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This week’s guest is Alfred Jackson.
Alfred is a pop and R&B recording artist from LA. Just recently, I had the great pleasure of meeting Alfred on a cruise ship, where he was a guest entertainer performing with the boyband, Uptown. I was captivated by Alfred’s talent, energy, charisma and charm on stage and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview him in person on the ship. This was a fascinating conversation with Alfred who shared his professional journey, throughout the entertainment industry, which began at the age of nine and has led him to numerous and a diversity of career highlights. Some of these include being cast in numerous musical theatre productions such as the Book of Mormon in Sydney Australia, directing West Side Story, touring in the Man in the Mirror across the US, entertaining at Universal Studios Japan and performing with numerous boy bands.
Alfred has also had a very successful recording career as a singer-songwriter being signed to numerous music labels. At the age of 14, he was signed to his first record deal and he talks about how he was mistreated and body shamed at such a vulnerable young age. He shares with us that it was his mother who kept him grounded in an industry that could have destroyed his life. Over the years, Alfred has released two original albums which have been inspired by his own life experiences. His latest body of work is titled, UGLY, in which he shares his deeply personal account of his life and the importance of legacy. Alfred also discusses how he takes care of his physical, mental and emotional health in an industry where self-care is. You are going to love this interview with Alfred Jackson as he shares his stories, experiences and advice for others wishing to pursue a career in the music industry.
In this episode
07:27 — Alfred’s Singing Journey
10:00 — Singing Influences during his Young Age
12:48 — Transitioning to a Professional Singing Career
14:26 — Having a ‘Momager’ and its Impact on His Career
22:44 — Belonging to a Boy Band Group
25:48 — Singing a Healthy C5 in Pure Belt
30:32 — Our Voice Tells Us Where to Listen
32:26 — Impact of Traveling
34:19 — Warm-up Rituals
41:35 — Learning to Support the Voice
42:17 — Getting Into Musical Shows
44:48 — Working in Universal Studios in Japan for 4 years
47:45 — What Do You Do for Self-Care?
50:08 — Was There Ever a Time in Your Career That You Didn’t Feel Enough?
54:40 — Alfred’s New Album “U.G.L.Y”
56:14 — Advice for up-and-coming Artists
57:13 — Piece of Advice for Singing Teachers
Find Alfred Online
Website: www.alfredjackson.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/alfred.jackson.7
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ajismusic
Instagram: www.instagram.com/alfredjacksonmuzic
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/76
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This week’s guest is Walt Fritz.
As a voice teaching community, it is vital to keep an open mind to the various kinds of modalities that can be of assistance for a singer who may need help. This week’s guest is Walt Fritz, a licensed physical therapist who has taught Myofascial Release continuing education since 1995 and set up his training program, Foundations in Myofascial Release Seminars™. In 2020, Walt rebranded his work and launched Manual Therapies Seminars, a new training program that he continues to teach all types of therapists including massage therapists, speech-language pathologists, voice professionals, physical therapists, and occupational therapists internationally. Walt also runs a closed physical therapy practice in New York where he treats select patients, including singers. He believes that singers are vocal athletes, and he realised the benefits of applying manual therapies to singers, a modality that was and still is typically thought to be applicable exclusively for traditional sports athletes. Walt describes his approach as creating a therapeutic relationship with his patients, where he asks them to collaborate in a constant back and forth, seeking to elevate and empower them to be a true partner in the process of evaluation and decision making. This is a truly informative interview with Walt as he also shares how issues regarding postural alignment can be overplayed, the importance of meeting and accepting patients where they are at, how we must allow a person to be heard, and listen to them without judgement and as practitioners, it’s not about the approaches we use, it’s about offering compassion and empathy. There is so much more. You are going to love listening to this episode with Walt Fritz.
Instagram: @waltfritzpt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walt.fritz/
Website: www.WaltFritz.com
In this episode
04:50 - Walt’s Training Background
09:19 - What is Myofascial Release?
12:42 - Benefits of an Iterative Approach
15:28 - Deficit as a Blessing
17:58 - Athletes Within Artists
22:02 - The Aid Which Physical Therapy Gives to Singers
26:15 - Diagnostics Preview
31:07 - Priors: A Concept in Psychotherapy
34:05 - Emboldened Patients with Therapist’s Selflessness
38:27 - Reimagining Yourself to Embrace Changes
41:51 - Significance of Proper Posture
48:09 - The Method of Patient-Centered Care
51:12 - Ensuring Mutual Learning is Possible and Judgements are Mitigated
56:05 - Defining Touch Base Intervention
1:02:45 - Greatest Lesson Learned About the Voice
1:03:47 - Piece of Advice for the Singing Voice Community
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/75
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Is your life needing an injection of happiness and positivity? Maybe it’s time to give your attitude to life a spring clean? Perhaps your thoughts and behaviours need a massive sprucing up. You may be someone who blames life, blames others, your job, the pandemic, anything and everything, but have you ever considered that it could be you that’s the problem? Your lack of happiness could be a result of some negative behaviours and your current circumstance is a manifestation of these. You may not realise that your happiness and success in all parts of your life is your personal responsibility. It’s time to become accountable and stop blaming external situations or other people for your shortcomings or your lack of joy.
Not everything in life is in our control, but our actions are and positive action is necessary for a joyful and remarkable life. Today, I am going to share with you five unwanted behaviours that I believe have the potential to stifle your happiness and once these are banished from your life, you will be far better off. My hope is that by the end of this episode, you will be able to catch yourself next time you are about to fall into the trap of one of these five behaviours so you can start to experience the happiness and desire and truly deserve.
In this episode
01:06 — Is Your Life Needing an Injection of Happiness and Positivity?
02:38 — Life Is Always Not Smooth Sailing
04:12 — Number 1: Stop Trying to Please Everybody
05:09 — Don’t Let Anyone Tell You What Is Realistic and Achievable or Not
07:23 — Number 2: Stop Talking Negatively About Yourself
09:03 — Out Thoughts Are Not Always the Truth
10:45 — Number 3: Stop Gossiping About Others
13:24 — Become Cheerleaders and Not Haters
14:40 — Number 4: Stop Holding On to the Past
15:45 — See How Far You’ve Come in the Present
18:01 — Number 5: Stop Stressing About the Future
21:04 — Conclusion
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/74
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This week's guest is Shannon Coates.
This is part II of my interview with Dr Shannon Coates, who is an educator, international presenter on Voice Pedagogy, creator of The Vocal Instrument 101 Online Course and in more recent times creator of the VoicePed UnDegree. In this episode, we continue with Shannon’s candid interview as she delves deeper into some of her teaching philosophies, and her beliefs regarding the current state of academic systems that are presently not delivering the training required to equip CCM singers for a professional career. Some of the topics Shannon shares her views on include, how we as voice teachers must ensure that what we think and what we do aligns with our core values and that it is essential that we check in with our biases in order to create inclusive voice studios. Furthermore, Shannon explains that there is more than one way to achieve results, and as voice teachers, we must be open to the possibilities of what a voice can do and how the voice can work efficiently to create the tonal outcomes required by the singer. We must not get stuck in a binary system where something is either right or wrong because the voice is a complex system that is different from person to person. Shannon’s mission is to continue to make vocal pedagogy practical, applicable and accessible, for everyone, especially for those outside of academia. There is so much more in this is a brilliant interview with Dr Shannon Coates.
Online Course: https://drshannoncoates.com/the-vocal-instrument-101-online-course/
03:24 – Personal experience with being silenced
07:49 – Discussion Post
10:13 – Dr. Shannon’s Pet project
13:42 – Teaching different techniques
15:08 – Understanding the possibilities of what the Voice can do
18:44 – Treating Voice as a complex instrument
21:04 – Understanding Formants in voice
26:32 – Things missing in terms of Singer’s Higher Education Training
31:09 – The Academic system’s promise
33:34 – Is CCM teachable in the academic system?
35:52 – Finding your authentic sound
40:38 – The Voiceped Undegree program
42:41 – What’s next for Dr. Shannon?
46:42 – Thoughts on Methodologies
51:52 – One piece of advice for the singing voice community
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/73
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This week’s guest is Shannon Coates.
This is part I of my interview with Dr Shannon Coates, who is an acclaimed voice teacher, international presenter and creator of The Vocal Instrument 101 Online Course. This is a candid interview with Shannon as she begins by sharing her earliest memories of how she discovered the joy of singing as part of a musical family and the journey that led her to a highly successful teaching career. Shannon tells us that she began her teaching career, as an independent studio voice teacher where she worked with a broad range of students. Shannon explains that her own professional and teaching experiences, inspired her to create training programs and resources for teachers outside of academia to equip them with the skills and knowledge that are most useful for them. Shannon had discovered that all the classical tuition received did not give her the tools she needed for contemporary singing. The other realisation for Shannon was that the majority of voice pedagogy classes were being taught by classical voice teachers who had never owned or operated an independent voice studio themselves. Furthermore, she believed that independent studio teachers, were unable to access the training they required without sacrificing time away from the studios, and losing income. In this episode Shannon also shares with us the qualities that she believes that a good teacher should possess, the core components of her training programs and how these are relevant and beneficial to the teaching voice community. Remember this is part 1 of a 2 part interview with Dr Shannon Coates and part 2 will be released next week.
Online Course: https://drshannoncoates.com/the-vocal-instrument-101-online-course/
In this episode
04:00 – Getting to know Dr. Shannon Coates
07:15 – Earliest memories of singing
12:12 – Musical education history
14:12 – Dr. Shannon’s work experience
15:42 – Being a Worship Leader
17:36 – Say ‘Yes’ and figure it out
19:48 – Choosing not to teach
20:46 – First teaching gig
23:09 – Obtaining a Classical Voice Degree
25:31 – Transitioning from Traditional to Online voice lessons
28:48 – Creating resources and working with Voice Teachers
30:39 – The Vocal Instrument 101
40:55 – Finding independent studio teachers
45:27 – Important things a Voice Teacher should know
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/72
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How often do you start your day feeling tired, and you find that you’re stressed out, burnt out and maxed out even before your work day has commenced? We all want to feel more alive, full of joy and energized, but some of us don’t know how to make this happen. If you’re lacking the mental focus and the energy you need to deliver the best of yourself, you can begin by customising and carving out a morning routine that will help you set the tone for your whole day. In today’s show, I am going to share some ideas on how you can win back your life, upgrade your happiness, and be more present, more productive and have the energy you need, just by making some changes to your mornings. Don’t waste the opportunity to live your best life. It’s time now to realign with your passion and purpose. Make that choice, to create change and I promise you that by setting up a three step morning routine that works for you, it is possible to live the life you dare to dream of.
In this episode
01:10 – Making changes to your morning routine
03:57 – Align yourself with Purpose and Passion
05:22 – The 5AM Club
09:26 – Step 1: The First 20 Minutes is to exercise or just move
10:58 – Gentle reminder for singers
12:27 – Step 2: Meditation
14:53 – Mental Fatigue and Lack of Mental Focus
15:46 – Step 3: Journaling or Personal Development
17:30 – Find things that will bring you joy
18:32 – Personal Development
19:29 – Conclusion
20:57 – Learn the simple discipline of mourning routine
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/71
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This week’s guest is Serena Sterling.
When someone feels as though they are being silenced, this can have tremendous physical, and psychological consequences for that person as they feel ignored or not heard. This week’s guest is Serena Sterling, who is a certified Life Coach and author of the book ‘Pain: A Love Story'. In this episode, Serena shares her story regarding the chronic physical and emotional pain that she endured as a result of feeling ignored at various times in her life. Serena tells us that in her childhood, she began to complain about “imaginary” pain to gain attention from her family, and after months of pretence, this eventually manifested into Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, a condition she still has today. While working as an international journalist, Serena was based in New York's financial district during the September 11 attacks. As a result of the trauma she experienced during those attacks, she was later diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and was told by her doctor that there was no cure. Serena’s life began to spiral as she started snorting cocaine in her kitchen to help her cope and hold down her job. Not wanting to accept this as a lifetime fate, she discovered mind-body healing techniques that transformed her mental, emotional, and physical health. Witnessing what seemed like a miraculous transformation, Serena decided she needed to share this with the world. She later received a master’s and a doctorate in clinical psychology in order to bridge the gap between science and emotional health. Serena is committed to helping others with physical and emotional pain feel better fast with various modalities that have been proven to cure chronic pain. This is a candid interview with Serena as she not only shares some of the darkest moments in her life but also offers advice to those who feel as though they are being silenced as well as how we can all listen better.
In this episode
05:08 – Donna’s Childhood
07:56 – Seeking Attention from Parents
09:09 – Psychosomatic Disorder
10:03 – Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
15:20 – Coping with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
17:16 – Depression + PTSD
19:10 – Cocaine helping her Chronic Fatigue
23:20 – Victim Mentality
26:29 – Body Mind Healing Techniques
28:25 – Communicating with the body
32:40 – Diagnosing patients through Kinesiology
40:19 – Message behind the book “Pain, A Love Story”
46:18 – Advice to someone experiencing pain
50:37 – Best way to help someone in pain
51:36 – What's the greatest lesson you've learned about yourself?
https://www.drserenasterling.com/
Instagram: @drserenasterling
Book, Pain: A Love Story
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/70
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This week’s guest is Donna Cameron.
As a result of Covid 19, it’s undeniable that over the past couple of years, almost all of us have been impacted in some way by the pandemic and have experienced a form of grief or loss. This week, we welcome back to the show, Donna Cameron who is a qualified psychologist with over 20 years of experience in private practice and in this episode Donna discusses both these very topics. Donna shares with us how loss has been felt globally and some continue to grieve the loss of their jobs, their businesses or their incomes, while others, including children, have been affected by the loss of social connection with their friends, and family during those times of isolation. Sadly and so tragically many have experienced the loss of a loved one. Irrespective of the loss, everyone’s journey and experiences throughout this time have been different, and for many, they are unsure of how to overcome grief and adversity. Donna helps us understand what grief is, as well as how it impacts us physically and emotionally and she also breaks down the five stages of the grieving process. Donna offers advice on coping mechanisms that will allow us to process grief in a more positive manner and shares with us what to say to someone who is in the midst of the grief, without minimising their emotions. This is such an extremely timely episode as we return to day-to-day life in our new normal. There are there so many brilliant pieces of advice offered by Donna. So whether you or someone you know is grieving or dealing with loss, this is a not to be missed interview with Donna Cameron.
In this episode
05:42 – Loss and Grief experience
11:31 – Different types of Grief and Loss
14:35 – What is Grief?
16:25 – Physical and Emotional Symptoms of Grief
17:38 – Heartbreak
20:17 – Redirecting Anger to Something else
24:57 – Acceptance
28:10 – Grieving Death vs Grieving through breakup
30:57 – Best Way to Heal
36:16 – Routines and Patterns
40:33 – Right and Worst things to say to someone grieving
45:00 – Grieving: Men vs Women
50:44 – Explaining Loss and Death to children
56:27 – The best piece of advice for a person dealing with their own grief
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/69
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Do you have some kind of limiting behaviour or habit that is holding you back and it’s preventing you from moving forward in your life? There’s no denying that we all are, indeed, creatures of habit. Our minds and bodies are dependent on stimulants, actions and patterns that come to define who we are. Usually, these habits are sneaky behaviours that develop subconsciously and quietly creep up on us. So whether it’s trying to quit smoking, cutting out junk food, or having that glass of wine, habits can be hard to control, but even harder to break. Every action comes from an original thought pattern. Therefore, if you really want to break old habits, create new ones, and have a total lifestyle transformation, you will need to change more than just your habits. It will require a shift in mindset and in this episode, we’re going to share how you can work towards creating that shift in 66 days. It’s been scientifically proven that we need to make a commitment for 66 days toward habit installation and in today’s show, we discuss ways to remove that habit and create a new default behaviour. These ideas may seem very simple, but are truly very powerful, and can apply to most kinds of habits. As humans, we have the ability to adapt and take a habit out of our lives, and it’s time to learn how you can rewire your brain, install a new habit and it get into a CAN DO attitude in 66 days.
In this episode
01:10 – Do you have a limiting behaviour?
02:09 – Habit vs Routine
05:50 – What is a Habit?
06:18 – Routine Triggers
09:16 – Be Obnoxious (Days 1 – 22)
10:04 – Share with others
11:28 – Self-Analysis (Day 22 – 44)
13:15 – Become the person of your dreams
15:07 – Find the Light (Day 44 – 66)
16:04 – Shifting your mindset
17:50 – Own your experiences
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/68
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This week’s guest is Jeannette LoVetri.
In today’s episode, I am delighted to share part two of my conversation with our guest, Jeannette LoVetri who is one of the most recognized and highly acclaimed voice teachers from around the world. We learn more about Jeanie and the journey she embarked on as a voice teacher, the sacrifices she had to endure to create change and the reaction she received from the greater voice community when she coined the term Contemporary Commercial Music in 2000. Jeanie tells us that until that time, all music outside of classical music was deemed low art and she explains that she had to be intentional and very strategic to gain the respect of her classical colleagues.
During our chat, Jeanie further describes Somatic Voicework™, her trademarked method, which she developed to be applicable in a very practical way, and was the result of her 40 years of studying the voice as well as her own professional experiences. She tells is that it was her vision to create a training program that was inclusive and welcoming and where the learning was conducted in a kind and sharing environment.
Jeanie shares so many pearls of wisdom, such as, what qualities she believes are essential for a good singing teacher to possess, the influence of voice science in singing voice pedagogy, her personal self-care regime, her legacy and so much more. Jeanie was so generous with her time and you are going to love getting up close and personal with Jeannette LoVetri.
link to the summer Institute: https://bwcommunityarts.bw.edu/teacher-education/lovetri-institute/
Link to the free webinars: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rf-mqqT4rGtH5shlPPzKlFluKmcdfzATZ
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/66
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From the publisher's feed
A Voice and Beyond isn’t just a podcast—it’s a movement. It’s a celebration of every voice. It’s a space where authenticity thrives, personal transformation happens, and the beauty of individuality…
Each episode is a tribute to the challenges, and triumphs that make us who we are. Through heartfelt conversations and inspiring stories, we take you, our listener, on an incredible journey of connection, growth, and empowerment.
Whether you’re a performing artist, a creative, or someone who is simply searching for
a place where your voice is heard, we invite you to tune in and become part of our global family.
Let your journey of inspiration begin here and now!

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