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She said she decided to turn down the up front money and build her fan base, crafting a deal that would allow her the freedom to grow a career the way she wanted -- staying true and authentic to her music and, most importantly, to herself.

\"I knew I had to be most diligent about my number one job, [which] was to figure out how to be a good human and a whole human, my number two job was to build a music career.\"

Since those early days she has built a successful music career and much more. She is a bestselling author, a producer and an actress, who most recently starred in \"Concrete Evidence: A Fixer Upper Mystery\" on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. She has also built an online platform \"to help people find emotional fitness\" at JewelNeverBroken.com, incorporating mindfulness techniques she has used throughout her life to combat depression and anxiety.

She said her motto during her long career has always been \"hardwood grows slowly\" and her advice for aspiring artists stems from that mantra.

\"If you can emotionally connect with a human being ... and cause them to emotionally invest with you, you have something,\" she said. \"Then you just have to go about it the old-fashioned way and create enough of a fan base that you have enough leverage to negotiate any kind of deal for yourself.\"

Thank you to @jeweljk for sharing your wisdom, advice and inspiring story on this week's #NoLimits! Listen here: https://t.co/GqJMhn2Adf pic.twitter.com/1rivrHrtCs

— Rebecca Jarvis (@RebeccaJarvis) April 4, 2017

\"You know the hardwood trees live the longest, have the longest careers, did it the right way,\" she added. \"There's steps to go through and it's earning it. Shortcuts aren't to be trusted.\"

You can hear Jewel's full interview on ABC Radio's top business podcast, No Limits with Rebecca Jarvis.

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