August 2025 – By Alex Dunn, PhD, Associate Professor of Management

You never know what’s gonna happen, you make your plans and you hear God laughin’ Life changes and I wouldn’t change it for the world – Thomas Rhett

In the heat of the New Jersey summer, with my best friend since grade school on one side and my husband on the other, I sang some of my favorite Thomas Rhett lyrics at the top of my lungs. This was a milestone concert for my husband and me – our 50th concert together since we met in 2018. And man, has a lot changed. We bought a house during COVID, got married, had a baby, navigated becoming parents and now raising a toddler, celebrated milestone birthdays, and feel busier than we ever have been with countless responsibilities.

Even with all these new responsibilities and feeling like we barely have time to sleep, we keep coming back to the same decision – say yes to the concert. I’ve reflected on why we keep saying yes, and I believe concerts allow us to recharge and remember that the time and effort we invest in being mom and dad, wife and husband, professor and manager, daughter and son, sibling, and friends is worth every moment.

In those few magical hours, where nothing matters besides the music and the company you’re with, concerts empower us to:

Protect Our Core Self – After becoming parents, we quickly learned how dramatically priorities shift. However, maintaining our concert tradition hasn’t been selfish; it’s been essential to remembering who we are beyond titles like mom and dad. These experiences allow us to remain whole, preserving the foundation of who we were before adding new layers of identity.

Embrace the Power of Intentional Joy – While we’ve had to become more strategic and thoughtfully plan our concert attendance (coordinating babysitters, managing night routines, timing dinner), this effort has demonstrated that joy is worth fighting for. The intentionality behind our choices makes these moments even more precious and meaningful.

Strengthen Our Partnership – Screaming our favorite lyrics, making eye contact when we hear the opening notes of our favorite songs, and laughing together strengthens our relationship at its core. This connection makes us better parents because we actively remember why we chose each other and continue choosing each other every day.

Model Authenticity for Our Daughter – While we treasure our time together, we also eagerly anticipate sharing our love for music with our daughter. We constantly discuss what her first concert will be, wanting to show her that we are complete people with passions, friendships, and imperfect singing voices that we’re never afraid to showcase.

The truth is, maintaining who you are while embracing new roles isn’t just possible – it’s essential. Your passions, relationships, and joy don’t diminish your capacity as a parent, partner, or professional. Instead, they fuel it.

So, while large crowds, loud music, and singing at the top of your lungs might not be your ideal way to recharge, I hope you can identify or discover your “thing” – that activity that reminds you who you are, deep down in your roots, while continuing to embrace change and growth.

As Thomas Rhett reminds us, “you wake up, ain’t nothing the same and life changes. You can’t stop it, just hop on the train.” The empowering truth? You don’t have to abandon yourself to ride that train – you just need to hold onto what matters most.