048 From Stage Fright to Spotlight
Your Free Voice
Did you know that 75% of the population rate public speaking more scary than death, spiders and heights! So if you get a little anxious when the time comes to speak up in a meeting or pitch to a new client (or be interviewed on a podcast), you are NOT alone! In this episode I'm talking about my experience of performance anxiety and how I help other artists, entrepreneurs and leaders transform the stories running in their unconscious minds, so that they can step onto the stage and shine. If you're interested in grabbing a spot in my new public speaking class you can find out more and snag...
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047 Alexander Technique with Daisy Tennant
Your Free Voice
I loved chatting with my lovely friend and colleague Daisy Tennant from beautiful Florence Italy last week. We talked about all things Alexander Technique ❤️ I first came across Alexander Technique when I was working in a natural health center in North London. I loved the focus and the expansion I felt in my ribs, soon after I got another dose during my Voice Movement Therapy training, and have been using tiny, but powerful, fragments with singers ever since. Daisy however has been practicing and teaching the Alexander Technique for over 20 years. She first came across it while...
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046 Outbursts and slips of the tongue.
Your Free Voice
When was the last time something slipped out of your mouth before you knew what on earth was happening and you didn't even know where it came from? In this episode I'm talking about dealing with the shame of these outbursts or slips and offering that instead they might be offering the treasure of self knowing. In Jungian psychology slips or outbursts are often seen as opportunities for growth. By examining what they reveal about our unconscious, we can integrate disowned parts of ourselves and move closer to individuation—the process of becoming whole. There's a lot of muscular...
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045 Is Goal setting Just Annoying?
Your Free Voice
In this episode I'm pondering ...maybe goal setting is just annoying? But seriously, why aren’t we achieving our goals? Some of my thoughts include: Because they were unrealistic in size or amount of time given to them. Because we didn’t really want them enough, or because they were 'shoulds' instead of things we really wanted. Because our unconscious conditioning said "hell no!". Because we picked too many things ... and none of them brought us joy! Because we’re framing our goals by telling ourselves off - “don’t eat so many sweets” is different from "eat...
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044_Winter Solstice Reflections
Your Free Voice
In this short episode, I share what the Winter Solstice means to me and invite you to try my reflection and dreaming practice. I do love this time of year and it's so important for us to take time for ourselves to reflect and dream, to feel the sorrow or loss, but also to find joy in the darkness. If you would like to develop a stronger connection to your voice next year, make sure you're on my mailing list to be the first to know about my workshops and private coaching offers. Here's Thank you for listening! Have a wonderful festive season and I'll be back in the New Year! Julia xox ...
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043 - Gratitude practices ❤️
Your Free Voice
This episode is about Gratitude practices that I enjoy, and thought you might too. Robin Wall Kimmerer's 'Gratitude Inventory' inspired by our connection to nature. • Step outside • Take in your surroundings • Send gratitude to a few things you see or smell or hear. • Remember how connected you are to this abundance in nature and send some gratitude back to yourself. Here's her book - indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Here's the Start by finding a quiet place to relax with your eyes closed for...
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042 Community Choirs & Circle Singing with Chris MacLean
Your Free Voice
In this conversation with my friend and colleague Chris MacLean, we talk about her life and career as a singer/songwriter, community choir leader, retreat host, circle singer and so much more. We talk about the logistics of running a choir, fear of death, how to make a living and how we both believe it is everyone’s birthright to sing. Here is how you can find out more about Chris, her recordings, retreats, performances and her choir. Here is how you can find out about . Here is how you can find out more about the end of life singing know as And for my final in person event of...
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041_How to Set Boundaries
Your Free Voice
In this quick solo episode, I'm exploring boundaries and how to speak up and set yours. Q. Do you feel like you can stand up for yourself? Q. Can you speak up to defend others? Here are a few ways that I'm suggesting that you might check your boundaries. How does your body feel in the moment? Hot? Clenched stomach? Are you making a fist? How is your breath? Give yourself a moment to feel into it and try to get clear on what has made you feel uncomfortable? Take a few slow breaths, let your system get regulated again. Take your time, you don't have to respond in the moment. ...
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Resilience and Recovery using The Voice Straw with celebrity voice coach Mindy Pack
Your Free Voice
On this episode of Your Free Voice, I’m delighted to bring back into the studio celebrity voice coach and founder of The Voice Straw, Mindy Pack! You may have listened to where I talked to Mindy about her experience being a celebrity voice coach, well we ran out of time to talk about straws so I had to get her back again. We’re going pretty deep into how to use the straw for rehabilitation after a cold or injury and how to prevent injury doing video game call outs and efforts prepping with the straw! I met Mindy about 5 years ago when she was co-hosting a...
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039 Mindfulness, Performance Anxiety and the Breath with Ruth Phillips
Your Free Voice
My interview with my friend and colleague Ruth Phillips. Ruth Phillips is a modern and baroque cellist, a mindfulness coach, founder of The Breathing Bow and co-founder of InsideOut Musician and a writer. Alongside her rich and diverse career as a concert cellist and teacher. Ruth is internationally sought after as a performance coach and meditation teacher, helping people who suffer from tension, stage fright or lack of focus overcome the physical and mental strains of the music profession. Ruth primarily works with instrumentalists, but her insights into the source of suffering...
info_outlineWhat would it be like if you could love your voice exactly as it is right now?
Think about your voice as a friend that offers support, expresses your deepest feelings, tell jokes and stands up for others.
If you’ve ever lost your voice for any time at all, you quickly realize how valuable it really is.
Then there are the opinions like “My voice isn’t manly enough’, “it’s too loud, too soft, too high”.
Who says?
Early conditioning and cultural norms have a huge impact on how we use our voices, so digging into some of those stories is super useful. You get to decide if you agree with it or not, but first you have to know how that opinion got there.
Technical stuff like range, flexibility, etc can all be trained. You just have to decide how much you really want it. Tiny incremental changes to your behavior are WAY more likely to stick and become a habit. So try warming up for just 3-5 minutes a day, that’s it!
What not to do. Let go of trying to sound like someone else, it’s not going to happen, I mean that’s aside from trying to match someone’s styling to learn jazz etc.
• Love your voice, it is so uniquely yours.
• Love your voice today, 1% more than you did yesterday.
• Play with sounds. Get creative.
And if you don’t know where to start grab my free 5 minute warm up and get going!