Unlocking Your Authentic Voice: Expert Tips from Jessica Doyle Mekkes

The She Leads Podcast: Real Conversations with Women Entrepreneurs

Your voice is a powerful tool that you can leverage for success. Jessica Doyle Mekkes is a renowned vocal coach who helps women find their powerful, authentic voices. Whether you are a public speaker, leading a meeting, or just want to be able to speak up confidently in a personal or professional setting, there are many ways we can learn to exercise and use our voice more effectively. Manage your stress with breath work and role-playing, and consider that even your clothing choices can have an impact on your ability to deliver a powerful message. Most sound equipment is designed for men, so advocate for yourself, be mindful of the equipment you will be using, and make sure that it is equalized and positioned for your needs. We are not spending enough time thinking about how our voices sound, but when we use them properly, they can (and will!) command the room!

Notes:
👄 Jessica is a vocal coach and the Head of Musical Theatre at East Carolina University, where she teaches voice and vocal pedagogy: the sound of power and authority are stereotypically associated with older white males. 03:21
🤐 We usually don't think about our voices until we need them, and they're not there. 06:48
🫁 If your voice is a car, your breath is the gas: the nerve endings that activate the fight or flight are at the top of the lungs, and the rest or digest ones are at the bottom. 09:47
⏺️ What you sound like in your head is different from what your audience hears: practice speaking through role play and recording yourself. 14:28
👠 The path is very circuitous: fail spectacularly while finding your direction. 18:16
👉 If you're privileged, acknowledge that you're coming from that place, but don’t brush off your hard work and achievements as luck. 21:34
🥤 A regular drinking straw can help you warm up your voice: steam is as good for the voice as the sauna for the body. 24:18
📗 Jessica is publishing "a bible for women on speaking up without trepidation": it's about physical and inner voice, and you can pre-order it right now! 29:34
🌬️ In her work, Jessica fights “Impost-Her” syndrome and shares tools that build brain pathways and help your vocal muscles. 34:26

Links:

Connect with Jessica: www.jessicadoylemekkes.com

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor: https://amzn.to/3YV0Eln

Fuck Being Humble by Stefanie Sword-Williams: https://amzn.to/45PfSec

Connect with Adrienne: www.sheleadsmedia.com

Listen to podcasts for women by women on the She Leads Podcast Network: www.sheleadspodcasts.com.

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