Happy New Year, friends! It was a great year for me, personally and professionally. If I could sum it up in a few words, I'd say: It was the year of Ukulele, Kittens and Saying YES To Myself. Allow me to explain…

UKULELE

I’ve played ukulele for many years, and at the end of 2023 I created an online business around teaching ukulele to adult beginners. I created a Beginner Ukulele Course, a monthly Membership and various digital products. It's very rewarding helping thousands of adults around the world feel confident playing ukulele and bringing more music into their lives! This business has brought me a lot of joy and more financial abundance than ever. I’m truly GRATEFUL for that!

==> Want to learn + play ukulele in 2025? I've got you! Click >>HERE<< to join my free Facebook group with over 13,000 members.

==> Are you a “beyond beginner” ukulele player who wants to learn new skills, songs and improve your playing? Get exclusive video lessons and a supportive online community inside my monthly ukulele MEMBERSHIP. Click >>HERE<< for the details.

NEW ORIGINAL SONG: THE HUMMINGBIRD

My songwriting and producing took a back seat this year to the Ukulele Biz, but I still managed to write a couple of new songs and release an “old” song I wrote in 2017 called “The Hummingbird”. It’s a song with a powerful message about how each one of us can make a difference. Based on a story by Kenyan social + environmental activist, Wangarĩ Maathai, it features ukulele and vocals. Listen to the song below:

Lyric video made by my friend and soul sister Eva!

UKULELE SONGS

I played a lot of ukulele for fun this year. I challenged myself to learn different songs and styles, and you can hear me play lots of lovely pieces on my YouTube channel >>HERE<<.

The ukulele is a happy and peaceful, portable instrument that I take everywhere - the skate park, the beach, to friends' houses. The more I play it, the better I get, and the more I want to play! It's been so rewarding and fun, dedicating myself to playing every day and bringing music with me everywhere I go.

Is it just me or do I give off Julie Andrews vibes?

KITTENS

It was a year full of KITTENS for my family. In February, I received a text from my friend Aline: “Come to my house, I have something to show you!” 

When we arrived, we saw a beautiful Calico cat! Aline told us the cat just showed up and meowed at her door, like she was asking for help. That's when Aline noticed the cat was pregnant! Aline, being a cat lover, took her in and named her “Isis” because of her Egyptian-like almond eyes. We were very excited, especially because there were going to be kittens arriving soon!

My 9 year old son Sebastian had been asking for a new kitten for quite a while, but I kept saying no. We already had a cat and a dog, and it’s a big responsibility to adopt a new animal. However, when I knew we’d have contact with Isis’ kittens, I started considering it. How could I resist taking home a precious kitten? I knew it would be impossible.

There was a slight problem. Aline had made plans to travel to Portugal for a month. She wouldn’t be around to take care of the kittens. So Aline asked if my sons and I could be the “kitten nannies” while she was gone. We were OVER THE MOON. We live a quick bike ride from Aline’s place, so it was easy for us to go back and forth to Aline’s house to feed and play with Isis and the kittens.

The kittens were 4 weeks old when we started our kitten nanny adventure. The 5 fluffy babies were starting to play, climb and explore. It was the “fun” kitten stage. Every morning and every afternoon, Shasta, Seba and I went to Aline’s house and spent a couple of hours with Isis and her babies. It was SO much fun. It was like a dream come true, getting to spend hours with kittens every day. They were so energetic, running around the room, playing hide and seek with my blue drapey pants. They fought and played with each other. It was delightful to watch. Eventually Isis would lie down in the room and then the kittens would nurse and fall asleep. So precious.

Love is Everywhere

I thought it would be fun to play ukulele amidst the kittens, and it created some PRECIOUS moments:

==> Watch me sing “Hi Hey Hello” with kittens HERE.

PANDA

We fell in love with a black and white kitten that we called Panda. I knew he would be ours from the start because he had a distinct black heart shaped mark on his belly. He was perfect. 

Panda was friendly, healthy, cuddly and fun. We took him home with us at 7 weeks of age. He brought so much laughter and joy to our family. He fit right in. He loved to terrorize our older cat Ninja. Ninja wasn’t amused at first, but they developed a relationship of tolerance and eventually would sleep next to each other.

We had Panda for 6 wonderful months, and we expected to have him much longer. But sometimes life and death has other plans.

One night, in celebration of some family birthdays, we went out to a restaurant. We left Panda outside, as we had been doing for a month. I wanted him to be a “free” outdoor cat, like our other cat Ninja.

When we were driving home from the restaurant, I saw what looked like a dead animal in the middle of the street. I immediately thought, “Oh no, I hope that’s not Panda.” The whole family got out of the car to look. Sadly, it was indeed our beloved Panda, dead. It looked like he was killed instantly, probably by a car or motorbike. It was a very sad and difficult moment. 

Our whole family was devastated. We put so much love into Panda's life, and we felt love from him in return. We had a special relationship with him since we knew him from birth. It was so, so sad, and it still hurts to think about.

A SONG IS BORN

In the midst of my grief I was reminded of a song I started writing a year ago. In 2023 I asked my audience: “What do you want me to write a song about?” Someone suggested writing a song about the loss of a beloved pet. I had lost a beloved pet recently, and so I thought writing a song might be therapeutic. I started writing some words and developed a tune. However, every time I worked on the song I'd end up crying and feeling horrible. It was too painful, so I abandoned the song.

A couple days after Panda’s death, I thought to myself, “Maybe I should work on the song again… I’m already crying all the time. Maybe this is the time for me to finish it.” 

So I completed the song and titled it “Meet Again Someday”. Even though I felt sad, I was proud of it. You can listen to the song here:

It was a very sad time, but I am grateful the song “Meet Again Someday” was born. There were many things to be grateful for in the midst of our loss. With time, we all started to heal.

A NEW KITTEN

Something else happened that helped us heal - we adopted a new kitten! In my opinion, the only way to fill a kitten shaped hole in your heart is to adopt another kitten! There are always SO MANY KITTENS up for adoption in my city. Honestly, I didn’t go looking for it. But one day in my neighbourhood WhatsApp group, I saw a post about 3 kittens that had been found all alone in a field. I saw a photo of this little tortoise shell kitten, looking all helpless. My husband and I decided she needed us. 

So we welcomed a female kitten, little Suzy, into our lives. And she has brought us a lot of laughter and joy too!

We still miss Panda and will always remember him, but having Suzy has really helped us feel better and direct our attention back to love and building a relationship with a new little being.

Saying YES To Myself

This year I did something I haven’t done in 8 years. I took a HOLIDAY! On my own. No family, cooking, cleaning, or responsibilities. I signed up for a Women’s Business Retreat that was led by my friend and business mentor, Stephanie Swail. It was held in beautiful Búzios, Brazil (3 hours from Rio de Janeiro). I brought my ukulele and played it as often as I could. I got to have a photo shoot done by a lovely local photographer. I stayed in a luxurious villa with the most amazing view. I had so much FUN with the other women. I learned a lot. It was great to be in an environment with other entrepreneurs. We shared a lot, asked each other questions, and got to know each other. I left the retreat feeling refreshed and fulfilled. It made me realize how important it is to go and do things in the offline world. As an online business person, it’s easy to stay comfortable behind your computer. And while I’m REALLY grateful for the opportunity to do that, it’s all about BALANCE. In 2025 I hope to have more “real life” musical encounters! 

A few other highlights from 2024:

• I had the pleasure of meeting with 8 year old Phoenix once a week online. We sing my songs together (she loves “Grateful Heart” and “We Just Met”) and chat. It’s been wonderful building a relationship with her, even living on different continents. (If you have a child aged 6-12 that could benefit from 1-1 sessions with me, I have a couple of spots open. Email me: lindsaymullermusic@gmail.com and we’ll chat.)
• I shaved my head! (read that story HERE)
• I composed a short mantra song based on the Louise Hay affirmations “I Am Safe, All Is Well, Everything is happening for my highest good”) while I was traveling (and trying not to panic when my flight got delayed 6.5 hrs). Watch that HERE.
• I signed a contract with a South Korean Music Marketing agency that put my album “Love Is Everywhere” on all South Korean streaming platforms!
• I opened a social media account for my songs in China with the help of a Chinese English teacher named Leona. Thanks, Leona!

Goals for 2025

My professional goal for 2025 is to continue helping people learn ukulele and writing/recording/releasing songs at the same time. Putting my songs out into the world brings me a deep sense of fulfillment. It’s my life mission! I still have so many “old” songs to share, and new songs to write! If you want to help support my mission of creating positive songs for kids + adults, you can support me by becoming a patron for $5 or $25 USD/month HERE.

Thanks for reading my 2024 in review! As we head into 2025, my family and I send you an energy BURST full of love, joy, peace and MUSIC!