The VOHeroes Podcast

Hey there, hero!

As a performer, you've made the choice to be in a very weird, counterintuitive, awesome, creative world. And it has its own quirky way of presenting us opportunities.

There's a phrase we dive into in this episode to help us recognize those quiet moments of opportunities: "Listen carefully, because opportunity sometimes knocks softly."

When I heard that phrase, I had to...

Hey there, hero!

There are lots of strategies and tactics to help us to get better at what we do, but there is one thing we will sometimes do that likely won't help at all.

And that's guessing.

Or listening to someone online who likely is guessing as well.

In this episode, I show you why this probably won't work, give you some better options to stay on course, and some things to av...

Hey there, hero!

I know there are times when I've told you that it's an advantage to be brief. To be essential. Focused and tight in your communication.

One big exception: asking for help or support.

Don't worry about giving too many details. When you need help, and you're frustrated, tale a moment to give as much information to the person helping you as you can - you will do so much b...

Hey there, hero!

I'm feeling sheepish.

I feel like sometimes I might be failing at reminding you that you're an artist.

My priority lately has been you ways to maximize your focus, do your busy work easier and faster, manage your productivity and so on. And with the number of auditions you could be getting, I've given you ways to make that process easier and more reliable.

But what...

Hey there, hero!

If you haven't seen the announcement from Amazon that they are going to give Kindle authors the option to have the audiobook versions of their titles read by synthetic voices, well...it's happened:

https://www.kdpcommunity.com/s/article/Invite-Only-KDP-Beta-for-Audiobooks

And there's really nothing we can do to stop it. But...

...there are some very big positives t...

Hey there, hero!

You get a lot of choices in life, and some you very much want to take advantage of.

Others, not so much. Some are a hard "no."

Especially if you don't feel qualified or up to the task.

As a coach, there can be a tendency to not want to be perceived as anything less than a superman. That you're capable of anything and helping anyone.

And I can tell you...

Hey there, hero!

Remember when you couldn't wait to open your inbox...juuuust in case you had gotten an audition or seven while you were away from your email?

Remember that feeling of anticipation? Or curiosity? Or joy?

You likely had anything but a feeling of dread, right?

How do you feel now? Have things changed for you? Do you dread having to do an audition?

And most importantly,...

Hey there, hero!

If you're like me and you're engaged in the pursuit of a successful, satisfying and profitable VO and acting career, you work really hard to get better.

Better at everything. Skills. Strategies. Planning. Execution. Results.

So things are a bit easier in the long run...

...so you can experience joy and happiness.

Let's remember to take a moment to enjoy th...

Hey there, hero!

The fact is, you're going to make mistakes. And you're going to be disappointed, feel less than and that wish that you could get a do-over.

But don't let that be your norm. That's certainly one way to look at it, but there may be another to consider.

If you know you're not going to be perfect, if you know that there are times when you don't have enough inform...

Hey there, hero!

Solving problems for yourself or others likely require asking questions.

In some cases, those questions are straightforward, and the answers you get will get the job done.

But many times, the question being asked isn't quite getting to the heart of the matter.

There's more information required, or context needs to be added, or the solution is found from an entirely diff...

Hey there, hero!

"Scary hours."

Weird name.

Interesting concept.

Effective? Why not try out creating a scary hour for yourself and let me know?

Might scary hours be an effective way of getting stuff done for you? Or do you have enough in your life that's a little bit frightening already? Let me know in the comments below.

REQUEST: Please join this video's con...

Hey there, hero!

The strike against the TV/Theatrical/Streaming contracts and the members of the AMPTP continues, now months in for both writers and actors.

Writers are really hamstrung in terms of what they can work on, but our strike is slightly different as there are many areas of work, covered by many different contracts...

...many of which are voice over based, rather than on-camera.

(And wh...

Hey there, hero!

It might have been a book I narrated.

Or it might not. 

I'm not sayin' one way or the other.

But a listener brought up a nonetheless interesting opinion: that there are some print books that should not be made into audiobooks.

Too complicated. Too controversial. Too many pictures. Too outdated. Too boring. Too...whatever.

Do you agree? What kind of con...

Hey there, hero!

I apologize in advance for this episode.

Not really, but kinda.

I just got off a very difficult Zoom Q&A session, with hundreds of people in attendance, most of which had had questions and had absolutely no idea how to behave in that situation.

I have thoughts.

And advice.

And I need to vent.

Once you watch the video, let me know...was I too harsh??...

Hey there, hero!

There's a gift waiting for you in this podcast episode.

I'm going to show you what is waiting for you when you make a definitive choice, and help casting see your take on a character.

This ties in with a previous episode on being the casting office's consultant for this role.

When you do make that definitive choice, there's power in that decision. You feel lik...

Hey there, hero!

I have to admit that there are times when I stop what I'm doing, especially when they are repetitive or mundane, and ask myself an important question:

"Does this really matter?"

Because I have a tendency toward wasting time on things that, although I'm really good at them, they don't really move things forward for me.

We can sometimes be expert at somethi...

Hey there, hero!

We spend an awful lot of time planning to get stuff done.

Making to-do lists and setting up calendars and workflows and then analyzing if we were on target or need to adjust things.

And there are all kinds of apps and processes (hello, Ivy Lee Method) for getting all those best-laid plans squared away.

But what about the fairly minor moments, where we simply execute those plans?<...

Hey there, hero!

Every so often, like a bolt of lightning, our perceptions about ourselves become crystal clear.

That happened to me just a few days ago.

Thanks to CNN's story on "dis-influencers," I now know my purpose in life...online. I have a very lucid understanding of what I do with these podcasts and how they benefit (I hope!) you, my lovely listener/viewer.

And it goes agai...

Hey there, hero!

As we sit in a moment of uncertainty. or fear, or disappointment, we might think that this is where it always will be.

That this failure or challenge or set of speed bumps in life will never end.

I've got three words for you. And I suggest you do what I did with those three words.

After watching the podcast - did those three words help? Do you think they might make a differe...