August 1, 2023 • 50 mins
I'm so honored to have interviewed my voice coach, Linda Bruno. She is an industry pro, with 30 years of experience. Her clients include: Disney, TLC, Kia, Costco, Walmart, Samsung, Motorola, CNN, Disney Jr., Nickelodeon.. and the list goes on. Check out her demos and more info on her website: www.lindabruno.com
Her training began in Miami, Florida with the legendary voice over actress, Connie Zimet who helped with the foundation for her craft. Connie accepted the shy 18-year old into her studio and gave her the inspiration to move forward with this challenging career. Those early days of watching Connie work were truly inspirational to her.
In 1997, she moved to NYC in search of an agent and larger clients. That move led to relationships with various agents, production houses and now thanks to the Internet, worldwide clients spanning as far away as India and Singapore on a daily basis.
Now based on Long Island, New York, she shares studio space with Digital Waterworx in Melville, and love the camaraderie and stimulation of being around other creative people.
Ever questioned the profound effect a spiritual encounter can have on one’s life? Linda's near-death experience at the age of 25 was a turning point that forever molded my perspective on life, grounding, empathy, and self-love – all crucial in addressing the relentless challenges of the voiceover industry. The indescribable peace from my encounter with a mysterious man who told her it wasn't her time yet, shaped a path in radio and eventually voice acting.
Vulnerability became her fuel, expressing her unique self during auditions. The journey led to an unexpected twist in her personal life, as she stumbled upon her now-husband after releasing the desperate need for companionship. There is magic in letting life unfold, bringing joy and gratitude more profound than we can ever imagine.
Ever felt like you're an imposter in your industry? We've all been there. The voiceover world is no exception. It's a territory filled with challenges. Linda shares insights on identifying the right people who can lead you on your career path, the necessity to take a step back when things feel off, and the importance of research to avoid wasting time and money. Tune in, whether you are a seasoned voice artist or just intrigued by the industry, this episode promises to enlighten and inspire.
Be sure to check out Linda's podcast - Voiceover Gurus Podcast! You will find customized coaching, specific to your needs. If you are curious and have questions, they offer a $50 assessment consultation.
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Thank you for listening to our show! If you are looking for meditations, breathing exercises, yoga or aerial yoga (@CarrieAIRYoga), we've got that too! Check out our YouTube videos Especially developed to increase brain flow, stimulate the vagus nerve and relieve stress. If you are on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Twitter, click and follow! You are apart of other people's healing. Join me and let's make this planet a little nicer.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I was like I don't know if I can talk to her about
anything else because it's likewe talk about that.
That's been our relationship,you know.
But I can tell you that the waythat I found you, I know that
was spiritual.
I'm a very spiritual person.
We haven't talked a lot aboutthat.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
No.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
And so I know that when I met you and the reason I
even reached out was spiritual,because I would run, you know,
and I listen to.
My podcast is just what I do toget myself centered, to learn
more, whether it's a spiritualbook or it's different podcasts.
I've listened to so manydifferent podcasts for voices
(00:42):
and then I just found yours andit was like an immediate
connection.
That is so cool.
And then the more that I foundout about you, the more it just
was confirmed every time.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
You're like it's meant to be.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I know it's crazy.
The connection is meant to beyeah.
And then I saw that you justlaunched the other day.
What number was it?
117.
Episode 117.
I didn't.
That's the only one I haven'tlistened to.
Oh you have a mental health.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yes, yes, the next 117 and 118 next week, part two
will be about.
It's the same interview, but wehad to split it into two
because there's a lot of goodinformation, you know, yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
So, I don't know if you want to share anything from
that, or do you have an just anincredible experience that you
want to share?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
no matter if it's spiritual or anything, I have a
lot of incredible experiences,that's what I want Sitting down
with Alyssa and I Alyssa,another coach with the voiceover
gurus and sitting down withAnna, who's a gestalt
psychotherapist in New York Cityand also a yoga teacher in the
(01:54):
whole nine yards and she focuses.
She has a lot of clients thatare actors and voice actors, so
she was really good at impartingways for us to maybe ground
ourselves so that way therejection and everything that we
go through doesn't break usdown.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Such a huge part of our life?
Yeah, but you know it's reallygood.
You have to.
You have to listen to it whenyou get a chance, experiences
well, I've got a lot ofexperiences.
I mean, are you talking aboutwork related experiences or more
spiritual experiences?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
What are the what's something that really stands out
to you?
Because I can't decide.
It's what's like amazing andspecial to you, no matter what
it is.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Probably one of the most amazing things that stands
out for me if we're going to godown the spiritual route, is
when I had a near-deathexperience and that was very
life-changing for me Because Ihad never really thought much
about it and what happened wasmy blood sugar.
I have a genetic blood sugarissue and I didn't really
realize it at the time.
(02:58):
I was 25 and I was working out.
You know, it was hot, it wasdown in Florida.
Next thing, you know, I'm goneand I wake up with my boyfriend
at the time over me, slapping meto try to get me to come to,
and he's crying, he's sobbing.
Oh my God, I don't know whathe's, why.
(03:20):
I'm like yeah, we wake up andyou're like why are you hitting
me?
What's going on?
And at the time I didn'tregister it.
It was very strange.
It took a few years.
And then, yeah, I didn't like Ididn't, I don't know why.
And then, all of a sudden, allthis memory came back as to what
happened during that littleinfantile in you know, small
(03:41):
little trip that apparently Itook.
Yeah, and seeing the feeling,the most overwhelming part was
the feeling of overall comfortand just feeling just peace and
fantastic, probably the bestfeeling I could ever feel, like
if I'd taken a million drugs.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yeah, I remember you.
You mentioned this story to meone time and you said I don't
know, I just there was a manthere.
Didn't you say that?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, yeah, there was a man standing on my left and
you know there's no speech, it'sall like just in your thoughts,
like the transfer goes.
And I'd said to him I go, itfeels so good, I feel so good
and he goes, you have to go back.
And I was like I don't want togo back.
This is amazing.
He's like, nope, you have to goback, you have to go back.
And it was like I was in atunnel and I could see a light
(04:28):
and I saw this man.
And then the next thing, youknow, I'm woken up.
Yeah, and I couldn't believe.
Years later it came to me whathappened.
But then I started to realizewow, the feeling.
Now, if you go through andpeople start to argue it, which
a lot do, and they say inscience that your brain releases
certain chemicals or whateverto protect you when you're in
(04:51):
that situation.
But my mother also had a neardeath experience years prior
when I was a child.
Same thing passed out, she sawthe same thing.
So she saw a light, a tunnel,but she didn't see people.
She heard voices saying youhave to go back, you have to go
back.
So you know, if I had neverexperienced it, I would probably
(05:13):
be like well, you know it's acommon thing, but now, after
doing more investigation andinterest and knowing other
people that have had NDEs, it'spretty incredible and for me it
just brings me extra peaceknowing that you know this isn't
it for us here, there arethings beyond this.
(05:34):
It was a gift.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
I feel like those times may be really scary and
whatever you're going through,but it is a gift because it
opens your eyes, your awareness.
You experience something thatyou've never experienced before
and it's so freeing and givesyou joy.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
It's pretty wild, I think that it also helped me to
become more of an empatheticperson, which has helped with
the coaching and the patientsthat goes along with that, you
know, and trying to help peopleget to where they want to go,
because people come from alldifferent walks of life, all
different experiences, andthat's what's so fascinating,
(06:12):
because suddenly they're allbrought together by the common
thing of wanting to become avoice actor.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yeah, so can you tell my listeners a little bit about
what a voiceover is real quick?
A lot of people that find out,you know, are they here?
Oh, I heard you're doingsomething like cartoons in Asia
or something like that.
Well, it's kind of a lot ofdifferent things and they're
(06:38):
intrigued.
Do they want to know a littlebit more?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So a voiceover is any type of voice that you hear
that is used underneath video ornot.
Sometimes in a radio spot it'saudio only for commercials
Commercials are pretty much themost common, but voiceovers are
used everywhere.
You just don't realize it.
So when you call the bank, youknow that's usually a voiceover,
(07:03):
unless they're going the AIroute.
When you, you know, listen toSpotify and you hear an ad, some
actor created that ad with aproduction company.
If you're in the grocery storeand you hear the overhead ads,
you hear, you know the girlsaying 599 for tomatoes today.
Only that's a voice actor.
(07:23):
And it's an incredible thingbecause it's all over the place
and there's so many genres thata lot of people don't know about
.
But voices are used for amillion things.
The most popular people thinkcartoons, animation and
commercials.
But what about?
Turn on the radio?
You hear promo.
Artists are the ones that areannouncing the ID of the radio
(07:44):
station the new 95 five, youknow, coming up next.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
You know so voiceovers are everywhere, and
that's one of the misconceptions, I think, is you have to have a
beautiful voice.
Right, there is a voice, I mean, there's a job there for any
voice.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Now, yes, old days, yes, it was perfect voice,
smooth, dulcet tones, especiallymen with deep voices.
But now, now it is about youruniqueness, it's about having
that authenticity, so that wayyou can connect with your
audience.
This era that we are in is allabout being real, and so it's.
(08:24):
They don't want anything put onthere.
You know, millennials are doinga lot of the hiring, a lot of
the casting now, and they don'twant to be forced, force fed
anything.
They don't want to be told whatto do.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
The old style announcer would tell you what to
do and they can recognize thatold style announcer real quick.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Yeah, so I don't know if the pendulum is ever going
to swing back.
You know how things trends comeand go, but I don't know.
I really love the fact that weall get to really be ourselves
now.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
That's true, and say it like the way that you would
say it.
Yeah, talking to someone, notHi, hi, right pretty one of
those you know with thoseelections, which was hard for me
to switch over because, youknow, when I got started, I had
a great coach.
She was a technical coach andthat's what I needed at the time
.
I've told you that.
(09:13):
It was great for starting out,but there's so much that's
involved with this job andpeople don't realize that either
.
Right, you have a good voiceand you just say it oh my gosh,
no, no, why would you even havean episode for voiceovers in
mental health?
People don't realize that.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Yes, it's the rejection.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
You have to have perseverance to keep going.
Believe in yourself.
I mean all those things whenyou've been told no so many
times.
It just wears on you.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Or, in our case, we don't hear anything.
We just don't get the job we'relike.
Okay, I guess they didn't likeme, which is always the big key,
but yeah, and you doubtyourself and then you're like
what did I do wrong?
Speaker 1 (10:03):
And they don't tell you what you did wrong.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
And then it affects your future performances.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Now you're insecure.
Now you're in here.
Being a voice actor is the mostvulnerable thing.
Being an actor is one of themost vulnerable things we can do
because you are revealingyourself, and that's hard, it's
really hard.
Doing characters is easierbecause you can hide behind a
character.
When you have to be Carrie inthis spot, you have to say I
(10:31):
love myself enough to know thatI can do this well.
So you have to have that innerconfidence.
You have to have that innerlove for yourself, and there's
ego that comes into this too.
You have to have some ego.
You have to believe well, Isound better than that girl and
that competitive edge.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Or are you?
Speaker 2 (10:52):
not going to get it.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
You have been the voice for Disney, HSN, Motorola.
I could sit here and just listMcDonald's, Costco, one after
the other.
What else was there?
Verizon, Orbit, TLC it wouldtake me the whole podcast just
to list off all of your clients.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I've been working for a long time.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You are a Texas girl from San Antonio.
That was another reason why webonded the way we did and you
took off at 18 years old and youknew you had a dream.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Yeah, yeah, I had some the path wavered, you know,
and I didn't ever get to A to Zquickly or easily.
But yeah, no, I feel very luckythat at 18, I saw someone doing
a voiceover and it sparked myinterest to the point where it
lit the fire in me to say thisis something I want to do Now.
(11:46):
I went off and I had to workand I had to do other things and
I went to college.
And I went to college forbusiness because my parents were
like you're not going to makeit in voiceover, that's not a
real job and a lot of peopledon't feel it's a real job.
So I then worked a lot of otherjobs, but then I got to the
point where I was like I need toget a job where I can be behind
a microphone, and at that pointI didn't need to make much
(12:10):
money because I was still young.
So I went to door to door toradio stations in Fort Myers,
florida, knocked on the door andsaid, hey, are you guys taking
any interns?
And I was like this little 20,24 year old girl and I found one
station that was, and it wasthis classic rock station, 96 K
rock.
These days you can't, internscan't work with you unless it's
(12:31):
like through a college.
I mean, back then it was likethe wild west.
You know, we got, yeah, theydidn't have regulations or they
didn't follow any of that.
So you know, like, yeah, yeah,yeah, we have an intern program
where you have to call people atnight and ask them what their
favorite rock songs are andwe're going to pay you in
concert tickets and see no way,yep.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
So that was my payment CDs yeah, I can't even
play a CD right now and anythingthat I have.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Same same.
I mean we have stuff in thestudio, old stuff in the studio,
but other than that, no, it'snot like I'm a big fan of the
radio station, but yeah, thatwas how it started because I was
like I want to get behind themicrophone and I don't know how
to do it.
So let me go to a radio station, because in my mind that's how
you became a voice actor, notknowing that really isn't, but I
met some amazing people.
(13:19):
I got experience.
I became a DJ.
You know that supplemented myincome for 16 years, disg jockey
.
So you know it helped with thepath.
But I never let up because Idid get a job offer at a radio
station.
There.
And it was sweet money and Iknow down in Texas, man, you
guys can buy a lot more than wecan and save dollars.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
And I said no because I wanted to do voiceover and I
was convinced no, I'm going todo this and you did and you
stuck with it and you believedand you had to have faith.
That's the other thing aboutyou that I've learned over our
coaching sessions is you havefaith.
You mentioned about journaling.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
You meditate because you talk about thinking right
about the past and have writtendown and gone over your journals
and it's just really cool, forme the pictures, the
visualization of cutting out allthose pictures from magazines
of where I wanted to be was ahuge part of and I think I just
(14:24):
posted about this, but I saw.
Did you see the ArnoldSchwarzenegger documentary
Netflix?
I?
Speaker 1 (14:29):
haven't seen it yet.
I have watched the preview 10times going.
Do I want to Do?
I want to.
I'm asking you do.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
I it's pretty interesting.
Yeah, it's a very unusual,unique person with everything
that he's done.
But something that caught mewas that he said that everything
he has done is because hevisualized it.
He saw it.
He saw it before it happenedand just decided I'm going to be
, that I'm going to be a moviestar.
He visualized it, went for it,didn't stop.
(14:57):
And that's really at the heartof everything.
It is Because if you can't seeyourself doing it, you're never
going to do it.
That's right.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Yeah, because then he starts taking the steps, even
subconsciously, exactly Tellingyour.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
You attract the paths , you attract the opportunities.
I do, I believe that.
Are you a law of attraction,person I mean.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Are you more spiritual?
I don't know what that meanswhen you say that, because I
know what that is, of course.
And there's this whole new agemovement, and then the
Christianity and the church ischanging so much, I think,
because a lot of Christians arebecoming more awake and
realizing their experiences, andso I don't put myself in a box
(15:46):
of.
This is my religion and this is.
I can tell you where we go tochurch and I can tell you how I
grew up, but I base on mypersonal experiences that I have
Every day.
I get up and I kneel and Imeditate and I pray, and every
night I do that, and I've hadthe more that I just worry not
(16:08):
worry but the more that I focuson my own relationship with
being connected.
I don't worry about anybodyelse, because I know that
everybody's relationship withtheir Creator is completely
unique to them.
There's no way that God's goingto speak to you the way he
(16:29):
speaks to me, because we haveour own language and things that
I notice.
And so law of attraction.
I believe that the way that youare, that you do attract, that
that's just spirit, that'sspiritual.
I believe that your spirit ishuge.
It's outside of your body.
(16:49):
That's why, when you walk intoa place and you talk to somebody
, you can feel their energywithout them saying anything.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Yes, Sometimes that's not good.
I focus on that.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
If they're really in a bad mood, then you're like I
don't want to be around thisperson because they're in a bad
mood.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
I hear you.
I'm not a religious person butI am very spiritual and I just
believe that there's somethingmore.
There's something more.
But when it comes to law ofattraction, it's not something
that I follow closely anymore.
I just did it in my mid-20s toget myself to New York Put into
practice some of the things thatpeople do for law of attraction
(17:28):
.
But I do feel that what you putout is what you're going to get
back in.
Like you're saying, if you arekind and giving, you will
attract kind and giving peoplein your life, and it's pretty
straightforward that if you walkaround complaining about your
life, it's not going to getbetter.
(17:48):
You can attract possibly morenegativity.
That's just my belief.
It's not.
Nothing is law Right, it isn't.
It's what you believe is what Ibelieve.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Well, and it's a choice too, because we have to
choose.
And that's the hardest thingwhen you're down, like we're
talking voice over right now,we're sitting alone here and you
have a thought and it's oh mygosh, you know, they didn't pick
me.
And then you startinternalizing it, and then one
(18:22):
thought after another, and itcan just go down a really bad
road.
So, yeah, I try to keep youknow.
If that happens, I recognize it.
And then I have these certainthings that I just say to myself
to get me out of it Likeaffirmations, Exactly Just an
affirmation or scripture, or afunny hat.
(18:44):
you know, I have all these crazyhats or I turn on something
funny.
You know, making yourself laughand laughing is the best
medicine.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
We kind of touch on that in the podcast with Anna
that she mentions, that shenoticed me because I said to her
, oh, there's days when I get upand I'm like, oh, I don't want
to go audition.
And she said when you said that, just like I did now, your body
kind of fell and her face went,like you know she says but if
you're starting to feel thatshe's like you know, write
yourself, get your airwavesbreathing airwaves open and help
(19:20):
to change your attitude,because our bodies are so
involved with our mental stateat that time, and saying it's
like you have to do the reminder, like what you're doing, you're
basically giving yourselfaffirmations to snap yourself
out of, maybe what road yourmind might be going down.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Right, right.
So is there anything that youdo that's different from those
things that help you mentally,like?
Speaker 2 (19:50):
that there are days when I mean I have I suffer from
anxiety issues and I havedepression issues too.
So that is a constant thing.
That unfortunately started inmy early thirties and it's just
something I deal with.
So there are some days I'll getup and be like I'm not feeling
it.
(20:10):
Today, I don't.
You know, if I could, I wouldjust stay in bed and but then I
would feel worse because Iwasn't being productive.
So I say I'm getting up, I'mgoing to jump in the shower On
the days I feel really bad, I'lldress really nice because it
helped to shift.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
That's so smart.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
Yeah, I'll put on something cute or I'll put
makeup on or I'll do my hair orsomething, and then I'll come in
and I'll yeah, I just feelbetter, I feel better.
You know, that's a little thingthat I do, just visually.
My appearance helps, becauseworking out does help for me and
I think working out is a goodsource for you.
Right, I'll be working throughstuff.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Oh yeah, yeah.
People are like oh my gosh, areyou obsessed?
I'm like no, I'm doing it formy mental, emotional health.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Yeah.
So yeah, it can be becauseyou're releasing all those
wonderful, you know chemicalsinto your body.
It's what happens.
Yeah, yes, like today, I'mgoing to swim after work, and
when I swim, when I'm done, it'sthat release and any stress
that I felt, and then I sleepreally well too.
Oh yeah, so that's anotherthing that I do, but it's a
(21:23):
daily choice.
You're making a choice everyday how you're going to deal
with it.
But there's a place when I'mlike I don't know, especially
now going through freakingperimenopause and the sage
middle age, my moods are allover the place.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Oh, I know, this is a whole different ball game,
right, it is Like do you takesupplements?
Speaker 2 (21:41):
and stuff.
I take some, not particularlyfor that, but I take it for
other things.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Yeah, I'm like I'm a whole new regimen than it was
before.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
I'm starting to learn that it's very different than
the life I was living prior,because it's not good, it's not
fun.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
I feel like it's also you know that this is like
really important.
That time to exercise is whenyou're going, your body's going
through those changes and stuff,just to keep you up.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
I was talking about it with the girlfriends.
We went out to dinner on Fridaynight last Friday and I was
saying there are some afternoonsI'm like I am just pissed off.
I am just in the worst mood andnothing has done anything to
piss me off.
And I'll just say to Matt.
He'll be like are you okay?
And I'm like I'm not, it hasnothing to do with you.
He's like okay, I'll leave mealone.
I'm like just leave me alone.
I'm just going to go about myday and I'm going to try not to
(22:33):
talk to anybody, but for somereason I'm feeling all this and
I guess it's part of the problem.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
And that's hard when you have to be on and then you
know you have to, because wewere talking about your body and
the lady.
The other day the therapisttold you how your body just kind
of you know, fell.
And these directors, producers,whoever's listening to our
auditions, they can.
They're so in tune with it.
(22:57):
They can hear if you're alittle nervous or if you're
trying to push a little too hardor almost you know and you may
not even realize you're doingthat.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
It's like somebody has to point it out to you, I
know.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
So then you have to fight through those feelings too
.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Yeah, I've had casting directors say you sound
like you're holding back and I'mlike I do.
Oh my gosh, how did they know?
How did they know that insidemy mind is someplace else or I'm
super nervous and I'm feelinginsecure Again?
This is why, being a voiceactor as we are actors we are so
vulnerable and we have to behave to continually practice, to
(23:39):
show everything for that setamount of time, you know so
Putting it all out there.
Yeah, and being on for sessions,being on for auditions, it's
just, it's part of our world.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Why do I love it so much?
Yeah, why do you love it?
What do you love about it?
Well, I remember when I firststarted and honestly and I told
you this before it was reallyeverything I went through with
my son, and then everything I'vegone through and people asking
me to record meditations, and Igot into the, the mics and the
(24:16):
recording and all, and then Ireally was led to it in my
meditations and I didn't evenknow what a voiceover was, and
so I just took, started takingthose steps and and learning.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
And when did this happen for you?
You'd have your kids at thispoint, or did it happen before
you were finished, cause youhave five kids?
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Well, well, I started out in radio and my very first
job, but you know, raising mykids, and then I've always been
a fitness.
I've always had a job.
I've worked at every big boxgym there is.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Really.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
I'm a cycle instructor, yoga instructor, I'm
certified in everything thereis.
I personal trained women for 20years and I just let go of that
.
My heart wasn't in it anymoreand I also felt like why are we
focusing so much on the outsideand the physical?
Because if you really focus onthe inside and get some of this
(25:08):
stuff right, all that outsidestuff's going to fall into place
.
You know and then you know Itold you what happened with my
son, you know, two years ago,and you know that was like I'm
going to do this and I remembersitting in here and auditioning
and there was a couple of timesI just I just started crying out
(25:29):
of joy.
I'm not kidding.
Like I was like thank you, thankyou for this.
This is.
It's just part of who I am, ina way to express myself.
I can't even explain it.
It just God's just put such apassion and a desire to want to
do it, and it's obviously notabout the money because it's so
(25:49):
hard to get started.
Right, it really is, and so itjust gave me a lot of joy that
way.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
And.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
I met so many great people.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
You recognized the love and it gave you an outlet.
You know, feel good, expressyourself.
It is hard, which is one of theother misconceptions.
If you're thinking aboutgetting into voiceovers for
money, please don't, because itcould be years and years till
you make any money, becausethere is so much competition and
there's, but there's a lot ofjobs out there too.
(26:20):
So we could flip it, flip thescript and say lots of
opportunities, how hard do youwant to work for it?
That's right.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
That's pretty much it .
That's really what it is.
It is, and whenever I would getdown, I would pray and just say
, you know, lead me to the nextstep, lead me to the next book,
and it would talk to me.
I would hear that book or aperson would say something.
They'd come along right at theright time and tell me exactly
(26:49):
what I needed to hear.
Right then, yeah, you have tokeep me going and my bottom line
and then you know, with thispodcast was just to help people
honestly with mental health,with our struggles that we went
through as a family.
If anybody can gain anythingfrom just connecting with other
people and hearing otherpeople's struggles, right,
(27:12):
because when you hear otherpeople's struggles you're like,
okay, I'm not alone.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
You can't say you're alone anymore.
No, I went through a period Iwas on my own for about 10 years
, but I left my first husbanddue to infidelity issues that he
was dealing with and I washaving to deal with.
And that's what brought me backto Long Island.
(27:35):
And I was lucky enough to havesomeone that I had known since I
first moved to New York, daveGoldberg, who owns the studio,
and I said can I come and hangmy microphone?
This is in 2005, and I said,can I come hang my microphone at
your studio?
And he was like, yeah, sure,and it was a closet because we
weren't in the same space.
And I'm like, okay, so it'sjust he and I and me in this
little closet, and all I couldafford was a studio apartment up
(27:58):
in this little town called SeaCliff and I had nothing.
I had a futon and I had my jeepand I had my cat and this
little tiny thing and I had nomoney and I had all this debt
that I had brought with me fromthe marriage and I had just
started like independent when Iwas working at a radio station
in the city.
So that was like at least myhealth benefits, but it was a
(28:22):
part-time job, so I was justmaking enough to like cover my
little $800 a month payment.
I couldn't cover my car payment.
I had to ask my ex for moneyfor that.
So this point I know.
And I only had like a couple ofclients because they were from
the existing town that I hadmoved from.
That I still have to this day.
But those were some dark daysbecause I had some friends, but
(28:46):
not all the friends that I havenow, and my family was in
Florida.
So night after night I would gohome and, boy, I just dove into
my spirituality, I dove intoconnecting with a higher purpose
, because I was at my wit's endand I didn't know but when else
were you going to go?
Yeah, and I just remember thosedays being pretty bleak, but
(29:09):
then knowing that, if I just putone foot in front of the other
and just get out of bed, trysomething, do something each day
.
Do something, believe that youcan achieve something, believe
that you are good at what you do, believe that you're going to
get better at it.
And then next thing you know itwas, it took a couple of years,
and then the auditions wouldcome.
(29:30):
That were a little better.
And then my audition for Disney.
That was a six-week longaudition, and then I loved
hearing that story.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
By the way, I'm going to interrupt you real quick and
just say she has a podcastcalled the Voice Over Guru's
Podcast.
Your website for that podcastis it's wwwvoiceoverguru.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Yes, that's the coaching.
Yeah, you can also access thepodcast from there too.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Okay, and so there's.
She tells the story.
You've got to go find it andlisten to this.
Okay, go ahead.
You got to find her podcast andlisten to it.
She has great stories.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
So just dark days.
You know it's never an easypath, you know to get to where
you want to go and you have tojust focus on that end result.
But I mean, I was alone and Iwas in my mid-30s and at this
point it was like, okay, Ihaven't had any kids, I wanted
to have kids.
That was a whole other thing Ihad to go through because any
man I dated was like I don'twant to have kids, I already
(30:27):
have kids.
You know it's a really bad time, you know.
So I hit 40 and I was like I'mgiving up.
You know, I don't care if I'mmeeting buddy, I'm good.
I had cultivated really greatfriendships, I'd start to really
build my career, started tohave a lot of fantastic success,
got very lucky for about a good10-year span there and then at
(30:49):
40, I just said, screw it, I'mnot going to worry about
anything.
Boom.
That's when I met my nowhusband.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Isn't that something?
Why is it always like that?
And you know it like deep down.
Yeah, I'm not supposed to thinkabout it, I'm supposed to let
it go.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
It's I released, I fully released and just said I
don't care.
I actually it wasn't that Idon't care, I just I'm fine
being okay by being by myself.
Yeah, I think that's thedifference.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
I'm okay with it, I'm okay and you know who you are
and you know what you want.
You've been through it.
How did you meet him?
Speaker 2 (31:19):
So I used to.
His brother used to work in thestudio with us because he's a.
His brother used to be a videovideo editor and so I had known
Mike for years and one of ourfriends was having a birthday
and we were meeting at a bar andI said, mike, why don't you
come for the birthday?
And he goes okay, can I bringmy brother?
And I was like, yeah, sure, sohe shows up with this guy and he
(31:44):
goes oh, this is my twinbrother, matt, and I'm like get
out of here.
I said you guys don't lookanything alike, Really, because
they're fraternal twins.
So, I get to take out your wall,it's show me your IDs.
So they show them IDs and I see, oh my goodness, they Harris,
harris, okay, yeah, so we metthat night and then we just kind
of maintained a friendship overthat.
(32:06):
But yeah, he and I if been ineach other's lives since, yeah,
2010.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Wow, and you just got married.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Yeah, just got married a couple of months ago,
so you just never know.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
You know, this life is such a trip, isn't it?
And that's the other thing thatI try to keep my mindset.
If anyone's listening, andthey're a voiceover at my level,
which is down here not up here,not yet, not yet, that's not
true.
It's happening one day.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Now don't refer to yourself like that.
You say I am up and coming.
Oh, I am Clients coming to meall the time for my talents.
Yes, ma'am.
But, don't put yourselfanywhere low, no way.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Don't do it.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, with all the experienceanyway, I even forgot what I was
going to say.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
About you never know.
You never know with anythingyou can't plan.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
When I get down and have those thoughts.
I'm like you know what, when Ilook back, I felt like I was
reminded of those really coolthings that have happened, that
I didn't know were ahead of me.
Exactly.
Why do we always assume thatthere's nothing in front, right?
(33:21):
Being that nothing, I don'tfeel, I don't see it.
Nothing's going to happen, youknow, and if I had that mindset
before then I wouldn't haveexperienced these other really
cool things because I wouldn'thave taken a risk, right?
And the other thing that youhave taught me and so many other
great voiceovers just seeingtheir posts is just play and
(33:44):
have fun, exactly, andeverything.
I mean that's really one of thereasons why I got so much joy
out of this was playing.
Yeah, my life is fucking serious, girl.
I got five kids with some majorshit going on, and I am not
going to live the rest of mylife pissed off, mad, upset.
(34:08):
I mean I do.
But when I feel it I'm likelook at all my blessings that
were just given to me.
God saved my son from being hitby a car on a highway.
Yeah, and he wasn't in a car,you know.
You know, like and I say that alot because that's really the
basis of how I even started thispodcast was from his story.
(34:30):
But, we have witnessed so manywonderful miracles that were so
blessed and favored to be bornin America.
I know that sounds hokey.
Now it's true.
I pull up these when I feellike my kids are a little more
rotten than they should be.
Mama pulls up thosedocumentaries like in India he's
bathing right over there andshit.
(34:52):
You get on your knees and saythank you for letting me be born
in America.
And we got opportunity.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Yep.
What other country can you cometo with nothing and become a
billionaire if you want?
Right, it's just truly stillthe land of opportunity, no
matter what anybody wants to say.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Yeah, you know and the other thing about the is
that I do want to make a pointis everyone is so encouraging
and supportive like sure youhave your jerk faces.
There's always one or two.
I'll see a comment Someone hadposted on a video's social does
just the balls right, but nasty99 at a hundred times.
(35:33):
Everyone's so encouraging.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Yeah, I think there's a reason for that too.
It's because we're all kind oflike, in this battle together,
yeah, you know every, no matterwhat.
Some people want to brag and go.
Oh, I don't have to look forauditions, everything's handed
to me.
It's like you're lying, you'recompletely lying.
You know you are lying.
Or the people they get on andlike, oh, I'm gonna make seven
(35:58):
figures this year.
Well, where can I hear you when?
where is the seven figuredocumentation Plus?
I could say anything, and thenit's just rude and it's just
unnecessary.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
But they just shot themselves in the foot, though,
because everybody that knows thereality of the VO world knows
that that's such a silly comment, and so do directors and
producers.
So anyone that's gonna see thatisn't going I don't think, to
be fooled by it.
There's this one girl thatposted on Twitter.
She it was like a year or twoago and I was just laughing and
(36:29):
she was like I'm new tovoiceover.
I just came out they ain't nostopping me straight to the top,
baby.
I'm like Go get them, go get agirl.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Have you heard from her since?
Has she posted?
Since?
I've never seen anything fromher.
Oh, so it's just.
I think that's why people aresupportive of each other,
because we all know how hardthis is, yeah, so you gotta have
an ego, but you can't have toomuch of an ego, right, humble,
get a business allows you tohave a huge ego.
(37:03):
I mean, unless you're like evenbrian lee my friends does not
have a huge ego and he couldyeah, he could, but he doesn't
because he is a down-to-earthperson.
But the rest of us, themajority of voiceover actors,
are not in that 1%.
You know, we're out theresludging and auditioning and
making money.
We, we all know how hard it is.
(37:25):
We all know the challenges.
That's why there's great groupsthat talk about red flags.
You know what red flags are.
A company that's coming up as ared flag.
They get posted so everybodycan see.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
You know it's, it's a great way to share Information,
so somebody else won't getburned, which makes me think
about that one time and I wantpeople to know about this
because it's happening to mydaughter.
She's an artist and just got anemail through Instagram saying
oh, I would love to hire you asa portrait, but we only pay with
check.
(37:54):
And I was like oh I heard thisone before.
You know, and this deal thatcame through was a, a huge
company and it was an email tome and I was, I mean, it was
from a jar and they hadEverything there.
And then I had that same day acoach session with you, asked
you about it, and then you'relike, let me see about that.
(38:18):
You're like, oh, it's a scam.
I couldn't believe it that.
The amount of effort that theywent through as they wanted a
zoom call, I mean all the samethings.
Yeah, down to the nitty grittydetails, they could have stolen
everything I had.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Yeah, I know, I know it's they.
It can get pretty intricatethese days too.
She said you gotta watch it.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
Is there anything that vios need to look out for
with that the maybe noteverybody's aware?
Speaker 2 (38:49):
of.
I mean, we're just subject tothe same things that everyone
else is.
Really it's up there, they'retrying.
The biggest one that I haveencountered and have had friends
encounter is where Same thingwhere they want to hire you for
a job and they say what's yourfee?
And you're like 300 dollars andthey say, oh well, the client's
willing to pay 900, so we'regonna send you a check for 900,
(39:12):
but could you turn around andsend us a check for 600?
Um, and you know, but it's aand so I figured it was a scam,
this thing.
I didn't even do the job.
They wanted to do all thepayment first, which was really
weird too.
Yeah, send me the check.
So they did.
They sent the check.
I went to my bank and I said Iwant to see if you can clear
this, you know, and they said itwould take like seven days,
(39:34):
which it did, and they came backand go now it's a bad check.
So I wrote I'm sorry, yourcheck didn't clear.
And I never heard from him.
But a friend of mine had thesame thing happen to her and she
did send a check off and Ithink she was out like too, too
grand.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Wow, it's what they will go through nowadays.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
I know.
But just just like anythingelse, do your research Mm-hmm
type in the company, see if it'sfor sure, legit.
Now some of them are creatingfake websites, you know.
So they're making it look, butnever, never give out money.
You don't need to.
You know, especially if you'reauditioning, there's no, or
there's some of these companiesthat there's not that many left
(40:11):
where they would ask you to paya Monthly fee to be like, oh,
we're gonna send you auditions,but you need to pay a monthly
fee.
I'm not talking about apay-to-play, okay, and you need
to pay our sister company justto be listed on the site.
You know, 15 bucks a month andwe're gonna start sending you
auditions.
So I did that with that idiomtalent, oh, okay, yeah, so a
(40:33):
year I never got one auditionand then turns out you even won.
And it was a scam.
Yeah, is a scam and they haddone that to sell to many voice
talent, just collecting thatlittle bitty because it's 15
bucks a month.
You're like, oh, it's 15 bucksa month.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Yeah, and a lot of them are like that.
You know there's a lot ofwebsites out there that probably
shouldn't go sign up for, andthere are those that are better.
Do your research, read reviews.
Yeah, read the reviews.
If you just do a little bit ofresearch, you will find out real
quick which places yeah, andask people that you know that
(41:08):
are in the business too, ifthey've heard of it.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Yeah, that's the best way and get into the Facebook
groups.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
There's a lot of voice over Facebook Facebook
groups yeah, you belong to anyof those a few of them, but I
just I don't get on that much asthat I should.
I went and looked at yours, too, and I want to do, which also
leads me, I want you to say thisfirst is the online workouts
that you have, um, the Facebookgroup that you have.
(41:37):
I would love for you to do soour Facebook group is private
though.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
So if you do study with us because I don't want
just anybody going in there andpromoting and and I'm very
protective of my students I feellike once you've studied with
us, you're like you're ourfamily.
So it's open to students only,um, but it's a great place.
We can share ideas.
If you booked somethingfantastic, you know Um, and
(42:05):
everybody's gotten to know eachother pretty well too, because
several the same people will,for a period of time, come to
our online workouts.
So our online workouts are goodbecause it's only six people
tops, we keep it pretty intimateand it's always two coaches, so
it's usually me and anothercoach, um, and lately it's been
Alyssa, who's the acting elementof voice over gurus, and we run
these two hour workouts liketwice a month and I gotta do.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
I gotta do one.
I haven't done one of those yet.
They sound like so much fun.
I gotta make none of that.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Yeah, we're gonna pick up again in September.
We're taking the summer off, ohgood, but we actually have a
new coach joining us soon.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
Oh, you do, it was us .
Speaker 2 (42:43):
I know I I can't announce yet, can't tell, not
while you're recording, okay, Igotta make later.
Yeah, I gotta make sureeverything is nice and Sowed up.
But yeah, we've got a new coachcoming that's gonna start
joining us in october, whichwill be cool.
Oh fun, yeah, because he's gonnabe excited, he's gonna be doing
narration and e-learning, um,and Documentary, because he
(43:07):
actually does documentaries ohno, coaching for that, I love
that and also a demo producer,so he's gonna be doing those
demos.
Dave's gonna be the main demoguy, uh-huh, but he's gonna be
doing some specialty stuffreally nice too.
So Cool, yeah, it'll be goodbecause people always like to
hear that.
Yeah, but actors like to hearthat, and if there's anyone
listening here To your podcastis thinking about trying it out,
(43:31):
we do a 20 minute assessmentfor you For 50 bucks and we'll
assess you for 20 minutes andhave you read scripts and point
you in the right direction.
If maybe you've always had thatinkling and you're like oh.
Yeah, I'm trying voiceovers.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
And that's fun it is and that's why you know, and
that's one of the things I hadyou on I've had several coaches.
I've had a business coach, Ihad a coach slash producer and
one of my demos and then my veryfirst one.
I've not asked any of them tocome on.
I'm looking you to come on Um,because you are.
(44:05):
You are so good at what you doand you're your patient, like.
I feel like there's a lot ofpeople out there that are really
rigid with their time, which isfine.
You need to be and you need tohave rules, but not so rigid
that we're in the middle of aconversation just okay, I gotta
(44:27):
go.
You know you're that way andyou're the one that helped me
really find my brand, reallyfind my voice.
That is right for me.
So I say all this because ifyou're just wanting to find out
if you're good at this or couldbe good at this, why not spend
(44:50):
50 bucks and give her you knowyou a call?
Because there's a lot of peoplethat you know have found out
through the podcast this is whatI'm doing and they're real
interested.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
Yeah, and I'm honest with you, I'm not one that's
gonna be like oh yeah, yourvoice is great, we should work
together.
You need to buy a package, youknow.
I'd rather say to you hey, youneed to go take some acting
classes, or maybe you're havingsome diction issues that we
would you know, or and I lay outthe struggles that you could
potentially face, if there areany, you know.
(45:23):
So it's not because I did notbecome a coach to make money as
far as, like, become rich, we'llput it that way yeah because
you will.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
you have turned people away.
That just isn't gonna work out.
And your, your specialty islike a conversational approach,
so there's different deliveriesYou'll have.
If you're interested in thevoiceovers, you'll have to learn
what those genres are, andthey're all different deliveries
.
So what a great place to go tofind out if this is even works
(45:55):
for you Right, and then get thereal story on how all of it
works with the conversation.
Speaker 2 (46:01):
I had an assessment a couple of days ago and the
gentleman was actually very goodand I said you know, you've got
a great foundation for this, abeautiful voice, and you were
able to let go.
I had I ran him through someyou know different moods and
attitudes on the scripts andthen he emailed me this morning
and he said I'm so afraid.
And he said I feel like I, hegoes, I already feel like I have
(46:22):
imposter syndrome and I don'teven feel comfortable starting
and he goes.
I'm not asking you to convinceme, but I just wanted to know
what you thought.
And I wrote back honestly and Igo look, you need to take a
step back.
If you are feeling that muchapprehension about it and it's
not sitting right with you, stepback, go back to doing what
you're doing.
If the bug comes back and bites, you call me and I said and if
(46:46):
it doesn't, then you know it wasjust like a pant, a passing
whimsy, but I'm not going toconvince you to do something
when, deep down, that wouldn'tbe what I would follow.
I follow my heart, I follow mygut, I follow what you're saying
.
I do pretty much everything onan emotional basis.
It wasn't the best businessapproach, but it keeps me a
little not as organized andplanning as I would like,
(47:07):
because sometimes I'd be like,oh, I got an idea for this and
then I throw it all together,you know.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
But but there's a reason why he called you because
he had the passion, the desire,the drive, the will, and then
he sounded great.
So to me, you're telling, methe story and I'm like well,
what's wrong?
Well, we all have it Impostersyndrome and whatever it is,
especially when you're firststarting out.
Speaker 2 (47:33):
I know I was like, if you're already feeling this,
now reassess.
Yeah, don't force yourself to.
If something feelsuncomfortable, yeah, that's not
for you, at least right now.
Maybe it, maybe he'll get the,you know the, the confidence and
the courage to do it.
But my point is is I'm notgoing to convince you to do
something that.
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Right, no, do it, do it.
Yeah, spend more money.
Give me more coaching, right,and there are those people that
will do that to you.
That's why it's very importantDon't go in naive.
If you're hearing this andyou're really interested in it,
just make sure you hire theright people and you don't waste
money.
I've wasted money.
Speaker 2 (48:14):
Watch those companies that come in and they say
introduction to voiceover classand it's usually at a college or
school or like a half day on aSaturday and most of the time
it's $99.49 and will assess youwhen you go and you hear their
speech.
You do the whole thing and I'msorry, but everybody is told,
yeah, yeah, you got a lot ofpotential, yeah, you know.
(48:36):
Because then they wind upcoming to me and saying
something's wrong.
And they wind up coming to meand saying something felt off.
I was like, yeah, because itwasn't.
It's not good, so try to avoidthat.
Speaker 1 (48:49):
Or people that want to produce your demos that don't
have any business producing ademo.
So any of these sites that youget on, they're called pay to
plays.
And we're not going to tell youwhich ones to get on.
You're going to have to figurethat one out.
But go Google and do yourresearch, like I said, and
you'll find it Good.
(49:09):
This was awesome.
Thank you for having me I know.
Thank you so much and I can'twait to have you back again, and
you're going to be my coachforever.
Speaker 2 (49:19):
Get ready to talk about your voiceover, career and
path, because that'll be.
I was thinking about you thismorning because I was like I
need a student who's working andis going to be good.
You know behind a mic, you knowconversation.
Yeah, I wonder if Carrie wouldwant to do it.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
Heck, yeah, I'm all over that girl.
All right, thank you so muchagain, and I will definitely see
you soon.
Sounds good.
Thanks, girl, have a good one,and I'll see you soon too.
I was like I don't know if I can talk to her about
anything else because it's likewe talk about that.
That's been our relationship,you know.
But I can tell you that the waythat I found you, I know that
was spiritual.
I'm a very spiritual person.
We haven't talked a lot aboutthat.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
No.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
And so I know that when I met you and the reason I
even reached out was spiritual,because I would run, you know,
and I listen to.
My podcast is just what I do toget myself centered, to learn
more, whether it's a spiritualbook or it's different podcasts.
I've listened to so manydifferent podcasts for voices
(00:42):
and then I just found yours andit was like an immediate
connection.
That is so cool.
And then the more that I foundout about you, the more it just
was confirmed every time.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
You're like it's meant to be.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I know it's crazy.
The connection is meant to beyeah.
And then I saw that you justlaunched the other day.
What number was it?
117.
Episode 117.
I didn't.
That's the only one I haven'tlistened to.
Oh you have a mental health.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yes, yes, the next 117 and 118 next week, part two
will be about.
It's the same interview, but wehad to split it into two
because there's a lot of goodinformation, you know, yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
So, I don't know if you want to share anything from
that, or do you have an just anincredible experience that you
want to share?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
no matter if it's spiritual or anything, I have a
lot of incredible experiences,that's what I want Sitting down
with Alyssa and I Alyssa,another coach with the voiceover
gurus and sitting down withAnna, who's a gestalt
psychotherapist in New York Cityand also a yoga teacher in the
(01:54):
whole nine yards and she focuses.
She has a lot of clients thatare actors and voice actors, so
she was really good at impartingways for us to maybe ground
ourselves so that way therejection and everything that we
go through doesn't break usdown.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Such a huge part of our life?
Yeah, but you know it's reallygood.
You have to.
You have to listen to it whenyou get a chance, experiences
well, I've got a lot ofexperiences.
I mean, are you talking aboutwork related experiences or more
spiritual experiences?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
What are the what's something that really stands out
to you?
Because I can't decide.
It's what's like amazing andspecial to you, no matter what
it is.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Probably one of the most amazing things that stands
out for me if we're going to godown the spiritual route, is
when I had a near-deathexperience and that was very
life-changing for me Because Ihad never really thought much
about it and what happened wasmy blood sugar.
I have a genetic blood sugarissue and I didn't really
realize it at the time.
(02:58):
I was 25 and I was working out.
You know, it was hot, it wasdown in Florida.
Next thing, you know, I'm goneand I wake up with my boyfriend
at the time over me, slapping meto try to get me to come to,
and he's crying, he's sobbing.
Oh my God, I don't know whathe's, why.
(03:20):
I'm like yeah, we wake up andyou're like why are you hitting
me?
What's going on?
And at the time I didn'tregister it.
It was very strange.
It took a few years.
And then, yeah, I didn't like Ididn't, I don't know why.
And then, all of a sudden, allthis memory came back as to what
happened during that littleinfantile in you know, small
(03:41):
little trip that apparently Itook.
Yeah, and seeing the feeling,the most overwhelming part was
the feeling of overall comfortand just feeling just peace and
fantastic, probably the bestfeeling I could ever feel, like
if I'd taken a million drugs.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yeah, I remember you.
You mentioned this story to meone time and you said I don't
know, I just there was a manthere.
Didn't you say that?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, yeah, there was a man standing on my left and
you know there's no speech, it'sall like just in your thoughts,
like the transfer goes.
And I'd said to him I go, itfeels so good, I feel so good
and he goes, you have to go back.
And I was like I don't want togo back.
This is amazing.
He's like, nope, you have to goback, you have to go back.
And it was like I was in atunnel and I could see a light
(04:28):
and I saw this man.
And then the next thing, youknow, I'm woken up.
Yeah, and I couldn't believe.
Years later it came to me whathappened.
But then I started to realizewow, the feeling.
Now, if you go through andpeople start to argue it, which
a lot do, and they say inscience that your brain releases
certain chemicals or whateverto protect you when you're in
(04:51):
that situation.
But my mother also had a neardeath experience years prior
when I was a child.
Same thing passed out, she sawthe same thing.
So she saw a light, a tunnel,but she didn't see people.
She heard voices saying youhave to go back, you have to go
back.
So you know, if I had neverexperienced it, I would probably
(05:13):
be like well, you know it's acommon thing, but now, after
doing more investigation andinterest and knowing other
people that have had NDEs, it'spretty incredible and for me it
just brings me extra peaceknowing that you know this isn't
it for us here, there arethings beyond this.
(05:34):
It was a gift.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
I feel like those times may be really scary and
whatever you're going through,but it is a gift because it
opens your eyes, your awareness.
You experience something thatyou've never experienced before
and it's so freeing and givesyou joy.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
It's pretty wild, I think that it also helped me to
become more of an empatheticperson, which has helped with
the coaching and the patientsthat goes along with that, you
know, and trying to help peopleget to where they want to go,
because people come from alldifferent walks of life, all
different experiences, andthat's what's so fascinating,
(06:12):
because suddenly they're allbrought together by the common
thing of wanting to become avoice actor.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yeah, so can you tell my listeners a little bit about
what a voiceover is real quick?
A lot of people that find out,you know, are they here?
Oh, I heard you're doingsomething like cartoons in Asia
or something like that.
Well, it's kind of a lot ofdifferent things and they're
(06:38):
intrigued.
Do they want to know a littlebit more?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So a voiceover is any type of voice that you hear
that is used underneath video ornot.
Sometimes in a radio spot it'saudio only for commercials
Commercials are pretty much themost common, but voiceovers are
used everywhere.
You just don't realize it.
So when you call the bank, youknow that's usually a voiceover,
(07:03):
unless they're going the AIroute.
When you, you know, listen toSpotify and you hear an ad, some
actor created that ad with aproduction company.
If you're in the grocery storeand you hear the overhead ads,
you hear, you know the girlsaying 599 for tomatoes today.
Only that's a voice actor.
(07:23):
And it's an incredible thingbecause it's all over the place
and there's so many genres thata lot of people don't know about
.
But voices are used for amillion things.
The most popular people thinkcartoons, animation and
commercials.
But what about?
Turn on the radio?
You hear promo.
Artists are the ones that areannouncing the ID of the radio
(07:44):
station the new 95 five, youknow, coming up next.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
You know so voiceovers are everywhere, and
that's one of the misconceptions, I think, is you have to have a
beautiful voice.
Right, there is a voice, I mean, there's a job there for any
voice.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Now, yes, old days, yes, it was perfect voice,
smooth, dulcet tones, especiallymen with deep voices.
But now, now it is about youruniqueness, it's about having
that authenticity, so that wayyou can connect with your
audience.
This era that we are in is allabout being real, and so it's.
(08:24):
They don't want anything put onthere.
You know, millennials are doinga lot of the hiring, a lot of
the casting now, and they don'twant to be forced, force fed
anything.
They don't want to be told whatto do.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
The old style announcer would tell you what to
do and they can recognize thatold style announcer real quick.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Yeah, so I don't know if the pendulum is ever going
to swing back.
You know how things trends comeand go, but I don't know.
I really love the fact that weall get to really be ourselves
now.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
That's true, and say it like the way that you would
say it.
Yeah, talking to someone, notHi, hi, right pretty one of
those you know with thoseelections, which was hard for me
to switch over because, youknow, when I got started, I had
a great coach.
She was a technical coach andthat's what I needed at the time
.
I've told you that.
(09:13):
It was great for starting out,but there's so much that's
involved with this job andpeople don't realize that either
.
Right, you have a good voiceand you just say it oh my gosh,
no, no, why would you even havean episode for voiceovers in
mental health?
People don't realize that.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Yes, it's the rejection.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
You have to have perseverance to keep going.
Believe in yourself.
I mean all those things whenyou've been told no so many
times.
It just wears on you.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Or, in our case, we don't hear anything.
We just don't get the job we'relike.
Okay, I guess they didn't likeme, which is always the big key,
but yeah, and you doubtyourself and then you're like
what did I do wrong?
Speaker 1 (10:03):
And they don't tell you what you did wrong.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
And then it affects your future performances.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Now you're insecure.
Now you're in here.
Being a voice actor is the mostvulnerable thing.
Being an actor is one of themost vulnerable things we can do
because you are revealingyourself, and that's hard, it's
really hard.
Doing characters is easierbecause you can hide behind a
character.
When you have to be Carrie inthis spot, you have to say I
(10:31):
love myself enough to know thatI can do this well.
So you have to have that innerconfidence.
You have to have that innerlove for yourself, and there's
ego that comes into this too.
You have to have some ego.
You have to believe well, Isound better than that girl and
that competitive edge.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Or are you?
Speaker 2 (10:52):
not going to get it.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
You have been the voice for Disney, HSN, Motorola.
I could sit here and just listMcDonald's, Costco, one after
the other.
What else was there?
Verizon, Orbit, TLC it wouldtake me the whole podcast just
to list off all of your clients.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I've been working for a long time.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You are a Texas girl from San Antonio.
That was another reason why webonded the way we did and you
took off at 18 years old and youknew you had a dream.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Yeah, yeah, I had some the path wavered, you know,
and I didn't ever get to A to Zquickly or easily.
But yeah, no, I feel very luckythat at 18, I saw someone doing
a voiceover and it sparked myinterest to the point where it
lit the fire in me to say thisis something I want to do Now.
(11:46):
I went off and I had to workand I had to do other things and
I went to college.
And I went to college forbusiness because my parents were
like you're not going to makeit in voiceover, that's not a
real job and a lot of peopledon't feel it's a real job.
So I then worked a lot of otherjobs, but then I got to the
point where I was like I need toget a job where I can be behind
a microphone, and at that pointI didn't need to make much
(12:10):
money because I was still young.
So I went to door to door toradio stations in Fort Myers,
florida, knocked on the door andsaid, hey, are you guys taking
any interns?
And I was like this little 20,24 year old girl and I found one
station that was, and it wasthis classic rock station, 96 K
rock.
These days you can't, internscan't work with you unless it's
(12:31):
like through a college.
I mean, back then it was likethe wild west.
You know, we got, yeah, theydidn't have regulations or they
didn't follow any of that.
So you know, like, yeah, yeah,yeah, we have an intern program
where you have to call people atnight and ask them what their
favorite rock songs are andwe're going to pay you in
concert tickets and see no way,yep.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
So that was my payment CDs yeah, I can't even
play a CD right now and anythingthat I have.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Same same.
I mean we have stuff in thestudio, old stuff in the studio,
but other than that, no, it'snot like I'm a big fan of the
radio station, but yeah, thatwas how it started because I was
like I want to get behind themicrophone and I don't know how
to do it.
So let me go to a radio station, because in my mind that's how
you became a voice actor, notknowing that really isn't, but I
met some amazing people.
(13:19):
I got experience.
I became a DJ.
You know that supplemented myincome for 16 years, disg jockey
.
So you know it helped with thepath.
But I never let up because Idid get a job offer at a radio
station.
There.
And it was sweet money and Iknow down in Texas, man, you
guys can buy a lot more than wecan and save dollars.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
And I said no because I wanted to do voiceover and I
was convinced no, I'm going todo this and you did and you
stuck with it and you believedand you had to have faith.
That's the other thing aboutyou that I've learned over our
coaching sessions is you havefaith.
You mentioned about journaling.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
You meditate because you talk about thinking right
about the past and have writtendown and gone over your journals
and it's just really cool, forme the pictures, the
visualization of cutting out allthose pictures from magazines
of where I wanted to be was ahuge part of and I think I just
(14:24):
posted about this, but I saw.
Did you see the ArnoldSchwarzenegger documentary
Netflix?
I?
Speaker 1 (14:29):
haven't seen it yet.
I have watched the preview 10times going.
Do I want to Do?
I want to.
I'm asking you do.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
I it's pretty interesting.
Yeah, it's a very unusual,unique person with everything
that he's done.
But something that caught mewas that he said that everything
he has done is because hevisualized it.
He saw it.
He saw it before it happenedand just decided I'm going to be
, that I'm going to be a moviestar.
He visualized it, went for it,didn't stop.
(14:57):
And that's really at the heartof everything.
It is Because if you can't seeyourself doing it, you're never
going to do it.
That's right.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Yeah, because then he starts taking the steps, even
subconsciously, exactly Tellingyour.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
You attract the paths , you attract the opportunities.
I do, I believe that.
Are you a law of attraction,person I mean.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Are you more spiritual?
I don't know what that meanswhen you say that, because I
know what that is, of course.
And there's this whole new agemovement, and then the
Christianity and the church ischanging so much, I think,
because a lot of Christians arebecoming more awake and
realizing their experiences, andso I don't put myself in a box
(15:46):
of.
This is my religion and this is.
I can tell you where we go tochurch and I can tell you how I
grew up, but I base on mypersonal experiences that I have
Every day.
I get up and I kneel and Imeditate and I pray, and every
night I do that, and I've hadthe more that I just worry not
(16:08):
worry but the more that I focuson my own relationship with
being connected.
I don't worry about anybodyelse, because I know that
everybody's relationship withtheir Creator is completely
unique to them.
There's no way that God's goingto speak to you the way he
(16:29):
speaks to me, because we haveour own language and things that
I notice.
And so law of attraction.
I believe that the way that youare, that you do attract, that
that's just spirit, that'sspiritual.
I believe that your spirit ishuge.
It's outside of your body.
(16:49):
That's why, when you walk intoa place and you talk to somebody
, you can feel their energywithout them saying anything.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Yes, Sometimes that's not good.
I focus on that.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
If they're really in a bad mood, then you're like I
don't want to be around thisperson because they're in a bad
mood.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
I hear you.
I'm not a religious person butI am very spiritual and I just
believe that there's somethingmore.
There's something more.
But when it comes to law ofattraction, it's not something
that I follow closely anymore.
I just did it in my mid-20s toget myself to New York Put into
practice some of the things thatpeople do for law of attraction
(17:28):
.
But I do feel that what you putout is what you're going to get
back in.
Like you're saying, if you arekind and giving, you will
attract kind and giving peoplein your life, and it's pretty
straightforward that if you walkaround complaining about your
life, it's not going to getbetter.
(17:48):
You can attract possibly morenegativity.
That's just my belief.
It's not.
Nothing is law Right, it isn't.
It's what you believe is what Ibelieve.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Well, and it's a choice too, because we have to
choose.
And that's the hardest thingwhen you're down, like we're
talking voice over right now,we're sitting alone here and you
have a thought and it's oh mygosh, you know, they didn't pick
me.
And then you startinternalizing it, and then one
(18:22):
thought after another, and itcan just go down a really bad
road.
So, yeah, I try to keep youknow.
If that happens, I recognize it.
And then I have these certainthings that I just say to myself
to get me out of it Likeaffirmations, Exactly Just an
affirmation or scripture, or afunny hat.
(18:44):
you know, I have all these crazyhats or I turn on something
funny.
You know, making yourself laughand laughing is the best
medicine.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
We kind of touch on that in the podcast with Anna
that she mentions, that shenoticed me because I said to her
, oh, there's days when I get upand I'm like, oh, I don't want
to go audition.
And she said when you said that, just like I did now, your body
kind of fell and her face went,like you know she says but if
you're starting to feel thatshe's like you know, write
yourself, get your airwavesbreathing airwaves open and help
(19:20):
to change your attitude,because our bodies are so
involved with our mental stateat that time, and saying it's
like you have to do the reminder, like what you're doing, you're
basically giving yourselfaffirmations to snap yourself
out of, maybe what road yourmind might be going down.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Right, right.
So is there anything that youdo that's different from those
things that help you mentally,like?
Speaker 2 (19:50):
that there are days when I mean I have I suffer from
anxiety issues and I havedepression issues too.
So that is a constant thing.
That unfortunately started inmy early thirties and it's just
something I deal with.
So there are some days I'll getup and be like I'm not feeling
it.
(20:10):
Today, I don't.
You know, if I could, I wouldjust stay in bed and but then I
would feel worse because Iwasn't being productive.
So I say I'm getting up, I'mgoing to jump in the shower On
the days I feel really bad, I'lldress really nice because it
helped to shift.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
That's so smart.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
Yeah, I'll put on something cute or I'll put
makeup on or I'll do my hair orsomething, and then I'll come in
and I'll yeah, I just feelbetter, I feel better.
You know, that's a little thingthat I do, just visually.
My appearance helps, becauseworking out does help for me and
I think working out is a goodsource for you.
Right, I'll be working throughstuff.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Oh yeah, yeah.
People are like oh my gosh, areyou obsessed?
I'm like no, I'm doing it formy mental, emotional health.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Yeah.
So yeah, it can be becauseyou're releasing all those
wonderful, you know chemicalsinto your body.
It's what happens.
Yeah, yes, like today, I'mgoing to swim after work, and
when I swim, when I'm done, it'sthat release and any stress
that I felt, and then I sleepreally well too.
Oh yeah, so that's anotherthing that I do, but it's a
(21:23):
daily choice.
You're making a choice everyday how you're going to deal
with it.
But there's a place when I'mlike I don't know, especially
now going through freakingperimenopause and the sage
middle age, my moods are allover the place.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Oh, I know, this is a whole different ball game,
right, it is Like do you takesupplements?
Speaker 2 (21:41):
and stuff.
I take some, not particularlyfor that, but I take it for
other things.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Yeah, I'm like I'm a whole new regimen than it was
before.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
I'm starting to learn that it's very different than
the life I was living prior,because it's not good, it's not
fun.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
I feel like it's also you know that this is like
really important.
That time to exercise is whenyou're going, your body's going
through those changes and stuff,just to keep you up.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
I was talking about it with the girlfriends.
We went out to dinner on Fridaynight last Friday and I was
saying there are some afternoonsI'm like I am just pissed off.
I am just in the worst mood andnothing has done anything to
piss me off.
And I'll just say to Matt.
He'll be like are you okay?
And I'm like I'm not, it hasnothing to do with you.
He's like okay, I'll leave mealone.
I'm like just leave me alone.
I'm just going to go about myday and I'm going to try not to
(22:33):
talk to anybody, but for somereason I'm feeling all this and
I guess it's part of the problem.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
And that's hard when you have to be on and then you
know you have to, because wewere talking about your body and
the lady.
The other day the therapisttold you how your body just kind
of you know, fell.
And these directors, producers,whoever's listening to our
auditions, they can.
They're so in tune with it.
(22:57):
They can hear if you're alittle nervous or if you're
trying to push a little too hardor almost you know and you may
not even realize you're doingthat.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
It's like somebody has to point it out to you, I
know.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
So then you have to fight through those feelings too
.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Yeah, I've had casting directors say you sound
like you're holding back and I'mlike I do.
Oh my gosh, how did they know?
How did they know that insidemy mind is someplace else or I'm
super nervous and I'm feelinginsecure Again?
This is why, being a voiceactor as we are actors we are so
vulnerable and we have to behave to continually practice, to
(23:39):
show everything for that setamount of time, you know so
Putting it all out there.
Yeah, and being on for sessions,being on for auditions, it's
just, it's part of our world.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Why do I love it so much?
Yeah, why do you love it?
What do you love about it?
Well, I remember when I firststarted and honestly and I told
you this before it was reallyeverything I went through with
my son, and then everything I'vegone through and people asking
me to record meditations, and Igot into the, the mics and the
(24:16):
recording and all, and then Ireally was led to it in my
meditations and I didn't evenknow what a voiceover was, and
so I just took, started takingthose steps and and learning.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
And when did this happen for you?
You'd have your kids at thispoint, or did it happen before
you were finished, cause youhave five kids?
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Well, well, I started out in radio and my very first
job, but you know, raising mykids, and then I've always been
a fitness.
I've always had a job.
I've worked at every big boxgym there is.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Really.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
I'm a cycle instructor, yoga instructor, I'm
certified in everything thereis.
I personal trained women for 20years and I just let go of that
.
My heart wasn't in it anymoreand I also felt like why are we
focusing so much on the outsideand the physical?
Because if you really focus onthe inside and get some of this
(25:08):
stuff right, all that outsidestuff's going to fall into place
.
You know and then you know Itold you what happened with my
son, you know, two years ago,and you know that was like I'm
going to do this and I remembersitting in here and auditioning
and there was a couple of timesI just I just started crying out
(25:29):
of joy.
I'm not kidding.
Like I was like thank you, thankyou for this.
This is.
It's just part of who I am, ina way to express myself.
I can't even explain it.
It just God's just put such apassion and a desire to want to
do it, and it's obviously notabout the money because it's so
(25:49):
hard to get started.
Right, it really is, and so itjust gave me a lot of joy that
way.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
And.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
I met so many great people.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
You recognized the love and it gave you an outlet.
You know, feel good, expressyourself.
It is hard, which is one of theother misconceptions.
If you're thinking aboutgetting into voiceovers for
money, please don't, because itcould be years and years till
you make any money, becausethere is so much competition and
there's, but there's a lot ofjobs out there too.
(26:20):
So we could flip it, flip thescript and say lots of
opportunities, how hard do youwant to work for it?
That's right.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
That's pretty much it .
That's really what it is.
It is, and whenever I would getdown, I would pray and just say
, you know, lead me to the nextstep, lead me to the next book,
and it would talk to me.
I would hear that book or aperson would say something.
They'd come along right at theright time and tell me exactly
(26:49):
what I needed to hear.
Right then, yeah, you have tokeep me going and my bottom line
and then you know, with thispodcast was just to help people
honestly with mental health,with our struggles that we went
through as a family.
If anybody can gain anythingfrom just connecting with other
people and hearing otherpeople's struggles, right,
(27:12):
because when you hear otherpeople's struggles you're like,
okay, I'm not alone.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
You can't say you're alone anymore.
No, I went through a period Iwas on my own for about 10 years
, but I left my first husbanddue to infidelity issues that he
was dealing with and I washaving to deal with.
And that's what brought me backto Long Island.
(27:35):
And I was lucky enough to havesomeone that I had known since I
first moved to New York, daveGoldberg, who owns the studio,
and I said can I come and hangmy microphone?
This is in 2005, and I said,can I come hang my microphone at
your studio?
And he was like, yeah, sure,and it was a closet because we
weren't in the same space.
And I'm like, okay, so it'sjust he and I and me in this
little closet, and all I couldafford was a studio apartment up
(27:58):
in this little town called SeaCliff and I had nothing.
I had a futon and I had my jeepand I had my cat and this
little tiny thing and I had nomoney and I had all this debt
that I had brought with me fromthe marriage and I had just
started like independent when Iwas working at a radio station
in the city.
So that was like at least myhealth benefits, but it was a
(28:22):
part-time job, so I was justmaking enough to like cover my
little $800 a month payment.
I couldn't cover my car payment.
I had to ask my ex for moneyfor that.
So this point I know.
And I only had like a couple ofclients because they were from
the existing town that I hadmoved from.
That I still have to this day.
But those were some dark daysbecause I had some friends, but
(28:46):
not all the friends that I havenow, and my family was in
Florida.
So night after night I would gohome and, boy, I just dove into
my spirituality, I dove intoconnecting with a higher purpose
, because I was at my wit's endand I didn't know but when else
were you going to go?
Yeah, and I just remember thosedays being pretty bleak, but
(29:09):
then knowing that, if I just putone foot in front of the other
and just get out of bed, trysomething, do something each day
.
Do something, believe that youcan achieve something, believe
that you are good at what you do, believe that you're going to
get better at it.
And then next thing you know itwas, it took a couple of years,
and then the auditions wouldcome.
(29:30):
That were a little better.
And then my audition for Disney.
That was a six-week longaudition, and then I loved
hearing that story.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
By the way, I'm going to interrupt you real quick and
just say she has a podcastcalled the Voice Over Guru's
Podcast.
Your website for that podcastis it's wwwvoiceoverguru.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Yes, that's the coaching.
Yeah, you can also access thepodcast from there too.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Okay, and so there's.
She tells the story.
You've got to go find it andlisten to this.
Okay, go ahead.
You got to find her podcast andlisten to it.
She has great stories.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
So just dark days.
You know it's never an easypath, you know to get to where
you want to go and you have tojust focus on that end result.
But I mean, I was alone and Iwas in my mid-30s and at this
point it was like, okay, Ihaven't had any kids, I wanted
to have kids.
That was a whole other thing Ihad to go through because any
man I dated was like I don'twant to have kids, I already
(30:27):
have kids.
You know it's a really bad time, you know.
So I hit 40 and I was like I'mgiving up.
You know, I don't care if I'mmeeting buddy, I'm good.
I had cultivated really greatfriendships, I'd start to really
build my career, started tohave a lot of fantastic success,
got very lucky for about a good10-year span there and then at
(30:49):
40, I just said, screw it, I'mnot going to worry about
anything.
Boom.
That's when I met my nowhusband.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Isn't that something?
Why is it always like that?
And you know it like deep down.
Yeah, I'm not supposed to thinkabout it, I'm supposed to let
it go.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
It's I released, I fully released and just said I
don't care.
I actually it wasn't that Idon't care, I just I'm fine
being okay by being by myself.
Yeah, I think that's thedifference.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
I'm okay with it, I'm okay and you know who you are
and you know what you want.
You've been through it.
How did you meet him?
Speaker 2 (31:19):
So I used to.
His brother used to work in thestudio with us because he's a.
His brother used to be a videovideo editor and so I had known
Mike for years and one of ourfriends was having a birthday
and we were meeting at a bar andI said, mike, why don't you
come for the birthday?
And he goes okay, can I bringmy brother?
And I was like, yeah, sure, sohe shows up with this guy and he
(31:44):
goes oh, this is my twinbrother, matt, and I'm like get
out of here.
I said you guys don't lookanything alike, Really, because
they're fraternal twins.
So, I get to take out your wall,it's show me your IDs.
So they show them IDs and I see, oh my goodness, they Harris,
harris, okay, yeah, so we metthat night and then we just kind
of maintained a friendship overthat.
(32:06):
But yeah, he and I if been ineach other's lives since, yeah,
2010.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Wow, and you just got married.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Yeah, just got married a couple of months ago,
so you just never know.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
You know, this life is such a trip, isn't it?
And that's the other thing thatI try to keep my mindset.
If anyone's listening, andthey're a voiceover at my level,
which is down here not up here,not yet, not yet, that's not
true.
It's happening one day.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Now don't refer to yourself like that.
You say I am up and coming.
Oh, I am Clients coming to meall the time for my talents.
Yes, ma'am.
But, don't put yourselfanywhere low, no way.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Don't do it.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, with all the experienceanyway, I even forgot what I was
going to say.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
About you never know.
You never know with anythingyou can't plan.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
When I get down and have those thoughts.
I'm like you know what, when Ilook back, I felt like I was
reminded of those really coolthings that have happened, that
I didn't know were ahead of me.
Exactly.
Why do we always assume thatthere's nothing in front, right?
(33:21):
Being that nothing, I don'tfeel, I don't see it.
Nothing's going to happen, youknow, and if I had that mindset
before then I wouldn't haveexperienced these other really
cool things because I wouldn'thave taken a risk, right?
And the other thing that youhave taught me and so many other
great voiceovers just seeingtheir posts is just play and
(33:44):
have fun, exactly, andeverything.
I mean that's really one of thereasons why I got so much joy
out of this was playing.
Yeah, my life is fucking serious, girl.
I got five kids with some majorshit going on, and I am not
going to live the rest of mylife pissed off, mad, upset.
(34:08):
I mean I do.
But when I feel it I'm likelook at all my blessings that
were just given to me.
God saved my son from being hitby a car on a highway.
Yeah, and he wasn't in a car,you know.
You know, like and I say that alot because that's really the
basis of how I even started thispodcast was from his story.
(34:30):
But, we have witnessed so manywonderful miracles that were so
blessed and favored to be bornin America.
I know that sounds hokey.
Now it's true.
I pull up these when I feellike my kids are a little more
rotten than they should be.
Mama pulls up thosedocumentaries like in India he's
bathing right over there andshit.
(34:52):
You get on your knees and saythank you for letting me be born
in America.
And we got opportunity.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Yep.
What other country can you cometo with nothing and become a
billionaire if you want?
Right, it's just truly stillthe land of opportunity, no
matter what anybody wants to say.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Yeah, you know and the other thing about the is
that I do want to make a pointis everyone is so encouraging
and supportive like sure youhave your jerk faces.
There's always one or two.
I'll see a comment Someone hadposted on a video's social does
just the balls right, but nasty99 at a hundred times.
(35:33):
Everyone's so encouraging.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Yeah, I think there's a reason for that too.
It's because we're all kind oflike, in this battle together,
yeah, you know every, no matterwhat.
Some people want to brag and go.
Oh, I don't have to look forauditions, everything's handed
to me.
It's like you're lying, you'recompletely lying.
You know you are lying.
Or the people they get on andlike, oh, I'm gonna make seven
(35:58):
figures this year.
Well, where can I hear you when?
where is the seven figuredocumentation Plus?
I could say anything, and thenit's just rude and it's just
unnecessary.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
But they just shot themselves in the foot, though,
because everybody that knows thereality of the VO world knows
that that's such a silly comment, and so do directors and
producers.
So anyone that's gonna see thatisn't going I don't think, to
be fooled by it.
There's this one girl thatposted on Twitter.
She it was like a year or twoago and I was just laughing and
(36:29):
she was like I'm new tovoiceover.
I just came out they ain't nostopping me straight to the top,
baby.
I'm like Go get them, go get agirl.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Have you heard from her since?
Has she posted?
Since?
I've never seen anything fromher.
Oh, so it's just.
I think that's why people aresupportive of each other,
because we all know how hardthis is, yeah, so you gotta have
an ego, but you can't have toomuch of an ego, right, humble,
get a business allows you tohave a huge ego.
(37:03):
I mean, unless you're like evenbrian lee my friends does not
have a huge ego and he couldyeah, he could, but he doesn't
because he is a down-to-earthperson.
But the rest of us, themajority of voiceover actors,
are not in that 1%.
You know, we're out theresludging and auditioning and
making money.
We, we all know how hard it is.
(37:25):
We all know the challenges.
That's why there's great groupsthat talk about red flags.
You know what red flags are.
A company that's coming up as ared flag.
They get posted so everybodycan see.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
You know it's, it's a great way to share Information,
so somebody else won't getburned, which makes me think
about that one time and I wantpeople to know about this
because it's happening to mydaughter.
She's an artist and just got anemail through Instagram saying
oh, I would love to hire you asa portrait, but we only pay with
check.
(37:54):
And I was like oh I heard thisone before.
You know, and this deal thatcame through was a, a huge
company and it was an email tome and I was, I mean, it was
from a jar and they hadEverything there.
And then I had that same day acoach session with you, asked
you about it, and then you'relike, let me see about that.
(38:18):
You're like, oh, it's a scam.
I couldn't believe it that.
The amount of effort that theywent through as they wanted a
zoom call, I mean all the samethings.
Yeah, down to the nitty grittydetails, they could have stolen
everything I had.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Yeah, I know, I know it's they.
It can get pretty intricatethese days too.
She said you gotta watch it.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
Is there anything that vios need to look out for
with that the maybe noteverybody's aware?
Speaker 2 (38:49):
of.
I mean, we're just subject tothe same things that everyone
else is.
Really it's up there, they'retrying.
The biggest one that I haveencountered and have had friends
encounter is where Same thingwhere they want to hire you for
a job and they say what's yourfee?
And you're like 300 dollars andthey say, oh well, the client's
willing to pay 900, so we'regonna send you a check for 900,
(39:12):
but could you turn around andsend us a check for 600?
Um, and you know, but it's aand so I figured it was a scam,
this thing.
I didn't even do the job.
They wanted to do all thepayment first, which was really
weird too.
Yeah, send me the check.
So they did.
They sent the check.
I went to my bank and I said Iwant to see if you can clear
this, you know, and they said itwould take like seven days,
(39:34):
which it did, and they came backand go now it's a bad check.
So I wrote I'm sorry, yourcheck didn't clear.
And I never heard from him.
But a friend of mine had thesame thing happen to her and she
did send a check off and Ithink she was out like too, too
grand.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Wow, it's what they will go through nowadays.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
I know.
But just just like anythingelse, do your research Mm-hmm
type in the company, see if it'sfor sure, legit.
Now some of them are creatingfake websites, you know.
So they're making it look, butnever, never give out money.
You don't need to.
You know, especially if you'reauditioning, there's no, or
there's some of these companiesthat there's not that many left
(40:11):
where they would ask you to paya Monthly fee to be like, oh,
we're gonna send you auditions,but you need to pay a monthly
fee.
I'm not talking about apay-to-play, okay, and you need
to pay our sister company justto be listed on the site.
You know, 15 bucks a month andwe're gonna start sending you
auditions.
So I did that with that idiomtalent, oh, okay, yeah, so a
(40:33):
year I never got one auditionand then turns out you even won.
And it was a scam.
Yeah, is a scam and they haddone that to sell to many voice
talent, just collecting thatlittle bitty because it's 15
bucks a month.
You're like, oh, it's 15 bucksa month.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Yeah, and a lot of them are like that.
You know there's a lot ofwebsites out there that probably
shouldn't go sign up for, andthere are those that are better.
Do your research, read reviews.
Yeah, read the reviews.
If you just do a little bit ofresearch, you will find out real
quick which places yeah, andask people that you know that
(41:08):
are in the business too, ifthey've heard of it.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Yeah, that's the best way and get into the Facebook
groups.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
There's a lot of voice over Facebook Facebook
groups yeah, you belong to anyof those a few of them, but I
just I don't get on that much asthat I should.
I went and looked at yours, too, and I want to do, which also
leads me, I want you to say thisfirst is the online workouts
that you have, um, the Facebookgroup that you have.
(41:37):
I would love for you to do soour Facebook group is private
though.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
So if you do study with us because I don't want
just anybody going in there andpromoting and and I'm very
protective of my students I feellike once you've studied with
us, you're like you're ourfamily.
So it's open to students only,um, but it's a great place.
We can share ideas.
If you booked somethingfantastic, you know Um, and
(42:05):
everybody's gotten to know eachother pretty well too, because
several the same people will,for a period of time, come to
our online workouts.
So our online workouts are goodbecause it's only six people
tops, we keep it pretty intimateand it's always two coaches, so
it's usually me and anothercoach, um, and lately it's been
Alyssa, who's the acting elementof voice over gurus, and we run
these two hour workouts liketwice a month and I gotta do.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
I gotta do one.
I haven't done one of those yet.
They sound like so much fun.
I gotta make none of that.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Yeah, we're gonna pick up again in September.
We're taking the summer off, ohgood, but we actually have a
new coach joining us soon.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
Oh, you do, it was us .
Speaker 2 (42:43):
I know I I can't announce yet, can't tell, not
while you're recording, okay, Igotta make later.
Yeah, I gotta make sureeverything is nice and Sowed up.
But yeah, we've got a new coachcoming that's gonna start
joining us in october, whichwill be cool.
Oh fun, yeah, because he's gonnabe excited, he's gonna be doing
narration and e-learning, um,and Documentary, because he
(43:07):
actually does documentaries ohno, coaching for that, I love
that and also a demo producer,so he's gonna be doing those
demos.
Dave's gonna be the main demoguy, uh-huh, but he's gonna be
doing some specialty stuffreally nice too.
So Cool, yeah, it'll be goodbecause people always like to
hear that.
Yeah, but actors like to hearthat, and if there's anyone
listening here To your podcastis thinking about trying it out,
(43:31):
we do a 20 minute assessmentfor you For 50 bucks and we'll
assess you for 20 minutes andhave you read scripts and point
you in the right direction.
If maybe you've always had thatinkling and you're like oh.
Yeah, I'm trying voiceovers.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
And that's fun it is and that's why you know, and
that's one of the things I hadyou on I've had several coaches.
I've had a business coach, Ihad a coach slash producer and
one of my demos and then my veryfirst one.
I've not asked any of them tocome on.
I'm looking you to come on Um,because you are.
(44:05):
You are so good at what you doand you're your patient, like.
I feel like there's a lot ofpeople out there that are really
rigid with their time, which isfine.
You need to be and you need tohave rules, but not so rigid
that we're in the middle of aconversation just okay, I gotta
(44:27):
go.
You know you're that way andyou're the one that helped me
really find my brand, reallyfind my voice.
That is right for me.
So I say all this because ifyou're just wanting to find out
if you're good at this or couldbe good at this, why not spend
(44:50):
50 bucks and give her you knowyou a call?
Because there's a lot of peoplethat you know have found out
through the podcast this is whatI'm doing and they're real
interested.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
Yeah, and I'm honest with you, I'm not one that's
gonna be like oh yeah, yourvoice is great, we should work
together.
You need to buy a package, youknow.
I'd rather say to you hey, youneed to go take some acting
classes, or maybe you're havingsome diction issues that we
would you know, or and I lay outthe struggles that you could
potentially face, if there areany, you know.
(45:23):
So it's not because I did notbecome a coach to make money as
far as, like, become rich, we'llput it that way yeah because
you will.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
you have turned people away.
That just isn't gonna work out.
And your, your specialty islike a conversational approach,
so there's different deliveriesYou'll have.
If you're interested in thevoiceovers, you'll have to learn
what those genres are, andthey're all different deliveries
.
So what a great place to go tofind out if this is even works
(45:55):
for you Right, and then get thereal story on how all of it
works with the conversation.
Speaker 2 (46:01):
I had an assessment a couple of days ago and the
gentleman was actually very goodand I said you know, you've got
a great foundation for this, abeautiful voice, and you were
able to let go.
I had I ran him through someyou know different moods and
attitudes on the scripts andthen he emailed me this morning
and he said I'm so afraid.
And he said I feel like I, hegoes, I already feel like I have
(46:22):
imposter syndrome and I don'teven feel comfortable starting
and he goes.
I'm not asking you to convinceme, but I just wanted to know
what you thought.
And I wrote back honestly and Igo look, you need to take a
step back.
If you are feeling that muchapprehension about it and it's
not sitting right with you, stepback, go back to doing what
you're doing.
If the bug comes back and bites, you call me and I said and if
(46:46):
it doesn't, then you know it wasjust like a pant, a passing
whimsy, but I'm not going toconvince you to do something
when, deep down, that wouldn'tbe what I would follow.
I follow my heart, I follow mygut, I follow what you're saying
.
I do pretty much everything onan emotional basis.
It wasn't the best businessapproach, but it keeps me a
little not as organized andplanning as I would like,
(47:07):
because sometimes I'd be like,oh, I got an idea for this and
then I throw it all together,you know.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
But but there's a reason why he called you because
he had the passion, the desire,the drive, the will, and then
he sounded great.
So to me, you're telling, methe story and I'm like well,
what's wrong?
Well, we all have it Impostersyndrome and whatever it is,
especially when you're firststarting out.
Speaker 2 (47:33):
I know I was like, if you're already feeling this,
now reassess.
Yeah, don't force yourself to.
If something feelsuncomfortable, yeah, that's not
for you, at least right now.
Maybe it, maybe he'll get the,you know the, the confidence and
the courage to do it.
But my point is is I'm notgoing to convince you to do
something that.
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Right, no, do it, do it.
Yeah, spend more money.
Give me more coaching, right,and there are those people that
will do that to you.
That's why it's very importantDon't go in naive.
If you're hearing this andyou're really interested in it,
just make sure you hire theright people and you don't waste
money.
I've wasted money.
Speaker 2 (48:14):
Watch those companies that come in and they say
introduction to voiceover classand it's usually at a college or
school or like a half day on aSaturday and most of the time
it's $99.49 and will assess youwhen you go and you hear their
speech.
You do the whole thing and I'msorry, but everybody is told,
yeah, yeah, you got a lot ofpotential, yeah, you know.
(48:36):
Because then they wind upcoming to me and saying
something's wrong.
And they wind up coming to meand saying something felt off.
I was like, yeah, because itwasn't.
It's not good, so try to avoidthat.
Speaker 1 (48:49):
Or people that want to produce your demos that don't
have any business producing ademo.
So any of these sites that youget on, they're called pay to
plays.
And we're not going to tell youwhich ones to get on.
You're going to have to figurethat one out.
But go Google and do yourresearch, like I said, and
you'll find it Good.
(49:09):
This was awesome.
Thank you for having me I know.
Thank you so much and I can'twait to have you back again, and
you're going to be my coachforever.
Speaker 2 (49:19):
Get ready to talk about your voiceover, career and
path, because that'll be.
I was thinking about you thismorning because I was like I
need a student who's working andis going to be good.
You know behind a mic, you knowconversation.
Yeah, I wonder if Carrie wouldwant to do it.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
Heck, yeah, I'm all over that girl.
All right, thank you so muchagain, and I will definitely see
you soon.
Sounds good.
Thanks, girl, have a good one,and I'll see you soon too.
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