In today’s high-pressure world, many of us — musicians and non-musicians alike — live in a constant state of survival mode: stretched thin, always “on,” and striving to stay in control while feeling increasingly depleted.

With soaring levels of stress and burnout worldwide — and with musicians facing significantly higher rates of mental ill-health than the general population due to performance pressure, job insecurity, physical strain and a demanding culture that still clings to the myth of innate, immutable talent — this talk explores how we can move from stress to strength, from merely surviving to truly living.

Drawing on neuroscience and life on stage, concert pianist and cognitive neuroscientist Mookie Lee-Menuhin offers a different perspective. She discusses how awareness, connection, and meaning can shift our physiology, build resilience, and transform our relationship with ourselves and others even under stress and pressure. Backed with simple, science-based tools, she invites us to rethink stress and reimagine what is possible: not by avoiding difficulty, but by meeting it with presence and purpose.

Award‐winning pianist Mookie Lee‐Menuhin has performed worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician, touring major music halls and festivals throughout Europe, Scandinavia and Asia.

In addition to her musical pursuits, Ms. Lee-Menuhin is a cognitive neuroscientist. Her fascination and passion for knowledge of the intricacies of the brain and human behaviour earned her a master’s degree with distinction in applied neuroscience from King’s College London. Her unique path as a concert pianist and neuroscientist raised curiosity in the field of science and beyond, being featured in an interview by Women in Science and Technology at CERN (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research) as well as in her presentation for Korean female leaders at the SungJoo Foundation.