“Pay attention to the cracks, because that’s where the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen

Last week, I had a 30-minute consult call with a wonderful human who speaks multiple languages, has lived in multiple countries (20 years in the US alone), and yet, has never felt good about her voice. She wanted to work with a speaker coach but has never found one that felt right. She found me in a Google search and decided to reach out.

It is not an easy thing to ask for help especially when it is connected to something as personal as the voice.  Initially, she told me that she wanted help reducing her accent. I told her that I could help her to have a more open and clear sound but I would not help to reduce her.

At the end of the call, she said she felt truly seen and was excited by the possibilities of our working together. She committed to immersing herself in my 8-session program; we will work bi-weekly -same time, same day - just as one would for a Master’s class because this is Master’s work - deep and expansive both.

Our first session was a 90-minute deep dive, aiming to understand her not just as a speaker but as a unique fully expressive individual. The conversation was fascinating, incorporating both playful and practical exercises.

I always bring my mosaic of a 'toy box' to each session.

I used to use “tool box” as a descriptor but …

Tools fix things.

I’m not trying to “fix” people.

I don’t see people as broken; I see the beauty, courage, and strength of a person.

We focus on what is working, the "yes" and move from there.

Toys expand our sense of ourselves. So, though I am not using stuffed animals in my work, I do remind people of the power of play; of joyful experimentation that can lead to a broader capacity and flow.

Everyone has something to say but fear of being wrong gets in the way. It is not about right or wrong. When one owns this, more is possible.

At the end of our session, she shared that she felt like “something had cracked open” within her.

Wow.

And, we’ve only just begun.