FYV #17 - Learning to Fail Forward
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Release Date: 05/05/2025
FYV #45 - Your Voice Is Not Who You Are — It Reveals Who You Are
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Most trial attorneys think authenticity means “just be yourself.” But in this episode, Kristi reframes what authenticity really is — and why your voice isn’t something to fix, but something to honor and expand. Through stories from her vocal snapshot sessions, Kristi explores the deep connection between self-perception, vocal growth, and leadership presence. You’ll learn why discomfort is a sign of expansion, how your brain resists change to protect you, and what it means to align your voice with who you truly are — not who you think you’re supposed to sound like. In this...
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FYV #44 - Breathe the Story — How Your Breath Shapes Emotion and Connection
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Your breath doesn’t just keep you alive — it brings your stories to life. In this episode, Kristi explores how intentional breathing shapes the emotional rhythm, tone, and impact of your storytelling. From recreating a car crash scene to guiding jurors through reflection and resolution, your breath is what makes a story felt, not just heard. Learn how to move between urgency and stillness, intensity and calm, using breath as your invisible thread of connection. In this episode, you’ll learn: How your breathing patterns shape emotion, pacing, and vocal tone. Ways to use breath...
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FYV #43 - Rhythm That Sticks: How to Make Your Words Memorable
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Most trial attorneys fall into one of two traps when they speak: they either get stuck in repetitive vocal patterns that lull jurors to sleep… or they avoid rhythm altogether and lose clarity. In this episode, Kristi unpacks the neuroscience and strategy behind rhythm as a communication tool — how to use repetition, contrast, and deliberate pattern to make your message stick in jurors’ minds long after closing arguments. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why predictable vocal patterns sabotage juror attention. The difference between distracting repetition and intentional...
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FYV #42 - Talking With Your Hands: How Gestures Can Win or Lose Jurors
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Your hands are speaking in court—whether you mean for them to or not. In this episode, Kristi unpacks why gestures matter as much as words, how jurors process them as part of your message, and how you can use them strategically to reinforce rather than distract. Learn how to balance movement so you look authoritative instead of chaotic or rigid, and discover how pairing tone with gesture creates courtroom communication that sticks. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why psychologists call gestures “co-speech gestures” and how the brain fuses words + movement into one message. ...
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FYV #41 - It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Of all the five vocal building blocks—pitch, pace, melody, volume, and tone—tone is the one most often overlooked. Yet it’s also the one that communicates the most: your intent, your sincerity, and the emotional meaning behind your words. In this episode, Kristi unpacks why tone matters so much in the courtroom, how it shapes jurors’ perceptions faster than words, and how you can start using it intentionally to build trust, credibility, and connection. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why ignoring tone leads to miscommunication and lost juror connection. How the brain...
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FYV #40 - Manage Nerves Instantly: How the Navy Seals Might Help You In Trial
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Breath is more than survival—it’s leadership. In this episode, Kristi pulls back the curtain on how trial attorneys can use breath not just for vocal power, but for nervous system regulation and courtroom leadership. From gospel singing roots to practical techniques like box and triangle breathing, you’ll learn how intentional breath control can steady your system, shape juror perception, and give you the stamina to lead with authority in high-stakes moments. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why courtroom breath needs to be more like a singer’s breath. How your autonomic...
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FYV #39 - Why the Brain Craves Patterns, but Needs Novelty
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Your delivery in court is about more than words—it’s about how you keep jurors’ brains engaged. Neuroscience tells us the brain loves patterns because they conserve energy. But, once a pattern is predictable, the brain checks out. In this episode, we’ll dive into how novelty—surprise shifts in pitch, pace, volume, melody, or tone—keeps jurors awake, attentive, and ready to remember what matters most. In this episode, you'll learn: Why the brain craves patterns but also needs novelty to stay engaged. How monotone delivery triggers jurors’ “energy-saving mode.” The...
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FYV #38 - Anticipation, Impact, Reset: The 3 Types of Silence in the Courtroom
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Silence might feel like the last thing you want in the courtroom—but when used strategically, it’s one of the most powerful tools in your communication arsenal. In this episode, we explore how silence works on both the jurors’ brains and emotions, why it helps information stick, and how you can use it to project calm authority. You’ll walk away with practical ways to turn pauses into moments of connection and persuasion. In this episode, you'll learn: Why silence isn’t empty—it’s full of processing and meaning. The neuroscience of cognitive load and how pauses help jurors...
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FYV #37 - From Shrill to Strong: Grounding Your Voice Under Pressure
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Ever been in the middle of a crucial point in court—or even at home—when suddenly your voice betrays you? Instead of authority, your pitch climbs higher and higher until you sound anxious, unstable, or even cartoonish. This episode breaks down why it happens and, more importantly, how to fix it. You’ll learn the three-step process to ground your body, breath, and voice so you can speak with calm authority, even when emotions are intense. In this episode, you'll learn: Why your pitch rises under stress (and the neuroscience behind it). The three steps to grounding: body, breath, and...
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FYV #36 - How Your Breathing Shapes Jury Decision-Making
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Breathing is something we do all day without thinking—but in the courtroom, how you breathe can make or break your presence. In this episode, I unpack why breath is the most underutilized tool trial attorneys have for grounding themselves, projecting confidence, and even regulating the jury’s emotional state. You’ll discover how the mechanics of breath affect your voice, how the nervous system responds to shallow vs. deep breathing, and why your breath is contagious in the courtroom. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why shallow breathing leads to vocal strain, fatigue, and...
info_outlineLet’s be honest—failure sucks. But avoiding it altogether? That might be even worse.
In this episode, I reflect on my newfound fascination with sports—yes, sports!—and the surprising thing I’m learning from athletes that has nothing to do with winning... and everything to do with how they handle losing.
🧠 Inside this episode:
- How my non-athlete, choir-kid roots made me risk-averse for years
- What sports like cycling, March Madness, and the NFL Combine taught me about mindset
- Why athletes seem shockingly good at failing—and how they bounce back mid-game
- A college voice lesson that cracked open my perfectionism (and sent me storming out...)
- The Duke University course that literally gave me chills: Learning to Fail
- A quote from Giannis Antetokounmpo that redefined “failure” forever
💡 Key idea:
Athletes fail all the time—on their way to winning.
What if failure isn’t something to avoid, but something to integrate?
🎧 Favorite moment:
“They just move on. Like…they miss, they mess up, and they just go to the next play. I’m watching that more than I’m watching the score.”
📣 Let’s talk about trial.
Trials are hard. You win some, you lose some.
Statistically? Civil plaintiff cases are around 50/50. Med mal and federal court? Even tougher odds.
So what’s your approach to failure?
- Are you like my college self—only attempting things you’re sure you’ll get right?
- Or are you starting to flex a more athletic mindset—staying present, regrouping, and growing?
📬 I want to hear from you.
If you’ve ever used a failure as a launchpad for learning or growth, I want to know.
➡️ Email me at kristi@fostervoicestudio.com
Let’s swap stories—and normalize failure as part of mastery.
- IG: www.instagram.com/fostervoicestudio
- FB: www.facebook.com/fostervoicestudio
- LI: www.linkedin/in/fosterthought
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fostervoicestudio/
🔗 Resources & Inspiration:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj4icUkwP2A
- Mel Robbins: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1FrrKCN4M2/
- Learning to Fail class at Duke University: Iss.duke.edu/courses/learning-fail
- Book a free vocal snapshot: https://calendly.com/fostervoicestudio/30-minute-assessment-clone
🏀 Final thought:
What if failing wasn’t a dead end, but a step forward?
Let’s train ourselves like athletes do—fail faster, recover better, and keep our eyes on the long game.
Until next time,
Keep fostering your voice. 🎤