Today’s guest is Dr. Wendy LeBorgne.

Wendy is a highly sought-after voice pathologist, speaker, author, and vocal-athlete coach who works with a diversity of elite professional performers from Grammy award winning singers embarking on national tours, to those on the bright lights of Broadway.

This is part 1 of a two-part interview with Dr Wendy LeBorgne and in this episode, Wendy shares her approaches and philosophies to training singers and how she cares for vocal injuries. She believes that singers are vocal athletes, who not only embody the voice, but also the body, mind and spirit.

Wendy speaks candidly about some of the causes of vocal pathologies across all genres and how she prepares an elite vocal athlete for durability, strength and survival. Wendy also talks about what self-care means to her and how her personal regime of self-care has helped her survive the effects of the pandemic.

www.drwendyvoice.com

In This Episode:
1:09 - Introduction

4:56 - Dr Wendy LeBorgne early career

10:56 - Most common issues found in singers

17:53 - Are there different pathologies for different genres?

23:22 - The birth of the vocal athlete idea

26:12 - Tips for optimal performance

38:54 - Juggling mother, wife & work demands

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/17

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Do you go through each day constantly feeling overwhelmed and you don’t know why?

Overwhelm in your life can be caused by external factors, such as traumatic life experiences that you cannot predict or prevent. However, your overwhelm may be coming from behaviours that are absolutely within your control and by making some simple changes, you have the power to eliminate overwhelm from your life. In this episode, we will break down the five bad habits, that you may be guilty of, that are leaving you in a chronic state of self-inflicted overwhelm and ultimately impact your ability to think and act rationally.

In this Episode
00:58 - Introduction

02:37 - Overwhelm: Identifying the bad habits 

04:24 - One: Stop being a YES person

12:33 - Two: Stop living in chaos

16:35 - Three: Don’t believe everything you tell yourself

23:18 - Four: Holding onto the past

27:52 - Five: Stressing about the future

30:27 - Conclusion

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/16

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Today's guest is Chris Johnson.

Chris shares his journey as he transitioned from a successful performance career to becoming a leading vocal coach working with numerous major recording artists as well as leading Westend performers. As a singer who experienced vocal issues himself, Chris has a solid understanding of today’s industry demands. He discusses the strategies he employs for assisting others to overcome vocal pathologies and how it is possible for a vocalist to have a sustainable career while maintaining their unique signature sound. Chris proudly describes his new assessment training program, which is one of the numerous programs he has launched to assist our singing teaching community improve learning outcomes with students. There is so much more in this episode, including the impact of COVID 19 on Chris’s self-care regime you will not want to miss out on.

In this episode
01:09 - Introducing Chris Johnson

16:44 - Experiences put into practice

27:36 - Dealing with managers and sustainability 

29:37 - Commonalities with voice problems

46:37 - Chris’s new assessment program

56:18 - Chris’s new business teachvoice.com

1:00:00 - The Naked Vocalist Podcast

1:04:22 - Chris’s self-care routine

1:10:30 - Advice for new teachers

Links
https://www.chrisjohnsonvocalcoach.com

https://www.teachvoice.com 

https://www.thenakedvocalist.com

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/15

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Motion is lotion and the message in this episode is that overall health, fitness, strength and posture are important to longevity and quality of life. Functional limitations will occur when you are not at optimal fitness and health, and your vocal health will flow on from that. In order to achieve long term success, happiness, good health and well-being you must participate in some form of physical activity every day. There are so many other positive benefits to being active which include an increase in brain function, concentration, productivity, and self-confidence. Everyone is unique and physical activity must be introduced gently and be tailored to suit your body, your genetics, age, fitness level, environment and how your physical health is affecting you. Now is the time to start moving your body to reap the benefits of physical activity. It is never too late to start!

In this episode

1:12 - Taking care of your instrument

5:10 - Three ways to take better care

9:14 - Function at your best

13:24 - Lack of exercise V’s Cigarettes 

15:38 - Where to start?

18:56 - Secret to longevity with exercise

22:07 - The best workout for singers

26:18 - The downside of sitting all-day

32:18 - Make a plan and stick to it

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/14

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Today's guest is Dr Elizabeth Benson.

Elizabeth offers us a rare insight into her professional career highlights as a singer who performed across multi genres from classical art song to musical theatre and pop/rock. She describes the training regime that helped her manage the vocal demands of each style, how she built vocal stamina and created the requisite style elements across the spectrum of sounds. Elizabeth discusses the training program at Auburn University and how this boutique program is designed to ensure that students are offered every opportunity for success by not only learning the practical skills required to be a triple threat in the industry, but also how they can build other necessary skills such as resilience. Elizabeth shares her core values, inspiration for her book, and her personal mission now is for social justice and reform in the voice community in areas such as gender equality, equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. There is so much more in this episode and I am sure you are going to love it!

Contact Dr Elizabeth Benson

Purchase Dr Elizabth Benson's Book

In this episode:

01:08 - Introducing Dr Elizabeth Benson

04:47 - Dealing with the pandemic

09:04 - Elizabeth’s early singing days

12:42 - Performing at Carnegie Hall

15:54 - Writing a cabaret 

20:32 - Transitioning to voice teaching

25:25 - Auburn University programs

32:54 - Covid’s impact on current students

37:33 - Dr Elizabeths new book

45:00 - The belting chapter

48:42 - Resources within the book

49:39 - What’s next for Dr Elizabeth

55:46 - Equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/13

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The use of the word alignment is subjective and can mean different things to different people. As voice teachers, we usually refer to alignment in the context of postural alignment. We understand that alignment is a necessary component for promoting healthy and efficient singing. However, to be in true alignment with authentic self means that we are balanced from a physiological, psychological, social and environmental perspective. From time to time, we can feel disconnected in our relationships with others, we may find ourselves in a job where we have lost our passion or we may feel physically disconnected in space and time. If you relate to any of these scenarios, you may well be in misalignment and this can impact all areas of your health, including vocal health. In this episode, I discuss alignment in all these four key areas and I share strategies that will help you realign to your authentic self. 

In this episode

00:58 - What is alignment?

03:35 - My experience with a misaligned student

11.59 - Alignment with self

15:35 - Does this sound like you?

18:09 - Alignment with the environment

19:55 - Measures for checking in on your alignment

21:17 - My story of misalignment 

28:15 - Physical Alignment  

29:30 - Identifying physical habits

32:08 - Postural Alignment 

35:34 - Affects on the voice

37:06 - Conclusion

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/12

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Today’s guest is Lisa Popeil.

Lisa is a prominent voice teacher, voice researcher, musician, author and workshop presenter. Lisa shares her music industry experiences as a female recording artist who emerged in the 1980’s and how she has managed to sustain an enduring career in the industry by understanding the significance of resilience, tenacity and reinvention as a performing artist. Lisa describes how she has successfully transitioned across a variety of roles within the industry fuelled by her keen enthusiasm to learn, her natural curiosity and her love for music and the singing voice. This is a rare insight into Lisa’s personal and professional journey touring and performing with artists such as Frank Zappa and “Weird Al” Yankovic. In this episode, Lisa offers her pearls of wisdom based on her professional career that has spanned for over 50 years for the singing voice community to enjoy.

https://www.popeil.com/

In this episode
01:08 - Introducing Lisa Popeil

09:01 - Lisa’s childhood

19.20 - Lisa’s early vocal training

22:57 - Deciding on a music school

24:03 - Lisa’s first job

28:35 - Writing music in the 80’s

33:55 - Where is the industry heading?

44:33 - Touring with Weird Al Yankovic

48:54 - Resolving problems on tour

52:19 - Managing sleep and self-care

1:02:09 - Staying resilient and humble

1:04:41 - The impact of performance experience

1:14:15 - Lisa’s current plans & projects

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/11

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Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life, health and longevity and yet it’s becoming more and more neglected in our society. And this neglect comes with devastating consequences.  As members of the singing voice community, our lack of sleep can compromise our immune system, energy levels, performance outcomes, stifle creativity and build tension in our working relationships. In this episode, we delve into the science of sleep, the need for a sleep revolution, address why you may have trouble sleeping, offer tips for improving sleeping habits and explain how consistent restful sleep can positively impact every area of your life. So if you or someone you know is a restless sleeper, this episode is not to be missed!


In this episode:

00.56 - The importance of Sleep

02.23 - Do you get enough sleep?

03.24 - Benefits of a good nights sleep

07:32 - How much sleep is recommended

08:17 - Problems associated with sleep

12:57 - Sleeps effect on Relationships

14:52 - Stress & anxiety from lack of sleep

19:32 - Solutions to help you sleep better

21:18 - Tip #1 Don’t eat too late

21:47 - Tip #2 Power down before bed

22:37 - Tip #3 All screens off

25:35 - Other useful tips for a better sleep

29:11 - In conclusion

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/10

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Today's guest is Ashlie Amber.

Ashlie Amber is a singer, actress and entertainer who is in the midst of an incredible music career as a black recording artist in Nashville, a music culture that historically has not embraced gender equality or diversity. As a child, she discovered the power of music and developed a deep connection to country music. However, as she began to pursue her professional career, she was stereotyped as an artist and was encouraged to sing music styles exclusively associated with black culture. In this episode, Ashlie Amber speaks candidly about her journey in the pursuit of her dream to become the “Beyonce” of country music. She shares with us that success has little to do with vocal ability and that social media, branding, a solid business and marketing plan, and the ability to negotiate contracts are vital for a career in the music industry.

Listen to Ashlie Amber's Music or Visit Ashlie Amber's website

In this episode
01.07 - About Ashlie Amber

04:41 - Realising her love for singing

13:52 - Previous voice training

21:06 - Working onboard a cruise ship

29:46 - Singing Whitney & self-care

33:04 - Meeting Don Ellis Gatlin after a performance

36:06 - Signing Don Ellis Gatlin as her manager

38:30 - Women in country music statistics

43.39 - The music Ashlie Amber has released so far

46.20 - The importance of a good team

49.29 - Dealing with discrimination

55:01 - Make it happen mentality 

1:00:10 - Covid’s effect on the voice

1:02:29 - Advice for up and coming artists

1:06:15 - Finding Ashlie Amber online

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/09

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Nothing in life is easy, or so we believe! Often we set goals and we fail, not because our goals are unrealistic, but we don’t have a plan for how we are going to achieve them. Whether you’re quitting a bad habit or picking up a healthier one, wanting to find a pathway to a better version of you, it is important that as you set about chasing those goals, you have a strategy. In this episode, we are going to get to the core of why you’re having trouble implementing your goals and we share the five key steps that will help you achieve anything you desire by understanding the process of goal setting.

In this episode

01:42 - Setting Goals on January 1st

03:26 - How I set my goals

05:40 - Achieving your goals

06:38 - The facts about goal setting

07:58 - Traps to avoid

09:23 - Start now (step one)

14:18 - Focus (step two)

19:16 - Competency (step three)

23:25 - Working in steps (step four)

29:27 - Check in regularly (step five)

31:26 - Overall conclusion

32:34 - Glo Atanmo’s Story

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/08

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