist with the Portraits of White book launch, including filing activity forms for the publisher sales team and communicating with author support.

PodMatch.com:

Research and respond to podcast matches for interviews. Assist with scheduling and preparation.

Weekly Email Campaigns:

Create and schedule weekly emails to keep fans informed about Frances’ upcoming events and projects.

Authors in Grocery Store Program:

Oversee the scheduling of authors in the grocery store program.

Social Media Management:

Develop and implement social media strategies, repurpose content, and engage with the audience to enhance brand presence. Frances mainly uses Facebook and LinkedIn. Would like to engage more on Instagram.

YouTube:

Organize playlists, make sure the right videos play in sequential order, create posts about new videos, and repurpose videos for other social media platforms. 

Canva:

Organize designs and photos into project folders.

Repurposing Content:

Repurpose blogs, videos, etc., for email campaigns and social media posts.

Requirements:

In a perfect world, to create uninterrupted practice sessions, this person would take over Frances’ phone – responding to texts, etc.

Previous experience as a virtual assistant or in a similar role preferred.

Excellent communication and organizational skills.

Proficiency with productivity tools such as Calendly, Constant Contact, Buffer, and WordPress maintenance.

Familiarity with music industry terminology and trends is a plus.

Ability to work independently and prioritize tasks effectively.

Reliable internet connection and access to a computer or laptop.

Passion for music and a desire to support a musician’s creative endeavors.

Benefits:

Flexible part-time hours. 

Opportunity to work remotely.

Gain experience in the music industry.

Compensation based on hours worked or open to discussing commission-based pay, where the Virtual Assistant receives a percentage of all gigs they have successfully booked for the artist. 

If you’re passionate about music and possess the skills to support Frances’ creative endeavors, we’d love to hear from you! 

Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter outlining why you’d be a great fit for this role.