The VOHeroes Podcast

Hey there, hero!

The Broadway actor André De Shields has quietly made a stunning career out of performing on one of the most exclusive sets of stages in the world, and although he’s a Emmy-, Grammy- and Tony-award winning actor, he’s not a household name…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_De_Shields

…but De Shields’ recently-publicized three rules of life ought be memorized and put to use by everyone.

Who knows? They might make the w...

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Permanence. Import. Outcomes. Results.

We make lots of decisions, and we talk a lot about the size of those small, medium and large decisions - but another way of looking at them is…permanence.

The long lasting results of all those decisions, if any. The effectiveness of a decision that makes for real change.

But instead of size, what about potency? What about import? What about the long-term permanence of your decisio...

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Math.

Some people love it, and some people scratch their head over it.

But this particular math concept is simple: distance is distance, no matter how much time it takes.

In a race, the fastest contestants usually win.

But the work we pursue and reach for? It’s not a race. So there’s no medal for getting there faster.

In fact, it might be better to take your time: you’ll miss less. You might even enjoy the run a bit more...

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Looking back at when you were just starting out with something can be heartwarming and lovely as you reflect on how far you’ve come.

Or, it can be regretful and cringeworthy, as you think about the rookie mistakes you might have made.

My answer was a simple one - I spent too much on very expensive potential solutions: on gear, software, courses - and I doubt I was ready for any of it, because I didn’t have the prepara...

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Sometimes, the most casual comments can be the most powerful.

The moments of conversation that are the least charged can sometimes be monumental.

I had one of those moments in a recent co-working session with Coach Trevor Algatt (long time collab and member of the VOHeroes and Narrate Your Own Book coaching squad).

And I have a sneaking suspicion that what he had to say (about a...bag) might just land with a bang for y...

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We’re a few years in on the AI onslaught.

No doubt, you have had thoughts on this, both as an artist and as a lover of art.

And, I’d be surprised if your thoughts haven’t changed and become more informed and nuanced over the years.

I’d love to know what those thoughts currently are.

Scroll down and let me know how you currently view AI and synthetic media when it comes to your work as an artist…as well as your enjoyment...

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So there’s that thing you don’t want to do.

That task that seems insurmountable, that conversation that seems uncomfortable, that project that seems confusing and messy.

So you put it off.

What do you tell yourself to justify your procrastination?

It’s OK…sometimes there’s a really good reason to delay things.

And sometimes…there’s just avoidance. And maybe, even fear.

What are the different common things you tell yoursel...

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Along the lines of what I've mentioned in the past, the rules change as our journey progresses, a hiker once said a version of the title of this episode.

The scenery is going to be different as you move through your trek.

The same thing happens for us as writers, actors and voice talent.

You start off with a set of rules and scenery as a beginner that will be very different from the set of rules and scenery you&ap...

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Sometimes, it’s not just A or B, one or the other.

You can often be presented with and virtually frozen in place by a stunning and varied array of options in life, and if you’re confused by all the choices, that overwhelm can be paralyzing.

We can spend so much time trying to be safe…to be correct…to make no mistakes. And that can lead to not making any choice at all.

Think of all the things you might have missed in li...

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“Return to the breath.”

It’s a common phrase that helps you get back to your center when you’re meditating or doing any sort of calming technique.

We self correct when driving as well - watching the wheel, making gentle movements on the wheel to stay in our lane.

And we can use this minor adjustment technique in other areas in life, including staying on task as we move through the day, and staying gracefully focused on...

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I just want to take a moment to tell you how grateful I am to be a part of your journey, and to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of your storytelling support crew.

That’s pretty much it. I’m just thankful.

And here’s a link to Kindra Hall’s Stories That Stick (I highly recommend this audiobook - she’s amazing and will also make you a better storyteller):

https://amzn.to/45s4yrg

Thoughts on all this...

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There can be a big difference between taking action, and hurting yourself by jumping to a reaction without really thinking it through.

And there’s a difference between rushing to some action…any action…and taking just a moment to consider your options.

Delta and AMEX and a couple who couldn’t wait to post with righteous indignation on Reddit are prominently featured in this episode.

I don’t think they thought things th...

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Ever been asked to upload a perfectly square image as your profile pic?

Sure you have, if you’ve created your profile on, say, ACX.com.

The problem is that you’re usually working from a portrait-shaped headshot, that is usually taller than it is wide…definitely NOT square. So, you have to crop a section of just your face.

And if you don’t get it just right, ACX will force the image to be square, and your face will get ...

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Unless you count the awards shows and box office (unfairly) as some sort of barometer of our success (please don’t), there really isn’t any sort of leaderboard or all-star ladder for creatives.

Even best-seller lists only judge what’s selling well, not what’s the highest artistic quality.

It’s not a race, right? We tell ourselves (and I tell you from time to time) it’s not a competition. We’re all pulling in the same ...

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Sometimes I feel like my cup overfloweth.

There’s no end to what you can learn about our business, and our world, and life.

And there’s more knowledge flowing in all the time.

Do you have the energy to stay on top of things? Or are you good? Is your bandwidth stretched to the limit?

Where are you on the “new knowledge” scale? Are you over the whole adding to your personal knowledgebase thing?? Let me know in the comment...

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The story of life is filled with dependencies, with our journey being affected by the challenges in our lives.

And when we think about how our situation might be better if we weren’t this or that or the other thing (the grass is always greener, isn’t it?), we can make arbitrary assumptions about how our challenges are so…challenging.

And we need to remember that we get to choose to have these challenges (or not), and ...

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As if we don’t have enough things in the world today, helping us move toward the anxious end of the scale, and away from the calm end, right?

Here’s a simple way to combat that. I was reminded of this approach by the teachers of The Anxiety Toolkit, a free course I’m currently taking that is offered by The Entertainment Community Fund.

Hope this helps.

If you’ve tried this, was it effective? Other ways you know of to e...

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Every new advance (decline?) in the development of new AI tools can lead to more and more anxiety for performers.

It can also lead to more options for our performance careers.

This episode is designed to take a look at both the threat and the promise of AI and synthetic voices and faces in 2025.

(If you’re watching this episode just a few months after it was published, this is all likely old news…but how to handle it a...

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Characters. That word can strike fear in the hearts of narrators that feel that fiction is a whole ‘nother level of effort when it comes to audiobooks.

Same thing when the content involves accents or dialects.

It’s not necessarily true that non-fiction is easier (you might take on some scientific terms or geographic locations to see why).

But characters don’t have to be intimidating, and accents and dialects don’t have...