Today we’d like to introduce you to Breanne Tepler.
Hi Breanne, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Duluth, MN. We lived in the Central Hillside neighborhood mostly, bouncing around to different duplexes and apartments and elementary schools before settling on 4th and 5th by my Grandma’s house where we stayed through my teen years. My dad was a mechanic, my mom was a housekeeper. We were poor and there was a lot of trauma. I was 16 when I got pregnant and shortly after turning 17, my first daughter was born. I was a good student with great grades and I was a mom. I loved high school and one of my favorite things was being in band. At first I played a coronet my dad dug out of a dumpster and later a really nice silver trumpet from a pawn shop. My parents taught us that music was a great escape, a healer and that it was should be fun.
I got a scholarship to go to college. I picked Business and Marketing for my majors and shortly after my bachelor’s degree in 2005, my second daughter was born. My dad died by suicide in 2006. About a year after his death, I picked up guitar and took some lessons. Music began to ease my pain and I started songwriting. In 2009, my brother Tim was killed in a car accident. I wrote more songs and started performing live around town. Being in community with others, holding space for grief, grieving loudly, it was all helping me ease the pain.
In 2013, I recorded my first album and that led to me putting a band together; Breanne Marie & The Front Porch Sinners. The name Front Porch Sinners is in honor of my brothers, cousins and childhood friends. We’d spend hours hanging out on front porches doing all sorts of things that some righteous folk might call sinning. There have been some lineup changes and additions over the years. Today the band is a group of artists who lend their time and talent to songs that I write sitting on a couch in my pajamas. They are kind, caring, humans who support me and I can’t believe I have them in my life! I have released albums and EPs with this group. We’ve played dozens and dozens of shows and venues. Being in a band is something I never thought I would do and now I can’t imagine life without it.
From 2010-2013, I divorced and remarried and in 2015 my third daughter was born. I worked at a college and earned my master’s degree in Management with a Change Leadership concentration. I found a passion for career exploration and planning and started teaching that subject. In 2018 my brother Justin died in an ATV accident. My lifelong compounded grief continued and just a couple years later, it was added to by a global pandemic. Finally, in 2020, my PTSD symptoms were so disruptive I started to work with a grief therapist. I’m so glad I did because it helped a lot. It was shortly after that, in the early post-pandemic times, that I dove head first into a songwriting group and began writing the songs for the newly released Two Trees album.
I believe that we bring our whole selves to the work we do. In music, I bring my education and professional experiences to the work. In my job, I bring all my music, artistry, and creativity in my approach. Community, collaboration, and connection are core values for me and they are transferrable in all that I do.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been a lot of struggles along the way. Each day I’m so grateful for how far I’ve come in my life while recognizing that all I’ve been through continues to show up daily – good or bad. For example, I have to remind myself that I am safe. I have to practice grounding techniques and take good care of my mind and body to stay regulated. I write a lot about loss and grief and hope and healing. Songwriting helps me process the challenges and face obstacles.
Not all challenges are negative experiences. A positive challenge I am experiencing right now is that I started a new job as Executive Director. It’s a big job, I’m learning a lot, and I’m loving it! Starting anything new can feel scary and challenging. It’s humbling to not know all the things right away. Knowing it was the right next step professionally for me and my family helps me meet this challenge head on.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am 4 months into my new job at the Alworth Memorial Fund. This scholarship organization has a rich history of transforming lives through education – something I experienced thanks to a similar scholarship when I was younger. I travel to high schools in a 10 county region and talk about the scholarship but also career exploration. After teaching this subject for 9 years at the college level, I found a passion for helping young people explore and develop their careers. People say that I am really good at public speaking and sharing compelling messages that impact an audience.
In addition to this work, I am a singer, songwriter, musician and band leader. My band and I just released a new album “Two Trees” and we play shows around Minnesota and Wisconsin. I play solo shows, duo shows, trio and I even do singing telegrams around the Twin Ports area. Music isn’t a hobby, it’s a necessity. I am grateful for a full time job that fits so well with being an artist. People say that my music is honest and heartfelt. I’m open about my losses and trauma and I share grief in a way that invites others in. I’m a storyteller. I love songwriting and I’m proud of the work I’ve done as an artist.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Life is too short to sit around and wait for the “right” time to explore or start something you have an interest in. I was in my mid-20s working a full time job with two kids when I decided to pick up a guitar. In doing so I woke up something in me that had been asleep for years. My love and passion for music was rekindled and it began a healing journey that I’m still on today. There’s no such thing as enough time or enough money because there will always be a need for more. Do what you can with what you have. Make decisions using what you know now, not what may or may not be. And when you go to work, bring your whole self. All that you know and love and do and are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.breannemarie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefrontporchsinners/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrontPorchSinners
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breannetepler/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/BreanneMarieMusic
