Cathy Merkle Roddy returns for our second conversation about Spasmodic Dysphonia, voice disorders, nervous-system regulation, trauma, stress, self-editing, confidence, and the emotional weight that comes with losing trust in your own voice.

One line from Cathy really stuck with me:

“Having your voice back is freedom.”

We also get into people pleasing, perfectionism, skepticism around alternative approaches, why lived experience matters, and the importance of not letting a diagnosis become a permanent identity.

Cathy also shares details about her upcoming Overcoming Voice Disorders challenge.

Find Cathy here:

Facebook Group: Healing Voice Disorders Naturally Facebook: Cathy Merkle Roddy YouTube: Healing Voice Disorders Naturally TikTok: Healing Voice Disorders Naturally Instagram: @revealingthehealing

Overcoming Spasmodic Dysphonia Masterclass / 5-Day Challenge: https://www.revealingthehealing.net/overcoming-spasmodic-dysphonia-masterclass-5-day-challenge-144de4ac-a7989c55

Watch the full video interview: https://youtu.be/R2NEiYywBNU

This conversation reflects personal experiences and opinions and is not intended as medical advice.

I had a whole old-school Friday video recorded,

and then the recording stopped one minute in.

So this episode pivots into the archive.

This is a never-before-seen voice lesson

with instructor Jeff focused on cord closure,

also called adduction.

The lesson works through short vowel syllables,

airflow coordination, vocal fold closure,

and simple exercises using “we,” “he,” and “you.”

As always, use your own discretion.

I’m not a professional voice coach.

I’m someone with spasmodic dysphonia sharing exercises,

lessons, and tools that have helped me.

Watch the video version here:

https://youtu.be/xO0RQY4yGRY

This is the beginning of the beginner.

In this episode, Drew slows everything down for an extreme beginner spasmodic dysphonia exercise session focused on breath, mask placement, repetition, the simple V sound, and resetting the voice without pushing.

This is for anyone who feels intimidated by bigger voice exercises like Attack, straw work, middle voice, or head voice.

Drew is not a professional voice coach. He is someone living with spasmodic dysphonia, sharing exercises and tools that have helped him.

Watch the video version on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/Pv5QkCv3sQw

Or listen wherever you get audio podcasts.

Spasmodic Dysphonia Exercises are back after a few months away.

In this session, Drew works through lip rolls, modified lip rolls, middle voice focus, tongue tension release, the Attack exercise, “wee” placement, and a tongue-out lip roll variation.

These exercises are shared from Drew’s personal experience with spasmodic dysphonia and from work he has done with professional voice coaches. He is not a professional voice coach — just someone doing the exercises alongside you.

Watch the video version on YouTube, or listen wherever you get audio podcasts.

Today we are tackling one of the biggest tests for Spasmodic Dysphonia:

Vowels.

Even saying the word “vowels” can be a problem, so this session jumps right into the challenge.

We start with “me me” and “nim nim” warmups, then move into counting drills, head voice, mask placement, Forebrain buzz awareness, and vowel work with A, E, I, O, and U.

The focus is breath support, diaphragm power, holding the vowel as long as the breath allows, and trying to keep the voice from getting hijacked by Spasmodic Dysphonia.

Also included: pepperoni, cold pool water, ASMR coffee, and Y being off drinking again.

Reminder: I am not a doctor, speech therapist, or professional voice coach. I’m just a guy with Spasmodic Dysphonia sharing the exercises and techniques that have helped me.

Everything has a quick fix.

And for a lot of people with Spasmodic Dysphonia, one of the strangest “quick fixes” is alcohol.

This is not medical advice. This is a lifestyle conversation about something many people with Spasmodic Dysphonia have noticed, wondered about, joked about, or secretly tested.

For some people, alcohol can temporarily make the voice feel smoother. It may reduce tension, calm the nervous system, lower anxiety, or simply make you less hyper-aware of every voice break.

But the tradeoff is real.

The next day can bring dehydration, thick mucus, throat clearing, reflux, poor sleep, anxiety, worse spasms, and a voice that feels like it is running on sandpaper and bad decisions.

In this episode, I talk about the pros, the cons, the trap of using alcohol as a voice tool, the social situations where it becomes tempting, and why “it helps my voice” can become dangerous logic when a craving is looking for a lawyer.

This is not about shame.

It is about honesty.

Tension is not our friend with Spasmodic Dysphonia.

This is a focused Attack Drill built around loosening tension, finding head voice, getting into the mask, and moving the voice without forcing it.

We work through warmup counts, tongue-out variations, “goo goo” drills, tongue-curled-back “oh” drills, tongue tension release, “we we we” resonance drills, Forebrain buzz awareness, and quick reset work for Spasmodic Dysphonia.

And yes, I almost knocked over my coffee.

Reminder: I am not a doctor, speech therapist, or professional voice coach. I’m your friend with Spasmodic Dysphonia doing exercises with you.

Nobody sue me. Unless you want a couple baseball cards.

No exercises today — this is a lifestyle episode.

And today’s topic is one of the biggest enemies of Spasmodic Dysphonia:

The phone.

If you have a voice disorder, the phrase “give me a call” can feel like a threat.

In this episode, I tell a real-life story about dealing with eBay customer service, a missing Bar Bingo championship belt case, a mystery shipping company, forced callbacks, spam-call settings, and the kind of stressful phone conversation that can make a Spasmodic Dysphonia voice go completely sideways.

The bigger point is how phone calls affect people with Spasmodic Dysphonia, dysphonia, speech issues, or voice disorders — especially when we are already frustrated, emotional, misunderstood, or forced into a situation where texting or email would have worked better.

Sometimes the best sentence is:

“I have a speech impediment and a hearing impediment, so phone calls do not work well for me. Can we please handle this by text or email?”

This is part of the lifestyle side of Spasmodic Dysphonia.

Because honestly?

This could have been a text.

I had a realization lately.

I looked in the mirror and realized I am getting old.

So today we are going old school.

This is a longer marathon-style Spasmodic Dysphonia voice exercise session based on the original full routine I started doing back in 2023. Instead of a quick attack drill, this one goes deeper into the fundamentals: warmups, repetition, mask placement, diaphragm breathing, vocal power, placement, quality, and feeling the buzz of the voice in the right place.

We work through Nim / Me drills, counting exercises, “Right Ready Really Beautiful No Go Do,” performer voice fundamentals, Forebrain discussion, and the old school voice routine structure.

And yes, I apparently woke up goofy for this one.

I’m not a doctor, speech therapist, or vocal coach. I’m your friend with Spasmodic Dysphonia doing the exercises with you.

Power. Placement. Quality. Old school.

It’s Monday. It’s a brand new month.

That makes it a pretty good time to stop saying “I should start doing voice exercises” and actually start.

This is a beginner-friendly Spasmodic Dysphonia exercise session built around the basics: posture, breathing, smooth airflow, humming, mask placement, straw-in-water glides, mini sirens, and descending hums.

We work through light and easy exercises designed to help find a smoother way into the voice without forcing it.

In this episode:

• posture reset
• breathing from the lower region
• smooth connected airflow
• finding optimal pitch through humming
• mask placement and forward focus
• straw-in-water voice glides
• low-to-high “who” glides
• high-to-low “who” glides
• mini sirens
• descending hums
• getting back up when the voice slips

I also talk about the Fort Brain device, resonance, and why the buzz comes from your own voice when you’re placing it correctly.

I’m not a doctor, speech therapist, or vocal coach. I’m your friend with Spasmodic Dysphonia doing the exercises with you.

Light and easy. Don’t force it. Find the mask. Start here.