Arete Coach 1208 Severin Sorensen "Where Words Fail, Music Speaks: AI Adds Artistry"
- S1E1208
- 1:06:22
- February 12th 2025
In this special edition of the Arete Coach Podcast, Severin Sorensen explores the intersection of AI and music, reflecting on his personal journey with AI-assisted composition.
Hans Christian Andersen wrote, "Where words fail, music speaks." What's the music in you that needs voice and delivery? In this episode, Sorensen explores AI’s potential to revolutionize creativity, democratize music composition, and serve as a tool for personal expression and leadership storytelling. He encourages listeners to explore AI’s role in amplifying human emotion through sound.
Recorded one year after his first AI-music exploration in Episode 1166, this episode delves into the evolution of AI in music, the emotional power of sound, and how AI can serve as a creative partner.
Key Themes & Insights
- AI’s Role in Music Creation: Sorensen discusses three models of AI-assisted music:
- Done-for-You AI: Fully AI-generated music.
- Done-With-You AI: AI-assisted composition.
- Do-It-Yourself with AI: Human-driven music enhanced by AI tools.
- Emotional Resonance of Music: Music connects with people through memory, nostalgia, and deep emotions.
- The Neuroscience of Music: Referencing Dr. Daniel J. Levitin’s I Heard There Was a Secret Chord, Sorensen examines how music impacts the brain.
- AI’s "Playful" Creativity: AI performs better in a relaxed, exploratory state, leading to innovative compositions.
- Music as a Tool for Leadership & Legacy: Through storytelling and AI music experiments, Sorensen illustrates how music can immortalize moments and messages.
Musical Experiments & AI Innovations
- "Semper Fi Homecoming": A tribute to military service members returning home.
- "25 Years of Wisdom": A song created live using AI to honor Lance Descourouez's milestone as a Vistage Chair.
- "Toccata and Stratocaster": An AI-driven musical duel between J.S. Bach and Jimi Hendrix, demonstrating AI’s improvisational potential.
- "One in Us": A song inspired by Chip Webster’s book Unity in Service, emphasizing community and service.
Ultimately, the episode serves as a testament to music’s universal ability to connect, heal, and inspire, even when AI is involved in its creation. Sorensen challenges listeners to consider AI not as a mechanical entity but as a new kind of instrument—one that can be guided by human intent to shape profound and deeply personal artistic expressions. Ending with reflections on legacy, leadership, and the role of music in storytelling, he leaves the audience with a thought-provoking question: What unspoken words could take flight if given wings of artistry?
The Arete Coach Podcast seeks to explore the art and science of executive coaching. You can find out more about this podcast at aretecoach.io.
This episode was recorded on February 10, 2025.
Copyright © 2025 by Arete Coach™ LLC. All rights reserved.
All music in this episode was written by Severin Sorensen under the artist moniker "AIWhisperer" and is copyright © 2025 by Severin Sorensen. The seven songs played in this order within Arete Coach Podcast Episode 1208 – "Where Words Fail, Music Speaks" are: "Semper Fi Homecoming," "25 Years of Wisdom," "Toccata and Stratocaster," "Rise Up, Innovator!," "Like an Eagle, Rise and See," "Revolution in Harmony," and "One in Us." All songs were written by Severin Sorensen, except "One in Us," which was co-authored by Severin Sorensen and Chip Webster.
Arete Coach: Exploring the Art and Science of Executive Coaching
“Arete Coach Podcast" Explores the "Art and Science" of Executive Coaching hosted by Severin Sorensen. The “Arete Coach Podcast" is for executive coaches and anyone considering becoming an executive coach. The podcast is especially valuable to executive coaches who are lifetime learners with deep curiosity about the "art and science" of coaching. In this podcast, the ‘art of coaching’ is explored through engaging interviews with leading executive coaches from diverse backgrounds sharing their individual coaching journeys, learnings, methods, best questions, and situational approaches to executive coaching. Beyond best practices, the podcast will regularly mine research on the ‘science of coaching’ and explores ongoing scientific discoveries and studies looking for what works and why, with an aim to improve the core body of knowledge for executive coaches and the industry. Severin Sorensen has provided over 7,500 hours of paid executive coaching sessions and he holds the following coaching certifications: ICF/ACSTH Certified Executive Coach (CEC), Certified Organizational Development Coach (CODC), Certified Life Coach (CLC); and the IAC: Coach Masteries Practioner. Severin Sorensen has an M.Phil in Economics at King's College, Cambridge University, and undergraduate degrees in Economics and Political Science from the University of Utah.
The Arete Coach Podcast is the copyright of Arete Coach LLC.
Severin Sorensen is host of the Arete Coach Podcast, where he interviews executive coaches and researchers with the aims to celebrate and explore the art and science of executive coaching today.
Severin is a senior executive coach, serial entrepreneur and lifetime learner with a passionate curiosity about people and businesses. Severin is the CEO of ePraxis LLC, a premier level retained search firm that provides executive headhunting, talent selection, and executive coaching. (www.epraxis.com)
Severin is a certified coach with an IAC Masteries Practitioner designation and 800+ hours of ICF/ACSTH and other advanced training in Executive Coaching, Organizational Development, EOS, Life Coaching, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), and Positive Intelligence (PQ). Severin has over 7,500+ hours of paid executive coaching working with high performing executives, owners, and operators of public and private companies throughout North America.Severin's coaching clients include boards of directors, CEOs, Presidents, GMs, COO, CFO, CTO, VP Engineering, VP Talent, and many other positions.
Severin lives in Park City , Utah and his virtual coach practice includes clients throughout the Americas.
From 2010-2018 Severin was a Vistage Chair where he coached three CEO and Key executive groups. In 2011, Severin received the "Rookie of the Year Chair Award" from Vistage. Since 2013, Severin has added international speaking for Vistage, CEO conferences, executive peer groups, and corporations on the topic of identifying and hiring difference making top talent.
In terms of the types of clients coached, Severin has coached new CEOs (with less than 2 years experience), large company executives (e.g., Managing Director of Rio Tinto), numerous high-growth entrepreneurs operating INC 5000 businesses, multi-generational family owned businesses, and primary-equity business owners who are still actively managing their companies. Severin has experience coaching both private and public company executives and their executive teams.
Severin's own coaching practice is tool based, using diagnostics, surveys, and Socratic questioning to get to root issues. You can learn more about Severin at epraxis.com (insights), LinkedIn, Quora, and Twitter. If you think you might be a good fit for executive coaching with Severin, he is happy to give you a free test drive coaching session to see if this would be good for you and your team. You can book a free test-drive 30 min coaching huddle at: calendly.com/epraxis.