WhozYourMama

From Burnout to Flow: How Music, Energy, and Mindfulness Reset the Body and Brain

• Michelle Kreft

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What if your body aches were really energy leaks—and your best medicine was a song you could move to? We sit down with DJ and producer Sebastian Siren to trace the line from burnout to flow, using dance, sleep hygiene, and intentional creativity to restore the nervous system and spark joy.

Sebastian frames life as a single energy account: time, attention, and relationships all spend from the same source. He shares how an honest audit exposed his drains and how somatic tools—standing in front of speakers, floor work, and free dancing—released months of tension when meditation alone fell short. We dig into the brain chemistry behind the experience, exploring how rhythm and movement nudge dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine to improve mood, focus, and resilience without forcing it.

We also unpack the before-and-after of the pandemic on nightlife. With venues shuttered and communities scattered, many turned inward or numbed out. Sebastian makes the case for embodied connection: safe dance floors where expression is welcome and the crowd becomes a supportive instrument. Inside the booth, he treats a DJ as an energy conductor—starting strong, letting mixes breathe, and closing with trance-tinged euphoria that leaves people smiling, crying cathartically, or simply lighter. His selection rule is simple and radical: pick what the body loves, not just what the brain approves.

If energy is currency, spend it on rituals that pay you back. Try a one-hour set on a walk, a kitchen dance before emails, or a weekend session that shakes loose the week. Then protect sleep, set cleaner boundaries, and notice which people and habits refill your balance. Subscribe for more conversations at the edge of music, mental health, and mindful performance, and share your go-to song for an instant reset. Your next breath—and your next beat—are waiting.

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Michelle:

Welcome to WhozYourMama, a podcast focusing on tomorrow's future, which are our kids, educators, teachers, parents, all-encompassing with the goal of understanding that our brain is a muscle that we can exercise to control the speed in the direction that we want. Let's go, y'all. The time is now. Sebastian Siren, welcome to Who's Your Mama?

Sebastian:

Hey, what's up? How are you? Nice to meet you.

Michelle:

Nice to meet you as well. So I've heard so many great things about you and try to do my research. And so um there's there's so much to go into, but and and maybe this uh won't be just the last, but it's our our first time meeting. So thank you for coming on. Um, one of the things that really inspired me to reach out to you to come on is your your mindfulness when it comes to your creativity, specifically around music. And we have kind of a flip-flop story in terms of you uh grew up in Southern California and now we're in New York City. I grew up in Texas, but I did live in New York City for several years and now have been out in Southern California for many years. And kind of I call it the flip of the coin, the the yin and the yang of how life experiences impact our day-to-day rituals, routines. Music is something I'm incredibly passionate about. I feel like that laughter is therapy for the soul, and I think your music really does speak to that. So um help us go on the journey with you in terms of how life has impacted your music. And I've I've heard other artists that I've spoken to over the years discuss a bit of a burn-up mentality, and so that's where energy hygiene and sleep hygiene stuff comes into play. So take us on the journey.

Sebastian:

I love it. I like that you refer to as energy because I think what liked for me years ago is it was probably some spiritual leader or some content I was consuming, but it was thinking about everything you do is energy. Like a lot of people think about like a bank balance. It's just like how much do you have? Some people say tankful. Anything you do, whether it be where you spend your money, your time, your effort, who you hang out with, it's all coming from the same source. And so that helped me, and it just helped me click. Like it helped me start realizing what I think.

Michelle:

Do you mean I'm sorry to interrupt you? Do you mean like you are who you surround yourself with that type of energy?

Sebastian:

That's a huge part too. Like, that could be so like that leads to like the next thing, which is like where are you leaking energy? Like, I think a lot of people, what especially what I started to realize is where am I leaking energy? Like, I started realizing as I got busier, and like I don't believe in like I'm busy as like a badge of honor. It's more about into your like balance point is like I need to optimize or I'm going to burn out. Like, you get to these points, and I I've worked in corporate as well. Like I worked in I work in advertising as well. Um, you can have burnout, and then you either quit your job or you make drastic changes or you become deeply unhappy. And like my mantra is to avoid, like, basically to live in joy and to catch when you are getting into like a cycle of, oh my God, I'm complaining too much, or like, I'm not happy for some reason. I don't know why. And it's the I don't know why. I think that eventually helps people, like it's a frustrating emotion. And you start almost auditing your life, at least I did. And I was like, all right, like I know I like these things, like that's easy, but like, why are things not working, or why am I frustrated, or why am I drained? And it's actually these energy leakages, which is who you're hanging out with. Um, you know, like even things down to like I personally am in like a body uh chapter, like mind, body, spirit. Like, I've always been into fitness, but now almost like I forgot my body for a while. Like, I'm still fit, I work out, I eat healthy.

Michelle:

Out of body experience. I don't know.

Sebastian:

I was just like, my body just aches all the time, and like I'm tired. Mostly it's tired. I was like, what's going on? So I was like, you know, I spend a lot of time deep deep into meditation. I'm very into like the mind. I love learning and like creation is also mind-heavy. And so I think in terms of like balance, it's like the thing that helped me was like audit check and then just figuring out a definition of like what works for you. And for me, it's energy is like it's all coming from the same source, uh, yourself. And it helped me like kind of fatten the hatches and be like, all right, we gotta like pull the brakes on this and start figuring out like where is my time well spent? And we'll just use time as an easy example. Where is it well spent? Like, where is the return happening? Um, where am I forcing things too much where like I really don't need to be forcing it? Or I should just kind of like get rid of it and shift somewhere else.

Michelle:

So, can I ask you on that note? On that note, yeah, yeah, is it because I literally had this conversation with my girlfriend last night on the phone, and she was going through some things and is an incredible, intelligent woman, and and I I was thinking about in some ways, we're like we have so many devices, so many areas that we can tune into if we so choose. It's like having too many tabs open on a computer.

Sebastian:

Totally.

Michelle:

So, how do you so when you were talking about things like I love the way you described it, because you know, it's like your body, we were talking about aching, and as I have a birthday coming up, I I recognize at times when I've been younger, my body has felt better, and then people's like, oh, flippin' duh, but but not always, and as I've been shifting my energy specifically this year, through many ups and downs, things like that, I have this literal flexibility in my body. So much of the aching has stopped. When you started recognizing those things within yourself, for people that maybe aren't as in tune, or they're at that point where okay, I recognize that my body hurts, my mind feels heavy, my my limbs literally feel heavy. That that cycle. How did you put practice into play? And then how did you find that impacted your music?

Sebastian:

Such a good question. Like, honestly, I almost was frustrated because I'm very into meditation. I was like, why isn't this helping my body? Like, almost had this realization that maybe it's mind management that that helps. I don't know. There's lots of different forms, but I I mean, even just last weekend, like I had a friend in town for Halloween, and it's like we went out and had a good time, and I hadn't been out. Like, I've been pretty locked in for like five months. And I my back, by the way, my lower back's been killing me for months on air.

Michelle:

Your L4, L5.

Sebastian:

I don't know what's going on.

Michelle:

I got some great stretches for you, Trilly. That's a side note.

Sebastian:

But I wake up, I woke up on we went on Halloween Saturday, and I came out and I was like, the craziest shit. I don't even know how to explain it. Like, my back wasn't hurting, like I had some form of a somatic release, which I'm into. Like, I try to do the lay on the floor thing. Like, basically, I think my whole thing with what I try to tell people is find what works for you. And to do that, you need to try a lot of things, you need to be open to trying fucking everything. And I don't know what it was, but so which goes into music and dancing. Like, I think primary number one, I've realized yes, I'm a musician, but I would say I'm a rave dancer first. If I can't dance to my own music, like if I'm not grooving on stage, the music's probably good, but it's not like hitting that electrical.

Michelle:

Yeah, it's it's not even the synapses. Intuitively, yeah, because you're not tensed up, but you're in the flow.

Sebastian:

Totally. And so I think like, you know, I have friends who go to those like scream workshops where they just scream out of the bend of the void. Whereas I like to go dancing and I like to stand in front of the speakers and feel it moving through my body. Like, I genuinely think DJs, and not just DJs, like um, but like techno artists or whatever genre you are, where it's like you're not doing open format, you're actually like curating an experience, like a set. Like you are essentially like an energy, you're like a sound. Yes, like you are pulling them through emotions, and some are different, like some special of energy sharing that's collaborative.

Michelle:

100%. Yeah.

Sebastian:

And like you can feel the energy arc. Like I always say, even if people aren't into like electronic music, give like give it a go for a one-hour set, like listening to your headphones, laying on the couch, even or just walking around wherever. And you will actually, if you're really tuned in and trying, you'll feel the energy arcs. Yeah. And I'm a huge fan of things like trance. Like, I blend a lot of different genres um because trance tends to be a little more euphoric and takes you, it pulls you higher. Um, and so a lot of my sets end on that higher energy because I want people leaving feeling like they've released. I don't want necessarily to be playing hard techno all the time and have you leave angry, which is fine, whatever. Like, all the genres pull different things out of you. Yeah. But it's the dancing, and like, again, if people like what's fun about raving and just electronic music is the spaces tend to be quite like safe space, where it's like you could dance whatever the hell you want. It's actually quite intuitive dancing.

Michelle:

Yeah.

Sebastian:

Like, you're literally just, it doesn't matter what you're doing, like let your body do what it needs to do, and that is the somatic release. Like, I'm a firm believer in that. And you leave and wake up the next day, and you just feel lighter. You feel it's almost hard to describe because you might not be happy or you might not have these like measurable emotional metrics, but you just wake up and like maybe the orange in the tree, if the trees are orange out here today, the trees might be a little more orange today than they were yesterday. And then maybe at work on Monday, like you're just like again, you're there's this lightness, which I think it's the music. And again, because it's electronic, it's universal. Like, that's I think why it's so popular around the world. It's because there, even if there are a little bit of lyrics, like it's you're literally dancing and as a group to beats, it's very, very primal. And I think there's something in us that is being tapped into that we don't even realize. I totally agree with that.

Michelle:

And when you when you talk about like maybe on Monday you're at work, I liken it too. I my background is uh predominantly cancer, genetic testing, and things like that. But I spent time as well in um psychology, psychiatry, and I really got exposed to this when I moved to London. Gosh, it's age over 20 years ago. Bless my heart. But it's but but I because it it much like people take antidepressants and things like that, and and that's that's real, that there's there are medications for people that need things, or that that being said, like you said, there's a ton of science that also shows that the different synapses and things like norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, what that can do. And as we relax our mind and our bodies and things, there is a lack sometimes of whether you're taking medication or you're you're doing other things uh outside of that, like dancing, is that people forget like what what is actually hitting the things, the neurotransmitters in our brain. And and it's easy to dismiss, like, oh well, you know, maybe I uh you know, it can be a multitude of things, like maybe I stretched before, or maybe I was just having a better week, or what is it? But it's like, no, it's actually connecting, and through a lot of that is energy. And again, I'm not dismissing any outside, you know, medications are but but dance and music is uh medication in ways of that is universal language. I completely agree with you, and you know, it's um it's it's fascinating to see a shift from my end, and I'd love to hear about yours when you started getting into music and and seeing things uh pre-pandemic and post-pandemic. Yeah, and how have you seen music be transferred through you and and how you create it and also reception from it?

Sebastian:

Good question, because that I mean, the pandemic obviously, I mean, it it's just it still rattles my mind how profound that it just is like a chasm. It's like pre- and post, like yes. Um I think and I I'm 38, and so I grew up in the big Y2K party era. Like I've been clubbing since I was like 16 in Hollywood, it's like okay.

Michelle:

My daughter's about to turn 17, so we'll edit that part out. I'm kidding.

Sebastian:

Yeah, not about her age, but and it wasn't about the partying, it was about going into these warehouse spaces that were just like the music, the lights, the dancing. And I was like, oh my god, it's like what I saw in the movies. Um and so pre-pandemic, I think people okay, so the I'm a big fan of the first thing that comes to mind. Like, I think a lot of people number one took advantage uh took it for granted. I think um, I think people were more social before then. Um, they were more open and less closed off. I it's been five years, six, whatever. Like, I get some people have like whatever, like they're not big on socializing, but I don't think you can use it as an excuse anymore because I'm a big believer in like just fucking try it, like you know, behavioral therapy, like it'll be easier. Go out of the house. Post-pandemic, I think because we're so far out, it's getting better. I think the problem is because of the space, um, a lot of venues closed. Like, I lived in downtown LA during the pandemic, and when I moved there, it was very much like the golden age. Like, it was I'm a huge fan of downtown LA. And during the pandemic, and then post, oh my god, like half of the Mon Pop places closed, half of the clubs closed, half of the bars closed, it became an apocalypse down there. And so, like this budding culture, which is the big thing, is the culture of nightlife, was so stunted. And then a lot of people who were in music left music. It's very LA and New York. Like you leave because you cannot live there, like without if you if you're an artist, let's say.

Michelle:

I think now for your soul, like it's you're yeah, yeah. Not beyond livelihood, it is in you, it's it's who you are in your core.

Sebastian:

Yeah, especially, I mean, a lot of people live in big cities because they have access to that. Like, um, and when it's not available, it's like it just becomes a crowded place that doesn't have anything. So I think post-pandemic, like now, um two things. I think it's um I think people are in a state because of the world, we'll say, keep it light. Um, I think people are disassociating a lot, and so things like ketamine are really big, which is unfortunate because the space is no longer about dancing, it's about almost like it is still, we'll call it a somatic experience, but it's not about connection, it's not about moving your body, which I gets me down because I like to dance. I'll be in the back and I'm fucking throwing it down, just like in my own vibe. And I love when people are dancing with each other. That's so fun. Like, it's so fun when you meet someone via the language of dance and you say, You don't even talk, you don't even talk.

Michelle:

My daughter and I, I was saying right before we jumped on with um Andre, who's um you know, Carr, he's my social media director, and how we met each other. And so shout out to Andre is right before you jumped on, I was telling him how my daughter Liberty and I, we would always start days with dancing. And she gave me like a little bless your heart last night, mama, um, because we're you know cleaning up the dishes after dinner, and I'm dancing around with like one of the water glasses, using it as a microphone, singing.

Sebastian:

I love it.

Michelle:

But it's but it's it feels like it's hard to be upset when you're laughing and smiling and dancing, even if you don't know the words, it's not your genre. It is contagious.

Sebastian:

Yeah, it really is. And like it again, it's like nervous system regulation, it gets you in your body, it's very grounding. So, like, whatever terminology people feel like they like using, that's what it all is. And like, I love a good apartment. Like, when a good song, I actually have to remind myself like just because I'm at home, if a good song comes on, I'm like, oh my god, like fucking just dan, just chill, like fucking vibe.

Michelle:

Like sometimes I have to turn it off. I have certain playlists because, or I have one that's just literally every time I hear a song, I'm like, I forgot about that from the 70s, 80s, 90s. Like, it's across the board from like Kenny G to Metallica enter sandwich. Amen. Yeah, I mean, it's like literally across the board. So if somebody listens to it, they're like, What is going on? I'm like, that's exactly where my mood was then. But it I have to check myself because there's certain things that I'm I find myself like, have I been just dancing and singing to myself on my own, party of one, when I need to sit out this proposal? So, so in terms of um like talking about post-pandemic and bringing people together and being mindful through your music, which is beautiful that you are, how do you put together a set for when you're playing for people with that in mind? How much of your mindset goes? How much do you think of the audience, everything in between, like your creative process?

Sebastian:

That's a good question. So I think it's it's a great segue because I also listen to all kinds of music, not just electronic. Like, I think I would go a little nutty if I listened to only techno. Um like I'll go through like a Missy Elliott phase and tap back into like my girl from back in the day, and like, or I'm very into punk music, or I'm very into like UK raps. Like I pull my inspiration from other places, and I can maybe it's because I'm more I'm I'm a music artist, like I can feel the energy in the music. So like it's very mood dependent. Somehow I mixes like um Andre will call it like the sonic fingerprint. You'll hear me playing maybe like slower, groovier stuff, but you'll still kind of know it's me if you listen to a lot of my my my mixes. Or I'll play very fast, like aggressive, like very like intense, like we'll call it niche electronic music, like techno. And it's just a different emotion. It kind of depends what I want to go into. Like right now, I'm very obsessed with Psy Trance, which is very like it's very complicated, it's very ethereal, it's um it's very layered and technical, so it sounds kind of matrix-y. So, like for me, like I'm going off of what I'm going. Like what I'm playing, like, at least thankfully because we're in New York, like people go to see certain people or they go to certain clubs because they're curators of a certain type of music. So that's who they book there usually. So what I do is essentially like I like to start out strong. That's strategic because it's just nice to like people like that. Dive in. It gets people excited, but then you can't just stay strong all day. If you're at a uh you can't stay strong the whole time, I've been to some of those shows and they're amazing, but you almost have to take breaks. So it's like I am mindful of like, okay, we've been going hard for like 15, 20 minutes. Like, I'll allow, like in trance, there's a lot of very long breaks with like cool vocals, and it's more mellow, less beat, just more of the melody. So I will consciously keep that. A lot of artists will skip over it or they'll maintain the beat throughout, so it's mixing and like really going. I like those breathers. Like, I did a post recently about letting your mix breathe. I think people are way too into like the jackhammering, like just constant. You don't need to do that. I like when there's breathers and you can feel almost like a conductor, like you can feel me pulling you up, and then there's always gonna be an element of what I call like a bad bitch vibe in my music. Like it's very central, it's very Miami. I think there's a lot of Latin influence for me growing up in SoCal. Um, and then now that I'm in New York, it's super present here. Uh, I can understand a lot of it. Masermenas a little bit. French, yes, Spanish is rusty, but um, but it's very central, it's very heat. Like I want people to be grooving to parts, it's still got that techno beat, but then I will pull you into like a euphoric trance. Like pretty much the last 25% of my sets always will be not always trance related, but they will end almost on like elation. So it almost takes you on a journey. It's almost like I'll take you into like the underground, maybe we'll channel some anger, some sexual energy, like a virtual reality.

Michelle:

You're the mindful music master. Did I just um coin you the triple M?

Sebastian:

The triple M. I love it. No, because it's true, like it's very thoughtful. Like I play what feel so when I'm creating a set, like I'll be like, okay, that sounds good. And then let's say I have two tracks that I'm like choosing between. I'll be like, okay, this one sounds really good, but then I'll be like, this one feels really good. I'll go with the one that feels good. That's my default for decision making. I'll be like, okay, this is the logical choice, but this is the like the heart-centered choice. Like, which one does my body enjoy listening to? Is what I try to default to. So it's a lot of very intentional choices when I'm curating mixes. And you can, I believe, you can actually feel it. I've been to shows where the DJs are great, but the music you leave just like, okay, that was the most that did not impact me in any way. I want all of my music to impact me.

Michelle:

I love the idea of going on a journey, like you take them on musical holiday.

Sebastian:

Yeah, yeah. And if you're like, I do it a lot really late at night. I'll listen to my mixes, like I'll be in bed with my eyes closed, or like with candles, and you can literally feel yourself like being taken on this journey, this sonic journey, which is so fun. And then it ends, and you're like, Oh my god, like what's that? That was amazing.

Michelle:

Yes, I mean that's that's what I want you to feel.

Sebastian:

I always tell Andre, uh, I tell people, like, I want people leaving my sets, like, they're either smiling ear to ear, they're having great sex, or they're crying just like tears of joy, or they're like, or all three, like what else? All three.

Michelle:

I was gonna say, why why limit yourself? Because when it comes from a place of beauty, like it could be happy tears because you took them on the junior. You're the mindful musical master of the method methodical holiday tonight. Oh, I like it. I love it. Well, so it's how my mind works, it's all intertwined. So, well, I feel like uh because I know we are um uh time is everyone's mind, uh, they're mindful of their time. I would love to have you back on and talk about the transitions of you because I think that, you know, I friends that I have, and I'm sure in your industry, and maybe personally, you can speak to um burnouts at time and how you get through that because whether people are in music or other industries, we all go through that, especially coming up with the holidays. So that kind of burnout again in terms of sleep and energy hygiene and how you can take us on that journey through music and finding tools to share. So I would love to have you back on uh before the.

Sebastian:

Oh, that'd be great. I I genuinely love all of like what you talk about, and it's so true. The more accessible we can make it for people, I think just people would be less stressed, they'd be happier, and maybe just navigating towards something that just is more aligned with them, you know?

Michelle:

Absolutely. This is what life is about. It's universal language, and music is one of them. So, Sebastian Siren, thank you for coming on Who's Your Mama? I look forward to the next time. And I'll close off with let's go, y'all. The time is now.

Sebastian:

Amazing, amazing, let's go, y'all.

Michelle:

Oh, love it. Anytime you can throw in y'all, but thank you for tuning into WhozYourMama And I look forward to collaborating from a community standpoint for the next episodes.

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Michelle Kreft

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