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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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Gillyanne and Jeremy candidly share their philosophies on a “one size fits all” and a “one method” approach to teaching singers. They believe these approaches do not take into consideration the student as a human being who has a spirit, emotions and physicality, and is not just a larynx. They stress the importance of a multi-faceted approach when working with a unique creative vocal artist in the voice studio. Gillaynne and Jeremy believe that context is everything, and discuss how this can also be applied to voice science.
In celebration of World Voice Day, Gillyanne and Jeremy stress the need for teachers to understand the significance of self-care and to acknowledge their personal self-care needs in order to best serve their students. They deliver their inspirational message regarding the importance of fostering healthy mindful connections and collaboration within our teaching voice community. Be kind to yourselves and to others.
Bios:
Dr Gillyanne Kayes is a voice researcher, trainer and singing voice expert, internationally recognised for her insight into function of the singing voice. Her books include the groundbreaking Singing and the Actor, Successful Singing Auditions, the Singing Express series, and This is a Voice commissioned by the Wellcome Trust. She has presented on singing voice at numerous conferences around the world, including PEVOC, PAS, EuroVox, ANATS, NEWZATS, BVA and ATHE. In her doctoral research Gillyanne investigated acoustic, physiological and perceptual aspects of female voice use in different genres. Her current mission is to influence and inspire vocal trainers to collaborate and grow.
Jeremy Fisher is a national prizewinning collaborative pianist, CPD accredited vocal coach and multiple bestselling author (7 books) on vocal and performance techniques. He has performed in every venue imaginable, including a tank museum, a department store window, in front of the royal family at Madame Tussauds, and 150 feet underground in a pothole. Jeremy has created many voice training resources including books, CDs, DVDs, Webinars, presentations, online streaming courses and a #1 app on Google Play – his goal is to get clear, practical singing information out in whatever format works for the singer. He uses a combination of cutting-edge vocal physiology, high-level musicianship and performance intuition to help singers and singing teachers find their own unique voice and style.
Together they are Vocal Process. They’ve been co-teaching for 25 years, and married for 21.
Links
Learn more about Vocal Process at the following:
The new Vocal Process Learning Lounge – 15 years of resources in one place
Jeremy’s latest book and audiobook “Why Do I Need A Vocal Coach? Stories, tips and hacks from the studio of a voice expert”
Our latest collaboration with the SOVT Singing Straw creator Oren Boder – the SOVT Streaming Course
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/07
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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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