Glory
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I set the intention Dec 31st to enter meditative Divine dialogue with eagerness for receiving my word for 2023. I offered gratitude for three to four aspects in my life currently. I connected to my breath, all the way to the root and through the ground, feeling the support, softening, pleasure and wisdom in my body. The word dripped in and I felt a smile form at my lips and a giddiness, lightness, deeper holiness, and satisfaction throughout my being.

The synonyms for this word felt satisfying, and in all its glory, the beauty of these words and excitement they invoke is meant to be shared.

I am eager to experience all the ways Glory shows up for me this year, the facets to be uncovered, and the praise I can amplify within myself and for Divine God.

Glory Be

Be Glory

Since the revealing of my word, so many moments have occurred.
Glorious sun rises. Glorious swift healing. Witnessing with admiration the glorious wins of others.  Feeling the glorious blossoming bouquet that is my heart.   Reveling in the opportunities that Divine has shown me, and exclaiming what I desire from my glorious intuition, some of which include: 
*my mission heard and received 
*health and vibrancy, strength and ease in my body
*calling in my conscious partner 
*growth in sustainable and generous businesses
*speaking out as uniquely me. No shrinking. 
*Health, self-love, and prosperity for my daughter  
*A new spacious home, simple elegance, lake-life and lots more laughter

Thank you glorious God for this journey and the new evolution of my path. 
May all reading this feel their expansive potential, glow within the love of their hearts, and honor all their gifts by sharing them with others.  

You and your voice are worthy

Over the last couple of years, there’s been a lot of talk about inner monologues.

Apparently, some people hear that running voice in their heads . . . and some don’t.
 
And no matter whether a person has a monologue or doesn’t, they’re usually surprised to learn that the other kind of person exists!  I am one for whom the constant running mind-chatter was incessant, and for the first 32 years or so of my life, it was largely self-critical and judgmental.  Yet, all that changed when I became reacquainted with my self-worth and my wisdom within.  
 
While we may not all have a loud inner (critical or not) monologue, we do all have an inner voice.
 
Our inner voice is our intuition: that soul-led, Divinely sourced guide that is our truest self, a gentle whisper within, or a deeper ‘knowing’.  This inner voice expresses our truths, our desires, our being-ness. 
 
It might speak to us in words, phrases, images or symbols, but it does speak to us.
 
When we are most aligned, when we are honoring ourselves and tuning in daily to listen, that Divine inner voice can emerge powerfully, and be spoken out loud with our physical voice.
 
So many experts have a transformative message within them, but when they try share it, they struggle with:
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• Mumbling, fumbling the words
• Filler words and interjections that disrupt the flow
• Nervousness & stress that shortens the breath and speeds up the rate of speech
• Feeling monotone, flat, or using a speaking pitch that is too high or too low 

 
And that’s part of my gift of guidance: elevating the voices of vocal athletes (speakers, teachers, coaches, executives) to use their physical voice to more vibrantly share their inner voice—and change the world with their message.

I’ve been intentionally putting my focus where my intuition is sending me, and it’s leading me to beautiful places.
 
One thing I’ve been focusing on and continue to get an intuitive "yes!" to is a workshop with my friend Cathlyn Melvin, who is a TEDx Coach and messaging expert.
 
Together, we created a hands-on experience for experts who want to share their message on the TEDx stage, using their voices in a powerful way.
 
And as I follow my own heart, letting the intuition lead and the mind-chatter to lessen, and show up in ways that create magic for the people I work with . . . I feel like this workshop is a beautifully aligned way to do that.
 
I hope you’re feeling that beauty in the things you’re pursuing, too.
 
Because you are worthy. Your voice is worthy.
 
And I’m grateful to share mine with you.
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P.S. I’m one of those people who has an inner monologue!  Do you? Comment below and let me know!
 
P.P.S. On November 9th, I’ll be co-teaching Press Play On TedX: Giving Voice to Your Idea Worth Spreading, an intimate 3 hour workshop with TEDx Coach Cathlyn Melvin.  From hot seats to interactive, it is implementation-driven!  We’ll help you get clear on the message you want to share and how to use your voice to share that message with the greatest impact. Registration is open, secure your seat here. 
​*if it's past the date listed, please comment below or email directly brienne@yourvocalvitality.com to jump on the waitlist!  

“I wasn’t being truthful about my marriage” 
“I fumble over my words and get in my head about what to respond with” 
“I didn’t feel that they heard me even though I knew what I was talking about” 
“I felt dismissed at the dinner table with my family” 
​“I was told to be quiet and not speak unless i had something good to say all the time as a child” 
“I wanted to speak up but others jumped in” 
“I was made fun of for my speaking/singing voice” 
“I feel fearful when sharing my thoughts to a group” 

These are just a sampling of statements women (and some men) have made to me over the years when we are assessing what has changed about their voice that is hindering them and their communication.  I often say “For some people, when under prolonged stress, conscious or unconscious, the result is a stomach ulcer, for others, it’s a voice change” 

There are differences in the voice and laryngeal function when the Vagus is hopped up in Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) overdrive vs. when in Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) mode!

The key trigger: Stress

Stress (physiological, emotional, inter-personal etc) can trigger a voice change. Often it is from muscular tension, decreased breath support (more holding/shallow breathing when in fight-flight-fear-fawn-faint mode) or psychological factors that can make voicing and speaking more effortful, strained and fatigued.

It is difficult to predict who will experience stress-related changes to their voice.  Thus awareness, vocal play, and proactive wellness is key! 

"Why do only certain persons react to environmental stress and inter-personal conflict by developing an abnormal voice? Why is it that others who have emotional reactions to stress and conflict never have voice problems? Why is it that still others express their personal problems through some other organ systems other than the larynx?"
--Arnold Aronson, PhD, Speech Pathologist, Preeminent Speech and Voice Researcher, 1990

Stress is a chronic pervasive problem in the world, and is the underlying cause of many conditions.   The voice is also susceptible to stress.  
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Feeling choked up when speaking to a crowd? 
Tightness in your throat when nervous? 
Sound stopping or crackling when you’re trying to have a hard conversation? 
Shortness of breath when speaking on stage? 

Stress and emotional dysregulation or repression that impacts the voice is one of the reasons I have approached my work holistically for so many years and continue to advocate that anyone desiring to enhance their voice first vett the folks you are considering hiring, as there is still a lot of misinformation, judgment, and harmful practices in the voice/speaking coaching world.  Early on in my clinical career, I didn’t really recognize the specifics yet of what I was doing when crafting a session with someone, it just made sense to me to incorporate emotional awareness into the person’s care, when applicable.  

In the voice science literature, the current term used to characterize voice changes that show no physical abnormalities (i.e. when assessed with a scope to ensure the structures of the larynx and vocal folds are intact; in this post, https://www.yourvocalvitality.com/blog  I spoke about the physical toll a voice requires of Vocal Athletes), yet there is an obvious mechanical and function interruption is known as “laryngo-responder”:  A person who is pre-disposed, either by physical make up or
personality to express emotional distress through either function or sensation of the larynx or voice (Aronson & Bless,2009).

For laryngoresponders: Muscle activation in the larynx and areas surrounding the larynx demonstrate much higher activation when exposed to stress as compared to non-
Laryngosponders.
In other words: The muscles within and around your larynx and neck tighten & hold tension. 

Areas of "least stability” in the body can be weakened and then
discomfort arises when stress becomes unbearable that the expression of that stress occurs in the vulnerable area. 
In other words, in the voice, if there are changes that occur, without any structural abnormality or issue, it is often the result of a 'tipping point' -- Chronic stressors weakening the system and then something minor, like a cold, or increased anger, or nervousness, comes on and voice disruption occurs.   This is often why people lament “Why now? I’ve been talking for X number of years and I should know what to do”   

When this doesn’t resolve within a couple weeks on its own…it’s time to prioritize your well-being and voice health.  Your voice is speaking to you.  Your body’s signals matter. 

There’s A LOT to say about stress, emotions, the vagus nerve and voice, yet this is the 101 lesson for today.  Clients who hire me bring their open-mindedness and willingness to get uncomfortable with what they need to release from within,re-stabilize their voice and assertiveness, and re-ignite a deeper connection to their body wisdom.  This brings about ease in communication, improved leadership and a more vibrant way of being.   I’m honored to hold judgment-free space and witness their insights.  Bringing all of you and the real you is what accelerates your speaking success! 

Kathleen Cameron and I were recently discussing the improvements she has made in her voice goals. She is not pushing or forcing her voice near as often, and is noticing it flows with more ease while still being herself!

Previously, she felt she had been trying to say/be what she thought people needed to hear from her, but that wasn’t sustainable. She stated “Now I just speak!”

However, her speaking requirements while running an 8-figure company are still intense! She has media appearances, a team to lead, client calls to teach, events to host and 2 beautiful girls to care for…all increasing her voice dose (amount of voice use in a given day/week).
She is a Vocal Athlete.

A vocal athlete, who, just a few months ago, had a very unexpected hit to her voice’s power source: Emergency surgery to her lungs.

Kathleen is one of the most successful personal development & manifestation mentors in the world, and she knows a thing or two about creating who she is becoming, her desired life and is in an incredible new season of health & vitality.

While we have made some strategic adjustments to her schedule in addition to exercises she practices for longer term stamina and conditioning, she is still in process, and there are times where her voice can sound tired or raspy. It’s often for multi-factorial reasons.

Yet…People have, unsolicited, been saying to her:
“You’re not speaking your truth” or “it’s clear you have emotional blocks” when they hear the occasional tired or raspy sound. Naturally this is aggravating to her and completely presumptuous on their part.

I adore learning about and believe in quantum energetics, moving stuck emotions, as well as our innate healing abilities AND this is not always what impacts a voice. When you are a vocal athlete and REQUIRE your voice at such an intensive level of talking, there is a physical COST to that!

In a high performance voice like Kathleen’s, and many of my clients, this is where the physical, figurative, and intuitive all are explored.

Kathleen is a master of self-development and has been taking steps to condition her physical instrument. I applaud her proactive approach to caring for her voice, something that the majority ignore, take for granted, or judge themselves or others harshly for how they sound.
There is no place for shaming, gaslighting or pre-supposing what a person needs or is going through.

Consider this: No one would shame a basketball player and say “oh you injured your ankle, it must be because you aren’t walking in integrity/you are probably repressing something."
That injury is the physical toll of a high performance body.

Let’s break it down another way: If I say “My name is Brienne. My pronouns are she/her/hers. I have a daughter. We take care of a puppy. The women I serve are incredible humans who are on their self-growth path and ready to learn about their voices in a new way to enhance their wellness, communication and way of Being” Those are facts. That is my truth. I am in full alignment with those statements. No emotional wobble exists.
If I repeat that for 60 minutes, my voice would feel tired. Now, multiply that by 5 more hours (often how much my clients are speaking on intensive days) and I would be more fatigued, potentially even raspy. Now, compound that by having no knowledge of how the voice worked, no warm-ups, and no awareness of how to shift to a healthier production? That is a recipe for long-term injury.

This is why preventative voice wellness matters!

That raspy quality has nothing to do with what I said or my belief about it. It has to do with the physical load my voice sustained. Voice conditioning, just like an athlete physically conditions and optimizes the efficiency of their body to be at their best performance, takes practice, consistency, and is crucial for those whose livelihood depends on speaking day in and day out.
As I guide my clients, emotions are addressed. The voice is a barometer to possible underlying, unearthed issues.
AND, sometimes, it’s as simple as inefficient overuse. Period.

Another analogy, because why not: A woodworker who is sanding her carvings by hand, has the repetitive stress/strain of moving the sandpaper along the wood grain, which results in an ache in her wrist.   She doesn't regularly stretch or strengthen her wrist or arm, yet notices the intensity of the ache vary depending on the duration of the sanding motion.    Will you say that the ache is due to repressed emotional issues or blockage?  No, that would be ridiculous.  The voice is a repetitive use instrument. It can withstand phenomenal stress-strain friction on a daily basis AND repetitive motion injuries ARE a risk-factor for vocal athletes!

Before you assume what may be going on with someone and their voice changes, perhaps there needs to be closer, internal examination first. Pause, breathe, ASK if they need anything, and LISTEN. Don’t spill your assumptions out onto them without consent.

As our conversation continued, I witnessed her ‘edgy voice’, as she called it, still emanate clearly and resonant EVEN while showing her strong emotion, which is an improvement from months ago when her voice previously pushed from her throat.

Vocal athletes benefit from vocal conditioning, so their full range of emotion and essence is expressed in a healthy, sustainable way!

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P.S. Vibrant Voice VIP Days are the perfect opportunity to jumpstart your voice journey for more reliability, expressiveness, stamina and truthful presence. Connect here or Email brienne@yourvocalvitality.com if interested and I’ll send a helpful PDF with the details.
You and your voice are worthy.
​Talk soon!

I’m just going to say it!!

Voice coaches, singing teachers, and speaking coaches who don’t have any background or formal training in voice anatomy, function, accurate voice health, vocal injuries and rehabilitation (voice pathology) or specialized treatment are not qualified to be providing or promoting services that claim to heal, rehabilitate or mitigate voice changes.

I believe we are powerful beyond our understanding and have innate energetic healing abilities. AND I believe in science, training and clinical experience, plus the crucial need for assessments that actually allow for proper visual screenings of voice quality, function and potential risk factors for injury.

Prevention and proactive voice exploration to feel more confident with your voice and speaking is one thing.  Voice injury, disorders and chronic symptoms that go unchecked is another. Today, I am talking about the latter. Especially because I continue to see far too many people cross the line and lower the standard. A website, of someone who teaches musical instruments and sound healing, indicates they will help voices improve from illness & stress, including voice loss. There is no indication of any certified voice experience or specialized training.

This is just one of many instances of I have seen over the years, from vocal coaches, speaker-stage trainers, singing teachers to the random YouTuber who took 3 voice lessons and considers themselves an expert doling out (sometimes harmful) advice. And yet, they are providing services to people who have weak, scratchy or fatigued voices.  This is unacceptable.  
I have encountered a few vocal coaches who are targeting certain populations of people with diagnosed voice disorders and yet, even when we have a 1:1 conversation about the questionable ethics & concerns, they dismiss it.  Instead of referring a person to a certified Speech & Voice Pathologist, these voice coaches, singing teachers and musicians claim they can cure them. There could be a myriad of reasons why those symptoms exist and it is irresponsible to proceed without first understanding if an underlying structural or mechanical issue exists. There are still so many vocal myths and incorrect anecdotes that abound. The standard has to be higher!

During my 13+ years in clinical voice specialization, person after person came in for evaluation saying things like:

• “I was told the hoarseness/scratchiness would just get better on its own” or
• “she told me to make ______sound every day and that would make me talk clearer” or
• “They said to go on voice rest for a month” .

These things made them worse, not better. When asked if they were ever advised to get the voice changes evaluated by an ENT/Laryngologist, Specialist Speech-Voice Pathologist or at minimum to tell their physician, the resounding reply was “No.”
For months longer than was necessary, they struggled with their voice, which ultimately disrupted their communication, connection with others and in frequent cases, negatively impacted their livelihood.    High-risk populations include: teachers/educators, nurses, coaches, public speakers, preachers, lawyers, realtors, customer service representatives, executives, podcasters, voice-over artists, etc. 
Many of these folks have underlying changes to their voice structure and vocal fold tissue that require a specialized plan of care.

Most people don't realize the importance of this issue until it's too late.  That's why I will continue to educate and shift the narrative.  

What would you do if you didn't have a voice?

Proactively care for your voice, the way you do the rest of your body. Be your best advocate for higher quality and verified services.

• I believe in custom specialty approaches, as every voice is unique.
• I believe in more preventive education, and led my clients with evidence and experience based holistic voice care.
• I believe in collaboration with high-quality, open-minded providers and trainers who recognize scope of practice and believe in possibilities
• I believe in 2nd opinions, and that if symptoms are present, they need to be assessed before any preventative or rehabilitative work begins.  (Especially if your voice coach claims they "cured vocal nodes!" a.k.a. vocal nodules. Just no.  Definitely get assessed). 
  
  

If you are considering preventative voice training and conditioning to enhance your speaking voice to a natural, reliable, vibrant way of expressing to increase speaking confidence, eliminate up speak and communicate with more ease, 
​OR if you have started to notice weakness, tension, hoarseness, change in pitch or volume, pain, etc., that has persisted longer than 2 weeks, I strongly encourage you to do your due diligence and properly review who you are considering working with before jumping in.  It could save you months of little to no progress, 
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If you or someone you know is struggling with voice changes, I am happy to chat and provide complimentary guidance via: 
*Voice Screenings (short and simple, I ask some questions about voice use, have you do a few vocalizing tasks and listen for certain characteristics)
*Advocacy Prep: Review important questions you can ask providers or coaches (as you are your best advocate!), and ensure you have more clarity to make a fully informed decision.

**If you desire a more in-depth, customized review of your voice, it's strengths and areas to focus on so that you harness your instrument to speak with ease and power, then consider a Voice Review: Explore Strengths of Your Voice to Elevate Your Communication, currently offered through the platform Vibly
 
🗣️Are you ready to level-up your vocal health? Grab your FREE copy of my Exclusive Guide To Optimizing Your Vocal Power & join the Empower Your Voice Community for insightful stories, voice tips, and more, right to your inbox 

​This audio is me in real-time in May 2022 with acute (means 2-4 weeks versus chronic which is 4+ weeks) laryngitis. 


Laryngitis means edema of the larynx. More specifically, edema (swelling/inflammation) of the vocal folds. While surrounding structures and tissues can also be swollen and subsequently soothed, today will focus on the vocal folds.


Recently, my beloved virtual assistant Elzeth (the wonderful human behind the scenes who helps much of this content reach all of you!) also had a bout of laryngitis, and she took herself through the triage tips. 


She shared a bit about her experience with me: “These tips really helped with my recent bout of laryngitis. 

I kept working through these great triage tips and my voice bounced back so much quicker than it usually does when I have a bout of laryngitis.

The best takeaway from these tips for me is definitely took look after yourself. Self-care is super important. Take time to rest up, the world won't end without you  Be kind to yourself, and work through these life-changing tips. Take care of yourself and the rest will follow. 

Brienne is truly such a beautiful, warm soul, an inspiration, and absolutely amazing at what she does. If it wasn't for her patience, guidance, and love for what she does, my voice would've taken much longer to heal. Thanks to her, my voice healed beautifully.

If you are a vocal athlete who would like to step into your authentic and true self, prioritize vocal care and so much more, I highly recommend working with Brienne, she is truly a gem! "


For those of you who played with your voice using the Humming to Heal exercise, you’ll appreciate that I am doing that exercise when my voice is clear and functioning well. That is so you could hear the extent of what’s possible.   


Bonus tip: Even when not experiencing acute voice difficulty, that humming exercise can be a simple and effective way to start and end your day! It is a way to gently warm up your voice, and, re-set it after lots of talking. 


Now, for this current audio example and exercise, it is meant to help you navigate during the difficult voice times with more deliberate awareness of where your voice could have moments of improvement.    


If you use it when your voice is feeling well, it can help you further hone the ‘sweet spots’ where your voice naturally resonates and feels vibrant and easy!


Caveat: There is no ‘quick fix’ in life. Nor in voice. Wellness for our mind, body, and spirit means becoming aware of our desires, making choices, and deciding what serves us and what we need to release. Releasing the limiting belief of ‘quick fix’ means that you open up a new realm of expanding your wellness in ways that perhaps weren’t otherwise obvious to you. Voice is a conduit to the mind-body connection, and the more you learn about what your voice is capable of, the more you are able to adjust and lean into the infinite evolution, rather than in a finite box of ‘quick, one & done, never think of it again.’ I don’t know about you, but I love living a life of expansion that feels delightful, delicious, and worthwhile! 


Remember, grace and kindness to yourself as you play with these exercises!​

Laryngitis (this is my voice during a recent bout) doesn’t have to completely take you out. 👆🏻 Here’s some of my favorite ways to soothe the scratch!

🗣️ Delegate. Strategically look at your day and week: where can you reduce talking? Email/text instead of call? Cut out any talking over noise?

🤐 Rest. Yes, this is the time that rest will actually be beneficial to your voice. The more silence, the less friction on fragile swollen tissue. (If you don’t observe silence and let others know you’re on voice rest—It’d be like having a blister from your favorite pair of shoes yet continuing to wear them until the blister worsens…ouch!)

💨 Steam and humidify: steaming with boiling water or VocalMist, is very soothing. Ensure your environment isn’t too dry, as that will increase the likelihood of thicker mucus production, which may set coughing or throat clearing in motion, which is like having a blister on your hand and then clapping loudly over and over.

💦 Sip water, hot water with lemon & honey, or warm herbal teas (some folks love Throat Coat. No it won’t “cure” your laryngitis nor does the liquid even touch your vocal folds, yet the surrounding tissues of the throat can feel some relief). Especially if you have that raw, scratchy feeling as an associated symptom. *Please skip the Hot Toddy’s or shot of [your preferred liquor here]. That will only mask symptoms and too much will be irritating to the tissues.

🧣 Gentle self massage of the neck, especially on and around the larynx and using a heat wrap (warmed with water or in the microwave) around the neck can feel quite exquisite. The ache, swelling, and fatigue of the neck muscles can also take a toll around the larynx(voice box), so self-massage is a great start!

What have you tried before?  What has worked for you?  Reply and share with me!💜

Access your complimentary copy of the 10 Tips for Optimizing Voice Power today!