An Interview With Penny Bauder
Don’t be afraid of “No” — At this point, I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard “no”, been ignored, or laughed at. It used to really affect me and weigh me down, but over time, I just became more motivated to prove people wrong. I always just tell myself that every “no” is another step closer to a “yes”.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jessica Sikora, Founder of nonprofit organization SUPERBANDS.
Jessica Sikora believes in the power that music has to saves lives… After all, it did for her throughout her own struggles with depression and suicide attempts at a young age. She strives to build up the combined power of music and hope to fuel the community that she once longed for. Founded in 2014, SUPERBANDS became the catalyst to push Jessica to make a difference in the stigma of the youth mental health crisis and make wishes come true through a shared love of music.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit how you grew up?
I was a super shy kid growing up. I hardly ever raised my hand in class, very often sharing the creative ideas I had with others. Because I struggled with my identify and figuring out my own wants and needs, and dealt with the immense pressures of trying to be “perfect”, I faced issues with depression and suicidal ideations from as young as 13. It wasn’t until college, and after, that I really discovered my voice and learned to follow my heart.
Is there a particular book or organization that made a significant impact on you growing up? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I can’t think of a specific book or organization, but to resonate with the cause of SUPERBANDS (music), there is a song that really impacted my life as a teenager and it was “Believe In Me” by Demi Lovato. I remember being a teenager listening to that song that talked about how this girl just didn’t feel like she fit in, and as she goes through the song, she is starting to build up her confidence. Throughout the song, she keeps saying how she needs someone to believe in her, and at the end of the song, she goes “…now I believe in me”. I don’t know why but that song really hit me — and I sang it at the top of my lungs especially on the hard days. I held onto the hope that one day, like the girl in the song, I would believe in myself too.
How do you define “Making A Difference”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
“Making A Difference” doesn’t have to be a huge feat. It could be as simple as holding the door for someone, paying for the coffee of the person behind you at the drive-thru. Everyday is a new opportunity to change someone’s life, I firmly believe in these magical little moments.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. You are currently leading an organization that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
SUPERBANDS focuses on the youth mental health crisis, and especially in today’s times, this conversation is needed more than ever. Our goal is to create VIP experiences for young music fans who struggle with mental health conditions — like depression or self-harm — to give them an amazing night to remember, and memories to hold onto even when life gets hard. I like to think of it as “changing the world through music,” and there’s no better feeling than getting to give someone that experience of a lifetime.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
I struggled to fit in during my adolescent years, and faced bullying from my peers, which led to depression and suicidal ideations as young as 13 or 14. The one thing that got me through was my music. I would count down the hours until I could get out of school to listen to my favorite songs, count down the days until the next concert or album release — holding on “just one more day” for my music kept me alive. SUPERBANDS is the community I once dreamed of having, and its VIP experiences would have been an amazing night to remember for 13-year old Jessica.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
Growing up, I really never set out to be an entrepreneur, let alone a philanthropist… it really was just listening to my heart, and leaning into that. Despite my own struggles with mental health, it didn’t really hit me how powerful music was in my life until after college when I moved back home with my parents. My sister — who is 10 years my junior — was about 13 when I moved back home and was obsessed with 5SOS and One Direction and seeing her love for these bands was like looking back in time at 13-year old Jessica. I had the idea to start SUPERBANDS and ended up playing around with the idea on Tumblr, and shared the idea with a ton of random boyband fan accounts — and nigh after night, I was getting hundreds of followers and countless messages of brave fans sharing their own stories. And it was totally the moment that I told myself: “Okay Jessica, this is a good idea. You can’t give up on it now.”
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
Trial and error… lots of it! The best thing about starting something nowadays is the endless amount of information you have at your fingertips. I lived on Google, looking up answers to every little question, and spent many hours in Barnes and Noble reading books on anything related to NPOs or business. I built up my network through cold pitches on LinkedIn, and connected with amazing mentors and advisors who helped guide me. I pushed through the unknowns by just being resourceful, and always letting my passion push me past every bump in the road (and wow, there were many bumps!).
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
One of the very first followers of SUPERBANDS on our now-defunct Tumblr account actually ended up being a long-term volunteer of the organization. She connected with me very early on in the SUPERBANDS journey and has supported from overseas for years — sharing ideas, spreading the word to other music fans, and providing feedback on our initiatives. After she graduated college and had a little bit of free time, she actually reached out to ask if I needed any help with the organization and she’s been a go-to person for me since then!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?
While I’ve personally made quite a number of mistakes, a funny mistake that happened to turn into something wonderful happened about 6 months after I first started rolling out the idea of SUPERBANDS. There was a company that I was particularly interested in since their work — and target audience — relates very closely to the SUPERBANDS cause, and I ended up finding an email address to someone in the company. I sent them a cold email introducing myself and the organization, and never heard back — so I sent that same email a few more times to keep following up. I guess I had emailed SO often that I accidentally made it onto their internal email list, and was accidentally looped into an internal team discussion about a local event that they were hosting. I sat on the thread very quietly, just reading through the conversation, and then finally had the courage to REPLY ALL to the thread introducing myself and SUPERBANDS to the whole thread of about 30+ employees of the company. The company President was on the thread and reached out to be directly, and he’s been one of my best advisors ever since.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I’ve had a lot of really great mentors along the way, and I am thankful to have connected with so many brilliant people who believe in SUPERBANDS. Some became Board members or advisors, and others were just (awesome) advice-givers — and truly have no idea the impact they have each made on the organization with their ideas, feedback, suggestions, and mentorship. Beyond that, the fact that they believe in my ability to make this big dream come to life is so empowering and it inspires me everyday to keep pushing forward — I don’t want to let them down!
Without saying specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
The original idea of SUPERBANDS was to inspire fans to stay strong on the hard days, which included a big idea to create merchandise, like wristbands, to sell. I had our logo printed on hundreds of wristbands and only sold about 20 (#fail), but then decided to give away the rest to various ‘superfans’ who submitted a story to our Tumblr page. One of the fans had written about their struggles with self-harm, and talked about how their favorite band helps them to calm down through these crisis episodes. I sent them a wristband, with a handwritten note, telling them how proud I was of them and their strength and received a message about a month later from this same person. They wrote about how earlier that week, they had a bad day at school but when they looked down at their wrist, ready to harm themselves, they saw the wristband and felt so empowered. They did not harm themselves that day, and instead just listened to their favorite band, noting that they felt like someone out there truly cared about them. When I feel frustrated with SUPERBANDS, I think about that message — and the many others like it — and keep pushing myself to make a difference in more lives.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
I think there are many celebrities and public figures out there who could really make a big impact on SUPERBANDS, and overall the youth mental health crisis. There are so many ‘superfans’ out there who idolize these public figures, and it would be amazing to have more of them opening up about their own struggles and acknowledging their fans who may be struggling. By sharing these vulnerable experiences, fans can feel more directly connected with their favorite artists, feel supported, feel empowered to open up about their own experiences, and seek help. By partnering with artists, there are so many opportunities to open doors for mental health education and awareness, and breaking the stigma about opening up about these struggles that so many of us have gone — or are going- through
Fantastic. Here is the main question of the interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each).
- You don’t have to know (or have) it all — With no business background, no connections to the entertainment industry, and quite frankly, no funding, I was scared to bring this idea to life. I had to be resourceful and scrappy, and use my limited resources to take baby steps forward. Every baby step forward mattered, and helped build the foundation of what the organization is today. I’m still learning, and refining the path as I go.
- Find your tribe — When I first had the idea for SUPERBANDS, I was told by the select number of people I shared the idea with that it was not worth pursuing. I would get frustrated when the people who I was convinced would be able to help me, weren’t interested in helping me bring the idea to life. It felt like no one cared about the idea, but actually, I just wasn’t surrounding myself with the right people. Instead, I focused on reaching out to people in the music and entertainment industries, chatting with mental health professionals, connecting with those who worked directly with teens and adolescents, and of course, talking to ‘superfans’ of all ages. They all believed in the idea, and cheered me on… I just needed to find the tribe that believed.
- Don’t be afraid of “No” — At this point, I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard “no”, been ignored, or laughed at. It used to really affect me and weigh me down, but over time, I just became more motivated to prove people wrong. I always just tell myself that every “no” is another step closer to a “yes”.
- Everyone can celebrate the small wins together — As an organization that is still growing and building traction, it can be easy to get discouraged along the way. I’ve learned to really practice gratitude, and celebrate even the small wins. Something as simple as an artist noticing a tweet or Instagram post, getting a band member’s 2nd cousin twice-removed to follow us on social media, a C-suite executive expressing interest in being an advisor… I love celebrating with our team because we did it together, and we all feel a sense of pride in making it happen.
- What’s meant for you will not pass you by — For anyone, not just entrepreneurs, it is easy to get caught up in the “should have’s” (i.e. “I should have done X, so Y would have actually worked out”). I used to actually paralyze myself in thinking of what I could have done differently so that something I wanted would have worked out, or so that an initiative would have been more successful. I was told this quote before, and it really changed my perspective in everything I do. I no longer get caught up in the “should have’s” when things don’t go as planned, because I just get excited that something better is on the horizon.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Follow your heart. I know it can be scary to take on a big vision, especially if you are lost on how to make that a reality. There are people out there who want to help, and will believe in your cause — don’t be afraid to find those people. Find mentors and cheerleaders who empower you to follow this dream.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Hellooooo, I would LOVE to meet the Jonas Brothers, of course!! It was them who saved my life when I was 13, and I would love to just thank them for being there for me when no one else was. Their music helped me feel less alone, and counting down days to their concerts are the reason I am still here today. Without them, I would not have been able to get through those hard times and I would not have been able to start SUPERBANDS.
How can our readers follow you online?
Follow SUPERBANDS on social media at @superbands_ on IG and Twitter, and check out our website www.superbands.org for updates. For me, my personal Instagram is @jvsikora.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Thanks so much! Let’s change the world through music!
Young Change Makers: Why and How Jessica Sikora of SUPERBANDS Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.