Dissecting a Butterfly

Dissecting a Butterfly

During the pandemic, I became obsessed with a long-form musical analysis podcast called Dissect, hosted by Cole Cuchna. The episode I stumbled upon was from his breakdown of Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

I loved everything about it: the old interviews, the cultural references, the backstory of the samples, and most of all, the host’s dry, quirky voice. But I knew almost nothing about the host’s personal story.

Other seasons dove into classic albums by Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Beyoncé, Tyler, the Creator, and more. But it wasn’t until the end of that Kanye West season that Cole shared his personal journey.

He talked about spending hundreds to hours to research, write and record the podcast from his closet at night after his wife and newborn baby went to bed. And how, during the day, he worked at a coffee shop to pay the bills.
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He mentioned how, after playing in bands post-high school—broke and sleeping on floors—he decided to abandon the struggling musician’s life, and instead he enrolled in music school, where he thrived in music analysis.

But after getting married and starting a family, he needed financial stability, which was why he took that coffee shop job.

And Cole mentioned how everything changed one morning while he was casually listening to and admiring Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. He had an epiphany: Why not break down these tracks and explore their cultural significance, just like I analyzed Beethoven in music school?

So he did. And that resulted in the first season of what would become Dissect. Ironically, he nearly talked himself out of hitting publish because—get this—he hated the sound of his voice.

But after investing hundreds of hours to produce the first two seasons of Dissect from his closet, Spotify called with an exclusive podcast deal—the first of its kind. That deal allowed Cole to quit the coffee shop and live his dream full-time.
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When I started my podcast, Cole was one of my dream guests. I love stories like his.

And if you’ve been holding back on a creative project—maybe because of a full-time job, a newborn baby, or other responsibilities—this might be the push you need to get started anyway.

Listen to the full Plot Twist here. Or to watch our full interview, click here.

Let me know which part of Cole’s story resonated with you most—I always love hearing from you.

Wishing you much inspiration,

Light

My passions include keynote speaking, leading meditation retreats, hosting my podcast, and writing self-help books, like Travel Light, Knowing Where to Look, Bliss More, and The Inner Gym. I’ve also got a thriving online community with fun challenges and masterclasses for becoming the best version of you. You can see more about me at lightwatkins.comor follow my journey on Instagram.