This week’s guest is Neil Cannon.

One area of self-care we can all do better at, whether we want to admit it or not, is nutrition. When it comes to nutrition, we're all too eager to ignore the evidence and yet nutrition is undeniably a major contributor to our quality of life, and longevity. If this is an area of your life you have been neglecting, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of A Voice and Beyond with special guest Neil Cannon. Neil is one of the most insightful and thought-provoking guests I have ever had on the podcast and if he doesn’t inspire you to take a good look at your own lifestyle habits, I don’t know who will.

Neil is a nutrition & health professional, speaker, coach, podcast host and bestselling author of The Vitality Secret. In this interview, he shares with us that as he was growing up, he suffered from chronic illnesses and his battle with these health conditions inspired him on a journey of discovering the relationship between many common chronic illnesses and poor nutrition. Neil reveals that inflammation is the root cause of some of the most common chronic health challenges that exist today, such as diabetes, eczema, psoriasis, many common digestive challenges, arthritis, obesity, low testosterone, low energy, brain fog, migraines and many more. He believes that anyone can improve their health by combating chronic inflammation and he gives us examples of how to reverse engineer some of these conditions using a number of different approaches, covering the physical, mental and emotional pillars of healing. Neil also discusses some of the greatest misconceptions about health and wellness, the main environmental toxins in the 21st century, the impact of chronic stress on our bodies, how medicine and the health industry has become a modern business and so much more. You don’t want to miss out on this episode, especially if you or someone you know is suffering from a chronic health issue.

In this Episode
1:15 - Introducing Neil Cannon
9:42 - Western Medicine
14:07 - What it means to be a health and vitality expert
18:39 - Diagnosing chronic illness and symptoms
36:56 - What is EMF and how does it affect you?
52:27 - Listening to your body
57:31 - What are toxins?

Find Niel Online

• Neil's Website
• Neil's Book
• Instagram
• YouTube

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/106

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This week’s guest is Jacob Starks.

What I love about the entertainment business is how everyone has a story to share and everyone’s journey is so unique. This week on A Voice and Beyond, we introduce you to Jacob Starks, who is a singer/ dancer currently performing in the cast of Aladdin on Broadway. I am so excited to introduce you to Jacob as I had the pleasure of meeting him for the time in 2018 on the cruise ship Celebrity Solstice, where he was performing as a production cast singer in his first contract for Celebrity. Last year, we caught up again in the Mediterranean on the ship Celebrity Beyond, where he told me that his dream was to go to New York and perform in a music theatre show on Broadway. Well, he has done it!!

Prior to working for Celebrity, Jacob was employed at Walt Disney World in The Festival of the Lion King, with FELD Entertainment; and Universal Studios Japan.

In this episode, Jacob shares his unique journey that has led him to landing his dream job. Despite not having had any formal voice training, dropping out of college and being fired by two different entertainment companies, he believes that these life events have led him to where he is now. Jacob also discusses the audition process that landed him his dream role, the busy rehearsal schedule, the expectations of production companies, his own experiences as someone belonging to a minority group and the general demands of being a performer on Broadway. Jacob Starks is one of my very favourite people and I am sure you are going to love him as well.

In this Episode
1:27 - Introducing Jacob Starks
7:14 - Jacob’s training and growing up in Louisiana
17:20 - Do you feel like not having formal training held you back?
26:42 - Auditioning for a role at Disney World
35:35 - Finishing up with Celebrity and auditioning for Broadway
40:53 - Do you have to be part of a union?
42:40 - Is it who you know?
1:04:49 - Is covid still impacting the shows on Broadway?
1:14:16 - What’s next for Jacob?

Find Jacob Online

• Jacob's Instagram
• Performance Reel on YouTube
• Jacob's Facebook

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/105

Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!

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Are you letting fear hold you back from the life you dream of or the person you dream of becoming? Life is so demanding of all of us, and there will be bad days and setbacks. It’s all about how we deal with it. One of the best ways to move through life is by letting go of fear. Don’t let your fear hold you back. This takes courage and once you embrace courage, it will lead you to believe in your abilities and allows you to see the world from a different perspective. Letting go of fear gives you the power to chase after things that are important to you. In this episode, we will help you change your perspective around fear from a negative perspective to a positive one.

It’s time to start celebrating the positives in your life and become your own cheerleader. Recognise the effort it took to overcome your fears and celebrate those wins you had to get to where you are at right now. As you begin to live more courageously in your life, know that your actions and outcomes will speak volumes. It’s time to keep pushing yourself to step outside of your comfort zone consistently. Don’t let fear hold you back. You only have one chance at this life. Without question, the life you want to live is worth the effort. You are worth it. Always have been and always will be.

In this Episode
1:10 - Introduction to today’s episode
6:22 - Start by acknowledging your fears
10:47 - Own your fear
15:57 - Ask more for what you want
20:24 - Don’t let your fear hold you back

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/104

Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!

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This week on A Voice and Beyond we continue delving into the world of Popular Music education in academia, as we release part two of our two-part interview with our guest, Caleb James who is a Senior Lecturer in the Bachelor of Music at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University and is the Course Convenor of the Popular Music Program.

In Part 1, Caleb shared his career pathway from a highly successful career in the music industry as an award-winning touring performer, international songwriter and music producer, working at a high level with Record Labels, and Distribution Labels, and how he transitioned into an academic career in a supervisory role. In this episode, Caleb discusses how he has developed and continues updating the course content for the popular music program, which is growing in demand every year.

Although QCGU has adopted such an innovative popular music program, Caleb understands that not all academic institutions are so receptive or progressive when it comes to change. Caleb describes some of the roadblocks that teachers, educators and the institutions themselves may encounter while trying to update and create new curricula. He tells us quite candidly that when developing new academic music programs, it requires a commitment to controlled chaos. He believes that students who do arts’ degrees don’t want to go down traditional learning pathways and it takes steady calculated risks to create an environment where students are excited to be there to learn.

Remember this is Part 2 of a two-part interview with Caleb James and Part 1 of this interview, is episode number 102. Once again, I am really thrilled to be sharing another episode with Caleb, my boss from QCGU.

In this episode
1:06 - Welcoming back Caleb James
4:24 - The origin of the popular music programme at QCGU
15:17 - The Popular Music Program today
23:20 - Writing 20 songs in 1 day
30:37 - What Caleb looks for during auditions
36:27 - Self Care
50:03 - Caleb’s one piece of advice

Find Caleb Online

• Caleb's Website & Music
• Caleb on Instagram
• Caleb's Griffith Profile
• Caleb on LinkedIn

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/103

Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!

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Over the past few weeks on A Voice and Beyond, we have been delving into the world of Popular Music education in academia and this week we will continue on with some of that discussion with our guest, Caleb James who is a Senior Lecturer in the Bachelor of Music Program at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University and Course Convenor of the Popular Music Program within that institution. For over 20 years, Caleb has facilitated hundreds of music projects nationally and internationally and has been involved at a high level with Record Labels, Distribution Labels, and Tours performing hundreds of shows in a range of successful bands all around Australia.

Caleb shares with us his career pathway from that highly successful career in the music industry as an award-winning international songwriter and music producer, and how he transitioned into an academic career in a supervisory role. Caleb is the course content creator in the Popular Music Program, and he has developed a program that is meeting the demands of today’s music students, current music markets and music consumers internationally. In this interview, you will be inspired by Caleb’s deep passion for songwriting, and his teaching philosophy which is to unlock that artistic passion within his students.

I might just add here that Caleb is my boss at QCGU and I am really thrilled to speak with him about our very exciting, unique, and innovative popular music program. One that we are all proud to be a part of. This is a not to be missed episode.

In this episode
3:02 - Introducing Caleb James
5:30 - Caleb’s introduction to the music industry
19:41 - Songwriting and Touring
34:59 - Transitioning into a teaching role
46:07 - Developing a Popular Music Program

Find Caleb Online

• Caleb's Website & Music
• Caleb on Instagram
• Caleb's Griffith Profile
• Caleb on LinkedIn

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/102

Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!

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This week on A Voice and Beyond, we continue with part two of our most informative interview with Matt Edwards and Jacqlyn Zito-Edwards. If you haven’t already listened to part 1, please go listen to episode #99 where we introduce our discussion into some of the important and crucial discoveries that Matt and Jacqulyn have made during their ongoing research into the roots of the academic bias against popular music education.

In today’s fascinating episode, Matt and Jacqlyn delve even further into the history of classism and racism that was evident in American society during the late 19th century and into most of the 20th century. Matt and Jacqlyn explain that the curricular recommendations of the National Association of Schools of Music are still built on those 19th and 20th-century beliefs, and these recommendations are now irrelevant and outdated. It is time to start thinking about the world we live in now, and the students we are serving now. They believe it is time to diversify and we, as teachers in the voice community, can make a difference and we can lead the charge toward initiating change, updating curricula and creating new pathways within academic systems. Matt and Jacqlyn affirm that we, the voice teaching community, are the ones who need to have open and welcoming conversations about the future of popular music education because academia is not set up to figure this out. There are many other great recommendations, important facts and brilliant pieces of advice shared within this episode around the teaching of popular music styles, or CCM as we know it. You do not want to miss it.

Please remember this is a two-part interview of our fascinating and most informative discussion with Matt Edwards and Jacqlyn Zito-Edwards and you can find part one in episode number 99.

In this Episode
1:15 - Welcoming back Matt and Jacqlyn
13:18 - Students being told “they’ll be able to sing anything”
24:01 - Student centred learning
34:20 - The forums on social media
37:38 - Higher Education
42:30 - Listening to your students
48:43 - Teaching students the music they want to learn

Find Matt & Jackie Online

• www.edwardsvoice.com
• Matt's Book
• www.ccminstitute.com

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/101

Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!

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This week, I am so proud and very excited to be launching our 100th episode of A Voice and Beyond.

Since releasing my first episode in March 2021, there have been a number of shifts in the show’s format, the show’s target audience, and the show’s content, but most importantly, the podcast has made a difference to many of the listeners who engage with the show every week. It has shifted lives from chaos to calm, from anxiety to peaceful bliss and from a negative mindset to a positive one.

The biggest shift that has happened to me personally, is that I have stepped into my own sense of “self.” It has truly been a reflective and empowering journey of self-discovery as host of this show. I have learned that I am enough and the greatest lesson I would like to share with you in our 100th episode is that you are enough, and the work we must do to empower ourselves in our lives starts with “self”.

In this week’s 100th episode, I would like to share my four greatest “self” lessons that I have learnt over the time producing A Voice and Beyond that have helped me step into my greatest self.

In this Episode
1:10 - Introducing Episode 100
6:43 - #1 Self Love
13:24 - #2 Self Care
18:09 - #3 Self Reflection
22:50 - #4 Self Worth
27:03 - Conclusion

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/100

Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!

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This week on A Voice and Beyond, we have a very special episode lined up for you. This is part one of a two-part interview in which we welcome Matt Edwards and Jacqlyn Zito-Edwards, who have been working together and conducting ongoing research into the roots of academic bias against popular music.

Jacqlyn is an adjunct assistant professor of voice for the musical theatre program at Shenandoah Conservatory and serves on the faculty at the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute. Matt has been working at Shenandoah University since 2010 as an Associate Professor, within the Voice and Musical Theatre departments. He is also the Coordinator of Musical Theatre Voice and Artistic Director of CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute.

In this fascinating episode, Matt and Jacqlyn delve into the history of the classism and racism that was evident in American society during the late 19th century and into most of the 20th century. Matt and Jacqlyn explain that it is important to understand the history in order to unravel why the bias against popular music styles continues to perpetuate in higher education. Matt and Jacqlyn share with us that these biases have been handed down generationally, and contribute to the continued delay in expanding popular music education in higher education.

Matt and Jacqlyn are advocating for change in the status quo of music education programs and believe that as a voice community, it is time to create change in the cultural hierarchy in voice education. As they explain, it’s not a battlefield of pedagogical approaches, but of trying to gain a better understanding of the world we all work in now. This is a not to be missed interview with Matt and Jacqlyn.

Please remember this is part one of a two-part interview with Matt Edwards and Jacqlyn Zito-Edwards. Next week, we will be proudly celebrating our 100th episode release and part two of this interview will go live the week following our special 100th episode.

In this Episode
1:16 - Introducing Matt and Jacqlyn
11:27 - Transitioning from classical to teaching CCM
26:34 - Bias in Popular music in High Education
29:00 - The inspiration behind their research
40:13 - Theodore Presser’s impact on music publishing
51:42 - Music enrolment is falling

Find Matt & Jackie Online

• www.edwardsvoice.com
• Matt's Book
• www.ccminstitute.com

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/99

Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!

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This week on A Voice and Beyond, we are so honoured to have Tyran Parke as our special guest. Tyran is an award-winning singer, actor, director and recording artist. Since graduating from WAAPA in 1999, Tyran has played some of the truly great roles written for music theatre, all of which have received stellar reviews. He is currently the Head of Music Theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), the Executive Producer of the Australian Musical Theatre Festival and the Artistic Director of Clovelly Fox Theatre Company.

In today’s episode, Tyran talks frankly about the Music Theatre industry from his own personal and professional perspective as someone who has performed, written, workshopped, directed, taught in the theatre industry and has creatively consulted all over Australia and in NZ for many years. It is a not to be missed episode, especially for anyone who is currently involved in the performing arts in a creative role, or is a student, an emerging performer, teacher, or who simply loves theatre. 

Tyran Parke shares so many pearls of wisdom for all to learn from. So without further ado, let’s go to today’s episode.

In this Episode
0:00 - Introducing Tyran Parke
15:18 - Finding the best idea in the room
21:23 - The greatest piece of advice he has ever been given
31:26 - Checking in with yourself and your biases
44:02 - What is the number one mistake people make in auditions?
50:13 - How the mega-musical has changed the sound of musical theatre.
1:02:30 - Why do we have sensitivity readers for productions?
1:12:23 - Advice for those who want to get into the performing arts industry.

Find Tyran online

• www.tyranparke.com
• Australian Musical Theatre Festival

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/98

Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!

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Are you living the best of who you think you are right now? Are you living your life to your full potential? In life, we won’t feel joy by accident, we won’t achieve successful outcomes by accident, and we won’t show up at our best by accident. We all need to set intentions for our lives. 

In this episode, we discuss how we can cultivate a healthy and joyful mindset irrespective of what is happening around us by setting intentions for the life we want to live, and the person we want to become in the here and the now. An intention isn’t necessarily a goal or something that we measure, it’s simply a commitment to ourselves. It’s a promise we make to ourselves that aligns with our values. We encourage you to stop relying on the randomness of the world and the randomness of life to bring you what you so desire. 

Now is the time to become very deliberate in your words and in your actions and begin setting daily intentions in order to cultivate the future of your dreams. Listen and connect to your internal guide. I promise you, you will begin to create more powerful moments, in more moments of your day.

For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/97

Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!

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