Hey there, hero! When you get ready to do something new, what wells up inside you emotionally? Is there fear? Being scared? Or is there electricity? Being excited? And how does that affect how you approach it? The two will likely co-exist in a sweet spot: instead of being so scared that I am immobilized, I'm...cautious. And instead of being so exci…

Hey there, hero! I'm well aware of at least one thing: I talk too much. Believe me, it's a challenge I've faced all my life. And I actively want to listen better. Listen actively. Not just wait for others to stop talking so I can start. I look for non-verbal clues to remind myself to listen...rather than talk. And to listen is to be open to hearing…

Hey there, hero! When things don't pan out for us, we want to know why. And sometimes, we simply tell ourselves stories...when we usually shouldn't. We want to have things make sense, and so if we don't know exactly why something happens, good or bad, we might make things up. Especially when we don't "get the gig." As humans, we want - no, NEED - t…

Hey there, hero! Ever get frustrated when you first start learning something and it's touch to get the hang of it? You know, you want to gain a skill and it's just not coming and you start to lose patience? How about when you're showing someone else how to do something and they just aren't grasping the fundamentals? Do you get a little annoyed? I s…

Hey there, hero! Famous quotes aren't always famous. Or quotes. There are all kinds of websites that are dedicated to the things that are attributed to famous people, but that they never actually said. In this episode, we're going to correct one of those misquotes, and in the process, give ourselves a gift about our lives and our professions. Once …

Hey there, hero! Like most specialty pursuits, we performers have our own special language when it comes to auditioning and doing the work of actors and voice talent. And sometimes, people channel The Princess Bride's Inigo Montoya when it comes to some of that jargon: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." A g…

Hey there, hero! Isolation is a curse to some, yet can be a boon to artists. It can be damaging not to have social contact on a regular basis, but it can be nourishing to our skill building. I have a couple of famous people joining me to share their thoughts on how being alone can be just what the doctor ordered, and is some ways, essential to our …

Hey there, hero! We know as performers that the way things are handled in our business are sometimes very different from the way they are handled in more mainstream businesses. And that can be frustrating, especially when it comes to not getting the booking. We're not told why. We never know why. We won't ever know why. But that's a double edged sw…

Hey there, hero! It seems like almost everyone, at some point, gets the urge to become a performer. They look at the fame, the money, the autograph seekers and just how easy it is and those are just their first four incorrect assumptions. Maybe you made some of those. Some rules you thought were true. Some shortcuts you thought might work. And then…

Hey there, hero! Creative types have no guarantees. Actors, voice talent, writers...have no tried and true template to follow for success. Almost everything about our journey is unknown. We have no idea what's coming. And that can be scary. It can be frustrating. It can be daunting. But...it is heroic. Not everyone can do it. But you can. And I wan…

Hey there, hero! That moment before you launch into a pickup sets the scene for how that pickup goes. And it needs to match the original voice work in terms of tone, energy, emotion and volume. And if your feelings, your mouth, your face or anything else is affected by that frustration or anger, or somehow isn't keyed to the lovely and unique momen…

Hey there, hero! The United States Federal Trade Commission requires that businesses who show their clients achieving things that require engagement, study, dedication, hard work and a fair amount of luck, and whose other customers likely have varying results...they have to disclose something. It's along the lines of "YMMV." Your Mileage May Vary. …

Hey there, hero! How we go about finding work is a fair bit different from the average Indeed.com job applicant. They will track their progress through the job search process in one way... ...and we are completely different. And for once, we have less work to do than they do. You might think you need to track your auditions and clip submissions...a…

Hey there, hero! We tend to hear the word "opportunity" and dress it up big time, expecting glitzy as opposed to basic work or work that prepares us for further opportunity. Opportunities show up in various heights and widths and various levels of glamour. Sometimes, they are awesome and legendary. But sometimes, they show up very calmly, ready to …

Hey there, hero! You're at that delicious moment...a blinking cursor, or waiting for the 2nd to call the cast and crew to quiet on the set, or the first moment you've opened a new audio or video recording window... ...how do you feel? Fearful? Anxious? At sea? Completely and utterly confident? Or maybe, simply excited. Anticipating action. About to…

Hey there, hero! There are great MeetUp groups (like our beloved Voices Anonymous here in LA)... ...and then there are MeetUp groups that are not so great. I know they meant well, but still... Joining a MeetUp group, creating content to be used in a VO demo and sharing among members is possibly the worst strategy I've ever heard. And I got invited …

Hey there, hero! Feel free to wake up every morning and give yourself a break. You are fallible. Don't assume that with experience, even a great amount, comes perfection. Even if you have years of mastery, you can still make a simple mistake. And it doesn't mean anything other than you're a human being. You're going to make mistakes. Forever. Learn…

Hey there, hero! This episode is a simple reminder that some data is visible, and some data is hidden. You likely know who your haters are - and you might not know how many people love you. Is this something you might be missing on a fairly regular basis? The people who love you for who you are, as opposed to those who don't? Let me know in the com…

Hey there, hero! I'm now subscribed to two newsletters I cannot quit. One is from James Clear, and the other is from Mark Manson. Mark is the one that can't stop using the F word in his book titles. But that bit of profanity can distract you from the power of his writing. And in particular, the writing in his weekly newsletter. In a recent edition,…

Hey there, hero! We get comfy when we have a pattern to look at: we create a life for ourselves, we get into a habit, we get systems in place and we think that's it. It's never going to change. What we have now is what we will always have, good and bad. But is that really true? Does what we have now somehow predict what we'll have in the future? Is…

Hey there, hero! Had a great time on the VOBB (VO Booth Besties) with Jen, Jen and Aleesha: https://www.boothbesties.com/ ...and I had the chance to answer some questions from the attending audience of VO talent. One question that came up was "How do you keep all the voices you create for the characters in an audiobook straight? How do you avoid us…

Hey there, hero! One of the most satisfying things that can happen to us is that all goes according to plan. That you set up a process, and you follow the path, you execute the steps, and it works out perfectly. But ask yourself: how often does that really happen? Not very often, if at all, I would think. It's really difficult, given all the variab…

Hey there, hero! This episode is for you if you feel like you missed the boat. That you're too old to be the artist you want to be. So... We tell ourselves the stories we hear from others. It's convenient and reliable. Sometimes. But sometimes, the stories we tell ourselves are different from the conventional wisdom. And it's actually all a choice.…

Hey there, hero! The little moments in life when we do what we do as performers...record an audition, narrate a chapter in an audiobook, self-tape an on-camera audition...they are juicy, aren't they? I'm wondering what goes through your head, just as you're about to start. To take that "blank page" and add content to it. To change it from nothing t…

Hey there, hero! If there's one thing we don't have enough of, it's time. But there are ways to guard your time and protect what you have. You can even take steps to re-claim that precious commodity. One is fairly obvious. The other can feel a bit dangerous. A bit risky. I'd like to set your mind at ease about that "dangerous, risky" one. How do yo…

Hey there, hero! Our NarrateYourOwnBook.com training course, designed for authors who want to be the voice of their own books, has a lesson in it that shows them how to "claim their title" from Kindle and start the process of producing the audiobook version of their book on ACX. You'd think you'd need some sort of permission to claim a title, but y…

Hey there, hero! I'm just starting the process of taking a course, and I'm looking for advice from you. Whether you formally teach others or not, we all make the move from showing others how to do something to learning how to do things ourselves. What do you do to be as open as possible to the great things headed your way? How do you combat the ass…

Hey there, hero! This episode is a quick reminder that there are a lot of ways to go about doing things in our business. Some are pretty good. Some are uh-MAZE-ing. But some...um, no. Just no. Can you see what's very wrong with the process I came across in the Meetup profile I talk about? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this…

Hey there, hero! It's easy to get into a rut. You get used to doing something, you're not challenged any longer, and it starts feeling monotonous. Even if your goal was to create a reliable ritual. It just gets old. You get stuck. Then Ajarae Coleman jumped in with a new concept. You try to shake things up, and strike out for something more challen…

Hey there, hero! The number one answer to the question I ask when I'm trying to gauge a student's concerns about learning, "What are you most worried about?" is so interesting. And we don't really think about that one moment, that one concern, that everyone in the world has also experienced. It's a universal. And if you give this momentous occasion…

Hey there, hero! If you're as big a fan of language, expression, narration and audiobooks as I am, and if you care about proper usage and what is required to do your own public domain audiobook narration, this is the episode for you. I had a chance to spend some time with Mignon Fogarty, discussing all that and more. Enjoy this visit with one of my…

Hey there, hero! Ever been in the situation where you have an abundance of great choices? An embarrassment of riches when it comes to solutions, any one of which would be great? Does it stop you from making a decision on which to choose? I mean, how often do you have a bunch of options...that are all good? Here's a hall pass for choosing any one of…

Hey there, hero! Knowing your brand is essential, but once we determine the boundaries of our brand we might mistakenly misuse that knowledge. In this episode, I'm going to give you two examples around opportunities and your brand. Your brand can be your first filter, but then...I have a secret weapon for you. And it depends who is asking - if you'…

Hey there, hero! Does the world these days tend to make you angry? I know there are aspects of our existence that piss me off. And I want to delete those things. Don't you? James Clear helped set me straight. You know, the guy who wrote Atomic Habits? He got me again this week with something in his newsletter. Once you hear it (I repeat it, it's so…

Hey there, hero! The consideration you make for a single role in an on-camera or stage opportunity and the many many characters you might play in an audiobook... ...means your personal brand is likely going to be less of a discriminator. You're not auditioning for that one character. You're auditioning for the entire cast. Once you let that marinat…

Hey there, hero! My grandfather was a funny, smart cookie. He wasn't a performer, rather my grandfather was a plumber. I'm not really shocked anymore at how many lessons I learned from him, even though he was a tradesman, about how to execute my occupation and run my business. One of the basic rules he lived by was to be damn sure he had a measure …

Hey there, hero! Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody fails at things. All. The. Time. Instead of being solely embarrassed about it, and fearful that failure might become the norm, why not make light of your mistakes? Even...celebrate them? You'll hear what I did in this episode. Sound familiar? How did you handle it? Let me know in the comments bel…

Hey there, hero! We may not have control over what happens to us in life. Sometimes, it's our doing. Sometimes, life happens with no input from us. And although we might not be the cause of some event in our life, there is one thing that we can control: how we react to it. And I'm telling you, your choices on how to react are far more numerous than…

Hey there, hero! This one is worth listening to without the distraction of video. Wear headphones or earbuds, seat them properly and listen. And, I'm gonna warn you. I tear up a bit in this podcast episode. Because of the power of human breathing. How breaths are used run the gamut from comedic to tragic to frantic to romantic. And I'm on a mission…

Hey there, hero! It's a pretty simple question, but we might fly right by it because we see it as a huge issue. We face things all the time that have the potential of being an issue... ...but it might be worth taking a moment and determining whether it's actually real or not. When you're worried about something...take a moment and survey whether yo…

Hey there, hero! We hear the phrase "game changer" all the time. And we take for granted that it's a major shift that leads to a victory. Is that always what it means? And is it always huge, monumental or unexpected? I'd love to know how you define a game-changing moment or development or shift. Can you even recognize it? When you haven't experienc…

Hey there, hero! The rest of that quote (from Helen Keller) is really important to know. Life in general, and our chosen path in life (being an artist) specifically, has some twists and turns in store for us. Some unexpected stops, some uphill climbs and some out of control skids. Some bends in the road. Unless...you are watching, vigilant and prep…

Hey there, hero! Taking care of ourselves is paramount - as actors, voice talent, writers and other creatives, we don't have an office infirmary and an in-person support community when we are in need of self-care. And one area where your personal mental and physical health can be threatened is when you choose to disagree with someone's point of vie…

Hey there, hero! I feel like I'm a weird artist. When I'm designing a performance, I work toward something that I can rely on, in a character, in business, in life, and then, if I can, lathering, rinsing and repeating. And I feel like I'm in the minority - I see most other artists achieving great performances, and then instead of repeating those pe…

Hey there, hero! When trying to understand a problem or challenge, while getting to the root of the problem and then on to the solution, we often ask "Why is this happening?" Great question. It's worth getting an answer, and one way to do that is to use a process that some call "about five WHYs" - asking "why?" over and over. Begin with the general…

Hey there, hero! We continue with the second of two episodes hearing from NAVA's Carin Gilfry, and in this installment, she gets a bit more personal about her own decisions when it comes to AI, and in particular why she decided to take the plunge... ...and arrange to have her voice modeled for future AI and synthetic use. You might be surprised tha…

Hey there, hero! One of my fave people in VO is NAVA's Carin Gilfry, and in this first of a two part series, she shares with us how NAVA (the National Association of Voice Actors at navavoices.org) is working on behalf of all voice actors and lots of different areas: DEI, representation, insurance and more. Including...AI and synthetic voices. If y…

Hey there, hero! Do you find the random irregularity and odd, weird opportunities that are the bulk of our business...annoying? Does the lack of a regular, traditional 40-hour work week make you...irritated? I want to help you be at peace with this - and help you with a bit of advice on how to help set up your performer life so that you're prepared…

Hey there, hero! Clara Tristan is an excellent host and a wise woman. She casually dropped that phrase...when you create something, you automatically serve others...with me when I appeared on her podcast. And it so resonated with me, and hopefully for you - specifically because of the type of business we're in. I mean, you can doubt your level of e…

Hey there, hero! As a performer, you've made the choice to be in a very weird, counterintuitive, awesome, creative world. And it has its own quirky way of presenting us opportunities. There's a phrase we dive into in this episode to help us recognize those quiet moments of opportunities: "Listen carefully, because opportunity sometimes knocks softl…