Early in my college career, I remember sharing my dreams with a professor.
I wanted to study abroad. I wanted to pursue music therapy. I wanted to explore music production. I had big ambitions, and I didn't necessarily see why they couldn't all be part of my future.
But I was told I couldn't do it all.
Years later, as I was preparing to graduate with my degree in music therapy, I sat down with a different professor for what would be our final conversation as student and teacher.
She told me something I have never forgotten.
"I didn't think you were going to make it."
It was a striking thing to hear at the end of a journey I had worked so hard to complete.
What makes that moment particularly meaningful to me now is that this professor had conducted early research exploring the intersection of music therapy and applied behavior analysis (ABA), particularly the incorporation of music into verbal behavior interventions for children with autism.
At the time, I couldn't have known just how significant that intersection would become in my own professional life.
I went on to become a Board-Certified Music Therapist, earn my master's degree in special education with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis, and become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Today, I am building Bloom Through Beats, a therapeutic practice that brings together music, creativity, and behavioral science.
Two professors, at opposite ends of my undergraduate journey, had questioned what I could accomplish.
And somewhere along the way, I learned something that would shape not only my career but also the way I approached my own potential.
Other people may see limitations in your abilities, but they don't get to decide the limits of your future.
Where Science Meets Music
For a long time, I thought professional success meant finding the one thing I was meant to do. One profession. One specialty. One clearly defined path.
But I was never someone who fit comfortably into a single category.
I loved music, but I also loved science. I was fascinated by human behavior, but equally drawn to creativity, emotional expression, and connection.
Music has always represented something powerful to me. It can provide structure while allowing freedom, create opportunities for connection without requiring spoken words, and offer individuals meaningful ways to participate in experiences that reflect who they are.
But my interest in music was never limited to performance.
I wanted to understand what was happening beneath the surface. Why does rhythm influence movement? How can musical experiences support communication? What makes an activity meaningful for one individual but overwhelming for another?
These questions drew me toward the clinical applications of music and eventually toward the science of human behavior.
As I pursued my education and professional training, I discovered that music therapy and ABA, while distinct disciplines, offered different perspectives that could inform my work.
Music therapy provided a foundation for understanding how intentional musical experiences can support individualized therapeutic goals. Behavior analysis offered a scientific framework for examining learning, environmental influences, and measurable changes in behavior.
Researchers had explored this intersection through studies examining music within behavior-analytic verbal behavior approaches.
I began to recognize that I didn't have to view these perspectives as competing interests. They could challenge me to become a more thoughtful clinician.
One of the most important lessons I have learned is that meaningful progress requires more than identifying what someone can or cannot do.
It requires understanding the person.
I have become particularly interested in the relationship between music, emotional regulation, sensory experiences, and meaningful participation.
Music can offer opportunities for rhythmic structure, predictability, movement, and shared engagement. Yet it is not inherently calming or beneficial for every person. An experience that feels supportive to one individual may feel overwhelming to another.
That is why I believe creativity in therapy must be intentional rather than simply entertaining.
Evidence-based practice and creativity are not opposites. Creativity can inform how we approach a problem, while evidence helps us evaluate whether our approach is effective.
Building Bloom Through Beats
The idea for Bloom Through Beats grew from a desire to create something that reflected the full scope of who I was becoming professionally.
I didn't want to abandon music therapy to pursue behavior analysis, nor did I want to ignore the scientific knowledge I had gained in order to remain within one traditional professional identity.
I wanted to explore what thoughtful integration could look like.
I envisioned a practice where creative expression, individualized assessment, and meaningful clinical outcomes could coexist. Where music wasn't treated simply as a reward or background activity, but recognized for its therapeutic possibilities when applied with appropriate training and intention.
That vision became Bloom Through Beats, a developing therapeutic practice focused on music therapy, creative arts-infused ABA, caregiver education, and opportunities for community connection.
The name itself reflects something I believe deeply: growth does not always follow a straight line.
Sometimes it happens through rhythm, movement, exploration, and moments of connection that may appear small from the outside but carry tremendous meaning for the individual experiencing them.
Building this practice while continuing my full-time clinical career has been both exciting and challenging.
As a clinician, I am accustomed to using research, assessment, and data to guide my decisions. Entrepreneurship, however, has required me to become comfortable with a different kind of uncertainty.
There is no perfectly written treatment plan for building a business.
Some days, progress looks like developing new services, forming professional relationships, or seeing an idea finally come to life. Other days, it looks like answering emails after a long workday, navigating setbacks, and figuring out how to take one more step when the bigger picture still feels uncertain.
I think we sometimes overlook this part of entrepreneurship, especially when celebrating women who have built successful businesses.
We see the accomplishments and recognition, but not always the persistence, self-doubt, or courage required to begin.
I am learning that I don't have to wait until everything is perfect to take the next step.
I can be proud of what I have accomplished while acknowledging how much I still have to learn.
And I can be both a capable clinician and a beginner in entrepreneurship.
Redefining What Is Possible
As women, we are often encouraged to specialize, establish ourselves, and follow a path that others can easily recognize.
There is value in developing expertise, and I take the responsibilities of my professional credentials seriously. But I also believe there is room for careers that don't follow conventional boundaries.
We can be analytical and imaginative. We can appreciate structure while embracing creativity. We can be dedicated clinicians and ambitious entrepreneurs.
We can pursue multiple interests without allowing any single one to define the entirety of who we are.
I sometimes think back to those two professors and the doubts they expressed about my future.
I don't know that either intended their words to become a source of motivation. And I don't believe every expression of doubt comes from a place of negativity.
But those experiences taught me the difference between receiving guidance and allowing someone else to define my potential.
I could respect their knowledge and experience without accepting their predictions as the final word on my future.
Today, I am still in the early chapters of building Bloom Through Beats. There are services I hope to expand, collaborations I want to develop, and ideas I am continuing to explore.
But I know why I started.
I want to contribute to a future where therapeutic services recognize the importance of individualized care, creative expression, meaningful participation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
And I want women who feel pulled toward more than one passion to know that their interests do not necessarily have to compete with one another.
Sometimes, they are pieces of a vision that hasn't fully taken shape yet.
I wish I could talk to the past version of me who was once told she couldn't pursue all of her dreams and tell her that the journey would become bigger than she imagined.
That the musician would become a scientist, too.
That the student who was once doubted would become a clinician with multiple credentials.
And that the woman who struggled to fit her interests into one professional category would eventually begin building a business around the very intersection of those passions.
I have come to understand that empowerment doesn't always begin with someone believing in you.
Sometimes, it begins when you decide to believe in yourself anyway.
I was never meant to fit into one box. I was meant to discover what I could build beyond it.
About the Author
Rosalie Starkweather, MA, BCBA, LBA, MT-BC, NMT, is a Board-Certified Music Therapist, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and founder of Bloom Through Beats, a therapeutic practice based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. With a background in music therapy, special education, and behavior analysis, she is passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration, individualized therapeutic approaches, and the intersection of creativity and behavioral science.
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