.jpg)
Fran Pitre joined host Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino on The Best Ever You Show. To listen click: Fran Pitre You Always Were
Please allow us to introduce you to the ever-amazing Fran Pitre. Fran is a mom of not 1, not 2, but THREE sets of Twins!! She is author the author of Twins x3 and an accomplished singer and musician. You can follow Fran on Twitter @Fran_Pitre.
Please tell us about yourself.
Well, let’s see.
I am originally from Albany, NY. My family and I moved just outside New Orleans, LA where I met and married my husband of 33 years, Bruce, after we completed our college degrees (Bruce's in architecture and mine in graphic design). We moved to Northern VA outside of Washington, DC where we began our respective careers, and where I sang cover and original songs in a local rock band on weekends. I stopped working as a designer and back-burnered my music life halfway through my pregnancy with our first set of twins (girls). When our daughters were six months old in 1995, we moved to Jacksonville, Florida. We had our second set of twins (boy/girl) nearly five years later (1999), and our third twin set (boys) arrived in 2007. Although a stay-at-home mom, I operated a graphic design business from my home office. With my hands quite full with work and six young children, the time was never right to consider getting back into music, and it remained on the proverbial back-burner indefinitely. However, I did find some time to write and publish my first book: TWINS x3 (2009). This book is an emotional roller-coaster story in which I share my God-centered faith journey over a span of 20 years … complete with the good, the bad, and the very funny.
After I experienced a serious shoulder injury and subsequent surgeries/physical therapy in 2014, I went to night school and earned my FL state license in 2016 as a medical massage therapist (LMT). I stopped working as a designer and instead worked for a primary care physician’s physical therapy department for over two years.
In early 2017, with the realization that my youngest boys were approaching the age of ten … I asked myself, “could I possibly get back into music, or was it now too late?”
Always reminding myself to “never say never”, I decided to try, and over the course of these last two years, on a path that brought miraculous events and incredible people into my life, I am absolutely singing again! In addition, I’m currently promoting an album of original music entitled You Always Were (Nov 2018) along with the promotion of the 10-Year-Anniversary of my book TWINS x3 (Updated, 2019 Edition).
Today, I operate a small private practice under my LMT, and I perform locally here in Jacksonville, FL and with a singer/musician friend on stages in NYC. I’m currently co-writing and recording music for a second album due for release at the end of 2019.
I’m currently promoting my music and my book via social media as well as with a publicist who is pitching to print and radio. I’ve written article-contributions to large online and print magazines and am presently interviewing on radio talk shows, many that are nationally syndicated.
I am Bruce’s and our children’s biggest fan and supporter, and they are mine.
How did you get to be where you are today?
Two years ago, in addition to the realization that my children were all getting older, I heard some music one afternoon which jolted and re-surfaced my emotional connection with music. That was the pivotal, defining moment that began the ball rolling with my reignited musical life. Over the last two years, this passion has only grown and momentum has built and continues today. I decided to update and republish my book because I wanted to share the continued story of my family, and the story of how music returning to me. My album is entitled: You Always Were, and I wrote the title song of the album to describe this experience. I believe that our human experiences aren’t meant for us alone, but are meant to share in order to lift, inspire, and encourage others.
I pray each day that I am guided in the direction I should be, and that everything that I do will serve and glorify God.
Have you ever been fired?
I actually have never been fired.
What are your real passions? After my husband and children, the arts are my passion … both visual and performing. I was involved in musical theater as a child and throughout high school and college, and my career in graphic design spanned 25 years. Music, however, is my absolute passion. My voice is my instrument, and when I have the privilege to perform with musicians on stage, I am (as my husband and my parents have said) in my natural habitat.
If you won the lottery, what would you do?
Wow … I would help cover some of the student loans for college expenses my older kids have incurred, put a little bit away to cover some of the wedding costs for our three daughters down the road, put a little more away for emergencies and security when Bruce and I reach retirement age. If there’s ANYTHING LEFT after that, I would like to donate to a few causes that I hold near and dear … for instance: to support arts and music programs in schools, cancer research and to help support Catholic education and seminary education costs of future Catholic priests. My youngest brother is a remarkable priest.
What do you do to help others be their best?
First, as a mother, I am far from being a helicopter parent. My husband and I believe that children need to understand what is required and expected of them from an early age. We do not do their chores (or their homework and science fair projects) for them because they need to do it, and to make mistakes, in order to learn and grow. With that said, however, I fully believe that we as parents must advocate for our children and other family members so that they can be given opportunities to be their best selves and live their best lives.
Aside from my role as a mom, I live with focus on my goals and live fully each day with joy and gratitude. I’ve been told that my family, my accomplishments, my endeavors, my successes, and my failures are all inspiring. This is the highest compliment I can receive. I’d be honored if I could inspire just one person to finally write that book, take that class, to get fit, start that business, travel to that country, climb that mountain … at any age or stage in life.
My book is my testimony that all things are possible with God. It reveals the times when my belief and faith were challenged and tested, and although my life has not been perfect, I hope that it can help encourage and inspire women of all ages to pursue and persevere in their quest for the longings of their hearts.
I refer to my music as “heart & soul” … music to move listener’s spirit. I’ve received very positive feedback on my songs, and have been told that our compositions and that my voice is moving. I hope that my music can be a vehicle to not only entertain, but to inspire, uplift, encourage and comfort.
How do you help yourself be the best you can be?
Spiritually: I stay connected to God through daily prayer. I also practice transcendental meditation each day.
Physically: Although I struggled with losing “baby weight” following my third twin pregnancy, I worked very hard over the last few years, and I finally reached my weight goal. I continue my commitment to stay fit and active.
Emotionally and mentally: With all that’s happening in my life and in the lives of my husband and kids, I need to stay as fit as possible, and my physical wellness impacts into my emotional and mental wellness. In order to release the stress that is a part of each day, I perform a static stretch routine each evening, and I try to get at least 6-7 hours of sleep each night.
Singing to loud music in my car when I’m driving alone (or even with my kids on occasion) is an enormous stress-reducer. I even wrote and released a song about it! I encourage and lay the foundation for clean-eating in our home. I hope, too, that my husband and I have been a positive role models for my children.
What do you like to do in your personal life? I love to go on dates with my husband … going to dinner or taking dinner to the beach since we live seven miles from the coast. I really enjoy writing song lyrics, and I have since childhood. I’m always coming up with new ideas to write about. I enjoy going to live music, dance and theater production events. I love going to these events with close friends and family. I actually enjoy working out at my gym … it’s very therapeutic and I always feel incredible afterwards. I love to read … if I can keep my eyes open for more than two or three pages at the end of the day.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future? I don’t know where my music endeavors will lead, but I’m really thankful for and am enjoying this journey so far! I will continue to create music and to perform as long as possibly can, and I hope that I can maintain a high standard of performance skill. I hope that my path leads to possibilities I’ve only dreamed about. There are some musical artists that I would absolutely LOVE to meet, and to (in my wildest dreams) collaborate with.
I also hope my book is successful and that it can inspire, entertain and cause a few readers to laugh a few times.
I hope that I can provide pain reduction, comfort and stress relief for my MT clients. Ultimately, and because my family will always come first, I hope that my biggest accomplishment will have been that we raised six compassionate, loving, happy, giving people.
What is a book or two that you recommend?
I’m currently reading “The Purpose Driven Life” by Pastor Rick Warren for the third time. I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone at any stage in his or her life.
I also recommend any book by English novelist Kate Morton.
Please give us one or two shameless plugs.
If I’m plugging my own stuff (and yes, that would be shameless) … I’d like to first mention my website: franpitre.com
This is my eight-year-old blog site for parents of twins and where visitors can find my book.
There’s a separate book sale website by Xlibris (publisher): twinsx3.com
My music is found on all streaming sites, but I would recommend visitors going to Spotify and search Fran Pitre. Visitors can also go to franpitresings.com for videos, music, background, events, and to contact me.
What are some of your favorites? (books, websites, etc..) I really like Pinterest mostly for browsing, not so much pinning myself, although I have created some boards. I hang out on Facebook for both social, entertainment and promotional reasons. I’m a huge fan of Twitter … and have met some amazing people, have networked, and have actually come further with book and music promotions through who I’ve met on Twitter than I have on all other social media platforms combined. As for books, please see the answer to question 10.
Why do you do what you do? I do what I do because of the love and passion I have for all of it. When passion is the motivation for any part of my life, I simply must do it. And, as I put singing professionally on the back burner for so many years, eventually it just had to be part of me again. After all, it is who I am, not just what I like to do.
What are a few of your goals?
I would love to spend more time with my husband … have more get-aways alone now that we have built-in sitters for the younger kids. Eventually, I hope to travel overseas again since I’ve not left the country since I became a mother. I'd also love to travel to destinations in the US and abroad where I’ve never been. Maybe a concert world tour will give me that opportunity! Another goal is that I hope to maintain my level of fitness and health for the remainder of my life, and I will do all I can to ensure that my family does, too.
What do the words "Best Ever You" mean to you? To me, those words mean living my best life, being the best I can be, reaching for the stars, being healthy in all human aspects, and being focused on God … living to bring others to him and giving him glory by living each and every day with passion, love and gratitude.