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Earlier this year, I was interviewed by Miriam Schulman, host of The Inspiration Place, a podcast where Miriam offers education and inspiration to others who are on their creative journeys.
Miriam believes that the creative journey is a thrilling adventure, and it's filled with ups and downs. It's about taking risks, stepping out of your comfort zone, and embracing your unique artistic voice, and this is a replay of my interview, where Miriam asks me to share my own creative career adventures. I also share my thoughts on perfectionism and how it can hold us back from pursuing our creative endeavors, the value of prioritizing self-care and the role it plays in our creativity, as well as self-belief as a crucial component of achieving our creative goals.
It was a blast hanging out with Miriam Schulman, and I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed spending time with Miriam on her podcast, The Inspiration Place.
In this Episode
2:30 - Introduction
10:33 - Marisa's journey
12:29 - Marisa: The OG Hannah Montana
15:31 - Dealing with Perfectionism
18:35 - Just Get Started!!
21:09 - Challenge: An Opportunity for Growth
22:09 - M.E.D.S. for Self-care
28:13 - Performance Mastery Coaching Program
Find Miriam Online:
For more, go to drmarisaleenaismith.com/145.
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If this episode doesn’t convince you to start taking a preventative approach to your health, I don’t know what will! According to our guest this week on A Voice and Beyond, Dr. Michael Young, our healthcare systems are being dictated and controlled by multi-national corporate structures, such as pharmaceutical companies and insurance firms, and as a result, we, the general public, are facing medical vulnerability. These corporate structures decide the cost as well as how, when, and where we access healthcare.
Dr. Young is a fourth-generation physician certified by the American Board of Urology. Upon completing his training, Dr. Young went into private practice; however, ten years ago, he became very frustrated and disappointed with the medical and healthcare delivery systems and wanted to become more involved with instigating change, inventions, and innovation. Dr. Young now holds three faculty positions at the University of Illinois and has authored a series of fictional books depicting the frightening reality of what is currently occurring in our healthcare systems. He explains that these books are the by-product of his frustrations and experiences as a practicing physician, and his mission through these books is to inspire dialogue between healthcare providers and patients.
To be honest, this was a jaw-dropping conversation with Dr. Young. It was shocking for me to hear that medical care and the cost of medicine are the leading causes of bankruptcy in the US. You would think that prevention would be at the top of the list for the healthcare industry; however, according to Dr. Young, in the medical industry, pharmaceutical companies are essentially drug dealers in suits. The healthcare industry is more interested in selling a disease than trying to sell prevention or a cure. Dr. Michael Young certainly blows the whistle on the healthcare system, and what you will learn may shock you. For the sake of your health, be sure to go and listen to this show.
In this Episode
6:36 - Meet Dr. Michael Young
12:39 - The Flaws in the System
16:57 - Who is 'The corporation?'
29:01 - The 3 Books: Fictionalized Reality
32:02 - The Healthcare in the United States
43:54 - "Has anyone tried to silence you?"
49:00 - Dr. Young's advice for our audience.
Find Dr. Michael Young Online:
Website: https://michaeljyoungmd.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.j.young.986
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelyoung9296/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaeljyoungmd
Books: https://michaeljyoungmd.com/books
For more, go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/144.
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!
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Find Marisa online:
Resources:
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps! ...
Have you ever wondered why some voices sound authoritative, nurturing, energized, or motivating? What are the various vocal qualities required for different situations? This week on A Voice and Beyond, we welcome back our special guest Dr. Belinda McMahon, a singing and spoken voice teacher and researcher in the field of vocal identity, for part two of her two-part interview.
Belinda operates a highly successful coaching business, VoicepPrint Professionals, where she works with entrepreneurs, executives, and other professionals. In today’s show, she shares some of her secrets on how we can elevate our communication skills for greater influence and impact using specific voice qualities, tones, volumes, pace, pitch, and energy. Belinda believes that through the correct training, we can all learn to use our voices in many different ways to ensure that how we sound is a true representation of who we are, especially if we feel a disconnect between the two. Other topics discussed in this episode include the importance of resonance for sustainability, particularly in those occupations where there is significant and intense voice use and how our voices are connected to our sense of identity.
Belinda describes my unique vocal qualities and what my voice says about me, and to learn more about what Belinda had to say, be sure to listen to this most fascinating interview with Dr. Belinda McMahon. Remember this is part 2 of a 2-part interview with Belinda, and part 1 was last week’s episode #142.
In this Episode
10:21-Speech and tone
20:55-Hearing our own recording
30:08-Identity, Accent, and Vocal Health
38:42-Disconnect between who you are and how they sound.
49:24-Voice qualities and their perception in different contexts.
55:32-Voice tone and its impact on credibility
59:54-Breaking down Tony Robbins' voice
Find Belinda Online:
Website: http://www.voiceprintprofessionals.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VoicePrintProfessionals/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voiceprintprofessionals/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belinda-mcmahon-43430455/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VoiceprintProfessionals
For more, go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/143.
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!
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Find Marisa online:
Resources:
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps! ...
Have you ever wondered what your voice says about you? Well, this week on A Voice and Beyond, we welcome as our special guest Dr. Belinda McMahon, a singing and spoken voice teacher who holds a PhD from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. This is part one of a two-part interview with Belinda as she discusses her fascinating research investigating vocal identity and how that work has led her to develop a much deeper passion for this field, inspiring her to create her own business, VoicePrint Professionals. In this program, Belinda works with entrepreneurs, executives, and other professionals to help them elevate their communication skills for greater influence and impact.
In today’s show, Belinda explains how the voice is the single most important aspect of communication, over and above facial expressions, body language, and the words we use. She shares with us the voice qualities that are required to enable a speaker to clearly communicate their intentions and ideas, how they can use their voice to increase authority, how we can build trust and rapport, and ensure people listen to you using specific voice qualities, tones, volumes, pace, and energy. Belinda also does a deep dive into topics around how vocal technique influences vocal identity, how her research has changed the way Belinda approaches teaching singers, and how we ensure, as voice teachers, that we don’t impose our biases around what a singer’s vocal identity should be.
This is a most fascinating interview that will certainly have you listening and to be honest, there was so much that was helpful for me in this interview. Whatever you do, be sure to listen to today’s show with Dr. Belinda McMahon, and remember this is part 1 of a 2-part interview with Belinda, and part 2 will follow next week.
In this Episode
7:41-Studying Vocal Identity
16:00 - Influences and influencers formed our vocal Identity
21:37 - Intentional and Unintentional Imitation
26:37 - How do voice teachers avoid imposing their biases on a voice?
39:05 - "My Job"
40:32 - VoicePrint Professionals: Speaking Voice Coaching
47:50 - The autonomic nervous system reacts to the sounds we're hearing
51:05 - Importance of Resonance, Tone, Speed, and Pitch as a speaker
Find Belinda Online:
Website: http://www.voiceprintprofessionals.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VoicePrintProfessionals/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voiceprintprofessionals/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belinda-mcmahon-43430455/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VoiceprintProfessionals
For more, go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/142.
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!
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Find Marisa online:
Resources:
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps! ...
Last month, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Rush Dorsett as part of a brilliant 14-day virtual summit. The Awaken Your Voice Summit is an annual event targeted at professional and emerging performing artists and voice users seeking alternative pathways to awaken the power of their voice to communicate (singing/speaking/writing) more clearly and effectively.
The Awaken Your Voice Summit is offering a holistic approach to voice training. This event included live vocal practices, demonstrations, training, and intimate conversations with Grammy award-winning performers, as well as Master teachers. It was an opportunity to create an inspiring and transformational experience for participants to explore their voices in a much deeper and more authentic way.
During my candid interview with Rush, I was asked to share my personal story, my professional journey, and my career experiences, which included the highlights and pitfalls I encountered as an award-winning singer. I was given the opportunity to offer some pearls of wisdom to the listeners about how they, too, can discover their own voices in the most authentic manner.
At the end of the interview, I gave away my free eBook which you also can access via a link in the show notes. I’d like to thank Rush Dorsett for allowing me to share this interview with you.
In this Episode
4:52 - Introduction
10:10 - Overcoming being silenced
16:00 - Identity, resilience, and healing from trauma
28:07 - Resilience, inner strength, and creating safe spaces for growth
46:30 - Daily Regime
48:59 - In Gratitude – My Daily Self Journal
1:03:31 - The eBook and Performance Mastery Coaching Program
Find Rush Online:
Website: https://rushdorsett.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/rushdorsett
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064364934765
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rushdorsett/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rush-dorsett-83441365/
And you could add this as a freebie to go with it: https://www.embodiedvoicecoaching.academy/vocal-quiz
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/141
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!
Follow me on Instagram
Check out my eBook here:
https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/
In Gratitude – My Daily Self Journal:
https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/journal
Find Marisa online:
Resources:
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps! ...
This week on A Voice and Beyond, we welcome Kassandra Reinhardt. Kassandra is a Yin & Vinyasa yoga Instructor, a YouTuber with over 2 million subscribers, a published author, and the face behind Yoga with Kassandra. In this episode, Kassandra begins by discussing her journey into yoga. She was an 18-year-old dancer who suffered from anxiety and body image issues and always felt that she was being highly scrutinized in the ballet world. Kassandra tells us that she fell in love with the practice of yoga because she was able to remove herself from a place of judgment, depletion, and burnout. Yoga has also helped Kassandra manage her stress and anxiety while increasing her flexibility and strength, among many other benefits.
In today’s show, Kassandra demystifies many of the myths, misconceptions, and spiritual philosophies around yoga, and most importantly, she shares with us its many benefits — such as how it can positively impact our mindset, improve our flexibility and mobility, and nourish all the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual parts of us. Kassandra also explains how we can develop mental health discernment by setting daily intentions, the benefits of scheduling time for self-care practices to ensure we are not depleting our energy supplies, and the importance of prioritizing ourselves while helping others.
Ultimately, Kassandra desires to help people feel good in their bodies and broaden their minds through simple yet effective practices and exercises.
Find Kassandra Online:
Website: https://www.yogawithkassandra.com/ — 30-DAY YOGA CHALLENGE
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yogawithkassandra/featured
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KRYoga
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoga_with_kassandra/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kassandra-reinhardt-8a6a4bb4/
Kassandra Has Released:
I Radiate Joy: Daily Affirmation Cards
My Yoga Journey: A Guided Journal
Her Books:
Year of Yoga: Rituals for Every Day and Every Season
Yin Yoga: Stretch the Mindful Way
Her App:
Yoga with Kassandra
For more, go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/140.
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!
Follow me on Instagram.
Find Marisa online:
Resources:
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps! ...
Find Marisa online:
Resources:
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps! ...
This week on A Voice and Beyond, we are very honored to have Lyndia Johnson as our special guest on the show. This is part one of a two-part interview with Lyndia, who is known in the Music Industry as “MzLyndia.” MzLyndia is not your average singing teacher and vocal coach. From touring with major artists to collaborating with music producers, she has spotlighted the need for vocal artist development in the music industry for over 25 years. Her celebrated abilities as a vocal coach and in artist development are highly respected. She has served on the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, as a vocal consultant and clinician for MusiCares, and was one of the original architects of the Grammy’s Vocal Camp. Her relationship with the Recording Academy has been a long-recognized and well-respected collaboration.
In this interview, we delve into Lyndia’s vocal journey as she shares with us that her career success as a well-established opera singer was based on a unique combination of years of operatic study and growing up being influenced by the voices of Aretha, Gladys, Etta James, and Mahalia Jackson. Lyndia later transitioned her career to become a highly sought-after vocal coach among Pop, R&B, Gospel, and Musical Theatre artists who desire to brand and transform their voices.
Lyndia also offers a service uniquely intended for Producers and Recording Artists. In the recording studio, Lyndia’s role as a vocal coach is not only to solve any vocal problems that occur in the recording session but to work alongside the record producer to help enhance the singer’s voice and to ensure the producer can capture the best tone/timbre and vocal delivery possible all while avoiding costly delays. According to Lyndia, this gives the producer the freedom to create a highly marketable and vocally attractive finished product that can then be sustainable for touring.
This is a most fascinating interview with Lyndia Johnson, one of the music industry’s most acclaimed vocal coaches. Remember this is part one of a two-part interview and part 2 will be released next week.
In this Episode
2:35 - Introduction
8:32 - MzLyndia's Journey
10:22 - Opera training and cultural identity
19:27 - MzLyndia reflects on losing her voice
23:06 - Learning Voice Science
28:49 - Music industry, voice coaching, and legacy
36:49 - Artist uniqueness in live performances vs. recordings
49:47 - Voice coaching and artist development
Find MzLyndia Online:
Website: https://www.sterlingvoicecoaching.com/about
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lyndia.johnson.94/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mzlyndia/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SterlingVoice
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lyndia-johnson-59504028
For more, go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/138.
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!
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Find Marisa online:
Resources:
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps! ...
In this week’s episode, we are discussing people pleasing, a problem that most of us struggle with. A "people pleaser" can best be defined as someone having a strong desire to please other people even if pleasing others comes at their own expense. What most people do not realize is that when they are saying yes to someone else, sadly, there is a good chance they are saying no to themselves.
In this episode, I offer some tools to help create the self-awareness required to catch yourself out in those moments when you feel that pressure to please other people. These tools are designed to help you overcome that terrible pressure that starts to override your ability to put yourself first. I share ideas that will help you set healthy boundaries and prevent common issues that can be the consequence of people-pleasing. Such as having low self-esteem, constantly needing approval from others, learned helplessness, or the fear of rejection or criticized by others.
I intend to help you understand that it is possible to set healthy boundaries in any form of relationship, personal or professional, without guilt. You can interrupt this default behavior of being a people pleaser and create a different pattern of behavior that allows you to put your goals and needs first. You can change and start making conscious decisions in your day-to-day life that truly empower you. It is time for you to step out of the wings and take center stage in your life.
In this Episode
2:30 – Introduction
4:16 - What is a people pleaser?
6:51 - Negative impacts of being a people pleaser.
9:41 - Healthy balance and setting healthy boundaries.
18:26 - Dealing with the pain of discomfort.
21:40 - The price of being a people pleaser.
23:54 - People around you are not living the same kind of life as you do.
27:01 - Find your people!
For more go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/137
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!
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Find Marisa online:
Resources:
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps! ...
This week on A Voice and Beyond, we have a most delightful conversation with our special guest — Link Forester. In this interview, Link shares his rare blend of humility, faith, and a good sense of humor, all of which have enabled him to grow and move through the trials of becoming a parent much earlier than planned, a risky career change, and the tragic death of his son. He is currently working in the financial services industry, leading a thriving financial planning and wealth management business.
During COVID, Link decided to write his autobiography called The Side Road, which takes readers on a journey of self-discovery and finding purpose amidst life's unexpected twists and turns. As a seasoned traveler and adventurer, he tells us that he draws from his own experiences navigating the ups and downs of life to offer practical insights and wisdom to his readers. Through personal anecdotes and reflections, Link inspires us to embrace the unexpected detours and challenges life presents to find joy and meaning in the journey. He encourages us to step off the beaten path, explore new avenues and possibilities, and trust our inner compass to guide us toward our true purpose.
Whether you're at a crossroads in your life or simply seeking inspiration and guidance, Link offers a fresh perspective on the transformative power of embracing all that life has to offer. This is a beautiful and candid discussion with Link Forester as he takes us on a journey with his many personal experiences, stories, and reflections.
In this Episode
2:35 - Introduction
14:03 - Qualities for success
18:12 - Life's Curveball & How Link dealt with it
26:23 - Importance of humility, faith, and a good sense of humor
33:07 - For those people who haven't found their purpose in life
35:04 - Importance of having a small group of friends
41:47 - Was there any regrets?
50:01 - Link's book: The Side Road
Find Link Online
Website: https://linkforesterauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/link.forester.1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesideroadbook/
His book: https://linkforesterauthor.com/the-book
For more, go to https://drmarisaleenaismith.com/136.
Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps!
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Find Marisa online:
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Like this episode? Please leave a review here - even one sentence helps! ...
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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