But Does Your Voice Believe You?
We develop different voices for different rooms—then wonder why none of them feel quite right. This is about returning to a voice that actually fits.
Your Voice Is Doing More Than You Think
Most people think of the voice as a tool—something they use to express ideas. But the truth is, your voice is expressing so much more than your words. It's broadcasting what you believe about yourself, what you fear, what you want, how much space you think you're allowed to take up.
Sometimes, you don't even realize what your voice is telling the world—until you start to listen.
It's Not About "Speaking Better"
It's less about eliminating "um"s and learning to pause—though those issues are important! It's about noticing the moment your throat tightens before you disagree with someone. Or how your voice drops off when you explain your job title. It's about the slight upward lilt at the end of your sentence when you're actually making a point, not asking a question.
You can have all the credentials, insights, and ideas—but if the sound of your voice contradicts your message, people won't fully hear you. And worse: you won't fully hear yourself.
A Voice Can Shrink—or Expand—Us
I've worked with people who've spent years carefully hiding behind quiet or fast or polite voices, or ones they cultivated for a specific role and became comfortable with.
I've worked with people who've been told their voices are "too much," or "not enough," or "hard to understand." People who've felt invisible in meetings, even when they were the most qualified person in the room.
And here's what I can tell you: most of the time, the issue isn't skill. It's a buildup—of defenses, of habits, of experiences. When people stop working so hard to sound 'professional' or 'nice,' what emerges is usually more compelling than what they were trying to create. When you stop trying to sound like what you think people want to hear, what emerges is almost always more interesting.
What Happens When the Voice Changes?
It's subtle. Then it's not.
You start noticing people tuning in to what you have to say instead of tuning out. You speak up in situations where you used to shrink back. You feel less exhausted after conversations. You stop replaying what you "should have said."
You start recognizing your own voice as something powerful. Something you can trust.
Where Real Voice Work Begins
Your voice lives in your whole body, not just your vocal cords. It's shaped by how you breathe when you're nervous, how you hold tension in your shoulders, whether you make eye contact when you speak.
The most effective voice work I do combines physical awareness with addressing the stories people tell themselves about taking up space. We work on breath support and vocal placement, yes. But we also work on the part of you that learned to make yourself smaller, faster, quieter to avoid conflict or judgment.
This is what real communication coaching looks like—deep, physical, and often the missing piece people didn't know they needed.
How We Get There
- We identify specific moments when your voice changes (defending an idea, stating your credentials, disagreeing with someone senior)
- We work on the physical foundations that support vocal strength and clarity
- We practice speaking from your actual expertise rather than from uncertainty or apology
- We address the habits that undermine your message before it reaches your audience
The goal isn't to sound like someone else. It's to sound like yourself when you're at your most confident and clear.
Real Examples:
Sarah, a banker at a major NYC firm, watched colleagues repeat her ideas and get credit while her contributions were ignored. The issue? She'd hold her breath during tense meetings, so when she finally spoke, she sounded frantic and breathless rather than authoritative. Once she learned to breathe consistently throughout meetings, her voice became grounded and resonant—and people started listening.
If your voice sounds like it's battling you to get your message out, that's a sign it's time to look deeper.
Rochelle grew up in a family where being "quiet" and "polite" was expected. As a project manager, she struggled to access her authority—literally. She was so used to making herself small that her voice had no room to resonate in her body. Once she learned to physically take up space in her own body, her voice became stronger and richer.
That physical change gave her the confidence to speak up boldly and risk actually being seen and heard. This kind of shift in voice and presence often leads to real changes in how others perceive your executive presence—and how you perceive yourself.
Let's Have a Conversation
If you recognize yourself in any of this, I offer a brief consultation—no charge, no pitch. We'll talk about what you've noticed about your own voice, identify one or two specific areas that might be holding you back, and I'll give you something concrete to try.
Whether we work together or not, you'll leave the conversation with a clearer sense of what's possible.
Your voice isn't broken. It's just been adapted for situations you've outgrown.
You can shape it into something stronger—something that actually fits.